Make a Smilebox photobook

Photo Club

Since arriving in Istanbul I have joined some clubs….I am a member of Lale (International Women of Istanbul) and receive a glossy magazine every month with interesting events to choose from.

Within Lale I joined Art Lovers of Istanbul, International Professional Women of Istanbul Network & a photo club. I also joined Corona (which is a smaller group for English speakers). I must admit I haven’t participated in as many events as I thought I might, but I have enjoyed the photo club very much… so much so I have committed to a group exhibition in November 2009.

My first photo club event was a photo trek to the small fishing village of Kuzguncuk, situated on the Asian side of Istanbul. Kuzguncuk has a multiethnic minority history, home to Greeks, Jews and Armenians. It is now home to many artists and writers and there is an enclave of galleries and studios. We visited an Armenian Orthodox Church, then a mosque, saw some restored Ottoman houses painted in bright colours, a Jewish & Greek cemetery as well as a few artist’s studios. On the trek there were twenty five women armed with different sizes of cameras and equipment. Members of the club come from all over the world, but the majority are Dutch, American & British.

We strolled around the village, chatting, admiring the scenery and snapping away. We finished off the trek with a delicious lunch on a bustling street corner.

Since that first photography trek I have participated in quite a few similar events, a highlight recently included a two day trek with overnight stay in Iznik near the famous town of Bursa. I particularly enjoyed the experience of getting off the beaten track and observing Turkish rural life. We visited some isolated mountain villages. The scenery was stunning, combined with extremely friendly villagers mostly happy to be photographed going about their daily lives. Their lives at times I’m sure must be hard, however in the sunny climes it looked idyllic & a welcome change of tempo. Activities included baking bread, herding goats, horse-men, women in groups preparing food and picking fruits. Villagers constantly asked me what I was doing there & with my limited Turkish I explained I was from Scotland, lived in Istanbul and was an artist!. It was quite exhausting as every local wanted to stop and chat, but with humour (from both sides) I was able to suffice their curiosity well enough. I was bestowed with wild flowers and cherries by some local women, which was very touching.

In June we had our end of year photo club lunch. Twelve of us gathered in summer attire on Kurucesme quay before embarking onto a private boat which would deliver us to our stunning destination ~Sumahan On the Water. Later sitting on the terrace, enjoying the delicious food, gentle lapping of water & reflections made by the sun I thought how lucky I am… & how pleased I joined this club. It has been a source of knowledge, friendship & encouragement as well as an opportunity to enjoy and explore this amazing city with like-minded people.

In Scotland April 2009

I was away in Scotland for about four weeks from mid March to mid April. I celebrated my birthday on the 2nd of April with a lunch at the Newton Dee restaurant with friends Alicia and Jennifer. It was a beautiful day and a lovely atmosphere. Newton Dee is a country idyll on the periphery of town, & with its lovely pond & ducks and geese it helped create a feeling of general contentment. Seeing my two good friends also helped for a few hours not to remind me about turning 44 that day!. I know those of you older than this you will be saying “you are just a young thing!!” but I still find it hard to believe I have got this old? How did it happen? I know its bleedin obvious but geez it is just shocking when you still feel like a young thing….. that is until I look in the mirror.

The Newton Dee café/shop is really one of my favourite places to visit at the moment; it has been designed with masses of light, beautiful wooden fittings and a spacious dining area, which looks out to the pretty grounds of the Rudolf Steiner foundation. The food is simple but yummy; wholesome soups, sandwiches and good cakes. Although the service can sometimes bee a bit funky.

My trip to Scotland consisted of walks on the Learney Estate & surrounding environs, innumerable cups of teas and chats with Catriona, tea shop visits, visits with friends and creating my first electronic blurb book creation for Claudia’s 40th birthday!.

Some weeks previously, whilst in Istanbul I had suggested the idea of creating a birthday book for Claudia who was fast approaching the big 40. If you haven’t heard about blurb books, these are actual books which you create using a computer software package. Check out http://www.blurb.com/ ~ it is a great gift idea and quite a straight forward process and fun thing to do. I notified friends and asked them if they would like to participate. I was delighted and not surprised by the terrific response to participate in the book idea, Claudia being one of these remarkable people, who has the ability to touch people’s lives in a special & unique way.

I managed to get all the photos and texts from about 11 individuals and upload them into my computer before I left Istanbul!. This I have to admit was the most worrying part of the project ‘cos I knew it would just be hell to download the photos in Scotland as I have such slow internet connection at the cottage. I have to say that without the efforts of Emily and Anne-Marie, I might have been more seriously challenged but they assisted in making the whole thing run very smoothly. Thanks ladies.

Before setting off for Scotland, (quite literally a few days before I was due to fly) I thought about a workshop idea, which evolved from the blurb book concept, together with ideas drawn from memory book workshops & projects that I have facilitated over the years. I hoped to run a textile workshop whilst I was over in Scotland and my idea was to show people how to design and make a fabric book for a birth, wedding or anniversary present using digital photos. I have discovered that so many of us have literally hundreds of photos stored & just sitting in folders in their computers. My concept was to demonstrate how to transfer the photos onto fabric, also how to change the photos using simple photo editing software, create text and demonstrate some original ideas of book construction.

I e-mailed the idea to Barbara at the Milton Textile Studio near Banchory, where I have run creative workshops over the years. She no longer runs workshops at her studio but she collaborates with Linzi Upton, a quilter who has workshop facilities at her farm at Crathes.

Anyway to cut a long story short Barbara loved the workshop idea and that day she sent it out to her extensive client base. Within three hours I had two bookings. The workshops were full within a week and all fears of it being too last minute & too close to the Easter holidays quickly diminished.

At the end of March I ran two enjoyable & successful workshops. I really love facilitating these types of creative workshops, sharing my ideas & meeting interesting people. There is always a lot of preparation and lugging of equipment and I am usually exhausted afterwards, but the fun and satisfaction I derive from this work is till now unsurpassed.

Will I ever get back to telling you about our lives in Istanbul.

January -March 2009

Hi there January – March 09

Hhmmmm?.......January ist schon vorbei!....….Where did the time go?. We are already in the third week of February, I cant believe it!. I’ve heard a few murmurings & rumblings from various corners enquiring as to whether anymore ramblings are being written. Well at long last I return to fill you in on the progress of our lives in Istanbul & more……

G and I had a week’s holiday on Lanzarote at the end of January. “Hallelujah” I rejoiced….”the first school term is over”. We were both wrecked & quite honestly just getting on that plane to Germany was enough to help me start feeling half way normal again.

We spent two days with G’s parents in Aalen before travelling onto the Canaries. What impressed me immediately was that during a trip to Schwäbische Gmünd, a town of about 50,000 inhabitants how quiet the streets were. It may have been due to sub-zero temperatures and the financial recession but gosh the town centre was soooo... quiet. For whatever reason, there was one very happy Scottish woman enjoying the ghostly quiet atmosphere.


We spent a nice week on Lanzarote. We had visited Lanzarote this time last year (perhaps a few weeks later) and knew what to expect. We had already discussed which restaurants we would go to and what we wanted to see. The island has intriguing volcanic landscape and wonderful beaches.

We stayed in Pension Magec in Puerto del Carmen. We stayed there last year during a trip of the island and enjoyed the accommodation & friendly service. It has a shared roof terrace with views over the sea. The Pension is located in the old part of the town and very close to the harbour, beach & restaurants. What I especially like about Pension Magec is that there are always interesting guests to meet. This year was no exception and we spent an amusing afternoon with a guy called Marc from Switzerland. He invited us to join him on a trip to the Cueva de Los Verde~ famous volcanic caves.

A few days earlier a retired Norwegian mathematics professor whom we met on the roof terrace said “have you met the guy who sings with two voices at the same time?”……. Strangely enough, I said yes & how I could best describe it (which is probably badly) was like two didgeridoo’s being played at the same time!

Marc had hired a car for the day so that he could visit the Cueva de Los Verde caves. He wanted do his thing in the caves. When we arrived we joined the official tour of the caves (which was an hour long) & were told to be as silent as possible!. It was quite bizarre Marc furtively attempting to obertone (that is the official name for his thing) as we trekked through the caves. I became quite embarrassed and sped up leaving Marc and G trailing behind me. I noticed other people looking about them wondering where this strange noise was coming from?. Anyway as we neared the end of the tour Marc sighed forlornly…. the caves had been disappointing; they had absorbed his sound not echoed it as he had hoped. Thank goodness for small mercies & volcanic rock!.

After a weeks rest and play…..including plenty of Spanish tapas, alcohol, long lies, books and fresh air we felt ready (sort of) to come back to Istanbul.

We had two nights and a day in Freiburg on the homeward leg to Istanbul…..just enough time to stock up on Dr. Hauschka & Weleda products, as well as having a lovely lunch at one of my favourite deli’s D.O.C with some friends.

We arrived back in Istanbul on the 6th of February & the weather was lovely, “Lets go and sit somewhere?” we simultaneously said. There is a popular local eatery at the green mosque in Cihangir, the quarter next to us. This green mosque is a famous meeting point and also the centre of Cihangir, a fairly trendy & yuppy quarter. I was happy to be back in Istanbul. I had become quite fretful before returning & was so relieved that the sun was shining and there was a pleasant spring like feel in the air.

Sadly…however the sun disappeared and for the last few weeks the heavens opened & just poured on the Istanbula’s. This rain is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It rains non-stop and is torrential. It is so draining & also very dirty!. Istanbul is built on seven hills and the quarter we live is especially hilly with lots of steep narrow streets & little drainage. What happens is that the streets become like ravines, rainwater, grit & rubbish are pulled along by the force of the rain, and the addition of heavy traffic splashing through the puddles makes it pure dirty hell! (sounds bad doesn’t it?...it is!)

