Last Weekend in Istanbul
Saturday was a bit of a blow-out. The morning concerts I was thinking of actually only run through May. I don't think anything was playing that day, the box office was closed. But since I was in Taksim I figured I would take a look for a new pair of sunglasses, my old scratched up pair I lost somewhere in the wilds of West Istanbul. The main street of Taksim is under repair, again. Not that there was anything wrong with the old job, but the minister or whoever came out to take a look at the finished product of months of labor crews and torn up concrete and decided that he didn't like how it looked. The large paving stones are being replaced by some that have a grid on them.
Everyone has their own opinion of why this is being done. A friend of mine told me that she thinks the roadwork and hassles are being kept as long as possible because Taksim is where the youth go to relish in debauchery and the man wants to be a buzz-kill. The place is packed with clubs, the music plays all night, and everyone is drunk. Others just think it's as simple as the person calling the shots likes making people subject to his or her whims. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened in Istanbul.
Regardless, the construction was fairly concentrated so once I was past it I was free to enjoy the old new flagstones for a bit longer and scope out some good sun glasses. I started feeling concerned, where did I get sunglasses in Turkey? I didn't remember seeing a large rotating display stand at the supermarket. Fist I came to a store titled Optik something-or-other and I thought, great I'll find a nice pair on the cheep side and I'll stop squinting outside. Buuuuut, on the cheep side here meant 350 YTL, about 220 bucks. A chunk of plastic, wire, and glass perched on the front of my face can only make me look so cool so I thanked the lady, confirming her initial suspicion I was an underfunded vagabond, and went in search of more questionable merchandise sold with no questioned asked.
Smaller streets branch off from Taksim's main street at regular intervals, either sloping a bit uphill on the left hand side, or downhill on the right. But this sometimes changes... I headed along one of these side streets, merchants selling silly hats to tourists, check. Merchants selling fish with hopeful cats gathering, yup. Found my man, a rack of sunglasses, some watches, a mirror to admire yourself in, and some flashy lighters. Fake or stolen, this guy's prices were right, fifteen for some spiffy, unscratched sunglasses.
The crowd in Taksim seemed kind of sparse for a Saturday afternoon, but that could just be from the heat. I'm sure the street was packed to overflowing by 8 pm. But I took the shadiest route I could to the metro and got home for an evening of recuperation to prepare for Sunday.
Sunday, I think it was my last trip to Sultanahmet, and maybe my favorite. A bit of a bummer here, I forgot to charge my camera battery and it died right after I took a picture of the palace, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque from the ferry, I'll put that up in a bit. As always the ferry was a bit hectic to board and exit, but the trip is great after getting settled. A few simits on the way over made breakfast, and something was not entirely normal when I arrived in Kadıköy to change ferries. Police blockades circled the entire square that's normally home to fish sandwich and shoelace salesmen. A police boat even guided the ferries in, making sure there was no funny business. Police barricades aren't exactly common and a huge police force was also deployed. Nothing was happening yet, but a stage was being set, some patriotic/anthem type music was playing, and huge banners were strung up in corners of the stage. I caught words like Imperialism. It couldn't have been a normal protest. Heck, I was part of one that involved burning torches in public and there weren't barricades or a quarter as many police!
My guess is a government official was giving an address in the square, a few people in street cloths were being let through the police wall after some questions, but most folks just steered clear of the entrance. Why the quay in Kadıköy? I never found out since I had to hike up my kilt and make for the ferry before it set out for Eminonu. On my return trip I saw the banners were all down and while the barricades hadn't been taken away, they had been turned to the side and foot traffic came and went as it normally does.
I arrived in Eminonu and struck out along the waterfront road that outlines the peninsula. This road sees lots of use from the locals who picnic in the Topkapi courtyard. Merchants along the road sell helpful picnic additions like melons or bananas. The courtyard is filled with beautiful, tall trees and park benches to enjoy them properly. I stopped to rest my bones and take in the breeze and while I was under that great green canopy the stresses and worries of every day were set aside and the summer day felt great. After a bit of this communing with nature (zoning out) I walked through the rest of the gardens, up a street with a few hopeful merchants with bead necklaces and airsoft guns and made my fifth visit to the archeology museum.
In the winter this place was deader than any museum I had ever visited, but things have changed and crowds of people made their way through like Istanbul was a foot race.
"Woosh, got through all the halls, wow, what do you remember about it?"
"There was a museum full of old things."
