Ataturk day

Today, as we prepared to leave our hotel, we became aware of staff bustling about with large flags, in celebration, we learned, of a holiday commemorating Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

As we drove to the airport, we saw more flags - along streets, dangling from windows, hanging down walls. This strikes me as a country which strikes a good balance between religion and state, and I felt there was, despite recent events, something worth celebrating.