On a very spontaneous note, I got to spend five days in Istanbul. This was very exciting, as I have never been to Türkiye. I stayed in Kadıköy, which is on the Asian side of Istanbul.
On my first evening I take a run along the coast, starting from the port of Kadıköy eastward. There is a walkway right along the coast; you can sit on rocks watching the sunset, and the walkway is surrounded by a stretch of green and various sports courts. I am suprised by how few other runners I encounter. The night lights reveal a wide palette of radiant, vibrant colors, often in stark contrast and dominated by a deep green of the plants and the grass. It reminds me a bit of my night walks in Brazil.
Later that evening, I walked through Kadıköy. It is a bustling district, full of restaurants and bars, and with a mixed demographic. Young couples were hugging. I tried some food. First a Fish Dürüm (Wrap), which was delicious. I waited outside, where they had an oyster bar. One filled oyster for 20 TL. Next to me, three men were eagerly devouring oysters from large metal trays. They laughed and talked loudly, as they squeezed lemon over the oysters, clearly enjoying themselves. Then a tour guide stops in front of the bar. He talks about the oysters: " ... and if they do not give you lemons, then they are not a proper oyster bar!". I continued and walked along one of the main (and fancier) restaurant streets, and asked two men what they had ordered. They were incredibly friendly and open, and quickly found a fork and plate so I could taste each of the appetizers they had ordered (five of them). Both were Turkish. They joked that drinking the 45% raki "makes you a man" - and perhaps more importantly, makes you a friend with Turkish people. According to them, Istanbul is only the second best city in Türkiye, after İzmir.
One interesting thing I noticed was that there are - at least for European standards - an unusually large number of ATMs in the public space. And not just ATMs, but blocks of ATMs: Four or five at a time. This, even though I had far less issues paying with card here than in Germany. Is it because of the chronic inflation?
Istanbul is also known for its many street cats. I would say there is roughly about one cat per street. They are mostly well fed. You can even spot cat food on the streets, that is how much food they get.
Going to the European side, the mosques are quite photogenic. The Süleymaniye Mosque also features a great view over the Bosphorus from its surrounding garden. All the tiny dots moving in the distance: Istanbul really is alive. Even more so on the ferry. The white foam of a thousand tiny little waves. Someone at the back is tossing crumbs of bread into the air. In an instant, the seagulls — already circling nearby, sensing the opportunity — swoop towards him. Will they catch it?
There is a beautiful, small public library at the end of a pier, right here. Perfect for a little work/study session. I was there for a few hours, and met a young woman. She was Swiss, and liked Türkiye so much, that she will travel it solo for two months. I asked her if she had a blog (she didn't).
Equipped with half a kilo of dates - 350 TL/ kg for the Super Jumbo variety, the latest harvest, I am being told - I leave the city. My flight is at 7am. The metro wasn't running early enough, so I have to take a bus from Kadıköy station to the airport. When I arrived, my first impression was that of a warm yellow light shining through the windows of the airport. Now, as I leave, it's still dark and slightly raining over Istanbul.