İstanbul - Mudurnu - Safranbolu - Amasra
Veycel Gençten’s video is a good place to start.
I think every journey to İstanbul must begin on the water. Mine started here, on the ferry to Prens Adaları (Princes’ Islands).
A vendor selling an amazing lemon juicer (1 lira) - a useful and elegant device. He was mobbed after his spiel. I bought only two. If I could have 1,000, I would have a thousand new friends.
I was on Heybeliada, setting up a photo of an Ataturk poster in a shop window. This little guy comes tearing up on his bike, yelling “Hello! Take my picture!” So we do a couple of shots together. I show them to him in my camera, and he asks where I’m from. I tell him, America, New York, in my broken Turkish. He approves the photos, we shake hands, he says “Good-bye,” then zooms off. I think he’s our future, and that we’ll be okay.
Istanbul presents an endless skyline from the Sea of Marmara. This photo shows maybe 10 percent.
The view from our window in Arnavutköy. Every ship that enters or leaves the Black Sea passes through this narrow straight, in the center of one the world’s most populous cities.
Chora Church (aka Kariye Müzesi, Church of the Holy Savior in Chora; Kariye Kilisesi; Kariye Camii, Chora Mosque) is in danger of utter deterioration. (Jenny White describes the mosaics in detail in her novel The Abyssinian Proof.)
From Kariye, a young man led us through winding Fatih streets to a small lodge run by the Cerrahi Brotherhood, which preserves the traditions and particularly the musical heritage of Turkish Sufism. While we were appreciating the outer courtyard, one of the brothers invited us to a zikr. The night was unforgettable.
In her back streets and alleys, Istanbul unexpectedly and casually unveils the ancient past.
Shift to the Black Sea region. Mudurnu, Lake Abant, and Yedigoller (Seven Lakes) National Park. Great mountain driving, and the lakes are terrific for picknicking or trekking. But alas, not for swimming, in this conservative region.
We found this secluded swimming hole, discreetly out of sight, in a stream leading into the park. Perfect on a hot day.
Old and older. Safranbolu.
If you are searching for a good hamam, make the trip to Safranbolu. Newly restored, perfectly authentic.
The approach to Amasra. Great driving!
İstiklâl Marşı by Mehmet Akif Ersoy, posted in the Amasra police station. Don’t ask! Except to say that I have the highest regard for the Amasra police and business community.
Slideshows: İstanbul, Anatolia
Playlist
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