Türkiye 2/1/2020 - 2/9/2020 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 2/3/2020 - Crossing the Bosphorus to Kadiköy, NişanstaşiSleeping in wasn't in the cards for me today, since my body was not yet accustomed to this time zone. I slept like a rock, dreams and all, until 6 a.m. At that time, there was no falling back asleep. I browsed the internet on my phone until it was time to get up.At around 6:50 a.m., I could faintly hear the ezan (call to prayer). The hotel was sound-proof enough that it wouldn't have woken me, but since I was awake I did notice it. It was exciting to hear: I was anxious to start exploring this city which is at the crossroads of eastern and western culture. We got out of bed at at 8 o'clock. We went downstairs to breakfast at 9:30. There was an amazingly comprehensive buffet, which was a bit overwhelming at first. Various stations provided anything you could think of: cheese, charcuterie, bakery, eggs to order, waffles, pancakes, sausage, pide (Turkish pizza), phyllo dough filled with spinach and cheese, bread, yogurt, granola, rice pudding, berliners, helva (a kind of coarse fudge made from sweetened tahini), baklava, grilled haloumi cheese, falafel, hummus, hash browns, coffee, pomegranate juice, and orange juice. They even had a honeycomb from which you could scoop fresh natural honey! Everything was absolutely delicious! They also had many other options available that we didn't try, including salad greens, olives, fruit, and smoked fish. Today was technically a free day prior to the official start of our trip, but Toplum had kindly offered to take us on an excursion to the Asian side of Istanbul across the Bosphorus Strait. The Beşiktaş - Kadiköy ferry terminal is literally across the street from our hotel. We could see it from our breakfast table. When we were done with breakfast, we went back to our room to put on our coats and scarves in preparation for our ferry journey. We met Toplum at 11 a.m. in the hotel lobby and walked the short distance to the dock. The Bosphorus Strait divides the city of Istanbul, connecting the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara in the south. The Sea of Marmara is further connected to the Aegean Sea by the Dardanelles. The Bosphorus Strait is of enormous importance for the global shipping industry, as it enables maritime travel from Russia on the Black Sea down to the Mediterranean, and even on to the Atlantic through Gibraltar, or the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal. Even though it was no longer rush hour, there were still many people traveling by ferry. Toplum told us that a million people commute across the Bosphorus each day, by ferry, bridge, or subway tunnel. We boarded the 11:15 ferry and decided to sit out on the deck to get the full experience. The weather was quite breezy, and the lack of sunshine meant that it was a bit chilly. I covered my head with my scarf since my coat didn't have a hood. As we pulled away from the ferry dock, we could see our hotel, as well as the elaborate Dolbamahçe Palace next door receding into the distance. We were heading southeast, from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side. From the stern of the boat, where we were sitting, we could see the 15 July Martyrs Bridge in the distance behind us, spanning the Strait. There were many boats navigating the strait, from ferries to barges to container ships. We passed the Maiden's Tower (aka the Tower of Leandros), a small stone structure located on an islet close to the Asian side of the Bosphorus.Though the tower's history dates back to 1110 A.D., it was converted to a stone structure in 1763. In the Byzantine era, it was attached to a defensive iron chain which stretched acoss the Bosphorus. Since then, it has been used as a quarantine station, lighthouse, and now a cafe. We would find that Istanbul figures heavily in James Bond movies. The Maiden's Tower was featured in The World Is Not Enough. There were seagulls flying alongside the boat, providing incredible photobombs as I photographed the scenery. One passenger was feeding them. It was a surreal feeling to be straddling Europe and Asia, looking at the iconic skyline of Istanbul, punctuated with domes and minarets as well as modern skyscrapers. As we passed the tip of the peninsula south of the Golden Horn, we had our first glimpse of the Old City. We could see the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet ("Blue") Mosque, facing one another. We passed shipping terminals with large cranes and shipping containers stacked up like Legos. We