After a deliciously long time in the ancient civilization museum with the tablets I love so much, I finally was able to have tea in the park with all the catalogue pieces that didn't make it to a spot under a roof. While walking to the snack stand I saw the same huge cat that I made friends with back in December. This cat is bold and affectionate, when I was taking pictures months ago it would jump at my hands and rub it's head against them. Holding a camera still was impossible, the only option was to pet the cat. After finishing my tea I spent some time watching this cat try to convince a woman to part with her sandwich a few benches down from me, everytime she took a bite it would put it's paw down forcibly on the bench as if to say, "My turn now, sandwich over here."
My feline induced trance was broken by a snatch of conversation that was music to my ears. A woman was saying she didn't want something, but it was in Persian! My entire time here I haven't heard a single person speaking Persian (Farsi) A couple walked by and sat down nearby, chatting merrily. After a few minutes I resolved not to let this opportunity slip by, got up and introduced myself. A great conversation followed, the woman was actually a fantastic English speaker and was visiting Turkey to hopefully get a visa to the United States. Judging by the little golden crucifix and her fashionable western appearance and stylish makeup, she was living it up away from the Ayatollah. We said our farewells and wishes of good luck and I continued to the antiquities museum.
The display of coins from the mint was back and another hall that had been cordoned off was open as well. In the hall on the ground floor that holds most of the Hellenic and Roman marble statues extra displays had been placed, plaster copies of the statues were garishly painted, "as they might have been!" Fortunately they didn't make a bozo the clown version of Marcus Aurelius. It was sad thinking this will be my last visit for a while, but I was able to spend the day in homage of the ancient world. I recommend this museum to anyone going to Istanbul, over the mosques, over the belly dancers, over the hookah cafes and Efes beer. If you're in Istanbul, go to the archeology museum, admission is also cheeper than a hamburger and cola.
Everyone has their own opinion of why this is being done. A friend of mine told me that she thinks the roadwork and hassles are being kept as long as possible because Taksim is where the youth go to relish in debauchery and the man wants to be a buzz-kill. The place is packed with clubs, the music plays all night, and everyone is drunk. Others just think it's as simple as the person calling the shots likes making people subject to his or her whims. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened in Istanbul.
Regardless, the construction was fairly concentrated so once I was past it I was free to enjoy the old new flagstones for a bit longer and scope out some good sun glasses. I started feeling concerned, where did I get sunglasses in Turkey? I didn't remember seeing a large rotating display stand at the supermarket. Fist I came to a store titled Optik something-or-other and I thought, great I'll find a nice pair on the cheep side and I'll stop squinting outside. Buuuuut, on the cheep side here meant 350 YTL, about 220 bucks. A chunk of plastic, wire, and glass perched on the front of my face can only make me look so cool so I thanked the lady, confirming her initial suspicion I was an underfunded vagabond, and went in search of more questionable merchandise sold with no questioned asked.
Smaller streets branch off from Taksim's main street at regular intervals, either sloping a bit uphill on the left hand side, or downhill on the right. But this sometimes changes... I headed along one of these side streets, merchants selling silly hats to tourists, check. Merchants selling fish with hopeful cats gathering, yup. Found my man, a rack of sunglasses, some watches, a mirror to admire yourself in, and some flashy lighters. Fake or stolen, this guy's prices were right, fifteen for some spiffy, unscratched sunglasses.
The crowd in Taksim seemed kind of sparse for a Saturday afternoon, but that could just be from the heat. I'm sure the street was packed to overflowing by 8 pm. But I took the shadiest route I could to the metro and got home for an evening of recuperation to prepare for Sunday.
Sunday, I think it was my last trip to Sultanahmet, and maybe my favorite. A bit of a bummer here, I forgot to charge my camera battery and it died right after I took a picture of the palace, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque from the ferry, I'll put that up in a bit. As always the ferry was a bit hectic to board and exit, but the trip is great after getting settled. A few simits on the way over made breakfast, and something was not entirely normal when I arrived in Kadıköy to change ferries. Police blockades circled the entire square that's normally home to fish sandwich and shoelace salesmen. A police boat even guided the ferries in, making sure there was no funny business. Police barricades aren't exactly common and a huge police force was also deployed. Nothing was happening yet, but a stage was being set, some patriotic/anthem type music was playing, and huge banners were strung up in corners of the stage. I caught words like Imperialism. It couldn't have been a normal protest. Heck, I was part of one that involved burning torches in public and there weren't barricades or a quarter as many police!
