Hope 2009 was a year that you could realize yourself, try to do what you loved to do and have orgasmic excitements and hope 2010 will be more than that.

I will be welcoming the new year in the old Paris of the east, chaotic Balkanic, a colorful gray city, Bucharest.

And I d like to inform you, starting from July 2007, I am so happy to share my trip experiences with myself and you, but it's my last post in this blog. From now, I will be writing in a new blog, tripolitik.com, with some other friends, sharing our travel experiences with social, political, environmental perspectives. It will be also a step forward to new travel observations, ideas, views, etc.

Any of you, who has been following this blog, I hope you enjoyed it all, and that you will enjoy the new one, tripolitik, even more.

Till then, have a wonderful new year evening and keep your passion...

It's been only 1 month that I have moved to Bucharest, Romania as an expat. Of course, it's quite early to make comments about the city, places, people, etc. but still I d like to express my initial observations. When I first arrived in mid November, Romania was preparing for a cold winter and the president elections. To warn you, this country can be bloody cold, even colder than my previous country, Germany. Maybe this is why people try the Russian like winter styles. Btw, Basescu won the elections, no comment, just any Romanian that I talked tell me that politics here sucks, lots of corruption.

When you start to hang around the city, the dominant colour is gray, understandable. It has been only 20 years that Romania has left Nicolae Çeauşescu times. So, anyone can see the country is still in progress to the capital world. When I finally moved to a flat, naturally, an old communist bloc flat, I had some surprises. Let me count them. The entrances, elevators of the flats are all from these times. My bloc flat is divided into two parts where hundreds of people live together. The elevators are scary at first time, but then you get used to it, also that they stop randomly. Do not worry, press your floor button again, and it will go up :)

One funny thing is all the doors have handles also outside which totally doesnt sound secure. If you do not lock your door, anyone can come in :)

Again, a habit from old times, I noticed that my old neighbours peek from the door hole when they hear any noise. Advantage is, that keeps the thieves away from the flats, disadvantage is whoever comes to your apartment, you have to be aware that you are watched.

When you are walking on the streets of Bucharest, you feel safe. Totally safe, even some paranoid Western guys tell the opposite. You can see flower shops in each corner, mostly ran by the gypsy community. Ah, and about gypsy topic, fuck this stereotypes, Romania has also gypsies as most of the countries have. That's all ! Btw, funny to see, everywhere is full of cables, it's shocking at first :)

Plus, when I arrived here I wasn't expecting but here almost all the people can speak English, more or less. So almost no problem with the language for expats. People are friendly, really and sincerely friendly, which you can't see much in Western Europe. The friendship style quite fits with the Turkish style, so was easy for me to adapt, I guess.

On the other side, I think it's not a shopping city at all if you are a shopping freak. There are some big (!) shopping malls and that's all actually. No supermarkets in every corner, I have to walk for 10 mins to make my weekly shopping - food, drinks, etc..The underground transportation is well designed although it doesnt reach anywhere you want, unlike Munich for example. If you are a man walking alone on the streets, you will find some jerks offering you either a stolen mobile or a madam or asking for a cigarette. Nevermind them.

The average revenue per person is low here, comparing with other Eu countries. This causes also a big gap between the poor and rich. There are billionaires all around but at the same time lots of beggars, homeless and unemployed. The quality of service in restaurants, pubs, cafes, etc. has been the most annoying issue for me till now. It's so so slow and these guys do not much understand what customer satisfaction is. But, there are increasing number of places which got the point and providing a great service. So seems like they need some time to adapt to the capitalist rules of the world, unfortunately.

My first feeling here is, I cannot live here forever, but I am sure I will feel comfortable with all these friendly, sincere, relaxed people. It is, for sure, worth to try to start living in Bucharest.

In my next post, I will be sharing my Christmas and New Year experiences in Bucharest. Till then, happy Christmas (I have been sang 20 carols per day during Xmas time, as it's my first real Christmas experience in a Christian country.) and the best for new year...

