strolling through stamboul

after our last overnight journey it was back to istanbul. after some snacks and phone games we hunkered down for another night of bus sleeping, pros by now. in the morning we were shuttled off the bus to a parking lot where we waited for a van to (we hoped) deposit us downtown. it worked out and by 10 or so we found ourselves back in - where else? - good old taksim square.

we made our way back down tarlabaşı boulevard, that wide avenue lined with restaurants and shops. we were in search of a cheap spot for a bit of lunch but it seemed we were a tad early. after some slight soul-searching we settled on mcdonald's because, man, that soft serve looked good. judge us if you must.

just a little fishin' hole

then the name of the game was shopping. courtney only had a few hours remaining in the city so it was time to pick up gifts - turkish delight, fresh pepper, evil eyes, spices, that sort of thing. we wandered through some alleys near taksim and got what we needed, electing not to venture across the river to the chaotic bazaar (although we did stop to admire all the fishing poles along the bridge). we made our way up towards galata, where we found some turkish music shops for a CD and music recommendations and some slightly more unique crafts. here we found a lovely streetside eatery for lunch. much more accommodating about swapping bread for rice than elsewhere (thankfully!), although the iskender kebab i had paled in comparison to the ones in bursa. i guess that's the risk you take having the real thing.

a tableful of treats & tea

we did some more meandering and people-watching around taksim and made our way to a cafe where we found we could have a plateful of assorted turkish delights and baklava. seemed like an ideal spot to spent our last hours together. we recapped the trip and lingered over tea, but eventually it was time for courtney to catch her bus to the airport (coughfourhoursearly). thus abandoned, i made a few essential stops (read: internet cafe) and caught up on some journaling. when dinnertime rolled around i took my time deciding between various outdoor establishments. the owners' cajoling did little to entice me (quite the reverse actually) and i settled on a place where i could get a nice platter and a cold beer without being troubled too much. there was a soccer match on inside, which might have helped with the latter. i spent a pleasant hour eating and writing postcards before making my way back north to büşra's place where, by now, she would have returned from university.

don't worry, she wasn't really touching it

while sad to have been left by my good friend, i was very fortunate in having büşra as a host and guide. she really helped me see a side of istanbul i never would have. we started off taking the bus downtown and made our way to the central touristy spot. our first stop was the turkish and islamic art museum, which was first on my list (not a surprise, if you know anything about me). we both delighted in the beautiful examples they had - elaborate illuminated Qur'ans, carved wooden boxes, iznik tiles.. so much more. turns out büşra shares my love for traditional carpets. (i don't usually include many people shots, but isn't she just adorable?) we steppe out the large wooden doors and into the green courtyard just as the call to prayer was beginning at the blue mosque. a lovely end to our visit. actually the real end to our visit was the gift shop, which was full of postcards and bookmarks of tiles, which i also found lovely.

we thought of trying to go in said mosque but it was particularly crowded so we thought better of it. i was itching to go to haggia sophia (since the last time i'd been there was massive scaffolding all the way up to the dome) and büşra thought she might take the time to go pray. she would have probably joined me but for the cost of admission, which is prohibitive. i myself was on the fence about going, despite really wanting to get a good look at the interior. but büşra graciously offered to let me use her student pass for a discount (not terribly ethical of us, perhaps. but her heart was in the right place, and really i'm just as poor as most students.) i tried to get in unnoticed when, much to my chagrin, i was pulled aside and questioned for not being 'büşra.' so much for that, i thought. well my ordeal was far from over. before i knew what was happening they had confiscated my friend's card and said i couldn't get it back until she came. i protested, explaining that she would be gone for over half an hour and that it was a nice gesture on her part that she shouldn't be punished for. i stubbornly waited at the ticket window, saying i'd wait as long as i needed to, until the brutish cashier called for a guard to come escort me away. the guard came over, looking apologetic and asked if i'd step to the side, which i did. i continued to wait and the macedonian oaf of a cashier (fear not, turks, this was not one of your compatriots) had himself a little power trip, mocking me and telling me off. when my friend returned i sheepishly explained to her what had happened and, even still, they wouldn't give her back the card! and, bear in mind, she was much more graceful and tactful than i! ugh. feeling pretty lousy for having her card confiscated i apologized profusely, but büşra, been the sweet person she is, brushed it off good-naturedly.

doesn't get much more turkish than this

we decided to forget that unpleasantness over some lunch, in a bustling upstairs eatery just off the main square. a good meal, and not too pricey considering its touristy locale. next we made our way into sultan ahmat (the blue mosque) despite the crowds who, we figured, were always going to be there. the interior is as charming as i remember - soaring domed ceilings, dappled light from the stained glass and chandeliers suspended over our heads. but still full of people, and quite a difference from the tranquility of the sülemaniye mosque a few days before. from there we made our way downhill toward a shopping area i remembered visiting years ago. my friend patiently accompanied me as a searched for some factory-made tiles suitable for making a tray (felt weird to be passing up the handmade goods, which seemed to be more abundant). thought touristy, this seemed like our best bet for finding what i was looking for, which we eventually did. then it was time for a stop and another turkish treat - backgammon! accompanied by çay of course. (amazing how many culture love their tea, isn't it?) in fact i think i may have learned backgammon from a friendly carpet salesman in that very spot years earlier.

