22 December 2005

2006 New Year's Party at the Armada Hotel

Entertainment:
Live Pop Music, “Pire Mehmet” and “The Red-Shirts Roman Band”,
“Kucuk Hasan” from Lüleburgaz, a “zurna” genious,
The drum master Tamer Kum with his Gypsy Band, Belly Dancer...

Also the workshop-show by Kamellia; The Princess of Oriental Dance and her belly-dance students (*)

Program:
119:00- 20:00 - New Year’s Cocktail at the Lobby
20:30 – 23:50 - New Year’s Gala Dinner at the Ahirkapi Restaurant

Menü:
Cold Armada Mezes
Chicken Salad with walnut, Mashed Broad Beans, Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice and Onion, White Beans Stew, Strained Yoghurt with Herbs and Garlic, Octopus Salad, Fried Aubergine with Tomato, Turkish Feta Cheese
Hot Mezes
Thin Pastry Leaves Stuffed with Cheese, Thin Pastry Leaves Stuffed with Spinach, Grilled Lamb Meatballs, Sea Food Casserole
Main Course
Stuffed Turkey with orange Sauce served with rice
Ahirkapi Salad
Unlimited Local Alcoholic Beverages

24:00 - Welcoming the New Year at the Armada Terrace;
with fireworks and champagne…

After the midnight: At the Lobby
Dessert & Fruit Buffet;
“Pistachio Cake with Chocolate Sauce”
Seasonal Fruits
“Supper”: Delicious night soups from Armada “Pottage Carriage”
Coffee and Tea

Prices - %18 V.A.T is included -
Armada New Year’s Party: Per Person: 145. -YTL

Welcoming 2005 at Armada Terrace Fireworks



Information: ARMADA HOTEL

Phone: 0212 - 455 44 55
E-Mail: infosatis@armadahotel.com.tr
Nilüfer Yünlü (0 212 455 44 71)
Zerrin Kelebek (0 212 455 44 70)

(*) A last minute news:

KAMELLIA AND HER BELLY DANCE STUDENTS ARRIVED
AT THE ARMADA HOTEL...

Kamellia is one of the best oriental dancers of the world. The Arabic press honoured her as the Princess of Oriental Dance. She is especially very well-known in the Arabic world for her high artistic qualities, She is also a choreographer and a singer of Arabic songs. As it happened last year, Kamellia and her students met at the Armada Hotel for the last workshop and show of 2005. During the New Year Party they are going to make a workshop-show.


She was born in Japan, into a very artistic family of Korean origin. Her father was a poet. From her mother, a singer and dancer, she inherited a passion for dance. She is famous for her advanced and refined style, and for her many innovations in this kind of art. She is also acknowledged as an excellent choreographer. All choreographies of her dances are developed by herself. She includes in her spectacles also trance dances and symbolic dances. She has a beautiful voice. which she uses to accompany her dances with Arabic songs. In particular, she is an expert in singing many of the successful songs of the great Lady of Arabic music, Oum Kalsoum.

For many years she has taught Oriental Dance in Paris and allowed others to discover and share its benefits: suppleness, grace and bodily harmony, and above all the pleasure of dancing. Every year she teaches around one hundred students. Particularly, she is engaged in the training of professional dancers at the highest level of the art.

KAMELLIA Official Web Site: http://www.kamellia.com/en/index.html

22 November 2005

Armada Hosted Wolinski And Other Award Winners...

The world-reknown cartoonist George Wolinski chose to stay at the Armada Hotel again. The reason of his visit at Istanbul this time, was the award ceremony of the Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition that has now completed its 22nd year as a firmly established event in the international arena. The award ceremony was held in Istanbul last week and conducted by Korhan Abay, the MC. 1,199 artists from 90 countries, from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and varied world perspectives participated in the 22. Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition and sent in 2,996 cartoons. The Turkish jury members made the pre-selection and sent 228 works of 200 cartoonists from 44 countries to the main selection that was made in June 2005 in Antalya.