Another thing, during cold spells the air is foggy with thick smoke from coal being burned. No one has heard of smokeless fuel and the poorer the quarter the smokier and smellier it is.

For the last month G has been pampering me with weekly massages. I haven’t actually been getting the massages from him… aahh! But he has been financing them! (Even better!)I developed a pain in my right elbow & lower arm around Christmas (sitting with the computer on my lap, also another reason for lack of ramblings!).

Tatjana (who I found whilst googling on the internet) has given me a series of therapeutic massages working on specific pressure points in my neck, upper torso and arm. There were I must admit some pretty painful moments, although only lasting a few seconds. From weekly massages I have definitely noticed a greater openness in my shoulders and neck area, also an ability to relax my shoulders (which are usually tense when stressed) as well as importantly less pain in my arm. Certainly better than a course of cortisone or pain killers!.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know Tatjana. As you may of guessed from the name she is German, but she has lived in Turkey since the 80`s and speaks fluent Turkish and English. Whenever I go to her I meet someone new ….she is invariably with her previous patient or chatting to her next door neighbour. Tatjana lives in Sahküllü, a quarter next to the Tünel/Galata area. The Galata/ Tünel area is on the European side of Istanbul (we are on the European side too) & is very international, including a large German community. It’s also where the German School is situated. The area is part gentrified but also has slum quarters.

G and I viewed a flat in this area last July and I was pretty pissed off by the experience. The stairwell of the flat had large holes in the floors and you could see from one floor to the other…it looked like a war zone with electric cables hanging loosely from room to room. The flat was small, pokey and noisy.

Many of the buildings in some Istanbul quarters are unsafe and so improvised!. There is also so much dilapidation & neglect of buildings. Over the months we have been here I feel improvisation is really a word that sums up so many aspects of life in Istanbul especially the standards of construction. Take for example our €800 a month flat; we have witnessed improvisation at every turn. The windows have gaps around the seals, they haven’t been fitted properly, and the shower door doesn’t close right causing it to leak. Yes, the leaking saga still continues. Workmanship is so sloppy & because it is done at record speed, very low standards of construction are the result. On first glance our flat looks modern & beautifully renovated but on closer inspection….oh dear almost everything is wonky! I realised the other day that the toilet sits at an angle…. it is squint!... another botched job (excuse the pun!).

Getting back to the poorer quarters, it is common that families live in large family units basically so they have a better chance of survival in the city (and also the Turkish love being surrounded by extended family). It cannot be easy living with your parents, grandparents, also with aunts, uncles & other relations.. The point I am trying to make is that many landlords adhere to limited building & safety standards or none what so ever, so living conditions are extremely harsh for many people …….

Also it is crazy to see the condition of some stunning historical buildings in the city. They are boarded up, often abandoned and look very, very dangerous…I often swerve as I am afraid the building will crash to the ground. And God don’t get me started on the Gecekondu’s. Gecekondu’s are basically buildings built at night by migrants arriving from the south, also applies to a lot of newer buildings built without planning permission. Basically Gece means "the night" and kondu "settled or landed" …& recent figures say they now take up 40% of the `construction’ in Istanbul.

Since the economic crisis gas prices have shot up. Tatiana said she hasn’t been switching her heating on!. Her neighbours rely on stoves, burning wood for heating and cooking. The wood is delivered by country relatives. During the autumn piles of wood are lying in the streets around here, the wood is then stored in cellars throughout the winter months.

Along with wood, sacks of dried beans and bulgur are brought by family relatives visiting Istanbul. Many poor families eat bulgur and beans every day. Tatjana mentioned that a neighbour never goes to the supermarket as she cannot afford to shop for food. It really is quite mind boggling to learn one family (and probably countless more) cannot afford to shop for food ever. I struggle to cope with the huge divide between the haves and the have not’s in this city.

On so many levels the conditions that many people suffer; urban poverty and every day struggle is beyond comprehension.

Together with the other German colleagues on the teaching programme G & I live such privileged lives here in Istanbul, all earning well & living right in the centre of the city with everything at our finger tips.

And although these differences bewilder us, you still find yourself loving aspects of this place. But in the past few months I am feeling the contrasts much more intensely between rich versus poor, east & west, traditional & modern.

I am wondering what my friends visiting Istanbul for the first time will experience. Will they be struck by the sheer magnitude of people & noisy traffic? or the large groups of Turkish men hanging around together, the pestering you get as you walk past a restaurant or gift shop in Sultanahmet district (gosh!, that used to drive me insane!). Friends are sure to be impressed by the magnificent Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace etc…..who isn’t? The historic sights are awe-inspiring.

Six months down the line I am still mesmerized with the Golden Horn and Bosphoros and its hectic ship activity; ferries, cargo ships and fishing boats criss-crossing each other between Europe and Asia. And of course the dramatic skyline of the mosques always makes my heart stir.

I am curious what will be the highlights and the low points of my friend’s first experiences of Istanbul. Of course I realise not much can be determined during a short trip, but all the same it will be interesting for me to observe their reactions. But I guess unless any of you decide to move here (which of course would be great but unlikely) I should continue with the ramblings and telling of the many incongruous sides to this city.

In January we wondered about moving flat, as we were creeping closer to the end of the six months lease of agreement in our present flat. We did have a look at a few properties & saw some nice ones but they were mostly too expensive or not in the right quarter. We eventually decided we didn’t feel we could bear having the hassle of changing everything again and all that goes with moving, so in the meantime we have decided to stay where we are. We love the location and in the summer we have a great roof terrace and nice neighbours.

Since we got back from Lanzarote I have been buying a few things such as rugs, pictures & lamps to make our flat more homely. We also made a room change and I now have a studio. The bed is now in the sitting room and the bedroom is my working room. At last I am actually getting some creative work done.

The new look sitting room doesn’t look bad either. The bed looks as though it always should have been there. I purchased a gorgeous hand embroidered bedspread at the Grand Bazaar. The bedspread originates from Azerbaijan & looks stunning! We had a dinner party about two weeks ago and were curious to see friend’s reactions to the new layout. Feedback was encouraging but we couldn’t entice anyone to lounge on the bed after the meal, much to G’s disappointment. Maybe our new friends are just not the lounging types!

We are getting insect screens installed, which hopefully might reduce mosquito invasion this year. If not we will really have to contemplate moving flat (or country!). Annoyingly warmer weather has meant these pesky bugs have made a re-appearance….I have been bitten twice …urgh!

There has been an excellent International Film Festival we saw Slumdog Millionaire, Berlin Calling and a few others. It was great to hibernate in cosy cinemas during the cold monsoon period.

I wanted to tell you a bit about Turkish patriotism. You see the Turkish flag everywhere and the Turkish people are extremely patriotic. At times it seems unbelievable. We often meet writers, artists, academics, teachers and they say “I am so proud of my country, my fatherland …blah..blah”. You think they must be joking but they are totally serious. Most of these people are secular but seem incapable of getting angry about the injustices of this country. Maybe I shouldn’t comment or go there…. but I can’t help it, I have to write about my impressions & it includes this subject…. ….

In restaurants and many shops you see Ataturk's pictures hanging on the walls. Ataturk the founder of modern Turkey and first president is still revered here. Ataturk’s aim was to modernize Turkish life in order to give his nation a new sense of dignity, equality, and happiness. He made major revolutionary changes, European hats replaced the fez, women stopped wearing the veil, all citizens took surnames, and the Islamic calendar gave way to the Western calendar, he abolished the Muslim law (Sharia), dissolved the religious schools and wearing of headscarves in educational institutions. He put an end to the antiquated Ottoman dynasty and created the Republic of Turkey in 1923, establishing a new government truly representative of the nation's will. I think few nations have ever experienced anything comparable to the social changes he made.

G informed me that every new school term there is an Ataturk parade at school. It is taken very seriously by the school director; it includes singing of patriotic songs and readings. G says it is very archaic. Some of the things are quite humorous like the children are told to keep themselves clean…”stay clean unlike other nations”.

What is quite a worrying development in Istanbul at the moment is that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are leading in the upcoming mayoral elections in Istanbul. Support to ruling AKP candidate and current mayor, Kadir Topbas, stands at 48.8% …yikes The AKP Party is an Islamist party and we are all concerned about their raising popularity throughout Turkey. The AKP are putting pressure on women to wear veils in the Universities.
I read that The AKP have been locked in a battle with Turkey's secular elite, backed by the powerful military, over recent changes on the headscarf issue. The AKP argue that the headscarf ban excludes large numbers of girls from higher education; they say about 66% of women wear the scarf. However accuracy of this number is questionable. At G’s school there is no exclusion; girls simply remove their headscarves before entering the school.

Recently we saw a very dramatic piece of theatre called Sivas. It was based on the events of the Sivas massacre in July 2, 1993 in Sivas, Turkey. The massacre resulted in the deaths of 37 Alevi intellectuals. The victims, who had gathered for a cultural festival, were killed when a mob of radical Islamists set fire to the hotel where the group had assembled. Reportedly angered by the presence ofAziz Nesin, a writer who had translated and published extracts from Salman Rushdie's Thes Satanic Verses the enraged fundamentalists surrounded the hotel, shouting "Death to the infidel!" and threatening the intellectuals with lynching.

The event was seen as a major assault on free speech and human rights in Turkey, one which seriously deepened the rift between religious and secular segments of society. The Alevi are a religious, sub-ethnic and cultural community numbering tens of millions of people in Turkey.
The play was about the human stories of the intellectual’s, the writers, artists & musicians who had attended the festival. There was film footage of the incident projected on the wall, showing the ever growing mob of 10,000 radical Islamists surrounding the hotel. The really shocking thing was that the assembled police did little to intervene and were very late to help, resulting in the hotel being fire-bombed & attacked by the mob.

