İstanbul'daki Kediler / Cats of Istanbul

We have a lot of cats living here. I adore them. It is basically cat heaven. I am surprised how well people treat them here. I expected disregard of street animals and some selected people making the effort to care. But to my surprise people put food out, they build boxes for cats, they let them have a nap in the shops, restaurant owners ask customers not to feed a cat with processed food, because it's sick. There are still a lot of sick cats and way too many, but people care. A good sign.

Massive cat post ahead.

More ferry rides, cats and tea

I found my rythm, I found my spot. This is the place I have to be right now. Summer crept over the hills of Istanbul and the window is always open. Happy chatter, birds' singing and seagulls' crying and the occasional boat horns blasting over the Bosporus. The sun that is already strong as the Berlin August sun, but I am still enjoying the heat and humidity lingering over the city.

I had a splendid time with friends visiting me in Istanbul. It is weird mixing two lives together, but I definitely enjoyed sharing the city I live in right now. Here are a few pictures of my first outings in the city, discovering the wonderful places:

KADIKÖY
I live on the European side of Istanbul. My hood is called Cihangir and I like it! I can see the sunrise every morning. It changes from pink and red to a foggy violet sky where only a few minarets stick out. The fog swallows the sky and dips it into a milky grey blue sea becoming one with the ocean before the sun rises and cuts everything apart with her gleaming. Pretty spectacular. Similarly spectacular is the sunset when returning from the Asian side (see cover photo a few posts back). For that we took a boat to Kadıköy, which would be my second choice for living. Lots of alternative life, streetart and funny stuff. You find fresh food and good fish there, as well as some really nice options for food!
I love the long steep street at which ends you still see the ocean glimmering in the distance. Here are only a few of those:





THE ISLANDS
A few dear friend came to visit and we explored the city. Not many pictures taking there, but here are a few from our escape to the Islands. The Princess' Islands are a group of islands in the Marmara ocean in front of Istanbul. A perfect escape from the city and a nice way to relax for a day. The bigger one's can be quite touristic with the lines of fish restaurant at the port and all the waiters trying to usher you in. But you will find beaches and lots of nature on the smaller ones. Grab a few friends, rent bikes and head out over the island. This time, we took the very touristic horse carriage, which was also quite fun and I can recommend it to it at least once for the fun of it.






A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE
I love taking a break and drinking a tea, smoking a cigarette and playing backgammon. Such a nice tradition. I love the cats everywhere and the people taking good care of them. I like the view from my office with the big atlantic cruisers starting from there everyday. I love turkish coffee in fancy cups and good cappucino with delicious cookies. I love the crazy markets in the backstreet, where you can try everything and get the freshest and most delicous food. I love to try turkish dishes (here: Mantı - turkish dumplings) at home and eat them with friends. Life is good.








Last but not least:
It's nice not to be forgotten... Hello to Berlin! Modern technology is surely fascinating. Combining two lives so easily with a click. I took part in dinner, went to the balcony with them to smoke a cigarette and even got a *virtual* sip of beer. Oh, how I miss these guys!

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 :)