View of the New Mosque, Galata and the Bosphorus.
I have been very lucky – I’ve had interesting jobs that I’ve enjoyed tremendously, and some have included international travel. This past year and a half has been extraordinary on that front.
Istanbul.
I had the pleasure and good fortune of spending the majority of last year there. It is a phenomenal city, with so much to offer – unbelievable scenics, a diverse culture and history, friendly and welcoming people, great food, new awesome friends, and of course, the hamam! Admittedly I was as sad to leave Istanbul as I was happy to go home, back to Vancouver. But that’s the thing about contracts that take you to distant, exotic places – they end and you go home. And I wouldn’t necessarily have it any other way – the one makes the other that much more special.
Having started a new contract in an even more distant city, I’m experiencing the initial ‘getting used to the new surroundings” phase. So after 3 weeks in Baku, I headed to Istanbul for 3 days. The fact that I am currently getting used to living in a new city and country put a new light on my reflections of the time spent in Istanbul.
After arriving in Istanbul Thursday morning I checked into my hotel in Beşiktaş, and as I unpacked the small mosque down the street started a mid-morning call to prayer. “Aaahhh” I thought, “I’m here – back in beautiful Istanbul”. I still love the sound of call to prayer. And hearing them is a definitive reminder that I am far away from home.
I walked up the hill from Beşiktaş to Nişantaşı to meet a friend for lunch. I hadn’t done this particular walk before and I hadn’t realized how quick a walk it was – just 20 minutes up the hill. Luckily for me Kutlu gives directions the same way I do, using landmarks not street names. It’s so much easier! But I digress… The point is, I enjoyed discovering how one area of the city I love connects to another.
Kutlu and I post lunch
After lunch I walked from Nişantaşı to Taksim Square and Istiklal. Again, a route I hadn’t done before. Another new discovery in a city I’ve spent a lot of time in. It was time to stop by a few of my favourite jaunts.
Tea and a chocolate macaron at the Pera Palace Hotel bakery.
As I was enjoying my tea, the lady who served me asked if I’d been there before. She remembered serving Elenie and I last summer…on the patio, saying it was fun, that she’d recommended a drink and that we had laughed a lot…that’s quite a memory – we’re talking about something that happened last July!
Walking down Istiklal I remembered the first few times I’d walked that street – it had seemed so crowded and so different. This time, it felt like I’d come “home”. Now that put a very large smile on my face. And it was a feeling I had many times over the 3 days.
Beautiful, bustling Istiklal.
One of my favourite things to do is take the ferry across from the Europe side to the Asia side. There’s just something about seeing that city from the water. Meeting some friends on the Asia side provided the perfect “excuse” – though in truth none was needed. The ferry ride to and from did not disappoint.
I love seeing this Mosque right on the Bosphorus with the “modern” city behind.
Haydarpaşa train station – stunning.
Arriving in Kadiköy. I’m now officially in Asia 🙂
Lunch with Ozan and Alaz.
Make that….lunch with Ozan, Alaz and Ayça!
And look what’s on the menu! I love “menemen”. It’s turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and cheese in it. And it makes me laugh that it sounds like you’re saying you want “many men” for breakfast. But seeing it like this on a menu was a first!
Time to head back to the Europe side.
Psst…Elenie…what’s missing from this photo? That’s the ferry we used to take from Ataköy to Kadiköy.
Mother nature loves this city too! The sky often gets this beautiful at sunset. And the bird was intent on getting into the picture. Love this view of the old city – and the silhouettes of the Blue Mosque and the AyaSofya.
I could go on in detail about every moment of the weekend…but I’ll get to the point. As I was leaving Istanbul I thought about how “different” this city is to my home town and country, and yet how at “home” I now feel there. If we could all travel to distant places around the globe and immerse ourselves in a different culture for a little while, wouldn’t we begin to understand and appreciate each other more? Wouldn’t we see that we are not so different after all, no matter what our beliefs? Others who are “different” wouldn’t feel so scary, and we’d realize we have more in common than not. And that’s the key with going somewhere new – being open to experiencing it for what it is and not wanting to duplicate what we have at home. The more I travel and experience new places, the more I want to travel and experience new places. Istanbul is going to make that challenging though, as it is going to be hard not to simply keep going back there!
Görüşürüz Istanbul and my wonderful friends.
Beautiful Sunday morning in Bebek.
Incredible view from Mangerie in Bebek.
Walking back to my hotel in Beşiktaş.
Dinner with the very lovely, and funny, Gulin.
A big thank you to my hostess Gökçe for letting me crash for a couple of nights.
And last but not least, that’s a very happy, rejuvenated, grounded and soul satisfied moi enjoying Kahvaltı (classic Turkish breakfast), sunshine and a beautiful view before heading to the airport.
lisezfaire 