Big Bike Island

(Bikes on the ferry to the Prince's Islands)

Over the weekend my friend Ian and I took our bikes out to one of Istanbul's Prince's Islands, a group of islands about an hour or so by ferry from the European side of the mountain.  By law, the only motorized vehicles on the island are official municipal vehicles, so it's one of the few car free places in the city.  It's really popular during the summer, but this was my first visit.

(One ferry to another)

We rode our bikes down to Kabatas and then hopped on the ferry.  It's slow, and makes 5 or 6 stops, but it's cheap.  A token for the ferry is the same price as a token for the the metro, tram, or bus (2 TL).  The ferry goes across the mouth of the Bosphorus, then out into the Sea of Marmara.  The area is like a multi-lane highway with all of the ferries, fishing boats, speed boats, barges, and tankers using the well trafficked waters.  A little further out we saw some small sailboats, but I think the weather is getting a bit cold for too much of that.

 (Horse-drawn carriages are a popular form of transportation)

The islands differ in two big ways from the bulk of Istanbul.  Number one: there are no cars, so people use horse drawn carriages or bikes to get around.  I'm pretty sure the carriages operate like taxis, but there's really only like... two places to go on the island (more on that later).  The result is a different, less disagreeable foul smell that pervades the landscape.  Number two: Wooden houses.  I was shocked to see so many wooden houses in various states of repair/disrepair.  The first word that popped into my head was "colonial."  It made me realize how little wood is used in construction in the city itself.

This is one of the few things to see on the island.  Well... I guess the landscape itself is the real sight, but if you're looking for things to look at, this is it.  It's an old abandoned Greek Orthodox Church run orphanage.  Long abandoned, there's some arcane law that prevents them from either tearing the building down or renovating it.

 

 This is the view from the other "attraction," a still functioning Greek Orthodox monastery at the top of the hill.  I wasn't aloud to take pictures in the monastery itself, but the grounds were nice, and the view was amazing.  It made for one of those Oh Man I Live Here moments.

Here are some of the horses (off-duty, I suppose), just hanging out by the side of the road.

And here's a shot of the city as seen from the top of the hill.  I think we're gonna try to get some people together this weekend and make another trip out there before the weather gets too cold.  I'll keep you guys posted.

 

Hey Dad!

You're gonna be so proud of me.  I went to see some Turkish* music the other night, and it was awesome!  Sorry about the quality of the pictures.  My camera is good, but point and shoots only do so well in low light...

(*It was actually Greek music, which I can't really make any clever jokes about: Greeks and Turks historically don't get a long at all.  However, this band was well received, and they even played a few Turkish classics, or so I've been told.)

The band played in this tiny bar up three flights of stairs in the back of a building off of one of Istiklal Caddesi (pronounced ees-teek-lahl ja-des-sea). I'm not sure what the band was called, nor do I even know what the bar was called.  Such is the nature of a lot of things in Istanbul.  Most of the good places I've been to have been great, but in really out of the way, almost hidden building and courtyards.  It's a such a jam packed city that anybody who wants to set up shop has to do in any available space.  The more desirable locations are all already taken up by big retailers (The Gap, Saturn (like Best Buy), Sephora, ad infinitum).

But anyway, back to the band.  They were a five piece.

There was no percussion save for hand claps, the stomping of feet,  a tambourine, and a the occasional thump on the acoustic guitar.

Later on in the evening, and I regret not having pictures of this, there was a lot of Linking of Arms and Intricate Foot Movements while Moving Around in a Circle.  It was exactly like what you picture when I say, "I saw this great Greek band in a dive bar in Istanbul."  Exactly like that.

Rainy Day in the Neighborhood

The front of my apartment building in Kasimpasha

The weather has been really lousy here the past couple of days, so there hasn't really been all that much to take pictures of.  However, I decided to take a few random shots around the neighborhood.  I'm trying to get the hang of this whole Taking Pictures things, so just bear with me.

 

Do you see that lady walking down the street?  My apartment is basically right above her... that first small balcony slightly to the left of her on the first (American second) floor is mine.

My building is close to the corner, right next to that little market.  They sell some fruits/vegetables, but it's really not that great.  The old ladies that live on my block love it though.  So much so, in fact, that they'll drop a basket down from their balcony with money and a shopping list and the clerk at the store will do there shopping for them and then put their stuff in the basket for them!  I know, pretty... um... well... pretty lazy, but the guy's  very nice for doing it.

This is Istiklal Caddesi, the main tourist/shopping street in Taksim.  It's pretty dead for a Sunday, but it's usually packed, all the time.  It's nice to have something so lively so close, but I'm glad I don't live any closer to it.

The little red cart is a simit salesman.  Simit is a small sesame seed covered bread that is something like a cross between a bagel and a breadstick.  It's kind of like the ubiquitous "rohlik" of the Czech Republic.  These things are always available, and they're usually pretty good for a snack or breakfast on the go.

Let's see, what else is going on?  I think you guys are pretty caught up on the more personal things that have been going on, which I'll not get into here.  Oh! I know.  I was able to catch up on my American culture over the weekend... I drank beer, ate pizza, and watched football!