There were lengthy court proceedings after the incident where some mob leaders (thirty or so) were sentenced to life imprisonment, but no prosecutions for the police / military, which leads you to believe they supported the mob!.

After the play G & I plus our friends went to have a drink. Post play I was feeling fiery ……but I tried to calm myself with a cup of tea. We were all shell shocked by the play and when I asked Cihat a Turkish friend how he can live in such a country (Oh dear!…I really do have my moments?!) he answered “I love my country!”.

So yes politics keep us on our toes and we wonder how things will develop over the next few months with the elections.

I think this rambling is proving to be a bit on the dark side so I will try to get a bit lighter. (Chill Annabel…chill!!!!)

Food continues to delight us. Our friend M cooked a great Vietnamese meal at our place recently which was fun to eat and watch him prepare. G, C, & I helped. We crushed peanuts & chopped vegetables. I have never diced carrots so small in my life. It took about half an hour to chop four carrots!. M coped very well & with our help prepared a delicious feast. The meal consisted of filling rice pancakes with bean sprouts, coriander, a series of different meat & vegetable fillings served with a really hot chili sweet & sour sauce.

At this time of year Salep is for sale on the streets. You see Salep sellers pushing great copper Samovar’s filled with the hot beverage. We also like to drink it when we are on the ferry boats. It is a warm pudding like drink (tastes of vanilla) made from salep flour, a ground powder made from a wild orchid. It is delicious & very soothing. However many places make fake Salep using artificial flavorings (which is good for the orchids). It is served with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top & is considered an aphrodisiac, which I suspect only applies to the orchid derived one.

We have also had many dinner invitations from Turkish friends. These invites have definitely been placed in our top Istanbul highlights. For one thing the food is always delicious. It seems to be a Turkish custom to overfeed your guests; the sheer amount of different dishes on offer is staggering. We have also been entertained with singing and playing of musical instruments. The Turkish are extremely hospitable & see it as their duty to entertain and attend to your every whim!

I have fallen in love with the Saz, this is the most popular stringed instrument in Turkey. It originates from Central Asia. And I suppose it is a bit like a guitar & has similarities to the Greek bouzouki, it is an extremely elegant instrument to look at and very versatile. It has a carved wooden resonator, shaped like a wide teardrop with a long elegant neck. Players of the Saz use the resonator like a small drum so in addition to the strings there is drumming. I just love listening to our new friends singing Turkish folk songs & playing the Saz. The music often has Arabic influences and can be quite stirring, as well as lively and also very melancholic at times.
We listen to a lot of live music events here. G and I both love that aspect of living where we do. There is a great jazz club & also Babylon which is a trend setting live music venue playing jazz to rock, indie & electronic. Then there are more underground music clubs (which I don’t really go to) but Gerhard loves to explore. There is Arafa where you can dance the night away to Turkish traditional folk and more popular Turkish dance music.

This week we went to Büyükada (4th March). This is the largest island of the Princess Islands. It has a Greek past. Nowadays there are about fifty Greek permanent residents, although this swells to about 300 in the summer months.

We went to look at a historic Greek wooden house (which I found on the internet). G and I have the idea to rent it for a week this summer, when G’s parents come to visit. G had Wednesday off school, so we decided to go there & take a look. It was an amazing day, the first sunny & warm day we have had for weeks. Büyükada is the largest of the Princess islands and is famous for its beautiful houses; they range from palatial mansions with a colonial feel, villa’s and picturesque yalis (Ottoman waterside residence).

When you arrive on Büyükada (an hour and a half ferry journey costing €1,50) you have the feeling you have been transported back in time; the only transport on the island are bicycles, horse drawn carriages or riding a donkey!. There are no cars!. The quiet streets are lovely and you can walk in the middle of them without fear of being flattened (unlike Istanbul)…although you should watch out for the carriages. They occasionally thunder by at break lightening speed. Bored drivers having some fun!
Our possible summer historic Greek wooden house was interesting. I loved it…It is a narrow building with three floors, very interesting architecture with the most amazing pieces of furniture which the owner inherited when he purchased the property. The owner, Stein-Gunner (a Norwegian) renovated the building. It is close to the sea and all necessary amenities.
Anyway Stein-Gunner was abroad; his neighbours Deniz and Kenan kindly showed us the house. The couple were very informative and after showing us around, suggested a walk to a famous Greek monastery on a hill in the island. They said it would take about 40 minutes and there was a pretty good restaurant at the top, they would accompany us and leave us at the restaurant.
Off we set.....it was a pretty walk through the neighbourhood of intriguing & beautifully designed wooden houses. Some of the mansions were just incredible and Kenan explained that they belonged to Greek ship-owners, writers, diplomats, politicians etc. Deniz also mentioned some of the smaller houses were owned by artists & the island was a haven for painters. We saw a lot of property for sale. Gradually the road started to get quite steep & we were sweltering in our winter jackets, stripping off layers as we climbed. I commented that perhaps a donkey might have been worth renting. Deniz said there was worse to come and she wasn’t joking, the last twenty minutes the road was so steep, it was knee damaging (especially on the way down). I thought I wouldn’t make it, my head was going to explode; it was bright red. But finally we arrived and WOW!......I made it!. The view at the top was just amazing!. We had a quite a laugh as we recovered, each one of us perspiring and feeling dizzy from the exertion, but wow it was worth it. The walk had actually taken about 1hr and 20 minutes.
Deniz and Kenan work as translators in publishing; they moved to Büyükada three years ago from Istanbul and enjoy the quietness for their work. I was quite envious of their new abode. The restaurant at the top of the hill was lovely, but simple. We had the most delicious kofta, börek and salad with cold beer. We earned it!. We sat outside at little wooden tables looking over the view out towards Marmara sea. It was idyllic!.

We are not sure we will rent the house. We both loved it but we have reservations as to whether G’s parents will love it! I think when they imagine Turkey....its Antalya, beach hotel and all inclusive that come into their heads, not a historic timber Greek house in Büyükada.

The great thing is that if we stayed there we could show them Istanbul as well as have the relaxing aspects of living on an island. As you can see I am sold on the idea!

I’m still doing my photography and am a member of the International Women of Istanbul Photography Club. Actually one of my pictures was selected & published in this month’s program of the International Women of Istanbul, so I was chuffed about that. The theme was Boats on the Bosphoros and I certainly have a lot of pictures of that theme, particularly with sunsets in the background. I joined a group trek in the Grand Bazaar a few weeks ago. It was really difficult to get good shoots as things happen so fast in the bazaar…. most pictures were a bit of a blur but I had a good outing and a great lunch.

Linda Caldwell the main organizer of the photo club and owner of Crazy Lady, the only shop in the Grand Bazaar owned by an American gave me a tour of fabric outlets in Istanbul last week. She has her own business, employs a team of workers to help her create a range of Turkish inspired fabric gifts. The products are lovely and very original.
At a photo meeting I asked Linda if she could advise me where to look for fabrics etc and she offered to give me a tour. She is so refreshingly open that way, sharing her knowledge of this area. I discovered some beautiful items in some weird and wonderful places. Lovely fabrics such as Hamam towels, hand embroidered tablecloths & curtains, antique inspired Ottoman textiles, scarves, bedspreads etc.

Between the dream of buying a wooden colonial house on Büyükada, selling Turkish inspired textiles and opening a gallery/shop in Istanbul (this was suggested to me by my neighbour Susanne when a small premises became available across the street where we live) I am kept plenty busy with ideas.

I don’t know if I mentioned that G and I stopped learning Turkish just before Christmas. Last week we started getting private lessons from our friend Yasmak, as we are planning to do a two week intensive course in Antalya in the summer. We felt we needed brushing up on what we have learned so far. Sounds good doesn’t it?........Turkish lessons and the beach!

Our friend Yasmak had a horrible experience last weekend. She was bitten by a dog in her neighbourhood and had to get nine injections during the week. Her hip had four puncture incisor wounds and the bruising that developed was awful. She also had a puncture in her arms and scratches on her arms and neck. She hadn’t seen the dog, as it was in a hut but as she passed the dog lunged at her knocking her to the ground. She is about 5'2. She fell into some bushes and she thinks the bushes prevented her from sustaining more serious injuries.

It is weird because this month in the Time Out (English version) one of the regular writers Alexander Ivanoff was bitten by a dog... she writes about her experiences of the special hospital in Istanbul where you go to get rabies and tetanus jabs. Apparently this hospital is open 24/7 and there is a steady stream of people coming in for shots, so it suggests that dog bites are fairly common here.

Yamask’s mum came to Istanbul (from Izmir). She is a retired nurse & she talked about how important it is to monitor the dog and see that it doesn’t die. She told us in Izmir when people get dog bites, there is a team of vets that control the dogs.

Anyway it was a bit of drama & has made me think twice about carrying dog biscuits in my jacket pocket. I often feed the stray dogs, because I have a few favourite in the neighbourhood and also feel rather sorry for some of them.

I’m off to Scotland next week. I am looking forward to staying in the cottage. More than ever I long for it and the quietness! I hope I don’t get spooked by the dark. I will also see my nieces. I may try writing some ramblings from there but I remember finding that impossible when I was over in Scotland in October last year.

Bye for now….

December 2008

Hi there, 21st December 2008

It seems ages since I took the opportunity to sit down & write or even had the inspiration to continue with the ramblings. The last few weeks have been a very intense period in our Istanbul adventure. Several reasons include ill health & stress. G’s work schedule increased after I returned from Scotland making life pretty full on!

