Ferry rides, cats and a cup of tea

I finally got my camera running and this is the first shot.
I could ride the ferry everyday. I love it. It's not just a river. It's an ocean dividing the city, that is just wonderfully magical. The city is dirty and full of street cats, but once your on that boat, it doesn't matter anymore. Here you gaze out and see the mosques, byzantine buildings and modern apartment buildings mix to this incredible scenery. It has something really calming. You are commuting, but this is not a crowded bus you take every day, this is a boat with space for everyone. Order a tea, listen to one of the musicians and take a seat, because there is enough space. You can go the complete opposite and ride a Dolmuş instead - one of those fast minibuses with drivers talking on the phone, giving you back change and going full speed through narrow streets AT THE SAME TIME - crazy, crazy! Transportation is quite interesting, but I'm happy that I live within walking distance to my office. Walking distance, but oh my, those hills are steep!

I could hug all the cats on the street. They deserve a blog post on their own and they will get one once I have enough pictures. There are just so damn many of them and most of them adorably cute! And I'm surprised how people engage with the cats here. They put out water, they put out food. They pet them and even build small cat shelters a few steps down from where I live. Maybe this is part of their caring mentality (I find people here extremely caring compared to Germany!), but I remember that street dogs in South America were basically dirt. Here we have a homeless guy living in this quarter and he is taking care of ten cats and they follow him everywhere! It's the cutest thing ever! And people know him, help him. A few days back, we walked past by him and he asked my roommate to put his bags on the stick that he carried on his shoulder. And my room mate happily obliged. I don't know if this would happen in Germany... It is still very fascinating to understand the rules of their society.

And finally the tea. I think I gained a few pound by simply drinking lots of tea with one cube of sugar. I just like the ritual of taking a break and having one of those tiny cups of tea. You see a group of old men sitting on stools outside sipping on their tea in the morning, during the day, in the evening and you wonder, do they ever move? At companies, they have tea employees whose sole task it is to provide tea for everyone! Japan already loves tea, but Turkey just takes it to a new level!

Istanbul, I think there is still so much to discover, I just got a first glimpse. I don't know yet if this is a city I could stay for longer, but so far my welcome to Istanbul has been good :)