The jury composed of Adolf Born (Czech Rep./ President), Semih Balcıoğlu (Turkey), Latif Demirci (Turkey), Selçuk Demirel (Turkey), Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu (Turkey), Horst Haitzinger (Germany) , Hüsamettin Koçan (Turkey), Anita Kunz (Canada), Ralph Steadman (UK), Massoud Shojaei Tabatabaei (Iran) and Georges Wolinski (France). Friederike Gross from Germany won the First Prize at the competition. Polish artist Mariusz Stawarski was the recipent of the Second Prize. Majid Amini from Iran and Dmitriy Skazhenik from Ukraine shared the Third Prize.

The whole jury and the award winning cartoonists were the guests of Armada except Adolf Born and Turkish members.

Here are some of the tracks within the Armada Guest Book from these distinguished artists:

Friederike Gross:

Ralph Steadman:

Anita Kunz:

Being an Armada-lover Wolinski always prefers to stay here and leaves Armada related cartoons as souvenir .

05 August 2005

27 June 2005

WTI Press Conference At Armada

27 JUNE 2005 (Today)
11.00 Press conference announcing the decision of the Jury of Conscience at Hotel Armada

This session will reach a decision following an examination of the results of the previous sessions as well as new reports and testimonies, while evaluating the implications of the aggression against Iraq for the world at large. The content will be lively broadcasted by the Acik Radio (FM 94.9).

http://www.worldtribunal.org/main/?b=1

Acik (Open) Radio: http://www.acikradyo.com/

02 May 2005

Join Us At Traditional Spring Festival On May 5th, Thursday Evening

It is said that, whatever you wish for that night comes true!

Hıdrellez, is one of the seasonal festivals of all Turkish world which is celebrated as the first day of the early summer. It is also day of Hızır, the day on which prophets Hızır and Ilyas met with each other on earth. The words Hızır and İlyas have since fused together pronounced as Hıdrellez. Hıdrellez Day falls on May 5-6. There are various theories about the origin of Hızır and Hıdrellez. Various ceremonies and rituals have been performed for various gods with the arrival of spring or summer in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, Greece and in fact all eastern Mediterranean countries since ancient times. One widespread belief suggests that Hızır is a prophet who has attained immortality by drinking the water of life (ab-ı hayat), and who has reached God, and wanders around among people from time to time, especially in the spring, and helps people in difficulty and distributes plenty and health. The identity of Hızır, the place and the time he lives are not certain. Hızır is the symbol of spring, and the new life which emerges with it. In Turkey, where belief in Hızır is widespread, the characteristics attributed to him are as follows:

Hızır rushes to the aid of people in difficulty and grants peoples’ wishes.
He always helps well-meaning, benevolent people.
He brings plenty and wealth wherever he stops.
He brings remedies to those who are troubled and health to the sick.
He helps plants to grow, animals to reproduce, and human beings to grow strong
He helps improve peoples’ fortune.
He is the symbol of good omens and good fortune.
He has the God-given power of working miracles.


Hıdrellez Festival, that is still celebrated with grand ceremonies in Anatolia, has been celebrated since ancient times. Although it is celebrated under different names and in different times, it is possible to see the motifs of Hıdrellez in many places. The arrival of spring and awakening of nature have been perceived man as a phenomenon to be celebrated. In fact, Hıdrellez, as a spring festival, has a universal character.
The Hıdrellez at Ahırkapı activities which was first started by ARMADA years ago and now owned by the civil community and the municipalty begin on Ahirkapi Street and spread to the adjacent streets. All the traditional spring foods and drinks -both the traditional ones and the brewery- are sold through the street-buffets, while the local musicians perform roman and Balkan music. The Ahirkapi Great Roman Orchestra which is consisting of the neighboring musician groups of Ahirkapi community performs street concerts along with the guest performers... Küçük Hasan from Lüleburgaz a zurna genius and the drum master Tamer Kum and his group come every year. This year The “Macedon Koçani Orkestar”, Buzuki Orhan, Yannis and Gorkem Saulis will join and perform along with the others during whole evening. Towards midnight the traditional fires will be jumped over and the wishes will be attached on the traditional Nahil´s. Nahil is a symbolic wish-tree and an ornament from Ottoman culture. The ones at the Ahirkapi Street were first designed and used during an Earth Day celebration on April 22, 2002. Since then they are being used as the wish tree of the Hıdrellez spring festivals which is organized by the civic community and supported by local Eminönü Municipality.
So keep a wish, put it on Nahıl and enjoy the Fasıl and Festival!

