City Life Turkish style
City Life Turkish style
After ending my touring yesterday I said goodbye to my
host and friend and went a wandering in the
neighborhood/area around my hotel in Fatih
region/metropol of Istanbul.
I played citizen...
*buying office supplies;
food for breakfast...wake-up call at 3:00 for 3:30
taxi for 4:00 check-in for 6:00 flight to Amsterdam
and then onto Copenhagen;
*dinner in a local Turkish restaurant with Turks...no
foreigners...except me that is.
*Then off to stroll through the Wednesday Market in
Fatih. It was endless. I walked 6 or more blocks in
one direction and gave up that it would ever end. It
also spread in both directions at every intersection
off the main road. Stalls and shops were set up with
actual barriers and roofs or simply things were laid
out on the sidewalk or pavement. The area was block
to vehicles. Just hundreds and hundreds of people
picking over fantastic deals.
Then I returned to my hotel and simply sat on the
window sill-ledge and watched the life around me.
Just sitting and experiencing provided me with this...
wash drying on window sills, balconies
steady flow of people of all ages
cars, cars and more cars coming in all directions
wonderful light cool breeze
sun had set yet it was still light out
a Roman column and capital sitting as a monument to
the ancient past two blocks away to my right
a crowd of men in the Bufe and Cafe across the street
watching Turkey playing soccer
the buildings in all directions right to the sidewalk
line 4 to 6 stories high ranging from stucco to
concrete to ceramic tile, granite, marble...some
freshly painted...some not painted in many, many years
lots of pretty girls and women strolling by
fumes from a noisy truck disrupted my enjoyment twice
water delivery man women in traditional Islamic dress based on the rules women in tight, tight outfits, bell bottoms,...not
mini-skirts, must be out of fashion men sitting in pairs, groups...friends spending time with friends in the cooling air of the evening after work bay windows, balconies of various sizes, shapes
Mercedes, Beemers, Japanese models, Renault and other
cars go by trees on every street, full size filling the view
upward with accents of green with occasional mixtures
of flowers, shopkeepers who clean their stoops every day
ongoing soccer game between two young boys as they go
down the hill to my left satellite dishes on many of the roofs and balconies
applause roars up across the street in the
cafe...Turkey has scored a great goal
a man struggling to pull a huge canvas bag in a frame
on a hand made cart behind him
no traffic light at my intersection yet no sea of
glass shards from previous road accidents
the blow of a horn, the flash of headlights, a slowing
down, a noodging forward and traffic happens in all
directions with little to no 'road rage'.
Street life for my street in Athens is simply a car
occasionally driving in or out of the little suburb or
an occasional dog wandering by
Now it is Copenhagen and a different culture filled
with its own street life.
Off to meet my two clients for tomorrow's programs
here and then to have dinner somewhere.
Wandering Alan
After ending my touring yesterday I said goodbye to my
host and friend and went a wandering in the
neighborhood/area around my hotel in Fatih
region/metropol of Istanbul.
I played citizen...
*buying office supplies;
food for breakfast...wake-up call at 3:00 for 3:30
taxi for 4:00 check-in for 6:00 flight to Amsterdam
and then onto Copenhagen;
*dinner in a local Turkish restaurant with Turks...no
foreigners...except me that is.
*Then off to stroll through the Wednesday Market in
Fatih. It was endless. I walked 6 or more blocks in
one direction and gave up that it would ever end. It
also spread in both directions at every intersection
off the main road. Stalls and shops were set up with
actual barriers and roofs or simply things were laid
out on the sidewalk or pavement. The area was block
to vehicles. Just hundreds and hundreds of people
picking over fantastic deals.
Then I returned to my hotel and simply sat on the
window sill-ledge and watched the life around me.
Just sitting and experiencing provided me with this...
wash drying on window sills, balconies
steady flow of people of all ages
cars, cars and more cars coming in all directions
wonderful light cool breeze
sun had set yet it was still light out
a Roman column and capital sitting as a monument to
the ancient past two blocks away to my right
a crowd of men in the Bufe and Cafe across the street
watching Turkey playing soccer
the buildings in all directions right to the sidewalk
line 4 to 6 stories high ranging from stucco to
concrete to ceramic tile, granite, marble...some
freshly painted...some not painted in many, many years
lots of pretty girls and women strolling by
fumes from a noisy truck disrupted my enjoyment twice
water delivery man women in traditional Islamic dress based on the rules women in tight, tight outfits, bell bottoms,...not
mini-skirts, must be out of fashion men sitting in pairs, groups...friends spending time with friends in the cooling air of the evening after work bay windows, balconies of various sizes, shapes
Mercedes, Beemers, Japanese models, Renault and other
cars go by trees on every street, full size filling the view
upward with accents of green with occasional mixtures
of flowers, shopkeepers who clean their stoops every day
ongoing soccer game between two young boys as they go
down the hill to my left satellite dishes on many of the roofs and balconies
applause roars up across the street in the
cafe...Turkey has scored a great goal
a man struggling to pull a huge canvas bag in a frame
on a hand made cart behind him
no traffic light at my intersection yet no sea of
glass shards from previous road accidents
the blow of a horn, the flash of headlights, a slowing
down, a noodging forward and traffic happens in all
directions with little to no 'road rage'.
Street life for my street in Athens is simply a car
occasionally driving in or out of the little suburb or
an occasional dog wandering by
Now it is Copenhagen and a different culture filled
with its own street life.
Off to meet my two clients for tomorrow's programs
here and then to have dinner somewhere.
Wandering Alan
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