September in Istanbul

As the glorious summer of 2014 started to fade and cool and the leaves became tinged with an autumnal brown, I waved goodbye to home yet again, this time jetting off to cosmopolitan Istanbul.  The reality of a posting to a city where other people pay to come on holiday is an existence very different to that which I’d experienced before. In short, Istanbul is a gem. It’s easy to get around, plenty to see, spectacular views, bars, good food, good coffee and for now at least, weather to die for.  Istanbul is not al all typical of the rest of Turkey and I’m staying in the swanky Beyoglu area, akin to Covent Garden, with prices to match, but my first couple of weeks here have been spent getting to know the city and its eccentricities. My ten minute walk to work passes posh hotels, coffees shops and convenience stores, until a dazzling view opens up far away down to the shimmering Bosphorus and beyond, the minarets of countless mosques dotting the skyline.  That view, every single morning, is enough to take your breath away.

Istanbul is a bizarre mixture – very westernised, with smart shops selling every conceivable item and more; swanky restaurants with trendy roof terraces; perfect for a beer watching the sun go down; to local joints selling fantastic delicious Turkish food, great Mediterranean delis, their wares displayed in a riot of exotic colours; hundreds upon hundreds of cay (tea) bars, girls in miniskirts brushing shoulders with burkha-clad ladies, neither seemingly batting an eyelid.  It’s truly a fusion of East and West.

Everywhere people drink tea, a Turkish institution – served in small shot glasses, black, with sugar cubes in the saucer and often a square of Turkish delight on a cocktail stick.  The men sip their tea whilst playing endless games of backgammon, seated on tiny low stools.  Of course there’s always Turkish coffee, strong and sludgy in a tiny cup resting in a beautifully intricate silver holder adorned with a miniature lid.

It’s easy to play tourist in Istanbul. There is so much to see – but a horde of other people intent on seeing it too. The main sights are in Sultanahmet over the Golden Horn, home to the Blue Mosque, Cisterns, Spice Market and Grand Bazaar:  predictably atmospheric and bustling.  Then there is funky Chihangir, full of trendy cafes, boutiques and antique shops.

One of my favourite things to do is to take a trip into Asia – this exotic journey is no more involved than hopping on a ferry which crosses over to another continent in a mere twenty minutes, passing rows of cormorants standing to attention on the breakwater and, if you’re very lucky, a dolphin.  The ferry drops off at Kadikoy, full of great food shops and bustling restaurants.  The waterfront is superb, ferries constantly coming and going, fresh mackerel being grilled on braziers, its aroma enticing you to buy the most delicious crusty mackerel baguette on earth – cay sellers with their tea pots perched on a basin of hot coals and fishermen lining the Galata bridge hoping to catch a fish to sell to the mackerel grillers.

The waterfront is integral to Istanbul, many commuting to work by ferry.  The sea of Marmaris is fed by the mighty Bosphorus, and with the setting sun glinting on the water it is easy to linger on the banks of the river on a low stool with a cay or on a rooftop bar with a cold beer.

There are hundreds of cats in Istanbul. Seemingly, Istanbullites have always been fond of cats and although they obviously breed indiscriminately (the cats – not Istanbullites) they are well fed and not at all shy – cat biscuits litter every street corner and there are water bowls dotted around.  Generally unafraid of people, often upon sitting down with a beer and a cat will march up and plonk itself on an available lap.

So there you have it.  I’m smitten with my temporary home.  Cats, beer, good food, sunshine and a waterfront.  What’s not to like?