Program

Date: May 5, 2005, Thursday
Venue: Around Ahırkapı Street, in front of the Armada Hotel, Kalyon Hotel, Citadel Hotel, Social Facilities of Eminonu Municipality
Time: 19:00 – 24:30

19.00 – “The Hıdrellez 2005 Parade” at the Ahırkapı Street with participation of traditional street musicians and orchestras

Traditional spring foods and drinks at the street shops…

(Doner, “kokoreç”, rise with chick pea, Sultanahmet meatballs, fish in bread, mussel “dolma” (stuffed mussel), rise with mussel, pastry, Turkish delights, ice cream, nuts, traditional halva and more...)

Lemonade, Sherbet, Beer, Wine and other sorts of drinks on the traditional streetcars.

As of 20:30 - Concerts: Ahırkapı Great Roman Orchestra , Little Hasan From Lüleburgaz, Drum virtuoso Tamer Kum and Ensemble” “Buzuki Orhan”, “Macedon Kocani Orkestar”, “Yannis & Görkem Saulis” and other surprise artists…

24:00 - Hıdrellez 2005 fires at the street...

Entrance Fee: Free
Food & Drink: Paid at very “symbolic” prices! (First buy coupons at the Information desk in front of the Armada Garage, and then have food and drinks just by giving them…)
Concerts: Free
Transport: Click for a Carparks and free Shuttle Map. There will be free shuttle buses From Sirkeci and Eminönü to Ahırkapı.

01 May 2005

April 29: World Dance Day

2005 World Dance Day Message was written by Miyako Yoshido, UNESCO Peace Artist, Japanese dancer. Armada where there are dance in four days of every week, would like to share it with its dance-lover guests...

Dance is exclusive to no one.
It grants joy and elation to all that partake or spectate.

The language of dance knows no boundaries.
It reaches beyond class, education, country and belief.

Its vocabulary is infinite, as human emotion resonates through movement.
Dance enriches the soul and uplifts the spirit.

Dance lives within all that live.
Let all the children dance and peace shall surely follow.

UNESCO World Dance Day web site:

http://www.iti-worldwide.org/pages/idd/idd.htm

30 April 2005

Two New Projects!

There are two new projects on the agenda of the Armada Hotel's NGO related activities:

1) The Historical Peninsula, Eminonu On Foot Project- Already started

The Projects website: http://www.eminonuplatformu.org/yuruyusyollari

2) Traditional Spring Street Festival: HIDRELLEZ 2005 - May 5th, 2005

The Projects website: http://www.hidrellez.org/

03 March 2005

Greek Tastes In Istanbul, April 13 - 17 2005 - Armada Hotel

Greek Tastes in Istanbul is the first of several Turkish-Greek Kitchens Weeks which are organized jointly by the Armada, the St. George Lycabettus Hotel in Athens and Ms Sula Bozis. The aim of this activity is to find out the similarities and differences in both neighboring countries' gastronomic cultures. Greek Tastes in Istanbul was launched with a press conference, followed by a lunch and gala dinner at the Armada Hotel in Istanbul, on Wednesday, April 13.