Needless to say G has been having a few doubts about his new job and remembering what he didn’t like about teaching…. mainly tests and marking them! He loathes marking. (The more teachers I get to know the more I learn this is not uncommon & I could get a job marking tests). Anyway every term it is G’s duty to set three test papers and well these last few weeks have been test time!. Today (2nd December) G had the responsibility of overseeing the German Language Diploma Exam (which is the ultimate goal for his pupils studying German). After the exam the papers were rushed by himself to the German Consulate, where they will be sent to Germany for marking. I decided to meet him at the Consulate so we could have a coffee together in town afterwards. It was the usual rigmarole getting into the place and then finding the right person to hand the exam papers over to. (The Turkish gatemen who stand behind very large gates, vet everyone extremely thoroughly & are reluctant to let anyone in, even German nationals).Needless to say I was left hanging around outside for about 45 minutes. Gerhard and I have decided it must be a very cushy place to work in, as it appears they are told to admit no-one!. It is only at social events (which they do very well…tasty canapés, grandiose interiors & balcony view of the Golden Horn to die for as well as endless champagne) that the gatemen relent, after thoroughly scrutinising your paperwork with several episodes on their walkie-talkies the gates are released and you are granted the honour of entering the Deutsche General Consulate. Vielen Dank!!!!

So what has kept us sane (& a little more cheerful) is socialising. We have made a group of new acquaintances & have enjoyed socialising with them whenever we have the energy or need cheering up (which is rather a lot at the moment!).

I thought I would tell you a little bit about the people we have got to know & our social life. Its funny before I moved to Istanbul (a lady that was married to a teacher in Istanbul) said to me “try not to socialize only with you husbands colleagues i.e. other teachers…… try to establish your own circle of friends” .

Easier said than done the lady doth protest….. Thus far I am only (& enjoying) socialising mainly with other teachers. They seem to me to be the nicest & most normal people I have met since arriving in this city four months ago.

We have met such a lovely selection of people mostly also here on the German teaching programme. We also got to know Yasmak who is a colleague of G's from school. She loves dancing particulary Salsa and has attempted to get G and I to join her at her saturday classes. But G hates Salsa music.

My Scottish friend Jennifer & I learned Salsa & Merengue about eight years ago in Aberdeen & I can already hear you proclaim “Annabel why don’t you go by yourself?”. Good question but the reason is that I can only dance the man ….I have always danced the man!. Being a very tall girl I never really got the chance to be the lady when I dance. At school being the tallest I was always the man and I led my partner to Strip the Willow, Boston Two step….dashing bloody White Sargeant !! I’m actually getting quite angry about the injustice of being the tallest in the class…... for years even at my own wedding I literally felt incapable of being led round the dance floor, & at dances I become all clammy about the possibility of being asked to dance by the opposite sex.

I read somewhere that women equate dancing in the arms of a man, one who dances really well as a wonderful pleasure almost better than great sex. Hhm? Music and dancing touches women in a very profound way. It Stirs the Soul I read… I can really believe this but I just haven’t experienced it very often. I have once or twice and yes it did stir my soul but generally dancing for me is just hellishly awkward. Being 6ft 3” I normally tower over my partner and then trample on their toes as I try to lead them round the dance floor. Thanks Craigholme…this is just one of the legacies you left me with, as well as an aversion to brown ~ the colour of our school uniform (being called jobby by other Glasgow private school kids didn’t bode well for an affinity to that particular colour). It wasn’t until I was told by an image colour consultant that brown is my colour and I should definitely be wearing it, that I wore it again. I was almost 40.

So yes,….. so far we have avoided the salsa classes but Yasmak continues to ask - maybe I should just go and TOWER and laugh about it. However I am sure I will have to drink a lot of red wine first!. Yasmak also invites us to join her at other social events which are a nice way for us to meet new Turkish people.

Other people I have met include neighbours. I think I mentioned that there are mainly expats living in the building & a few days after we arrived, we met Ibo and Susanne from the top floor on the roof terrace. They seem a nice pair; Ibo (who is Turkish) has given us some assistance with practical things since we arrived & he picks up mail for us when we are away. Susanne his girlfriend is her forties, American, large and outspoken. She is a writer and works in Paris. She commutes between Istanbul and France. She has taken all her holidays this year so she will not be back to Turkey until February 2009.

Then there is Therese who’s currently living in Brooklyn, she is a film maker & the new owner of the flat above us. Therese is in town right now and I met her for tea and cake at Kiki Cay (a small artsy café opposite us). She is a close friend of Susanne’s. I find both women interesting but they also have tough sides, which I don’t warm to, reminds me of traits I dislike in the Dutch which is their really direct manner, so direct that I feel tears sting my eyes at times. God I’m so feeble!

I did however spend a very enjoyable afternoon with the pair of them at the Grand Bazaar. Susanne overheard me saying I hadn’t really enjoyed the Grand Bazaar experience and had found it quite stressful. This is quite a common reaction by tourists after their first visit there. Susanne kindly invited me to accompany her & a group of her American friends. I was glad to orientate myself better in the vast shopping mall, but I did cringe at the way the women flirted so outrageously with the salesmen. It was something else! I felt like a real wall flower I just couldn’t bring myself to behave in the same manner although I could see it produced results i.e. good bargains & treats! Generally the salesmen are guys in their twenties & they flirt with anyone, even your granny! If you look like you might buy something you get the most syrupy nonsense. My co-shoppers lapped up the attention & reciprocated enthusiastically. I suppose it’s all a game & probably when you visit (……yes YOU), you will be shocked by my flirtatious haggling!

Incidentally at different shops in the Grand Bazaar we were offered and served a selection of Turkish coffee, coca cola, pomegranate juice & fresh fruits. I can’t imagine this sort of service anywhere in the UK.

An aspect that I enjoyed very much was that a shop owner (in his 80’s) kissed the back of our hands & gave us a brooch pin with the Turkish evil eye (the Turkish evil eye is supposed to protect your family and wealth) as a way of welcoming us into his shop. Many shop owners see it as an honour that you step into their premises. Inside his tiny but cosy kiosk there were literally thousands of different scarves neatly folded on shelves…it was delightful like an old fashioned sweetie shop but selling Pashmina’s and silk shawls… just lovely ~I purchased about six scarves of which I intended to use as a stash of presents. Once home however I’ve decided to keep four of them.

Susanne invited me to Kahvedan a wine bar close to our flat some months ago. Every Tuesday a group of expat Americans meet there. It was initially set up by a group of American writers living in Istanbul but it now seems open to any English speaking expat. At my first and only trip there I met Kho, an American/Korean from Chicago. I was delighted to meet her, discovered she was an artist & we exchanged numbers. We visited the Istanbul Modern and she also accompanied me to check out a studio space, that I might have been interested in renting. Anyway after I got back from Scotland she texted me to
say that she had got a job in Washington and would be away till Spring. She had
been in Istanbul for several months, having joined her boyfriend, who is a composing graduate in Istanbul. I think reading between the lines she was finding it really tough to get used to the new dynamics of their relationship, she being the one not working, and the one being responsible for the shopping, cleaning & household chores! (I know how she feels!!). Plus she had been dealing with a few racist comments. I so hate that about this city ~ anything different and you are immediately targeted by ignorant and small minded people. Anyway I miss her….. we simply clicked!

Sadly I haven’t really clicked with anyone in any of my new groups. I have met an awful lot of women in the last few months but with the logistics of this city & the fact that sometimes the events are so big I wonder how likely it will be that I manage to make any close friends in the next two years.

But WOW!... do I receive a lot of emails these days? I receive about twenty emails a month listing events from coffee mornings, writers workshops, cooking demonstrations, visits to exhibitions…….meetings with the Dalai Lama, trips to the moon… (dream on!)

I did join quite a few clubs….I am a member of Lale (International Women of Istanbul). I receive a glossy publication every other month…. it has heaps of events to choose from. Within Lale I joined Art Lovers of Istanbul, International Professional Women of Istanbul Network & a photography group. I also joined Corona (which is a smaller group for English speakers). I was at one event (the visit to Eyüp mosque) but wasn’t too enthusiastic about the ladies I met, but Helen (in Freiburg) encouraged me to give it another go, so I might not give up quite yet. One of the difficulties though is that many of the women I have met are diplomat’s wives etc…are extremely rich & live very privileged lives. I don’t fit in & I don’t want to be part of this life spending my days lunching at top class hotels, playing bridge…. I don’t know but these things don’t make my heart sing!

Having almost given up hope of meeting anyone on my wave length…..I did have better luck when I signed up for a photography trek to Kuzguncuk. It was my first event with the photography group. I had been to the village of Kuzguncuk with Gerhard one time before; I thought it would be fun to join the group for their guided tour. The small fishing village of Kuzguncuk is situated on the Asian side of Istanbul and has a multiethnic minority history, home to Greeks, Jews and Armenians. We visited an Armenian Orthodox Church and then a mosque, saw some restored Ottoman houses painted in bright colours, a Jewish & Greek cemetery.

Kuzguncuk is now home to many artists and writers and there is an enclave of galleries and studios. There were almost 25 of us in the group (all women) armed with different sizes of cameras and equipment. I really enjoyed myself, as it was a beautiful day and people were friendly. A nice surprise happened that day too, a lady approached me & told me she knew a Kate Pattullo and was I by any chance a relative? She had seen my name on the photo trek registration list and even before I announced myself to the group, she said she spotted me and thought I must be related. She the lady (& I’ve unfortunately forgotten her name) had worked together with Kate in the 80’s in the editing business in London. Although I’ve never met Kate Pattullo too many things matched up for her not to be related but I couldn’t really say much (because I don’t know about the Pattullo family). The lady said Kate’s family were from Angus with farming background. My grandfather was a potato farmer in Montrose; I never met him (as he died before I was born). It was nice to remember my roots as too often (especially lately) I feel I forget who I am & where I came from? Oh jeez!,….what am I talking about now?. It’s Christmas, that’s what it is … I always get rather introspective and a little sorry for myself, which is ridiculous when I have so much to be grateful for. But I do find amongst the mince pies and Christmas Stöllen (yes at great expense you can buy these things in Istanbul) I grapple with feelings of loss and grief for the lost years denied to both David & I with our parents & my sadness of not having a child of our own.

