Going back to Istanbul and Izmir Turkey
dbeckom
Posts: 2,193 ✭✭✭✭✭
I am currently preparing for my a 2-3 month trip to Turkey. I will have a week in a resort in Izmir and the rest of the time will be spent in Istanbul. I plan to visit one Meerschaum pipe shop in Izmir next week while I’m there...that has me excited! I need to find a replacement for my 80+ year old Meerschaum that cracked 2 weeks ago. I am not much into the intricately carved pipes...I prefer traditional shapes.
One thing that I find odd about Turkey is that even though there are many pipe shops, it is almost impossible to find any pipe tobacco! And the only cigars to be found are Cubans
One thing that I find odd about Turkey is that even though there are many pipe shops, it is almost impossible to find any pipe tobacco! And the only cigars to be found are Cubans
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
4
Comments
-
Safe travelsA little dirt never hurt2
-
It's weird too, that the Turkey isn't their state bird, and you can't even get a Turkey sandwich anywhere.Have fun, stay safe, and post a bunch of pics."I could've had a Mi Querida!" Nick Bardis6
-
Thanks all. I leave Tuesday evening.
I overlooked one of the most important things in preparation for the trip...my little Xikar 10 stick travel humidor is nowhere near as big as I need. I was planning to buy a 40ct one, but ran out of time. I will have to improvise, or just smoke Cubans for the majority of the trip 🤓
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
Safe travels brother0
-
Safe Travels. Whats wrong with Cuban cigars?Logistics cannot win a war, but its absence or inadequacy can cause defeat. FM100-50
-
@0patience, it’s good to be back!
@Diver43, there’s NOTHING wrong with Cuban cigars except the price...I just prefer my Nicaraguan & Dominican cigars
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
Safe travels and be well Dwayne
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."0 -
Safe travels man!dbeckom said:I need to find a replacement for my 80+ year old Meerschaum that cracked 2 weeks ago. I am not much into the intricately carved pipes...I prefer traditional shapes.
If you happen to pick up an extra meerschaum I'll buy it off of you.
I like the same style as you
Mark0 -
I have a new one at home, but it is an intricate carving of an old man smoking a pipe.
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb6 -
You have reached a whole new level of cool when even your pipe is smoking a pipe7
-
I keep telling myself I will get a meer but I always find a briar I absolutely must have first and then when the funds come back around, the meer I picked out was gone. I don't think I'll get a face though. The eyes and mouths on them creep me out a bit2
-
I arrived in Istanbul safely after a long delay and an even longer flight. Tomorrow I will rest! My back is killing me 😩
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb1 -
Have a great time.0
-
Made it to the resort yesterday evening and got settled in. I was hurting too bad to get out and explore, so I stayed around the room until this morning. I will post pictures later
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
"I could've had a Mi Querida!" Nick Bardis1 -
Be careful over there......I just watched Midnight Express the other day.
I bet the dollar is going pretty far right now with all that's going on there right now?1 -
@ForMud yes the dollar is going a LONG way here now. Everything is cheaper here anyway, and now I have even more to spend after converting my moneyForMud said:Be careful over there......I just watched Midnight Express the other day.
I bet the dollar is going pretty far right now with all that's going on there right now?
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
For a quick travel humidor, stop at harbor freight. They have cheaper, rugged, hard cases with built in pressure relief valves. I took one to Cuba in May, and it worked great, held ~50 cigars with some of the pick/pull foam still in it, and was ~$30.
1 -
We made it back to Istanbul. Had a great time and got to see most of the resort despite the fact that I cut my foot on a rock the second day there.
I didn’t have access to the forum for most of the stay at the resort. For some reason, all Turkish internet providers block access to cigar.com, and I ran out of data on my international package. I will post pictures as soon as I can
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb2 -
@84CJ7 I haven’t found the specific shape and size that I want yet. The shops here mostly carry the carved heads and exotic carved pipes that everyone thinks of when they envision a Meerschaum pipe. I want a more traditional style pipe. I found a couple online that I kinda liked, but my girlfriend talked me out of buying them. She has been looking at pipes online with me and asking a ton of questions, and I found out that she has been researching all of the carvers. She is planning to buy me one for my birthday in a couple of weeks
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb7 -
@dbeckom
That's a good GF you got there. I've been doing the same and kicking myself when someone else buys it. You & I have the same taste in meerschaums.
Hopefully you get to watch some carvers at work.
I always wondered if there were any bargains buying direct.1 -
EVERYTHING is cheaper here in Turkey, plus the lira has lost value and the dollar now buys over 6 lira.
I will post some pictures when w visit stores and carvers
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
I don’t know if I have mentioned it yet, but all of the B&M’s that I have visited here have a good selection of briar pipes, but very few (if any) Meerschaum pipes. I have got to see a lot of very nice briar pipes from Sahin pipes...a Turkish company that is gaining respect throughout the world for their quality pipes.
With all all of the pipes in B&M’s and all of the Meerschaum carvers around the country, there is almost NO pipe tobacco to be found. The only pipe tobacco that I have found was in the duty free shop in the airport. One B&M that I visited had 3 dried out “house” blends in huge plastic containers along the wall. The guy running the shop said “this is cigarette tobacco, but you can smoke in your pipe”. Ummm...no thanks!
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb1 -
I have ran out of cigars, and the limited selection of Cubans combined with the high prices on them has me sticking mainly with my pipe. This would normally not be much of an issue because I brought a vast selection of blends with me, but it’s ALWAYS windy in Istanbul...the normal day is 10-20mph, and it just goes higher from there. I have been creative in finding areas to smoke depending on the main direction of the wind, but there’s always the breeze that is deflected between the buildings to contend with.
I am hoping that I can get more cigars delivered from home. I have limited experience with international shipping. What is the best service to use? Any tips?
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0 -
I will be flying back to the states on the 16th to take care. Of some family stuff, visit a couple of doctors and restock my cigars and pipe tobacco supply. I have been having my cigar orders delivered to my mothers house and having her take them to my place. I’m kinda excited to see it all together...I sort of got a il crazy on c.bid in the past couple of weeks 😳
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb1 -
I have been asked to move to Istanbul and after lots of thinking I have decided to make the move. I have never lived more than 30 miles from where I was born, so this is a huge step for me.
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb0