The Greek-Turkish Association Defni/Defne was a participant at yesterday's event. Yannis Soulis, one of the contemporary representatives of Greek rebetiko music tradition and his Turkish wife Görkem Ökten gave a wonderful concert during the gala dinner. The performance of the Zoğrafyan (Armenian) High School Rebetiko Dance Class was received with a great ovation.

Sula Bozis, on her part, explained that the Greek dishes were prepared and served under the supervision of St. George Lycabettus' Chef John Douros and Sous Chef Thanassis Stathoulas. All the guests broke into applause as they were overwhelmed by the tastes of those delicious dishes. Sissy Nika, the Communications Manager of the Hotel St. Giorge Lycabettus invited the guests to Athens for the second step of the activity which will be held in November.

Among the guests who attended in the Dinner were Mr. Alexis Alexandris, Chief Consulate of Greece to Istanbul, Mr. Kostas Katslglannis, Undersecretary to the Greek Minister of Tourism, the Board and members of the Turkish-Greek Association, press representatives, Mr. Başar Sabuncu, Ms. Zuhal Olcay, representatives of Istanbul arts circles and friends of the Armada.

(Click on images for bigger size)


Vasil from Beykoz (a Bosphorous village), could never forget the minted fish-ball which his granfather used to prepare out of large bonito... By taking the name of tarator, the traditional skordolia of Byzance decorated the fried obergine... Stifado which is cooked out of meat, shallot and green olive was one of the top dishes of a dining table with laundry strached, whiter than white linen cloth. Spoon deserts, especially the white desert with jasmin occupied very favorable position among others... 1


(From the left) Kasım Zoto (Armada), Sissi Nika (St. George Lycabettus Hotel, Atina) and Sula Bozis (Researcher)

Armada Hotel from Istanbul, St. George Lycabettus Hotel2 from Athens and Ms. Sula Bozis who collected the culinary culture and lifestyle of the Greek-orthodox community of Istanbul where she was born and grown, in her book Istanbul Tastes are starting a cultural activity that will be repeated every year. The first of the co-activities which will be held both in Istanbul and Athens mutually and last one week, will be organized in Armada Hotel during April 13 - April 17, 2005. The Greek dishes from Sula Bozis' repertoir will be prepared under the supervision of Chef John Douros and Thanassis Stathoulias (Sous Chef) of St. George Lykabettus Hotel and presented to the taste of the Istanbulians. In turn, Armada Hotel will be in Athens, at the St. George Lycabettus by November 2005 with the Turkish chefs and food...


Some samples of the Greek kitchen in the Hotel St. George Lycabettus, Athens.


(From the left) Thanassis Stathoulias; Sous Chef , John Douros; Chef.

The Greek Tastes in Istanbul at the Armada Hotel will be served along with the Rembetiko concerts by Yannis Saulis and Görkem Saulis. Here are some samples:

  • Octopus a la Cretan, Çipuro (Cretan raki), special Greek wines, Bakaliaro, Uzo,
  • Kalamari stuffed with the herbed cheese, Tomato-ball, Cheakpeas-ball.
  • Stifado, Pastry with dilled courgette, Stuffed grape leaves with sauce,
  • Radika slad with Kalamata olive, Mashed broad beans a la Santorini,
  • Glacéed fruits

(1) İSTANBUL TASTES, Sula Bozis, History Foundation, İstanbul, October 2000 http://www.tarihvakfi.org.tr/yayinlar/ayrinti.asp?ID=114

(2) For further information about St. George Lykabettus Hotel: http://www.sglycabettus.gr/

04 January 2005

Wireless Internet Connection Plus Turkish Coffee!

After having equipped the meeting rooms and the Business Centre with ADSL-1024 Kbps Internet connection, Armada also provided wireless Internet with the same speed within the Lobby for the convenience of its guests. While communicating with their own lap-tops, Armada guests are enjoying to have a cup of traditional Turkish Coffee under the astonishing glances of the Red-eared sliders, a turtle family from Missisipi those have been living within the Marble Pool for years...