Anyway back to the photo trek we strolled around, chatting, looking at buildings and snapping away. It was interesting to see what people captured on the trek. Some of us posted a selection of our photos on a website called http://www.flickr.com/ If you haven’t heard of this site before you should take a look. Its great fun and easy to use.

I fear I may be getting addicted to not only writing but taking photos. On Friday I joined four ladies from the photography group to trek around the Persembe Pazar in Karikoy. It was a very last minute thing and it turned out to be great fun. The Persembe Pazar is a labyrinth of streets in a rather dodgy area near the Galata bridge. The shops sell building & DIY materials. It is a bit surreal and we caused a lot of amusement to bystanders and shop owners by taking pictures of rubber hosing, pipes, screws, bolts etc. I took a lot of photos of the people going about their daily lives (I find this the most interesting topic but difficult to capture).

On the 17th November I took part in a Stained Glass workshop with Art Lovers of Istanbul (ALI). The workshop took place in a fantastic setting, a stained glass studio in Ortakoy. It was facilitated by the owner, master artist and a Turkish lady from ALI who translated for him. It was incredible to see the production team in action and just how industrious & creative this little art studio was. They were working on some very interesting and challenging commissions. I was heartened to see that the art team consisted of four females plus the owner, Bay !

We were given the opportunity to create anything at the workshop which I found unnerving. It certainly wasn’t a very structured workshop & I was bemused at how vague everything was for a bunch of lay people. Internally I imagined how I would do it differently if I was the tutor ~oops!…an occupational hazard. However for once in my life I decided to be sensible and created something I had done partly before when working with glass at Whitespace…..a fused glass piece but this time using a shallow dish mould. A couple of ladies were keen to try & design a tiffany style stained glass panel; it was really ludicrous as their designs were way too complicated. The artists from the studio cut out their pieces of glass while the ladies stood and chatted to each other. I found this really annoying and quite honestly I don’t see the point of coming to a workshop and not doing anything yourself. Grrrr……

A few days later there was a pot luck lunch for new members of ALI. The lunch was hosted by an ALI committee member and avid art collector living in Bebek. Yes I said Bebek? Anyway Jo lives there in a heavenly apartment overlooking the fashionable village with views stretching across the Bospherous. Was it really me that was being so bitchy a few paragraphs ago about people with money. “Hell, maybe its not so bad being loaded in Istanbul” . Needless to say Jo’s apartment was stunning (I hate her), it was decorated with arty-facts brought back from exotic holidays & many original wonderful art works of contemporary Turlish artists. Jo is Canadian, has no kids and from what I gathered is a lady of leisure. She collects art work, with I suppose (but I’m not sure) the help of her rich Italian husband. And from what else I gathered during the pot luck lunch is that she spends a lot of time planning holidays paying special attention to airlines that fly her dog too (the dog is 17 years old and is a stray!) As far as I am concerned that dog had a lucky break. It was quite a comical lunch, there I was trying to hob nob (& be cool) with the jet set crowd and Jo’s latest stray, an adorable (but cheeky) little kitten kept launching itself on to my boots. My boots have laces all the way up the front. Kitty liked my boots and spent most of my visit attached to them. It was difficult to do anything about it whilst holding a plate in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

Anyway getting back to Bebek….Oh!,,,,,Bebek, will I ever sample your famous marzipan delights? “Of course not you idiot you are not here to enjoy yourself! I am only kidding, but this is what I sometimes feel the Gods are sneering at me as well as encouraging kittens to attach themselves to my boots at serious networking opportunities. How am I ever to be taken seriously in this city?

That day at Jo Bradley’s it was raining like hell and I basically dashed from the bus stop to her flat and afterwards jumped into a taxi to return to town. I still haven’t managed to actually see this fashionable place & its renowned yummy almond stuff sweetened with rosewater….. (Oh sod it!!).According to Jo the marzipan is overrated and expensive! but she did retort that she is not a fan of it anyway.

Changing the subject of marzipan to the weather, we’ve had quite extraordinary warm weather… about 15- 18 degrees. Several days ago I met Gerhard after school and we sat and ate fish at a little café on the shores of the Golden Horn. Its amazing when you realise it is almost Christmas and you are still able to sit outside. We sat outside as recently as the 19th December.

I saw some of you recently in Freiburg, which was very enjoyable. It was great to get a hit of Christmas cheer, yes I know I am a saddo but I always love the German Christmas markets, I forced myself to drink a few mulled wines and & listen to some festive jingles. It was luverrrly!......

It was a delight to stay with the Sandmeier-Valsi family in Zähringen & Kerle family Auf der Haid. Gerhard & I enjoyed hanging out with our hosts (although I wish I had had longer with my dear friend Claudia) & spending time with the kids. Ian and Paul are smashing children; they are three and so amusing with their lively antics. Gerhard found them to be open and trusting and he enjoyed reading & chatting to them in German. Bavani and Robert have just had a wee boy (two months old) and he is called Philip and is very cute. Bavani calls him her little Buddha, as he doesn’t cry & seems a very laid back wee man. Lena is now 4 and very chatty but doesn’t like speaking English.

We stayed with Gerhard’s parents in Aalen for four days and enjoyed great Bädishe cooking, Schnapps and snowy walks. I had a trip to the Triumph outlet store in Aalen with Gisela my mother-in-law (Am I mad or what? I know?.... but it is a famous outlet) and purchased a lot of underwear. A few years ago my mother-in-law had sent me a Triumph bra & knicker set as a St Nicholas present and it was way too small (like about two to three cups too small). I didn’t want Gerhard to mention it to his mum but of course she wanted to know if I liked it. The next time I saw her she mentioned the story of the present & my actual bra size in front of Gerhard’s brother and some aunts. I was mortified. Anyway whilst wandering around the outlet I was looking for my size and she suddenly piped up loudly that she had recently read in a magazine that Scottish women have large boobs. She can be quite frightening at times although I guess she might actually be right!. You can let me know your thoughts?

I’m looking through my ramblings idea list (I scribble notes on post-its) and well I’ve missed out a lot! How do I manage to write seven pages and not mention the sinking of the Karikoy boat port? During some high winds at the beginning of December the boat pier/ticket office…….very large building sank. It was like the sinking of the Titanic and quite unbelievable. It started to list, sway back and forth and then slowly glug…glug…glug disappear. It was comical Gerhard had a meeting on the Asian side of Istanbul and he was late, he was running to the Karikoy port & when he arrived it wasn’t there. We had both disembarked there the night before having had a spontaneous shopping trip to Kadikoy the afternoon before. Gerhard thought he was dreaming and stood staring bewildered at nothing but water. Just 12 hours earlier a 100 square metre modern port had stood proudly on the quay.

Well I wasn’t surprised!!!…well, I was actually! As you should know by now I am forever lamenting that there are simply too many incompetent people here and the sinking of Karikoy port has definitely reinforced this theory ten fold.

A few times lately we have had power cuts, the lights flicker a few times and then go out!. A month or so ago there was a small explosion at the end of the street and I saw a burst of light come from the ground and then darkness. The power cut last the whole night. I was astonished at what followed. After about an hour or so a posse of men (I presume the call out service) arrived with long handled spades. It looked like something from the Middle Ages, really sinister too as they used candlelight to find their way. They started to dig & occasionally I looked out to see what was happening. I unnerved Gerhard with my descriptions and he banned me from telling him what was unfolding. I hate that because at times like that I just want to declare & share my astonishment at what I am seeing. After an hour or so the workers had got down to about waist level one, suddenly one of the men jumped and leapt out the hole. His co workers tried to persuade him to carry on digging, and even after some jostling and shouting (which is pretty customary here) the man wouldn’t go anywhere near the hole. I concluded that he had must have been struck by electricity. To tell you the truth at this point I didn’t want to watch what was going to happen next either & I decided to join Gerhard in bed. I felt pretty worried not only do we have the prospect of earthquakes but there was a live electricity cable ten metres away from our front door.

But here I am on our sixth wedding anniversary writing about these remarkable and frustrating episodes and laughing about it …(almost).

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Unfortunately I haven’t send Christmas cards this year but I am thinking about you all on this warm winter solstice.












I’ve lost the post-it since uploading the graphic….Hhm? What else did I want to tell you? I finally had a massage & it was wonderful. I went to Tatjana Rottenberg, a natural healing practitioner who lives near here & I experienced two hours of stress relieving bliss. It was quite expensive but well worth it. As we parted I mentioned I probably wouldn’t be able to afford the treatment too often. She suggested we barter, for a massage I could do some sewing repairs; only thing is I loathe doing clothing repairs. So, I think Id rather just save up and pamper myself every couple of months. Nice idea though!!

Kurban Bayrami the Muslim Festival was celebrated whilst we were in Germany, it comes seventy days after the breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan. We witnessed Kurban Bayrami last year when we visited Istanbul for the first time. I remember as we were taking the metro from the airport to the centre of Istanbul we saw men carrying sheep on their backs, plus sheep corralled & tethered to railings in the suburbs. It was quite macabre.

According to our friend Yasmak it either disgusts you or you embrace the values & traditions… she loathes it. The sheep (& sometimes a cow) are supposed to be slaughtered by an official butcher but this still is not adhered to & put it this way I was very happy to be far away and avoid the methods some inexperienced people use to kill these poor beasts. Apparently the streets in some districts are stained red with blood for some time. Yes I feel very sorry indeed for the sacrificed!

I have to admit I’ve always been a fan of the ram (my star sign) & the west coast of Scotland just wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t have those daft sheep roaming the roads & sitting resolutely in the middle of the road as you approach them in your car. Yes, they are stupid beasts & have no road sense but nevertheless I like them.

