The arrival in Istanbul had a high symbolic value for my trip. I had reached the edge of Europe, and although Turkey and its culture and language for Europeans in particular Germans are relatively familiar, it is a transition to the unknown (from my point of view).Istanbul is a bustling metropolis with a long history. Therefore the possibilities to spend the day or night and are extremely diverse. Unfortunately I was limited in my seven days stay somewhat, because I wanted to at least get the Iranian visa in Istanbul. I have done it.While I was sidelined from the reason stated in above I had to skip a club tour with a bunch of Australians, still I had enough time to do a few other things. In the following I will confine myself to the highlights, either positive or negative. On Tuesday I had been thinking that after my visit to the Iranian consulate, I didn´t want to spend my time queueing for the major sights. Therefore, I selected a stop on the map, that was far enough away from the most touristic parts of town, I went there by the outstanding public transport. The original plan was that I walk from the bus stop down to a pier and go back near the Spice Bazaar from there. Since none of my maps presented the district ın a decent way, I went in the direction (downhill) where I assumed the Golden Horn (bay) and thus the pier. After a long walk, a resident involved me in a conversation and asked what I'm doing there. I couldn´t really explain it. First, due to the scarce knowledge of English of the local on the other hand I did not know exactly why I had been out there. Then I was invited to play cards in his favorite cafe. After two cay and me winning two rounds (I was mainly there to hold the cards and had to deduce the rules from the actions of my opponent and mentor), I was invited for a beer in the next liquor store / kiosk. A few more beers and a couple of snacks followed the first. Also, I was able to outclass the owner of the liquor store in another card game. To sum it up, I met many nice people and seen a glimpse into the everyday culture of some Turkish men.
The 1st of May is celebrated in Turkey as a day of work, apparently in a big way. When I was on the way towards Taksim Square, the location of the central rally, in the early afternoon the masses of the disintegrating demonstration scattered in my direction. On my arrival Taksim Square was still filled to one third with the remaining protesters, every square inch that they didn´t occupy, was full of empty plastic bottles. On my way back I was witness to scenes that are known in Germany at that time of the year in Berlin or Hamburg. A group of teenager took advantage of a gap in the police fence to get out of an alley and throw stones and bottles at a group of demonstrators. Police reacted fast with a large number of units. The fascinating part in this situation was the reaction of the journalists. Cameramen, photographers and reporters with gas masks on their belts positioned themselves next to and some even in front of the police forces to deliver pictures for the news and newspapers. However, the massive police presence led to fleeing stone throwers, and thus a bad day for the journalists.
The negative highlight of my stay in Istanbul was the Saturday evening. On Saturday I already spent six days in Istanbul and had not participated in the night life (my definition is for that is later than 1.00), it was time to change that. What started in a pleasant round in the rooftop bar of my hostel, should turn into a disastrous evening, soon. The first mistake was that we departed from the hostel as late as 0.30. Rather than going directly to the center of the nightlife, the Taksim Square, we followed our bartender to a local bar, half an hour later we took a taxi towards the clubs. The second mistake was made by someone from the first taxi, instead of giving clear instructions the taxi driver, the driver was instructed to take us to a good club. As you can imagine the club was a flop, just like the taxi ride there, one of the Kiwis vomited out of the taxi´s window. The third mistake was to listen to the rumors an American heard. He had heard of a club that was a great place to party. Our taxi parade sat in motion to go there, but not for long. On the way to the club we spent thirty minutes in traffic (from 2.00 - 2.30). After most of the group was in the club, someone had realised that not all of us were admitted. The consequence was that we ultimately tried to go to a club at Taksim Square. At 4.00 we tried hard to get in a club. In third attempt, we succeded. However, the club was really not that much of a party heaven - sparsly crowded, only Turkish music playing and overpriced drinks selling. At 4.30 most of our group, including myself, were done with that night.Obviously, I've also seen a couple of sights. Since they should rather be seen than described.
The 1st of May is celebrated in Turkey as a day of work, apparently in a big way. When I was on the way towards Taksim Square, the location of the central rally, in the early afternoon the masses of the disintegrating demonstration scattered in my direction. On my arrival Taksim Square was still filled to one third with the remaining protesters, every square inch that they didn´t occupy, was full of empty plastic bottles. On my way back I was witness to scenes that are known in Germany at that time of the year in Berlin or Hamburg. A group of teenager took advantage of a gap in the police fence to get out of an alley and throw stones and bottles at a group of demonstrators. Police reacted fast with a large number of units. The fascinating part in this situation was the reaction of the journalists. Cameramen, photographers and reporters with gas masks on their belts positioned themselves next to and some even in front of the police forces to deliver pictures for the news and newspapers. However, the massive police presence led to fleeing stone throwers, and thus a bad day for the journalists.
The negative highlight of my stay in Istanbul was the Saturday evening. On Saturday I already spent six days in Istanbul and had not participated in the night life (my definition is for that is later than 1.00), it was time to change that. What started in a pleasant round in the rooftop bar of my hostel, should turn into a disastrous evening, soon. The first mistake was that we departed from the hostel as late as 0.30. Rather than going directly to the center of the nightlife, the Taksim Square, we followed our bartender to a local bar, half an hour later we took a taxi towards the clubs. The second mistake was made by someone from the first taxi, instead of giving clear instructions the taxi driver, the driver was instructed to take us to a good club. As you can imagine the club was a flop, just like the taxi ride there, one of the Kiwis vomited out of the taxi´s window. The third mistake was to listen to the rumors an American heard. He had heard of a club that was a great place to party. Our taxi parade sat in motion to go there, but not for long. On the way to the club we spent thirty minutes in traffic (from 2.00 - 2.30). After most of the group was in the club, someone had realised that not all of us were admitted. The consequence was that we ultimately tried to go to a club at Taksim Square. At 4.00 we tried hard to get in a club. In third attempt, we succeded. However, the club was really not that much of a party heaven - sparsly crowded, only Turkish music playing and overpriced drinks selling. At 4.30 most of our group, including myself, were done with that night.Obviously, I've also seen a couple of sights. Since they should rather be seen than described.
 |
| View from my hostel`s terrace |
No comments:
Post a Comment