Istanbul today
Our plans for two days in Istanbul have been subject to change. Firstly, we selected a couple of tours we fancied, only to find one was already waitlisted. Never mind, we’re patient and sure enough, about a week before we left home, the waitlist cleared and we were given tickets for today’s tour. It was a walking tour through a residential neighbourhood offering a glimpse into everyday life and, having seen the big tourist attractions of the city previously (and to be honest, not really wanting to spend time in a crowded bazaar in the current circumstances) a walk seemed like a great idea. Our plans for tomorrow have also changed at the last minute, but more of that tomorrow!
But plans were changing, even as we left the ship this morning. We’d noticed when waking briefly during the night, that the foghorn was sounding. As we sailed into port this morning, we looked out into the (still dark) empty space and I was surprised to see nothing at all.
It was foggy. Really foggy. So thick that all the ferries and other boats in the Sea of Marmaris and the Bosphorous were not working today. As our tour began with a ferry ride over to the Asian side, that meant we began with a bus ride instead.
We drove over the Bosphorous bridge - not that we saw any of it - and over to Kadikoy, where the bus dropped us off at the ferry terminal and our guide Hayat gave us each a tram ticket.
I guess that we should be thankful there was no snow!
As we waited by the tram stop, we sorted out our phones and headsets - Hayat wore a headset with a microphone and we each tuned in our own phones using an app and our own earphones. Since I left my cordless earphones at home (!) my Hero and I shared a pair - he wore the right one and I wore the left. It worked beautifully as long as we stayed on the right side of one another ;-)
The tram soon arrived - we later learned that it stopped before the “real” first stop so that we could get on board, and we rode a few stops to the Moda district, listening to Hayat’s commentary as we went. We were a small group of just ten, so we were relatively inconspicuous.
We set off, walking through ordinary streets with nothing of note beyond their very ordinariness. Hayat maintained her commentary and we listened and walked, noticing small details and learning as we went.
After all, that was our reason for choosing this particular tour - to get a glimpse of daily life in Istanbul. I mean, Starbucks and Caffe Nero on the same square?! Sure - and yes, parked cars everywhere!
This was Hayat’s neighbourhood actually, and from time to time she’d stop to say Good Morning to her hairdresser, to the owner of the flower shop or, in this case, to the chap selling simit (sesame seeded bread loops) to buy a few for us to have with our morning tea. As she explained about the bread, she looked up to a nearby apartment window and noted that her husband was working - the light was on in his office!
The location for our morning tea was a small park overlooking the water - not that we could see it, of course. This was the traditional way to spend a weekend morning, to bring a small picnic brunch and meet friends here, buying tea and coffee from the nearby stand. So that’s what we did….
We sat chatting for a while, with our simit (bread) and a glass of tea, watching the world go by for a while and talking over the important issues of the day, such as they are.
Suitably refreshed, we continued our meander through the neighbourhood, Hayat pointed out special buildings- traditional old houses and renovated villas. We passed by local shops such as this one, selling things from house clearances.
Now, by this time, we were all flagging a bit. Thankfully, the last stretch of our walk was through a bustling market and fortified by the colour, sounds and smells of the fresh produce on sale, we made it to our destination - lunch!
The restaurant where we were to have lunch was a long-established local favourite, serving traditional Turkish dishes. Most of these were on show, making selection easy - we could simply point out those we fancied. My Hero and I decided to share so that we could try several dishes - Ismir meatballs, a Turkish version of Moussaka and a mushroom pilaf. All delicious, our only problem was that none of the staff seemed to understand “enough” - and simply smiled as they piled on more food!
And then, having fed us incredibly well, they introduced the baklava. Yes, his cheeky grin was plain to see in spite of that mask!! In every visit we’ve made to Turkey, we have loved the generosity of the people here and today was no exception. There’s a genuine warmth and hospitality which we very much appreciate.
With a ten minute photo opportunity in the market before we moved onto the Turkish Delight shop to make an essential purchase (!) , Hayat called for the bus driver. We none of us could imagine how he would be able to stop where we were - very close to where we’d started, actually, but on a busy road junction. But stop he did, holding up the traffic whilst the eleven of us heaved our way up those steep steps and flopped into our seats for the ride home.
Just one challenge. When we arrived this morning, Hayat remarked that we were the first ship to make use of the brand new Galataport and as we moved through the arrival procedure it was clear that everyone was working it out as they went. Very smart, it will be “great when it’s finished”.
Coming back into the complex this afternoon was an equally tricky process, the biggest challenge was the incredibly long walk back onto the ship - because of a mandatory route through the duty free shop. Perhaps tomorrow, we might have to charm our way through the direct entrance?