My guess is a government official was giving an address in the square, a few people in street cloths were being let through the police wall after some questions, but most folks just steered clear of the entrance. Why the quay in Kadıköy? I never found out since I had to hike up my kilt and make for the ferry before it set out for Eminonu. On my return trip I saw the banners were all down and while the barricades hadn't been taken away, they had been turned to the side and foot traffic came and went as it normally does.
I arrived in Eminonu and struck out along the waterfront road that outlines the peninsula. This road sees lots of use from the locals who picnic in the Topkapi courtyard. Merchants along the road sell helpful picnic additions like melons or bananas. The courtyard is filled with beautiful, tall trees and park benches to enjoy them properly. I stopped to rest my bones and take in the breeze and while I was under that great green canopy the stresses and worries of every day were set aside and the summer day felt great. After a bit of this communing with nature (zoning out) I walked through the rest of the gardens, up a street with a few hopeful merchants with bead necklaces and airsoft guns and made my fifth visit to the archeology museum.
In the winter this place was deader than any museum I had ever visited, but things have changed and crowds of people made their way through like Istanbul was a foot race.
"Woosh, got through all the halls, wow, what do you remember about it?"
"There was a museum full of old things."
After a deliciously long time in the ancient civilization museum with the tablets I love so much, I finally was able to have tea in the park with all the catalogue pieces that didn't make it to a spot under a roof. While walking to the snack stand I saw the same huge cat that I made friends with back in December. This cat is bold and affectionate, when I was taking pictures months ago it would jump at my hands and rub it's head against them. Holding a camera still was impossible, the only option was to pet the cat. After finishing my tea I spent some time watching this cat try to convince a woman to part with her sandwich a few benches down from me, everytime she took a bite it would put it's paw down forcibly on the bench as if to say, "My turn now, sandwich over here."
My feline induced trance was broken by a snatch of conversation that was music to my ears. A woman was saying she didn't want something, but it was in Persian! My entire time here I haven't heard a single person speaking Persian (Farsi) A couple walked by and sat down nearby, chatting merrily. After a few minutes I resolved not to let this opportunity slip by, got up and introduced myself. A great conversation followed, the woman was actually a fantastic English speaker and was visiting Turkey to hopefully get a visa to the United States. Judging by the little golden crucifix and her fashionable western appearance and stylish makeup, she was living it up away from the Ayatollah. We said our farewells and wishes of good luck and I continued to the antiquities museum.
The display of coins from the mint was back and another hall that had been cordoned off was open as well. In the hall on the ground floor that holds most of the Hellenic and Roman marble statues extra displays had been placed, plaster copies of the statues were garishly painted, "as they might have been!" Fortunately they didn't make a bozo the clown version of Marcus Aurelius. It was sad thinking this will be my last visit for a while, but I was able to spend the day in homage of the ancient world. I recommend this museum to anyone going to Istanbul, over the mosques, over the belly dancers, over the hookah cafes and Efes beer. If you're in Istanbul, go to the archeology museum, admission is also cheeper than a hamburger and cola.
posted by Alex Gray at 14:26
2 Comments:
Glad to hear that someone shares my opinion about Persian: it sounds like a poem, a song to my ears (and sadly no, I don't know Persian. When I was a university student, I decided to take Persian lectures, but then I found out knowing Arabic alphabet was prerequisite, and not knowing it I had to drop the course).
And I envy you for our visit to Archeology Museum-it is one of my favorite places in this city. And you need several days to really see it.
And the price you got for sun glasses (350YTL) is cheap! Trust me! It's the lower limit! Let me correct, the price you got is 'cheap'.
Eeeek, at least the textiles are affordable! And leather, I need a new belt and shoes before I leave. I'm still having a hard time getting my mind around leaving this place! I've feel so much at home here.
The arabic alphabet is really tricky and I still mess up a lot of the rarely used (at least in Persian) letters. I came up with all these memory tricks like "t is for top, b is for bottom." to differentiate the T (with two dots above) from the Y (two dots below, unless written at the end of a word) and the B (one dot below) and the N (one dot above) It took a looooooooong time.
If you are interested radio darvish plays classical persian music and sometimes poetry is read in between or along with the music. And ForoughFarrokhzad.org has some recordings of her poetry being read. But even listening to ordanary conversation I'm swept away, the language is so beutiful! I regret never visiting Rumi's grave while here, but that's for next summer!
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