I think time has come to write some things about my 2009 city, München, after spending full 10 months with many memories. It was a strange year, deciding to move from my home country to live and work somewhere else and the choice was Bavarian Munich. After spending almost a year and posting about after a while would be a bit emotional and well it is.My life in Munich apparently has certain effects on me. A remarkable change in my life. With all wonderful moments, great friendships, lovely days, beautiful Munich offerings, I must confess that it has never been my city or the place where I want to spend rest of my life. Sorry for that, maybe a perfect city for others, but not for me.

For the ones who wanna give a visit to München, I will have some little tips, a mix of 10 months experience. Do not go there on the 1st of January, most probably you are fully drunk after a long new year party and can have the first shock feeling the freezing weather. Do not mind the jerks calling Dülferstrasse (or nearby Hasenbergl) as the ghetto area of Munich, cause there is no ghetto in Munich.

It is a city of wealth and comfort and luxury considering the life standarts. Ok, when you are out of Dülferstrasse UBahn (U2), get out of the exit and turn your asses to McDonalds over there and walk 100 m.s ahead (I loved this description, always:) On the right side, you will see my best ever pub in Munich, Black & White. Great meetings, friendships, cheap beer & tequila, hugs, leather black couches, friendly atmosphere, everything you d wish for. First thing I will never forget about Munich is my lovely B&W.

Second, BEER.

The most important thing God blessed Munich for. Beer everywhere, best beer ever, billions of different beer, swimming in beer, drinking with all your body, feeling the cold, bitter; feeling the StarkBier, feeling the BierGarten beer, feeling the Helles, Augustiner...Munich is the land of beer. Totally ! After a while, it's so usual that you end your evening with bottles of beer in your beer belly. Met some guys over there who do not like drinking beer, please leave the city, immediately.

Third, I wrote 5 different live stream posts about, but still want to mention about it. Oktoberfest. A 6 million drunken beer festival, nothing the most interesting and most surprising, but for sure worth to visit at least one whole day. Be there and get drunk. For more info, read this, that, das, der or die.

If you already have spent some time in the city, you can start to think that not the most coolest and flexible people live around. But, as everywhere, and as I have met, you will find amazing friends over there, still most of them, internationals :) But do not give up, there are also many cool Bavarian flavoured Germans surviving somewhere in the corner. Go and find them.

Take the UBahn again, watch some non-smiling faces, all around dogs, reading 5.000 pages books citizens, hear the same door closing quote 'Bitte zurück bleiben'. Have a tour in the city, not much to offer, some Marienplatz and around, my Turkish neighborhood and lovely Kebab environment Hauptbahnhof, OlympiaPark, some lakes, green and greener parks, Isar River, Englischer Garten, and that's all, believe me. A so much beautiful city, but I do not think so touristic.

Meet people who are so unaware of German politics, Berlin Wall, East & West, etc..Read the Bayerische Partei propoganda who wants to homogenize Bavaria and even seperate from Germany :) Funny guys. Watch at least one football match in Alianz Arena.

Do not worry, almost everyone speaks English so well. Even when you ask them whether they speak or not, dunno maybe because of modesty, they tell you 'a little' where they speak fluent English :)

There are some guys who have stereotypes, never mind them. As a native Turk, I had some little arguments & problems, or my black, Arabian, Eastern, Far Eastern friends, etc.. It happens anywhere in the world depending on your country's political and international position in traditional media. People are not so into reading, searching, travelling and learning first and then discussing. One more thing, you can see the police 'Polizei' almost in every corner. I am still thinking the government have so high idle costs about these uniformed guys.

About Nazi topic, you can be interested, but please be aware of the fact that these guys are knowledged and taught at least as much as you have been. With the smart guys, do not hesitate to discuss the topic. And know that most of them do not like Rammstein and do not know Accept, Motorhead or Scorpions.

Enjoy the lakes, green, clean environment, try some sports, ride a bike home, work, etc..These are the things which you can do in so few cities and Munich is obviously one of them.

Dear München, although I could not feel myself belonging to you, you have had a nice impact in my life. You are a lovely and so organized city, just not my type. And dear München friends, I will try to catch all of you somewhere around, for sure. You made my Munich days !