passed into a channel between breakwaters and their small lighthouses. It had taken around 25 minutes to reach Kadiköy. Our first impression of the Asian side of the city was that something smelled yummy! We disembarked from the ferry, stepping onto the Asian continent. We crossed a park, where dogs were snoozing and a vendor was selling simit, a popular street food. This is a circular bread ring dipped in grape molasses and coated with sesame seeds. They looked delicious, but we were still so full from our decadent breakfast that we couldn't even think of trying one right now. We passed a subway station and walked up a narrow street called Muvakkıthane Caddesi. This neighborhood had a very Old World feel, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with specialty shops. Each neighborhood in Kadikoy focuses on a particular type of product.This particular neighborhood specializes in food items. We walked up to the Armenian Church of Surp Takavor. There has been an Armenian church on this site since the 17th century, though the current building dates back to 1858. We then walked down Mühürdar Caddesi. In front of us, a three story building was adorned with oversized red roses, teddy bears, balloons, strings of fairy lights, and hearts. It turned out to be a sweet shop called Şekerci Cafer Erol, and by the decorations it was obvious that Türkiye would be celebrating Valentine's Day in two weeks' time. Toplum suggested that we enter the shop to look at all of the local sweets. It felt like entering an old fashioned candy store. Large glass candy jars were topped with brass covers adorned with red satin ribbons and glass heart ornaments. Glass cases were packed with piles of baklava, helva (a kind of coarse fudge made from sweetened tahini), candied fruit, and colorful cubes and cylinders of lokum (Turkish delight). There were large heart-shaped boxes of chocolate with shiny red and gold ribbons. It was a good thing that we were still full from breakfast, because absolutely everything looked tempting and delicious! As we exited the shop, we saw a cart selling boza, a fermented millet drink popular in Türkiye in winter, served with roasted chickpeas floating on top. My eyes were drawn to a shop across the street where there were various pop culture screen printed tin signs for sale. I started to flip through them to see if there was anything interesting. I felt like my teenage self flipping through LP's and CD's looking for a hidden gem. When I saw one which depicted a Siouxsie and the Banshees concert poster for a gig at the Cullen Auditorium in Houston, TX on June 22, 1986, I knew that I had to buy it for my dear friend Tyson. I flipped through some more to see if there was anything that Craig and I would want for ourselves. We were delighted to find one depicting a Tom Waits concert poster from a gig at the Rat Cellar in Dublin, July 30 - Aug 1, 2008 (the latter date was our 10 year wedding anniversary). How perfect! We had withdrawn some Turksih lira at the ATM in the hotel, so I had local currency to spend. They cost 20 Turkish lira apiece (approximately $3). These were not the souvenirs I had expected to procure in Asian Istanbul, but it was a nice surprise. We walked up a hill which was lined with small specialty shops. Toplum took us into the shops and explained their wares. We entered a butchery which sold animal heads, trotters, and organ meat. We went into a fish shop where turbot, octopus, and other fresh fish were artfully displayed on a bed of ice. Many shops displayed colorful glass jars of pickled vegetables. Garlands of dried eggplant, chili peppers, and red bell pepper were festooned above doorways, to be used in soups and other recipes which would rehydrate them. Produce stands offered vibrantly colored vegetables and fruit, either displayed on tabletops or bulging out of the tops of sacks. We went into one shop which specialized in cheese and charcuterie. Any pork products were packaged and stored separately, in accordance with halal practices. Twenty-three distinct type of olives were displayed in bulk on the sidewalk in front of the shop. We entered a shop which specialized in nuts, dried fruits, and seeds. Here we saw some enormous sunflower seeds, which are a popular snack for people to eat on the go. Other shops sold all kinds of spices. We went into a shop which sells coffee beans (again, coffee is not produced in Türkiye, so this is imported). This shop also sells sahlep powder, made from ground orchid roots. It is used in beverages and desserts. The shop keepers were all quite friendly