So back to Kurban Bayrami after the slaughtering, the meat is distributed to neighbours, as well as the poor. This part of the ritual carries the greatest symbolic meaning of the religious festival. Yasmak told us that every year her family (who live near Izmir) pester her to purchase a sheep and have it slaughtered & distributed amongst her village. It is viewed by the family as a duty of a child that is employed with a good job. She told us she hasn’t done it yet and has no intention of doing it as she dislikes the custom. She is viewed with disdain by her family who they think she is mean for not doing it …I guess you could call her a black sheep.

Anyway Iyi Kurban Bayrami to you…. (have a happy festival)

bye for now and till January.

Dealings at the bank and more!

Hi everyone

I had my first dealing with a Turkish bank yesterday... I had received a gas bill (which I didn’t realise was a bill) at least two weeks ago (it looks like a computerised bus ticket). The bill was left lying near our front door. I discovered it & put it on the hall table & then promptly forgot about it. Recently we were having dinner with some German colleagues & they happened to mention paying bills & how they got cut off from the gas supply because their bill was paid late. They warned us to look out for the funny bus ticket style bill! ......(Hhmmmm??)

You can imagine I was a little worried and first thing yesterday I rushed off to the bank. The bank was crowded and there was no queue system. The Turks don't do queues!. Anyway the procedure is that you take a number from a machine and wait. I found a seat which was good and .......waited. It was amusing to see this automated number system in operation. Quite often nobody stood up when a number appeared at the counter, then the next numbers would come in quick succession, followed by a stampede of customers jostling to get served first!. As I saw my number approaching I stood up and edged nearer to the counter. Bling* 145*...Phew I made it without rugby scrum ! .... and WOW I managed to pay the gas bill without any difficulty. Gosh I must be getting into the hang of living here.

So after chatting to the flat administrator I know in what way to expect bills from gas, electricity, water, telephone etc.

The last few weeks have been a bit stressful (& painful)... I was bitten by an unknown insect and had an allergic reaction. I visited the German hospital (which is just around the corner) and received an injection in the backside (ouch!) to reduce the swellings & blisters which had developed all over my arms, back and waist. The bites have been so itchy & have driven me to distraction mainly causing me to be extra difficult to live with!! To make matters worse I was subsequently bitten by some other insects in the flat! (AARGH!). We haven’t managed to identify what the first insects were (the hospital verified that the bites weren’t from a mosquito, a flea or tick, but unfortunately they weren’t much help and made a down right scary suggestion that perhaps it had been a spider sting. A few days later I had a second outbreak of bites, suffice to say I have become paranoid about any insect spotted in the flat. They all DIE!. And every evening before getting into bed I shake the bedclothes and spray every inch of my body in Autan (a disgusting mosquito repellent...YUK!).

We will have been in Istanbul for seven weeks this weekend. It is difficult to sum up my feelings eloquently about being here. There are moments when I wish I wasn’t ... but on the whole I can say life is interesting. I know that sounds a bit ambiguous but some days you feel really elated by the delights of the city & then you have days when you are confronted with endless difficulties which make you wonder what you have done by deciding to move here.

Istanbul is a difficult city to land in as a foreigner as there is so much to figure out. I think it’s quite absurd that I finally grew accustomed to how efficient businesses & some people (there are a few exceptions, but not many!) are in Germany and have now ended up in a most disorganised city. Things are far from efficient here and G and I spent a lot of time lamenting how inept and unreliable some people & organisations turn out to be.
Finally after seven weeks of persistent reminder phone calls & endless broken promises I am getting some progress on the leaky shower. Meanwhile, in the interim the water temperature regulator broke down and we have had to endure scalding hot or freezing cold showers. It has been a test of our nerves and only be loosing it is progress starting to be made. What we discovered is that when you loose your temper you get action (of a kind!). The results are not always satisfactory but action is taken. Today a workman was over to repair the leak and he accidently cracked the glass shower door and now we have a huge crack and the leak is still not repaired. Its 7.30pm and a guy has turned up with a new glass door. We will see what happens next! And I guess tomorrow I might have to scream at someone else!. Good grief... what sort of social misfit I am going to be if we decide to leave Istanbul?

Ramadan is over and it was Bayram holidays last week. We had planned to go away but there were no bookings available as everybody else had made bookings to leave the city too. Instead we made a few day trips including a boat trip to the Princes Islands situated in the Marmara sea. The islands (nine of them) are about 12km away from Istanbul and the special thing about them is motorized transport is banned & there are only horse drawn phaetons (quaint carriages decorated with flowers). We enjoyed the scenery and laid back atmosphere, found a secluded beach, didn’t ride in a phaeton, G took a dip in the sea and I finished an Istanbul based murder mystery. It was a lovely day topped by a spotting of dolphins during the boat journey home.

Another day we went up the Golden Horn to Fener, Fatih & Balat (old Greek and Jewish neighbourhood). The Golden Horn is a river inlet that divides the old and new quarter of European Istanbul. The areas of Fener, Fatih and Balat are all residential quarters and we enjoyed seeing more dilapidated areas with higgledy piggledy houses with washing lines stretched from their gables, children and families sitting on their doorsteps. In amongst the quarters were ancient churches from the Greeks, synagogues and mosques. We walked from quarter to quarter and saw colourful shops selling handmade chocolates & sweet pastries & cakes, women in the full black burka, gypsies living in poorer quarters & children riding ponies in the streets. What I especially enjoyed seeing where the local children running from door to door collecting sweets and nuts (which is done after Ramadan). The look of excitement on their happy faces with their goodies was lovely to see.

G and I enjoy walking around quarters of the city. We do this for several hours with coffee breaks in between and visits to historic buildings etc. I like to photograph and watch the locals go about their daily business. Sometimes I do have nervous moments when I think have we meandered too far!? Worrying about whether we are safe in a slightly rougher or run down area of the city. I usually start to blame G for not reading the map properly (which is unfair, but it helps to blame someone!). You would think I am used to this by now, as this is what almost always happens every holiday we have. But in retrospect I do enjoy getting off the regular tourist beaten track, you so very often come across something interesting, which isn’t mentioned in the guide book. Footnote: I wouldn’t be so brave if I wasn’t together with G (and well it is dangerous enough walking around as a woman alone!).

A few days later I suggested visiting Bebek. This is one of the most fashionable village along the Bospherous and famous for marzipan! (main reason for going there...I love marzipan). Anyway it was about 1pm and G suggested taking a bus up the Bospherous to Bebek. Off we set to Taksim (the bus station) and there were literally forty buses coming from all directions every few minutes and no actual bus stop. The buses all different sizes and in different states of repair from regular size to smaller dolmuses (which are shared taxis with fixed routes). In Turkish the word dolmus means full and drivers wait until every seat is taken before setting off. G was pretty brave and ran around from bus to bus asking if they went to Bebek. Eventually we found a bus that went close to Bebek. Initially it was quite interesting to see some areas of Istanbul which we hadn’t seen. The bus didn’t drive along the Bospherous (the strait that separates Europe and Asia and which joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara) as we had hoped, but drove inland and then out to the Bospherous. Most tourists take boat trips up the Bospherous. After twenty minutes of seeing new parts of Istanbul all we saw were other passenger’s backsides. The bus got so crammed full, at every bus stop more people got on and nobody got off. I really wondered if we would make it to our final destination.
As we arrived (after a sweaty 45 minutes ride) in Sariyer (a town north of Bebek) situated almost at the widest point of the Bospherous were it widens out to the meet the Black Sea we both felt sick. We decided to have a drink to recover and afterwards searched for a boat to take us to Bebek. We saw a boat and G and I lined up. Soon it became clear that this boat wasn’t going to Bebek but across the Bospherous to the Asian Side. I didn’t want to take it but G urged me to get on and from there we could still get down to Bebek. “Where was my sense of adventure?”. I was standing in the middle of a large crowd of people that were ready to embark on a boat and I was stuck. I could have turned back but oh well; I wanted to prove that I do have a sense of adventure! Shortly after we got underway we saw the start of the Black Sea!. At the mouth of the Bospherous there were at least ten immense cargo ships waiting to travel down the Bospherous it was quite awe inspiring seeing them so closely. As a child I loved watching the cargo ships on the Rhine during summer holidays in Holland. The boat trip took twenty minutes to get to Anadolu Kavagi on the Asian Side. Before disembarking (& just to be on the safe side) I asked one of the crew if there were ferries to Bebek or Istanbul from here? …Surprise, surprise there weren’t!. G was just stepping off the ferry and I literally grabbed him back on board. He didn’t seem perturbed by the news, whereas I was slowly loosing it!! We were no further forward and no marzipan in sight!! I was pretty unimpressed with G’s idea of a day out of jumping on whatever mode of transport came his way.

I insisted we do it my way from now on and follow the instructions in my Istanbul guide book. Take the number 41 A from Sariyer to Bebek. After returning to Sariyer on the same ferry that we had just got on, I marched to the bus stop muttering under my breath. After trying unsuccessfully to cross the busy road to get to bus stop (there is one in Sariyer) a number 41A careered passed us on its way to Bebek. I was speechless and down right depressed!. I give up I moaned ...I surrender….let the Gods take over..”do with me what you will?”
It’s at times like these when G starts to be quite charming giving me lots of sympathetic hugs to cheer me up. Of course I’m not ready to laugh about this yet...(oh the joys of relationships!). But on the way back winding through the narrow streets on a bumpy little dolmus, the evening sun casts its spell on me and my mood cheers up as I see the banks of the Bospherous in a rosy glow. It is so pretty. We spot a picturesque village called Yenikoy and get off. Whilst walking along we discover a busy cosy fish restaurant. Things started to improve and we are treated to a delicious meal & friendly service (like at home with the parents) with a few yummy freebies. Oh the Gods did a good job that evening after depriving me of Bebek and its marzipan delights.

