30th August: Istanbul, Turkey
The morning was chilled as we caught up with some admin bits we’d not gotten around to and again waited until early afternoon for the rain to pass. Today is the Turkish holiday of Victory Day and at midday a large helicopter with an even larger Turkish flag passed over. Once we did venture out, we had to dodge streams of water and sand which were making it treacherous for vehicles to climb the steep cobbled hills. We sheltered from the final remnants of the rain whilst having another cig kofte and chay for lunch, amongst the cats sheltering doing the same. Who needs a cat café, when a normal one has 5 or 6 cats!
We walked up past the million stone to catch the tram across the Golden Horn to Karakoy. The alleys of Karakoy were full of restaurants with vines providing shade. We found the perfect spot to wait out what turned out to be the final shower of the day – a cafe selling vegan baklava (pistachio and walnut varieties) and delicious Turkish coffee.
An old Ottoman bank, whose 6 marble floors had been turned into libraries and exhibition spaces and provided a great free view back over the river. We dodged the Instagram couples on the Kamondo stairs and the tourists waiting to climb Galata tower and walked all the way through Kabatas along Istiklal to Taksim Square. The street put Oxford Street to shame in terms of shopping and had old red trams occasionally travelling along its otherwise heavy footfall. Turkish flags lined its entire length every few metres and the general atmosphere seemed to be a cross between a Sunday and a bank holiday.
From Taksim, an underground funicular took us 60m down to the Bosphorus, just south of point where Sultan Mehmed II’s Ottoman army somehow dragged boats up and over the hill during the siege of Byzantine Constantinople, as a way of bypassing the defensive chain strung across the Golden Horn. With the sun already low, a ferry took us to Uskudar and its lighthouse island. Families out for Friday evening mixed with the ever-present hordes of anglers along the shore. On the water, tankers passed in front of the old city on their way to the Black Sea, the power of controlling the Bosphorus more visible than ever. A Lebanese mezze feast was a great way to round off the day but made the spectacular night-time ferry crossing back to Eminonu slightly challenging on the stomach!
Istanbul has been very impressive in terms of cheap and clean public toilets at every turn. Another impressive civic aspect has been the daily bin collections. Not just that, but everyone seems to do their bit too, cleaning up after rain outside their properties or helping direct traffic up steep cobbled hills. It’s also been a lot cheaper than we’d been made to fear too, as long as you go where locals do, and avoid the tourist traps.