Streetcar Sunday - Istanbul, Turkey

The history of the streetcar in Istanbul is not so different from that of many North American cities. The first streetcar service in Istanbul started in 1872 as horse-drawn trams.  Horse-drawn service was halted for a year, because the horses were needed for the Balkan War. That served as the impetus to electrify the system, which happened in 1914. After that, streetcar service quickly became the most popular mode of transportation, reaching its peak in 1956, with 108 million passengers, 56 lines, and 270 streetcars. By then, cars and buses also began to compete with the streetcars though.

If I haven't mentioned it already, I think the demise of the streetcar was largely due to a perception that it was antiquated. Buses seemed modern and more sophisticated at the time. The ride was also smoother, particularly in Istanbul, where  the streetcars had not been updated since the original cars from 1912. As a result, the streetcar network was closed down in the 1960s in favor of buses.

Similar to many North American cities, streetcars have returned to Istanbul. There is the nostalgia streetcar that looks like the ones shown on the postcards, and there are also very modern sleek ones in Istanbul now. 

For more detailed information check out the great Wikipedia page for public transport in Istanbul.

Love and Mustaches

The printed message says: Is it love or the joy of Spring, that makes the light glimmer in your eyes.

Earlier French postcards (1900-1920) always seem to show men with mustaches. They were favored so strongly that until 1933 the French gendarmes were required to have them! Grenadiers in the French Army also had to wear them throughout the 19th Century. At some point the hairy upper lip fell out of favor. French postcards from the '30s and later all seem to show clean shaven men. In 1975, the French military changed its regulations and specified that military personnel could only grow a beard or mustache during periods when they were out of uniform.

Recently I stumbled upon a mustache blog that added even more illumination to the subject. Pacifists such as the Amish and Mennonites grow beards but not mustaches, specifically to  avoid the military associations. Be sure to check out the blog, Mustaches of the 19th Century, for everything you need to know about mustaches.

Now here's a mustache for you:

This is a Turkish card from about 1963. It shows a man who is the world champion of something, though I'm not sure what. He is (was) 52 and weighs 90 kilos and his height is 1,80 meters. I think Biyik is his name. There's a phone number; maybe I should give him a call.

Zara, Turkey

Zara is located in the Sivas Province of Turkey and currently has a population of about 20,000. Sivas is an Anatolian Province and is the second largest province in Turkey. The province is noted for its thermal springs.