I am flying to London on Saturday 11th October & will stay with some friends in Lancing near Brighton till Monday. I have an appointment at the Turkish consulate in London and hope to organise my Turkish residence visa. Then on Tuesday I'm heading for Aberdeen.

G is already in mourning. He says he can’t imagine Istanbul without me and I although I feel quite sad to leave & guilty that G cannot leave, I need a break badly and a change of scenery from those nasty insects & unreliable workmen. I can’t wait to sit beside the open hearth fire, watch some British telly, have refreshing countryside walks & meet up with friends and family. Hhm...... lovely!

Well I am back from Scotland now….can that really be three weeks gone in a flash? It was a good trip but after five days back in this city I feel weak. This city just grips you so tightly… Life has the effect of making you quite dazed & at times it feels as if there is no let up. Tonight (on the 7th November) I am wishing I was 20 years younger and that I feel too old for all of this. Perhaps I am getting sick?

I have been wondering since I got back how to create the inner calmness that I feel when I am in Scotland. What I have worked out is that I require plenty of chilling time & to take part in some therapeutic pursuits such as a perhaps a visit to the Hamam (Turkish sauna). I’m also looking for a meditation group & a few days a go I discovered a masseur on an expat link (She’s German) who comes to your house. I’ll let you know how I get on.

G had a busy time while I was away. He seemed to be out and about most nights even on school nights!. Where he gets all that energy & stamina from I don’t know?. He really is in his element living here. When I arrived back I had the feeling I was caught in a time warp & was visiting him in Berlin…I felt very much the country bumpkin visiting the big city!. I guess in many ways Istanbul is quite similar to Berlin for him.

Girls, the flat was tidy (just a disorderly pile of newspapers by the bed). The only mishap unfortunately was that G burned my welcome home meal and the flat smelled like singed cat!. (I should explain this …My cat Olga (predecessor to Maisie!) used to sit too close to an electric radiator and burn her fur coat leaving brown singed patches …..the smell as you can imagine is very unpleasant).

But oh well every cloud has a silver lining….& as an alternative G suggested trying a nice expensive restaurant close by that we hadn’t tried yet.. I was very curious to hear how everything was going at school.

Last week G let the pupils listen to a song from Tocotronic (German pop group) and after translating the lyrics and discussing them he and the class sang the song together. G said they sang and sang….(they were quite euphoric). I can imagine G puts a lot of thought into his work and creates fun, clear and imaginative lessons. The children are enthusiastic & enjoy his lively creativeness. He is also setting up a theatre group which will take place after lessons on Wednesdays.

I think I forgot to mention that about six weeks ago I went to an expat event at the Istanbul Hilton
Hotel. The event was hosted by International Women of Istanbul (IWI) who have an incredible 500 members. The event had over 50 tables with schools, charities, interest groups, international clubs and mums and kids activities.

I joined about three or four different groups; Istanbul for Art Lovers, a photography club, IWI and Corona (a smaller English group). I met a lot of very nice people at the Hilton Hotel event and came away on a higher note. The event came along at a very good time as I was just beginning to feel a bit wobbly about making any new friends in this vast place.

Two days after I returned from Scotland I had my first trip with the group Corona. The ladies (who all speak English) come from all over the world. On this outing there were ladies from Holland, Sri- Lanka, Bulgaria & a few Brits including another Scottish lady who left Girvan aged 17 and later whilst studying in Paris met and married a Turk. The women were aged 40 plus with quite a few in retirement. I quite enjoyed myself particularly discovering a few new places of interest but it wasn’t a patch on the Network of English Speaking Women in Freiburg.

We visited Eyüp Mosque which is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from all over the world. It features almost as highly as Mecca. The mosque was pretty and had a delightful courtyard offering shelter from the hustle and bustle of the town. I didn’t find the mosque as impressive architecturally as say the Blue Mosque. I also found it unnerving to witness how some of the Muslim women became excited to the point of hysteric on entering the tomb of Eyüp Ensari (who was Mohammed’s standard bearer). They were trying to kneel, wringing their hands, bowing their heads, reading the Koran frantically.

After the mosque visit we went to Pierre Loti Café which stands on top of a hill in Eyüp Cemetery. This was very impressive. It has wonderful views looking down on the Golden Horn. It is named after the French novelist Pierre Loti (a French naval officer) who fell in love with a married Turkish woman and wrote about their affair. He is said to have frequented this café. We took a little cable car up to the café and enjoyed a cay (Turkish tea) and tostie.

The graveyard is amazing and huge… it has many weird and wonderful tombstones most of which date from the Ottoman era. From their decoration you can tell sex, occupation, rank of the deceased and even the amount of children a woman had, for example some women graves have a flower carving for each child. The often Arabic lettering inscribed on the tombstones also adds intrigue.

Culturally this week we saw the Bill Frisell Trio. It was a great concert located in a bank in Levent. (Levant is a commercial quarter). The bank had a cultural centre with art exhibitions and an auditorium (very impressive). The concert was great and it was a very innovative jazz performance with film. The trio accompanied some early Buster Keaton films. This was very funny and we had occasions we laughed solidly for twenty minutes. Great therapy!

Other news is that I have signed up for a Memoir Writing Workshop Unlocking the Words on November 19th. It is an event organised by the International Women of Istanbul group. I am really excited about taking part in the workshop to get some further tips about writing a memoir.

I have started sketching and will be designing some lino cut designs based on an old hamam which is located next door to our flat. During my trip to Scotland I facilitated a workshop inspired by Turkish Textiles. I have some lovely examples of Ottoman textiles and am enjoying studying the motifs and wonderful colours. I hope to build up a new collection of work. There seems to be quite a few opportunities to sell work here but I am keen to have a period of research/ study and no pressure. I always seem to do everything & I just want to have time to experiment and play.

That’s all for now

Turkish class,synagogues,disposal of rubbish ....

My plans to write every week have gone down the pan!!. I wanted to write sooner and have for a few days been thinking & reminding myself to sit down and write an update for you (& myself!). It’s so easy to forget what you have been doing, when you are doing a lot and everything is new and different.
Just recently I suggested to G that we keep a scrap book of our experience in Istanbul. He thought it would also be fun to record some of our conversations about experiences we have had, plus record some of the more interesting sounds in Istanbul i.e. drumming at 3am in the morning (By the way it is still happening!) and the call to prayer, the street vendors calling etc. I like this idea very much…. it would also be great resource materials for future projects. I.e. theatre, art or book ideas!

Many of you suggested that I write a book or write for a newspaper column. Thank you for suggesting the idea. If I felt I was good enough I might consider it, but I just know that Id keep rewriting things and loose the spontaneity of the experiences. However I do enjoy writing very much. And by the way I don’t write these ramblings in one session. I come back to it them when I get the chance.

So yes you are all wondering about the drumming & singing? yes it still continues and yes it has something to do with Ramadam!. It is the traditional Turkish wake-up call for the pre-dawn breakfast. We have actually managed to sleep through it on some occasions, whether this is due to neighbours bribing the drummer & his entourage I don’t know?. What I read is that you can throw a small envelope of coins out your window and they will drum less loudly on following days. However on some mornings the din is unbelievable!

Ramadan hasn’t really affected us too much apart from the early wake-up call. Restaurants & cafes in the city centre have been open for business as usual & people are eating as normal… especially tourists and many non practising Muslims. You wouldn’t know anything is different.

G works in Gasioosmanpasa which is a fairly fundamental Islamic quarter to the north of the city and he complained that absolutely nothing there was open until about 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The first few days he unwillingly took part in Ramadam and came home starving saying he couldn’t find anything to eat, not even in the school.

G has had it really tough this last week. He has to start at school at 7:30am. It takes him about an hour to get to school so he is rising at 5.30am. Last week he didn’t do much at the school (merely introductions & orientation) .This week he has had perhaps two complete lessons as the administration department haven’t drawn up his timetable yet. He is just hanging around (and of course smoking a lot of cigarettes!). He says the kids are really nice and are pleased that he is there.

He has been appointed school spokesperson for the German department. This means he has to go to official group meetings with other school spokespeople and do more paperwork. But it reduces his teaching time by four hours a week. He was quite surprised to get the position as another teacher from the programme that is German/ Turkish thought she would be chosen…. (Ooops!) Anyway he seems to be embracing his new role well!

For the last two weeks he has had to navigate through a quagmire of Turkish bureaucracy to get his Ikamet (residency visa). This has involved several trips back and forth between the school and to a huge governmental and police headquarters in Aksaray (about an hour and a half in the opposite direction). No one speaks English in this place and it is probably one of the worst bureaucratic places you will ever go in your life. It is jammed packed with dazed & confused individuals including lots of desperate migrants & refugees seeking some form of help, which they rarely receive.

The big news is that we both enrolled in a Turkish class last week.We go three times a week (in the evenings). So I now spend part of my day learning Turkish and doing homework for the class. The language school seems nice and at every session we are offered nibbles and a selection of drinks. The class has about fourteen people of mixed ages. Most of the people are teacher’s like G, foreigners working in Istanbul, students and me!. There are a lot of Germans and yesterday I was really proud of myself, there I was learning a new language and also explaining something in German to one of my neighbours next to me. My mother would have been proud. I was proud of myself. My mum was multi-lingual & she really had a talent for picking up new languages. For me it’s more of a struggle but it is such a thrill when it works and you can actually communicate in another language with some sort of confidence.

The class is fast paced and at times pretty confusing! However I am enjoying studying together with G and already enjoy the camaraderie created in the class. The teacher hardly speaks any English and is quite strict; she expects a high standard of study. The first class was really confusing. There was a businessman from Preston in the UK and he was just incredulous about her teaching method. He kept muttering and sighing loudly & every time she asked him a question such as “what is your name?” He would answer “I don’t know what you are talking about!”. Needless to say he has dropped out of the class, which I am rather upset about. It was comforting to know there was someone else worse than me!

