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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Romance of the Three Cities: Belgrade, Athens, and Istanbul


Short message sent by Sidney Jones from the International Crisis Group, "... enjoy the most beautiful city in the world", is true. Istanbul is beautiful and deserve to be enjoyed. How to Belgrade in Serbia and Athens in Greece, Sidney? The question was not answered Sidney Jones because it was not delivered.

The three cities that are equally beautiful, each has its own charm, and now the equally struggling to not be swallowed with the times. There is a history that link the city's third. Turkey once ruled ancient Greece when Hellenism, Greek civilization, mastered the Mediterranean region. Call it a city that is always mentioned in the story of Greece, namely Troy, near the Dardanelles Strait, which is now a region of Turkey. Historically, the Topkapi Palace now stands was formerly the ancient city of Greece.

On the contrary, Turkey has also been ruled Greece, which even now still left traumatized. The always remember the Greeks are Greeks by the Turkish occupation for 400 years, from 1458 until 1821 (for the time being interspersed occupation by people Venetia years 1687-1715). In fact, even now Greece was always bothered by the Turkish immigrants who want to get into Europe.

Belgrade in former times had also ruled Ottoman Empire (Ottoman). Ottoman rulers see that Belgrade is the entrance to Central Europe and should be subjugated. Historically, in the year 1284, Turkish troops entered Belgrade, but could not fully control the city. New in 1521 under the leadership of Sultan Suleiman Akbar, Belgrade fell and fully controlled by Turkey until 1801.

The three cities that previously had mastered both Imporium Missal, the Roman Empire. Roman control of Belgrade since the first century until four centuries later. Athens even further the previous year, ie about the year 88 BC to the time of the Eastern Roman Empire centered in Byzantium, or Istanbul now.

Now the three cities that struggle to remain victorious in the time that this sprinted. Belgrade, which is now thethe capital of of Serbia and boasts the River Sava and Danube as his spirit ,continues to organize itself after the civil war was seriously injured because that is triggered by an extreme religious nationalism . Economically, Belgrade hobbled. The prices of expensive goods. Although they are still faithful to use their own currency, the dinar, the prices are pegged worth of European currency, the euro, because it is struggling to become a member of the European Union.

Athens, the capital of Greece, economic conditions worse. Corruption and extortion nearly topple Greek government. Appears fakelaki term or envelope and money or political rousfeti nepotism,  CCN. The economic crisis started to hit Greece since the end of 2009.

"Tax is raised and cut salaries. Normally we receive 14 times salary every year, is now only received 12 times, "said Johnny, workers from Manado in Athens.

Tourism became the foundation of life of the country. Every year recorded 16.5 million tourists, while the number of inhabitants "only" 11 million people.

"Tourism is the backbone of Greece. They can manage very well. Good infrastructure, good promotion, in short, we can learn a lot from them in the field of tourism, "said Indonesia's Ambassador to Greece Ahmad Rusdi.

Istanbul to Athens competitors in world tourism. Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, has a population of 12 million people (population of 77 million Turkish people), indeed beautiful. Many parts of town can be exhibited to the world, to tourists, even small things like a small room at the tourist attraction that is always clean.

The tourists, who according to records in 2008 reached 31 million people spoiled with the availability of means of transport. There are buses, taxis, and electric trains which divides the city tourist center.

The city is holding two-Western and Asian cultures. And, both of them posed together. Istanbul which occupies a strategic position in geopolitics, the road intersection between Europe and Asia, until now still continue to strive to become a member of the European Union. Although, since the beginning of standing claim to be part of the West and become a member of NATO since 1952, the same as Greece.

Although two-faced, Istanbul remains attractive. "... The most beautiful city in the world," said Sidney Jones. No less than Athens and Belgrade, which is also beautiful.

(Triassic kuncahyono, from Istanbul, Turkey)

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