Despite what’s happening in Turkey now.
I feel it will always be a part of me.
The time at the dawn, the morning call for prayer.
The humidity of Istanbul.
The ferries. The seagulls. The Bosphorus.
Camilar.
The bridges. Omnipresent.
Even if I don’t live here anymore.
çay - it will always be a symbol for me. Something that nowhere else tastes the same.
The famous book by Orhan Pamuk. A brave book. A masterpiece.
Well, it is.
Not an easy read, though. A book with a relatively simple plot but with rich symbolism, an array of characters and countless references to history, religion and politics.
The main character comes to a Turkish city of Kars for an unclear reason. Apparently, as a journalist to cover the story of the municipal elections but at the same time to uncover the reason for the girl suicide epidemic that has fallen on Kars. Like the snow that winter. Heavily.
However, with time, … continue reading
inconsiderate
chaotic
selfish
unimaginative
careless
impatient
This is what I have to say about the Turkish drivers. And I should use an exclamation mark next to each of the above or put them in the capital letters.
The style of driving observed here is just inconceivable for the Polish people for whom Warsaw style is dangerous and crazy.
Now, I actually find the Warsaw streets calming. Polite and orderly.
But only because I have seen the Istanbul streets.
I often wonder where this aggression, impatience come … continue reading
Perhaps March is not the best time to visit the Emirgan Park but somehow I’ve done it for the second time in this month.
It is almost spring but it is still chilly, the wind is cold and strong. I miss my woollen gloves. I haven’t used them once throughout the whole winter and did not expect I would need them on a day in March, almost a spring day. At least calendarwise.
Emirgan is famous for its huge park which in the spring and summer is flooded by families … continue reading
Kuruçeşme means The Dry Fountain. It was named after a fountain attached to the Tezkireci Osman Efendi Mosque.
In the past it was known for storing sand and coal but now it’s a fashionable area.
Kuruçeşme, for me, is first of all a long line of yachts and boats at the coast, Suada, a crowded promenade and a small mosque from which I hear the call for prayer every time I’m around.
What a coincidence.
But Suada is … continue reading