If you are one of the millions of Europeans planing to spend your summer in İstanbul, please copy this article and keep it in your bag. Because it may worth to have a look while you are in İstanbul.

İstanbul is one of the hottest European cultural cities. So you need to find some beaches to get cool while enjoying your holiday in Istanbul.

As a local Babelian my personal tip for you is to discover Ağva. It is a small and amazing seaside town close to İstanbul. Hence; If you are looking for sea, sun, nice beaches with golden sand and delicious local foods Ağva should be your first choice in Istanbul. I was in Ağva yesterday; just to discover the beuties for you, so I would likte to assume you that this is an article written on the ground.

From Istanbul, It takes close to 2 hours by bus. You can go there by renting a car also. You need to go Uskudar district to find buses departing for Agva. The price for the Bus is 20 lira(10 Euro)... In case you can not find the Ağva-Şile bus station in Uskudar don’t worry. Just ask someone that can speak English and feel the distinguished Turkish hospitailty.

Anyway let's imagine you are at bus, the trip to Ağva started, After 2 hours your bus will stop at Şile. This is a very beatiful seaside town also. If you are not dying to swim in Ağva as soon as possible, let's get out of the bus, have break, eat something in Şile’s amazing restoturants. Bytheway you can find lot’s of beaches in Şile also. But please keep in mind that Şile is a bit dangerous place to swim. After getting on the bus for Ağva it will take just 30-40 minutes to reach there. Ağva is a very green and hot area.

To be honest, I don’t think local peaole of Ağva are so famous with their great hospitality. Since it is touristic town and like 80 percent of the population is tourist, just like you. You can easily find an hotel or hostel room in Ağva but if you can book rook in advance on internet also. The prices for the room are around 30-40 Euro for a day in July. But try your chance, don’t be shy and ask for a cheaper price. In Turkey asking for discount is fair, it is a reality of Turkish tradition of trade.

Enjoy the sun and sea guys....

For today so far as we can see AK Party is doing what the majority of Turkish society, their voters asked them to do at last parliamentary election. As long as they reflect the desire of the majority I am pretty sure that peaceful days and the end of the Turkish masked bale is closer for Turkey.

It has been long time I did not write on Turkish politics for you the Babelians. The last thing I had written was on Turkey’s cross border operation Iraq’s Kurdistan mountains in 2008. Clashes between PKK guerillas and Turkish Army was main reason of worsening relation and soaring tension between Kurdistan Regional Government and Ankara.

Because of Turkish governments clever steps, relations became so much better than it was before. Currently is main commercial partner of Kurdistan despite ongoing clashes between PKK militants and Turkish soldiers. Turkey is planning to open an embassy at Kurdistan capiatal city Erbil next month. Iraqi Kurdish leaders are praising Turkey’s constructive steps to stabilize their country.

Two years ago DTP was the main party representing Turkey’s 15 million Kurdish population. DTP leader’s mistakes, attacks of PKK and Turkish deep states plots resulted with supreme courts decision to ban DTP. Then another Kurdish party, which is called BDP was established. Although the party was new, the leader were same, even some more hawkish politicians found place on new board of the new party.

New Kurdish parties hawkish leaders did nothing to contribute AK Party leader, PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts to democratize constitution which was prepared by architect of 12 September 1980 military junta. Recently a package of constitutional amendments were voted on Turkish parliamentary, non of the BDP lawmakers supported it.

Amendments were passed by votes of AK Party, DTP cooperated with natioanalist conservative parties CHP (In fact it calls itself social democrat party) and MHP. These three parties cooperation to stop a democratization package proved structure of Turkish deep state. Actually  it is  impossible to see Kurdish nationalist party, a Turkish nationalist party and a party which is calling it self as social democrat cooperating to defend juntas’ constitution.

The strange cooperation of DTP provided a crucial opportunity for Kurdish people to see hidden faces behid masks. According to the experts, Kurdish voters support for BDP will decrease at next election and AK Party will benefit from this new situation. Probably MHP will also loose lots of votes.

AK Party is a conservative party, and certainly it has lots of mistakes, we can discuss them at another article also. In this respect what Turkey needs urgently at the moment is a real social democrat party like Britain’s Labour, American’s Democratic Party or French Socialist Party which can defend other’s interests against ruling party AKP..

For today so far as we can see AK Party is doing what the majority of Turkish society, their voters asked them to do at last parliamentary election. As long as they reflect the desire of the majority I am pretty sure that peaceful days and the end of the Turkish masked ball is closer for Turkey.

e-mail: istanbul@cafebabel.com

Protests have always been a way for people to pass the time on the weekends and as the rest of Europe adopts less rowdy methods of change, we are comforted in knowing we will always be louder.

Sabanci Foundation launched the "Turkey’s Changemakers" project to share inspiring stories of individuals who make a difference in social and economic development.

The first episode aired on Sunday 4 October 2009 at 18:30 on CNN Turk, and told the inspiring story of changemaker Dr. Zeynep Simsek. Dr. Simsek is the Founding Director of the Harran University Medical School Public Health Department. Together with her colleague Dr. Ibrahim Koruk, she dedicated her work to improving health conditions of migrant farm workers which comprise almost 20% of the population in the Southeastern province of Sanliurfa (also known in short as ‘Urfa’). For the written document of the program please click here... Since 2001, her projects have included providing mobile health services, public health education programs for youth and village headman (local government representatives in villages and neighborhoods where migrant farm workers live), and projects to address the Malaria epidemic. Through her work, she has enabled health care support and access for over 225.000 migrant farm workers and their families.

In 2009 she and her colleagues established the Migrant Farm Workers Human Rights Association (www.metider.org.tr) to develop and manage programs that promote the rights and well being of this disadvantaged community.

Switzerland hosted an important deal for Turkish Republic. Armenian and Turkish FM’s signed the treaty to normalise relations and bring peace to oil and gas rich Caucasis.

After the agreement will be completed after the clarification of governments parlaimanterians. Afterward Turkish Armenian border, which is closed since 1993, will be opened in 2 months. The border gate was closed by Turkish government to protest Armenia’s invasion at Dağlık Karabag¬ (Nagorno Karabagh) . The peace process was started with Armenian President. Mr. Serg Sargissian invitation to Turkish Presidend Abdullah Gul for national football match. Turkish President Mr. Abdullah Gul went to Yerivan and tied off the wings of the dove pigeon missing to fly between two nations.