I noticed something quite interesting at the sessions and that is that other English speakers get quite defensive when they don’t understand what the teacher wants from them. Maybe I am wrong?.... but what I’ve noticed is that in the early stages of learning a new language we (Brits) are not very talented at improvising or attempting to get a rough feel for the language. We either understand or we don’t. There just seems to be a strong inherent need to understand every single word that is being spoken to us before we utter a word.

What I’ve witnessed at this language course is that other students i.e. the Germans, Spanish and Belguim students are much better at guessing & using their intuitive skills to understand what is going on. G told me he recognizes the structures and just listens to the words used and then improvises. He doesn’t even understand what he’s talking about but somehow he manages to communicate rather successfully (sickening!!!).
Another student Will rarely answers a question using Turkish. When he doesn’t know the answer to a question he says something like “Well, er.. ehmm… I’m sorry but I’m not quite ready to answer that question yet!”. Last night it was funny we were asked to construct a short simple sentence using the present tense with a verb & an adjective and when the teacher asked Will for his sentence there was a lot of guffawing and he answered very seriously “ Im still working on the answer for that one!”. Poor Will!…. he’s trying honestly! And oh boy I can so empathize!!

And well as far as my progress goes?…..I am working hard & making a little progress (and it does help that I have G sitting right next to me!) I don’t get as excited as the other Brits about being spoken to only in Turkish as I experienced this when I learned German, but the teacher does teach at an extraordinary fast pace, which has the effect of making you feel quite dazed!.... thank goodness for the Raki served at the interval!!!! (only joking!......& wishful thinking!). We are served tea and offered grapes, cheese, bread etc. These offerings make up a little for the agonies & humiliation which one is regularly subjected to when learning a new language.

On Saturday a small crowd of us, some Germans and a Spaniard from the class are going to try out one of the many Nargile cafes in town. It is supposed to be a great way to slow down and I heard a very relaxing and leisurely experience. The nargile ritual sounds quite interesting and I am looking forward to the aesthetics of it all. Please don’t be alarmed I’m not going to start smoking on regular basis. I heard that by next year Istanbul’s smoking ban will extend to nargile cafes and smokers caught in the act will have to pay about 40€ .

Last Sunday G and I visited a day of Jewish culture in the city. The day was packed with concerts, exhibitions, talks and food sampling and we enjoyed a glimpse into the Jewish community living in Istanbul. We visited at least two or three synagogues. They were extremely well hidden with very tight security. One synagogue was fire bombed last year. Anyway most of these beautiful architectural creations were located in the Galata quarter of the city. We enjoyed ourselves very much wandering & exploring this new area. The Galata tower is a main feature in the city; it rises distinctively above the Golden Horn. It is about 60m high and dates back to the 6th century when it was used to monitor shipping. The views from the tower (if you have a head of heights) are beautiful. Galata is a charming area with lots of little twisting streets & staircases leading up to the tower. We discovered a few new places walking from venue to venue. In the evening we listened to a Klezmer concert and also some traditional Jewish music which was lovely.

The last time I wrote I was feeling a bit apprehensive about not having G by my side to chaperone me around Istanbul (cant believe I am admitting that) but I had become quite insecure about going out alone because of all the staring I attract. However last week I went out shopping and there was no problem. It was fine and since then I’ve totally got into the swing of doing things myself. Most people are extremely kind and friendly and well the ones that are not…I just try to ignore.

I did have a funny experience in Monsoon. I was looking for a mirror so that I could see what some sunglasses looked like on me. There was a guy standing to the side of the accessories and I asked him if there was a mirror nearby. He reacted a bit slowly (I thought due to him not understanding what mirror is) and before he had answered, I spotted a mirror. When I was looking in the mirror he came up behind me and started commenting on the glasses I had chosen. I thought he was being a friendly salesman; it is quite common in Istanbul that the salespeople stand very close to you (I mean a few centimetres away) either being very helpful and informative or very annoying, leaving you wondering whether they think you are a potential shoplifter!. Anyway back to my story I decided on a pair of the glasses and as I walked to the till the guy suddenly asked me to have a “coffee with him now”. I said thank you, but no thank you and he beseechingly said “Please”. I wondered if this was common Monsoon practice in Turkey ! I then told him I was married and he immediately apologised and guess what?.....disappeared!. I felt such an idiot because it was only then that I realised he didn’t even work in Monsoon!

I’ve also been chatted up at the internet café and well…. I am learning to avoid even looking at the opposite sex!

I read with interest(?!) in the Istanbul Time Out that Istanbul is a dating paradise for middle aged women. I now see why? I read that Turks are exotic, persistent and quite obsessive
(I must say some are very cute!). They wear their hearts on their sleeves and can be very charming! However depending on their education and background they can also have a very traditional & masculine outlook on life. As I wrote before many are way too chauvinistic and proud of themselves for my cup of tea! So…. G is safe and as most of you know I’m not keen on very short men!!

Some peculiar things I have discovered in this city is that it is not common to see Turkish people sitting alone, for example reading a book or newspapers in a bar or café. When we asked some Turkish people they thought it was a really strange question. To sit alone in a café or restaurant gives the impression you have no friends. Turkish people like to do things groups or with family. Personal space is not much valued and it is not thought normal to want to eat alone, go to the cinema or do anything else alone (although it is supposed to be better
in the bigger cities probably because of the tourists).Another thing I read is that many people shy away from individuality. People are admired for fitting in.

G asked his pupils what the most important thing is in their lives? They all answered without doubt family & they really meant it. Family is everything here and always comes first.

Did I tell you that Istanbul has a staggering 16million people (that’s the official figure!) And Wow!...do you sometimes feel it. We live in Cukurcuma in Beyoglu (described as a funky antiques district in the guide books) close to Cihangir which is mainly residential. Nearby is the Istiklal Caddesi which is the main street in Beyoglu. It is like Princes Street in Edinburgh but twice as wide and just for pedestrians. Known to the locals as Istiklal the street stretches between Tünel and Taksim Square. (Taksim is a vast open square and the centre of activity in modern Beyoglu). Istiklal Caddesi has many high street shops like Benetton, Monsoon, Lush, Body Shop etc and markets, street vendors, restaurants, cinemas, cafes…. you name it, you’ll find it there!. There is an old fashioned tram that rattles along the street every half hour. What I wanted to tell you about this street is that it is incredibly full of people, especially at night time. It is literally a sea of people. The first time we walked on it we couldn’t believe our eyes but now we enjoy the lively atmosphere. If you need to get a buzz that’s the place to go! But if you are in a rush or feeling unwell it’s the street to avoid at all costs.

Another strange thing here is disposal of rubbish. I am SO confused. You basically throw everything out in one bag, bottles, newspapers, cardboard, plastics, compost, tins, sanitary towels, nappies etc! It’s gross. And then poor people sort throw the rubbish and they take out what can be recycled. They haul huge Hessian sacks (which they’ve constructed into sort of pull along sleighs). I have seen a woman as old at 75 doing this job but mainly it is men. There has been quite a lot of outcry about this but the city are in two minds about changing the system as they feel many people are dependent on this way of making a living. Rubbish is collected everyday and the street is cleaned with machine and manually everyday.

Apart from that, the quarter we live in is just great !!... I love it more and more each day. Our street is so full of character, there’s always something new to see. Every afternoon neighbours (mainly women) sit on their doorsteps and talk to each other (or sweep!). There is a real sense of community spirit. Anyway also during the day there is a lot of shouting, either residents or work men shouting to each other or to local tradesmen & shop owners. I am often on the verge of yelling “shut up” and have to bite my tongue to stop myself! What we really love to see however is when a neighbour lowers a basket from a window on the fifth floor and gets it filled with their daily bread and newspapers. In the evenings the children play outside, trying to kick a ball about, whilst dodging the cars that career down the street. Most of our Turkish neighbours are friendly and polite we always greet each other with a friendly Merhaba (hello). The ones that live in our house are a bit more reserved and on the cool side. It could be that they are fed up of more foreigners as neighbours. There are at least four flats including ours that are occupied by expats in the building.

I feel in general there is a certain amount of animosity towards foreigners from some of the locals.

I heard from one of our neighbours (who we met last week on the roof terrace) that two neighbouring buildings are being renovated (& yes we also hear the banging and drilling on a daily basis from there too), one by a Turkish football star. He is making an exclusive hotel?!! And the other one is being renovated into deluxe apartments. These places are not affordable for the locals and in a way I guess they feel as though they are being squeezed out!.

But on the whole most people are not unfriendly just a bit indifferent at times, which I can empathize with. But at the same time we are purchasing our groceries from the local shops and eating in restaurants. It’s a hard one to fathom.

We are still exploring and discovering new areas. This city is so dense; you really have the feeling it will be impossible to discover it all in two years. We find new places that excite us every day.

Cukurcuma has many second hand, antique and vintage clothes shops. It is an Aladdin’s café of treasures & collectibles. G and I took our first look in a selection of shops near us one evening during the week. I am looking for an old wooden desk so I can have an area for doing some creative work. There’s also an amazing selection of craft/art boutique shops. You feel quite overwhelmed with all the lovely things. It really is a shopper’s paradise. Plus it is funny to think when we were here twice before but we hadn’t even discovered this quarter.

The weather is a bit cooler at the moment, it has even got rather chilly in the evening! We also had a terrific rain storm last week but followed by warm fresh weather. It’s been about 28 degrees. And I am pleased to report that there are not so many mosquitoes about anymore!

G gets five days off in about two weeks and we have decided to go to a remote island so that we can enjoy the sun and swim (hopefully). The island is called Bozcaada and is an Aegean island which I think belongs to Turkey. It is a place to chill out and go with the flow so I can’t wait.

Well, I will sign off now. Hope all is well with you and till the next instalment!