July 9, 2012
Who knew hot, half naked men, wrestling in olive olive would make for such a delightful day?! The Kirkpinar festival was the place to be yesterday, which happened to be the final day of wrestling matches in the yearly week long festival (since 1362). It was mayhem with cheering spectators, police everywhere, food courts, carnival rides, brawls, non-stop greased up men, and the top dogs of Turkey in attendance.
Here are the wrestlers coming out to the field - they slap their leather pants with exagggerated arm movements on the way out ... no idea why though. Each men pairs off with another for the match and the winner goes on to do it again. Some matches are over in mins and some go close to an hour!!! New bouts start almost always with wrestlers from the last bout still going on the field and they just move around them.
The traditional Turkish drummers who start up at the beginning of the bout.
Oguz, me, and Elain in the second row in the VIP section!!!
Pelin, managed to get a photographer's pass and spent the day on the fields taking amazing pics! In fact most of these pictures are off her camera - thanks Pelin!
3rd guy from the right is Ali Gurbuz - the overall winner ... again!
Ali! Ali! Ali!
The President of Turkey!!! . . . the prime minister showed up right before him too!
That's the jar of olive oil. . . and helping hands. . . can anyone say Broke Back Mountain?
Here is what the matches look like most of the time. Not a lot of movement. I guess getting a grip is a bit hard, but it is legal to put your hand down someone's pant to obtain a better grip!
Pelin, Elain, and I in front of the Lausanne Monument in Edirne.
I always wanted a picture like this and Edirne is the perfect place with all the fields and fertile land.
Pelin and I in front of the Meric Bridge.
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