The other day a women covered in baskets walked by our house with a new cry that I had not heard before, it was the first time I had seen her on our street for how often do you need to replace the basket that saves trips up and down the stairs. For the most part, we recognize all the regular street vendors who announce their pressence below our window; the bread man , the vegetable man, the guy who collects random junk, mostly metal and the Aygaz propane seller, a super, catchy ditty is broadcast from his propane truck. There seems to be room here for very old, traditional ways and the trendy new approaches to exist simultaneously. Recycling is dealt with by sorters who go through the garbage bins and sort out the plastic and the tin and the glass and the cardboard from the garbage garbage. Sorting ones own household garbage is not yet common, though there are beginning to be signs of "Don't be a fool recycling is cool" around.
As the temperature rises we spend more time in the drinking/eating laneways around Istiklal Caddessi. The narrow laneways are cool as the sun does not readily reach down in there and the many bars and restaurants spread tables all along creating a breezy, convivial atmosphere. There is some great graffitti on the walls around there. Old dvd covers and records, the vinyl and the covers, have been re-purposed as menus and containers for your bill, all very groovy.
Another way to stay cool in the city heat is to hop on a ferry, for the same cost as a bus ride (1.3 TL) you can really go places. On Thursday, we headed to the Princess Islands in the Marmara Sea. We rode all the way to the BIG island Buyukada, about an hour and a half ride. Everyone had the same idea, since the ferry was really packed, standing room only inside and out, (a bit clausterphobic actually) but rather entertaining for an eavsedropper. Smoking has been recently banned on the ferries and supposedly smoking bans in all public places are coming into effect. Good luck with that. Everyone just smokes everywhere and smoking is very popular. As we disembarked the police took the young french "smokers" aside and were fining them for violating the smoking ban. They were not the only ones smoking but seemingly the only ones being fined.
The Princess Islands, throughout history were places of hiding, imprisonment and exile for various nobels (Leon Trotsky was there for a time too), are summer get away places now with some lovely homes. Tourists, like us, go there for day trips and what to do? A completely bizzare industry seems to be the leading source of employment and one of the main commercial activities. Taking a carriage ride around the island. You can rent bikes and ride around too but it was too hot and hilly for that. So, like obedient tourists we stood in line and did the obligatory carriage ride. There must be 300 or perhaps 500 carriages going round and round and then the carriage repair and the upolstering of the seats and the care and stabling and shoeing of the horses. (no grazing on this rocky island). There is no other transport on the island since cars are banned, but my romantic notions of carriages leisurely carrying people and goods around the island was shattered. After the ride we were delivered back to carriage central where from a tower the chief dispatcher shouts out orders and directions to the many drivers. Awful what effect tourists can have on a place. The whole thing just seemed absurd.
Speaking of transportation we were once again on the metro bus, what a fantastic bus. It is exacly that a "metro bus" with its own lane in the middle of the highway it travels fast and and made a very long trip out to Buyukcekmece much shorter. Out in Buyukcekmece we learned more about the culture of the unofficial ambassadors "english teachers" and their extended community of both Turkish and international members.
We also visited th beautiful Bospheros University campus between the two bridges and had lunch with a student we met and walked along the Bosphoros in the posh neighbourhoods around Bebek. The first year of the four year programs at the university is a preporatory year where the students concentrate on learning English since classes and reading for next three years are conducted in English. Seemingly the official footwear of the students and actually many young Turkish people are Converse runners, low rise though some high tops too. They come in many colours and can event be bought with heels.
So we have eaten, kofte (Turkish meatballs), a delicious Turkish meat dumplings, manti (ravioli with yogert sauce) borek, menemen, gozleme, coban salad and plenty of freshly squeezed juice. We had a beautiful Thai meal to get a hit of hot food at Pera Thai and had lunch at the beautiful Kybele Hotel, where you eat in one of the joined salons under 4000 Turkish lanterns. I tried to get a job changing lightbulbs there but our waiter and seemingly the resident electrician said I was too short and he said that was his job changing about 100 light bulbs a week. Just below the Galata Tower we ate at the Karakoyum Restaurant, a roftop with a gorgeous view.
This week we have stocked up on reading material, since there are many very good English bookstores. We also did some trading at Linda's Book Exchange which still runs Monday through Friday from 5-7 in our neighbourhood Sehbender Sokak 18 (first door on the left) for people looking to trade English books.
Like anywhere the small business people work hard, very long hours every day and the faces of the vendors in our neighbourhood have become familiar. Oguz makes beautiful original necklaces from found objects and sets up his display on Glaipdede Caddessi 54. I never tired of seing the new ones he puts out daily.
A note about Turkish words: all the Turkish words I have used in this blog our incorrectly spelt since I have been too lazy to find the keyboard strokes for the many Turkish accents on various letters.....please excuse this sloppy spelling behavior.
What are we reading:
Yvonne- Junot Diaz "The Brief Wonderus Life of Oscar Wao"
R2- Barbara Nadar: murder mystery set in Turkey "Harem"
On Monday we take a plane to Athens then fly to Paros and ferry to Amorgos for a three month stay on the beach. This is the " learn to relax" portion of our trip and we are so ready to be at the beach! I tell you I am sure not going to miss that sunrise call to prayer. That must really mess with a person's sleep patterns. As Shahla would say "freedom from religion!"
1 comment:
Beautiful colours on that leaning tower! I don't suppose you are posting any pics of "Linda's Bookstore?" :0)
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