out and about in Istanbul

Friday 8th October

Well it pretty much rained all day, and some thunder and lightning, so stayed in and around bed until mid-afternoon. No-one else staying in the basement, though the tabby cat wanders by now and again. Its like having my own big bedroom. Popped out across the road for an apple and a banana and got soaked.  At 3:30 got organised and got the tram as far as Galata Bridge, then walked under the bridge, right next to the water. Paused in the squal to look at the rough water and the bobbing boats, and the mosques surrounded by grey rainclouds. A good moment.

Onto the fenicular to Beyoglu and up Istikal street, past the posh shops to Taksim square and off to Cumhuriyet Street to the Indian embassy. There was quite a queue and they let you in one by one, which adds to the tension if you have some nagging doubt that there might be a problem with your visa, but it was fine. My visa runs until March 8th, which is pretty much what I hoped for.Had a quick look around some side streets, then waited for Gulay at our arranged point. Gulay, my Turkish friend who also lives in Sydney, got stuck in traffic so i was able to people watch for quite a while which was cool. Its a very busy street and people were rushing around trying to avoid the wind and the rain; lots of broken umbrellas.

We met up with Gulay's friend, Meral, and went to a small bar, owned by another friend. Then we moved on to a small bar/cafe and watched the football; unfortunately Germany beat Turkey 3-0. Afterwards, I walked for about a mile in the rain, only to find there was no public transport after midnight, and the rain was lashing down and the water was upto my ankles. But soon after got a taxi home. All good.

Saturday 9th October
Stayed in the hostel. Wet and windy all day....

Sunday 10th October.
Spent the morning listening to podcasts and surfing the web. Then saw that they have changed the forecast for this week from sunny to heavy rain so thought I better get out and about while its not too bad today. Walked through Sultanahmet and down to the shore. Lovely view across the harbour, lots of local guys fishing and one crazy old guy swimming.

Along path under Galata bridge and kept walking along the shoreline to Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Ortakoy, where there was a small concert, for Breast Cancer awareness i think.  Got a chicken and cheese and pepper sandwich which was glorious after the dull kebabs of recent days. Wandered round the back roads, past Besiktas stadium and up to Taksim Square, lots of riot police hanging around. Istanbul has had its fair share of terrorism in the past, so its not surprising. Walked down the famous Istiklal street again and it was absolutley packed with Sunday shoppers, and tourists. Walked all the way down to the shore, rather than taking the fenuicular. Walked through the park to look at Sultan Ahmet mosque at dusk.