"Can Turkey's Trashy Coasts Be Transformed?
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 07.26.09
They say when you're really in love, you become a bit blind to the object of your affection's flaws. If that's true, my love affair with Istanbul must still be going strong, because I often barely even seen the trash strewn everywhere anymore. It took a visit from some San Francisco friends to make me realize how firmly my blinders had become fastened. I would take them to a spot I found lovely and "natural," and they would say, "It would be great if there wasn't so much garbage." But the observations of a cyclist who recently pedaled around the Black Sea suggest I might not be the only one who's become inured to the sight."
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