Michael Powell's Blog, page 110
July 12, 2013
The Cats Of Istanbul
It was a common sight in Istanbul. You’d be standing in front of some amazing building like the Hagia Sophia or the Galata Tower, and all the tourists would be completely ignoring it. Their cameras were trained on something cuter and more alive than some ancient old structure: a playful pack of mewling kittens.
Istanbul’s street cats are a phenomenon. They’re everywhere in the city; balancing on windowsills, cowering beneath cars, slinking between gravestones, sunning on benches, even relaxing...
July 7, 2013
Addicted to Döner
Before our arrival in Istanbul, we had no idea how much döner we were about to eat… Ach, who am I kidding? We knew exactly. Scarfing down plate after heaping plate of delicious döner meat was our plan from the very beginning. It’s part of the reason we chose Istanbul in the first place.
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We had become addicted to döner during the five years we spent living in Berlin. Packed into a bun with salad, and slathered with sauce, the German variation of döner makes excellent hangover food. But in Istan...
Public Transportation in Istanbul
In a city the size Istanbul, public transportation isn’t just a nice option, but an absolute necessity. So it’s lucky that using Istanbul’s transportation system can be so entertaining. Whether riding a funicular, subway, ferry, tram or gondola (anything, really, except the bus) we almost always had a great time getting around the city.
But yes: we hated the bus, and only used it when absolutely necessary. Traffic in Istanbul is horrendous, and using the bus does nothing to save you from it. O...
Modern Mosques
We visited a lot of mosques during our time in Istanbul, the great majority of which were centuries-old architectural masterpieces built by the Ottomans. But Islam is very much a modern religion, so we felt compelled to check out a couple of the city’s contemporary mosques, one in Kadiköy and the other in Umraniye.
Kadiköy’s beautiful Şakirin Camii, completed in 2009, has the distinction of being the first mosque in Turkey whose interior was designed by a woman. And Zeynep Fadillioglu made sur...
Smoking Nargile In Istanbul
The hookah pipe is called the nargile in Turkey. It’s a surprisingly popular activity among Istanbullus of all ages, and we partook in quite a few smoking sessions ourselves. You can order from a variety of different flavors, and spend hours lounging around, smoking and drinking tea.
The nargile has long been a prominent part of Turkish culture, although the introduction of cigarettes led to a serious decline in its stature. Lately, though, it’s been making a comeback among young people. It’s...
July 5, 2013
Orhan Pamuk and the Museum of Innocence
Orhan Pamuk, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, is easily Turkey’s most famous contemporary author. And one of his books, The Museum of Innocence, is more than just a novel. It’s a real museum, designed to exactly replicate the imaginary museum described in his story. A fascinating project which begs the question: does a thing cease to be fictional when it actually exists?
Nobel Prize Winner Orhan Pamuk (Source: orhanpamuk.net, Murat Türemiş)
Orhan Pamuk may be loved around the w...
Rumeli Kavağı and Sariyer
The two northernmost towns on the European Bosphorus are Sariyer and Rumeli Kavağı. Sariyer is more developed and wealthy, trapped between a dense forest and the water, while Rumeli Kavağı has the convivial atmosphere of a fisherman’s village.
A Pier in Rumeli Kavağı
Rumeli Kavağı is easy to visit as part of the city-run Bosphorus Tour. The long ferry ride up the strait pauses for three full hours at Anadolu Kavağı, leaving you plenty of time to catch a local boat across the strait to Rumeli Ka...
July 1, 2013
A Bosphorus Cruise to Anadolu Kavağı
One of the most popular excursions in Istanbul is a ferry ride to Anadolu Kavağı, near the entrance to the Black Sea. This Bosphorus Cruise offered by the city-run Şehir Hatları company costs just 15 Turkish Lira, making for a cheap and easy day out on the water.
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Really, a tour of the Bosphorus Strait should have been among our first adventures in Istanbul. The ferry trip lasts for 90 minutes each way and provides a wonderful sense of the landscape, introducing many of the city’s best sights....
June 30, 2013
Büyükada – The Big Island
Büyükada is the largest of Istanbul’s nine Princes’ Islands. The name literally means “Big Island”. We spent a day biking from one end to the other, enjoying fabulous views of the sea, swimming with jellyfish, climbing hills and escaping the crowds.
Although it’s large in comparison to its sisters, Büyükada isn’t all that massive. At just a couple square miles in area, you can easily bike around it within a couple hours. Still, it’s better to take the entire day, because there’s a lot to see.
A...
June 29, 2013
Breakfast in Turkey
During our first Turkish breakfast, I remember surveying the table with fear and doubt. Every conceivable inch was occupied by a plate, bowl or cup. It was a ridiculous amount of food! Had the waitress misheard our order? When I said “breakfast for two”, had she understood “A merry feast for my hungry horde of Vikings”? Because this… this couldn’t possibly be right.
But no, this was a normal Turkish breakfast. Bread, olives, honey, jams, eggs, cheeses (old and new, cow and goat). Fluffy, fille...