and eager to show off their products. Toplum asked one woman to hold up a piece of hand-made phyllo dough for us. We were amazed by how translucent it was; so delicate and thin! We went into a honey shop where the proprietor gave us a sample to taste. It was amazing and I immediately wanted to purchase a jar, but Toplum reminded me that we might not be able to import it to the U.S.A. due to customs guidelines. So we thanked the man for the sample and gave our apologies. We passed a cafe called Coffee Manifesto, whose bright red awning encouraged passersby to "Ask Stupid Questions." We left the area dominated by food sellers, and walked a few blocks to the antiques district. A shop specializing in antique gramophones and 78 rpm records occupied the ground floor of a building whose upper floors and roof were completely obscured by a tangle of vines. The winter had caused them to shed their leaves, and they made the house look haunted. Craig has been in a battle to reclaim our yard from the invasive Asiatic bittersweet vine, so we felt compelled to comment on the fact that he can run but he can't hide...his nemesis found him even here in Türkiye. We enjoyed window shopping in the antique stores, some of which had larger pieces displayed out on the sidewalk. There was a beautiful turquoise colored ceramic heating stove, an elaborately carved wooden baby cradle, and a wooden steamer trunk that could easily fit a human body. I have mentioned Istanbul's street cats before. We recently watched a documentary called Kedi (the Turkish word for cat) about the love that the citizens of Istanbul have for these cats. It is amazing to see it first-hand. There are cats literally everywhere. They are all healthy and well cared for. People let them into their shops, restaurants, and houses. They feed them and get veterinary care for them. And they provide little outdoor shelters (cardboard boxes, etc.) The cats are quite friendly and we took plenty of opportunities to photograph them. One particularly photogenic cat was laying on top of someone's cord as their phone lay charging. Today we learned that there are also many well cared for street dogs. These have tags in their ears to indicate that they are registered with the city, and the city pays to have them vaccinated, etc. After about 90 minutes of exploring Kadiköy, we walked back to the ferry station. We passed a shop where three women listening to earbuds were stuffing Turkish ravioli. We walked through an underground passageway that contained music and book shops. We instantly noticed one music shop which was especially keen on King Crimson. Featured in the window were the deluxe box sets for Larks' Tongues in Aspic, The Road to Red, On (and Off) the Road, and THRAK, plus a vinyl album of In the Court of the Crimson King with a sticker on the front proclaiming "This album contains the hit single EPITAPH." A bar nearby featured a mural depicting a group of old men arguing the merits of Deep Purple, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Eloy. Craig and I both really like four of those groups, but neither of us have ever heard of Eloy. (Further research shows them to be a German prog band...maybe we'll have to give them a listen.) As we crossed the park near the subway station, we saw two street dogs snoozing. Both snapped awake at the same instant, started barking, and ran toward the street. We had no idea what prompted this reaction. They both ran toward a police car which was stopped at a traffic light. They barked at it and bit at its front tires until the light changed and it drove away. Do they have a sixth sense about police? A local walking alongside us also noticed this strange turn of events. He caught our eye, and we all had a good laugh about it. We boarded the 1:15 p.m. return ferry to Beşiktaş. This time we decided to sit inside. We sat at a table and I bought a Fanta from the concession stand. Toplum asked if we wanted him to take us to another neighborhood that we could explore at our leisure. This neighborhood in question was not far from where he lives, so he could take us there on his way home. This was very kind of him, and it sounded like an excellent idea to us. We had nothing on our agenda for the remainder of the afternoon. Since our hotel is right behind the ferry station, once we were back ashore on the European side, we made a brief stop at our room before heading out for the afternoon. Toplum led us on a 20 minute mostly uphill walk to the Nişanstaşi neighborhood. Along the way, he pointed out various landmarks, including the Istanbul