simit, mosque - very istanbul

our lokma

we continued on, winding our way through the streets until we reached the water. it was the beginning of that golden hour, when the afternoon gives way to evening and the sunlight over the water was beautiful. near the bridge families gathered for street food and, most likely, a break from the chaos of the nearby bazaar. simit, rings of bread with sesame seeds, seems to be particularly ubiquitous. we opted instead for lokma, a sweet, syrupy tread pretty that's somewhat similar to gulab jamun (sorry, still thinking in terms of india). büşra said it wasn't the best sampling but i had little to compare it with and was happy enough. side note: does it seem like my days/pictures revolve around food..? well perhaps they do.

evening sets in on the golden horn

onward! by bus, this time, to pierre loti hill. ol' pierre, as you may have guessed, was a frenchmen by birth but lived and wrote novels in istanbul, his writings garnering him a hill in his name as well as some criticism from later turkish writers. the hill, as you might expect in a 'city of seven hills,' was quite high and required a cable car trip. (is is me or does it seem like a lot of cities claim to be built on seven hills? edit: upon very cursory searching i uncovered wiki-corroboration) the destination is popular, resulting in a long line with a mix of people from pre-teen girls on an early summer outing to a bride and groom. we made it to the top, though, and just as the sun was set and the sky was fading from gray to blue. it was a lovely sight - istanbul is replete with those, it seems. we watched as each of the mosques dotting the hillside lit up and boats floated up and down the golden horn. when we were satisfied we walked along pierre loti cafe, filled with couples out for a romantic evening and families out for a holiday.

another food shot

it was dark and getting chilly so we made our way back down and onto another bus (so nice to have locals with you who know the bus routes!) back north to boğaziçi where we stopped along büşra's street for some pide, often described as turkish pizza. it was an unassuming place, with simple booths and several students milling about but, man, was that stuff delicious! i left full and very happy. once back at büşra's place we had plans to watch a movie but we were both so tired we just conked out.

so much bread!

up early the next day, we started out at a place on the corner with a big breakfast of bread (still very grateful to have fluffy bread back in my life) and tea. this proved to be good fuel for a big day of exploring. we started on foot, walking through the university campus, which was pretty similar to a college campus you might see in the states. interesting fact: they tried putting in a starbucks where one of the student cafés was but everyone just wanted çay so eventually they took the starbucks out in favor of the former café. i wonder how many times that's happened! we walked towards the water at the top of the hill and along the remnants of the wall of rumelihisarı castle, a fortress built by mehmet the conquerer, an ottoman sultan, in the 15th century. not a bad site to border your college.

castle, yalı, cafe: istanbul through the ages

we made our way downhill and ended up right along the water. we walked up the street, passing beautiful homes and bistros that somehow reminded me of san francisco. maybe it was the seagulls along the water, or the bridges we were passing under, but something reminded me of the west coast waterfront. one clear difference was the sporadic siting of the traditional wooden houses, or yalı, which i was more aware of, having just finished orhan pamuk's description of them in istanbul. a thoroughly pleasant stroll on a beautiful, blue-skyed morning.

from there it was another bus south along the water until we arrived at bebek, a very busy area filled with buses, ferries, businesspeople and shoppers. we popped into the little nearby mall so i could look for some shoes (what? turks have cute shoes; i wanted some) which i found for only 20 TL (about 10 dollars). then it was onto the ferry and over to asia. unlike the first time i rode one of these ferries, this was not the first time i'd been to asia, so in some ways it was a bit less exciting. but it was also a lovely ride across the water. and soon we were out and about on the asian side of town.

turkish delights

we walked quite a ways to meet büşra's friend, stopping only when essential (read: for window-shopping). eventually though we made it to a rather delightful little place, a charming cafe atop a small hill where families were dining or lingering over tea. it was quickly obvious why these two were such close friends, both have such sweet dispositions. we talked over tea, enjoying the sunlit view from our cafe table. after we were feeling sated we set out for another long walk, this time along the water. after a quick stop for an afternoon prayer we made it to our destination, the maiden's tower (whose legend naturally involves a beloved yet isolated daughter). it's quite a romantic sight, alone there in the water. but the view is enhanced by the ambiance - cushioned seats, plentiful tea and snacks, backgammon games and, in our case, golden afternoon light on the bosphorus. a pretty perfect way to spend my last evening in istanbul. as we boarded the boat to take us back to the western side of the city we were still treated to that dazzling sunlight glittering on the water.

boats on the bosphorus, a twinkling farewell

we boarded the necessary trams and buses to make our way back up north to büşra's neighborhood, stopping only when we got to the university area for one last taste of pide, at my request. we did take one last walk, to again admire the nighttime view from the hills of boğaziçi. as breathtaking on my last night as it was on my first, if a little more bittersweet. i'm sure i only scratched the surface of what istanbul has to offer. it's a city i could see myself spending lots more time exploring, although i think i'd need a few years to do it justice. so don't worry, istanbul. as i so often say, i'll be back!