Technical University, to make sure that we could find our way back to the hotel. Toplum led us through a pasaji (passage through a building) as a shortcut to Mistik Park. He pointed out some nearby shopping areas and restaurants, and confirmed that we knew how to get back to the hotel. We thanked him and said goodbye until tomorrow, and he walked home. We really appreciated him taking a few hours out of his day to show us how locals live in Istanbul! As soon as we got to the park, we saw more street cats. A little boy was playing with one of the cats. His mom bought a simit bread ring from a vendor and gave it to the boy to feed the cat. But when he broke off a chunk for the cat, the cat was more interested in chasing it around like a toy. The boy and his mom ended up eating the remainder of the simit themselves. We sat on a bench to people watch, and that same cat hopped right up onto my lap. After I pet it for a while, it climbed onto Craig's lap. It played with the strap on his cane and tried to eat the zipper pulls on my bag. A balloon vendor was seated on a nearby bench. His balloons captured the cat's attention, and it ran over and hopped up onto the bench. It playfully jumped at the balloons in attack mode. The vendor caught our eye and we all smiled and laughed at the antics of this frisky and friendly feline. He said something to the cat and it hopped up onto his lap. People on other benches chatting with friends and smoking cigarettes were absent-mindedly petting cats who randomly jumped onto their laps as well. Our street cat friend at Mistik Park After enjoying the park, we walked around a bit, passing a shoe store where a street cat was strutting around between the shoes. We decided to have a late lunch on the heated outdoor porch of Backhaus, a restaurant adjacent to the park. As we entered the restaurant, we noticed about six cats sleeping on chairs. One man was sitting at a table for four, and two chairs were occupied by cats. A cat then jumped up onto the third chair, and promptly fell asleep. By the time the man's dinner companion arrived, there were no free chairs at his table. Rather than disturb one of the cats, the friend went to get an unoccupied chair from elsewhere in the restaurant and gently swapped it out with a chair occupied by a cat. The respect shown to animals here in the city is admirable. The heat lamps on the porch were warm enough that we each took off our coats. I ordered hot chocolate, and Craig ordered Turkish coffee with sugar. The coffee was served with a small bottle of water and a piece of Turkish delight, per tradition. I had honey soya noodles with veggies and Craig had chicken cordon blue with spinach, served with potato salad and pepper sauce. When my hot chocolate was gone, I ordered a Fanta. A beautiful orange cat kept climbing on my lap, with an eye always on my plate. I put some noodles onto the ground for her and she slurped them up. We enjoyed our leisurely late lunch in the fresh air. As we were leaving, two of the waiters called to the cats, and fed them some freshly prepared fish from the kitchen. Wow! Istanbul sure is a great place to be a cat! With our bellies full, we started walking back to the hotel. We stopped to pet a black street cat near the university, and I took a photo of a cardboard cat house underneath a bus stop shelter. We arrived back at the Shangri-La Bosphorus at around 6 p.m. Two meals had suited us fine today; we had no need for dinner after our large breakfast and late lunch. This day had been a complete bonus. We hadn't made any plans, since for all we knew, we might have been jetlagged and needed to rest all day. Since we were feeling well, we ventured out, and actually got in seven hours of sightseeing and exploration. Tomorrow our tour would begin in earnest; the itinerary for the day was jam packed with sites. So we thought it was best to turn in early tonight to make sure we are well-rested for tomorrow. I posted some photos to Facebook and Instagram, and we went to sleep at 9 p.m. Ferry Terminal, Kadiköy Mistik Park, Nişanstaşi |
 Ferry terminal and its proximity to our hotel  Beşiktaş Kadiköy Ferry  Crossing the Bosphorus by ferry  Toplum and Craig crossing the Bosphorus by ferry  Arrival in Kadiköy by ferry  Sweet shop in Kadiköy ready for Valentine's Day  Kadiköy  Colorful produce for sale in Kadiköy  Selfie at Mistik Park  #Kedi and balloon vendor Mistik Park  Enjoying a late lunch at Backhaus #kedi  Street cats in Kadiköy and Nişanstaşi #kedi See all photos from February 3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
 |
