Please don't break my heart...
I woke up Friday morning without set plans but definitely with ideas of how I would spend my day. It turned out quite differently, which was little surprise to me, as that is how my time in Istanbul has been.
Highlights:
1) Tony invited me to Kadicoy with him (on the Asian side) for a brief shopping trip. How could I say no to that?! I love being out on the water here and good company is always welcome. We had a hotdog for lunch...my first in *years*.
2) I met up with Enver, another new friend from the hostel, for baklava and ice cream on the terrace of Mado. It came with *three* different kinds of baklava. Nice.
3) When another friend had to work late I took a little rest at the hostel and then went out on a walk. Tony was just leaving too so we walked around a bit. As soon as we parted company the guy who spoke to me yesterday to make sure I knew where I was going saw me again and checked in on me! And *immediately* after we went our separate ways, another man called to me to make sure I was crossing the street safely, as Turks will walk right in between cars if there is enough room and I am trying to master the skill this week O:-) It seems he's been living in Virginia for a while but is back here to conduct research. He asked if he could escort me on my journey through Gulhane Park, one of my favorite places. Why not? By the end of our walk, however, he requested that if we keep in touch and meet again in the future in Virginia, to "Please don't break my heart, like the guy on Monday."
AND, drumroll please...
4) I *finally* set out on my own on the tram/metro/funicular system. Picked it up at the closest stop (7 minute walk?), went across the Golden Horn to the newer district, got off and walked around until I found the funicular, took that up to Taksim Square, and waited for Arda. Public transportation systems are still pretty new for me in terms of navigation, but at night and going without a travel partner as a woman just means you have to be alert and aware of your surroundings. After several text messages and a phone call (bless my international phone!), Arda and I found one another and then a restaurant/pub on a COOL street for raki and french fries (not fresh rice, Arda ;-). As we were looking for a taxi afterwards, a 20-something woman approached me and asked in Turkish for me to take their photo :-) Only after Arda called out, "Did you understand that?!" did the group realize I don't speak a word of Turkish and they got a good laugh. The woman asked, "Did you understand what I said" in English with a big smile, but sadly I had to tell her that I just simply understand the "universal sign for 'can you take my photo?'" :-)
Me and Arda
I didn't sleep very well anticipating 2 days of travel, but they are here nonetheless! One of the super nice guys who works at the hostel just jokingly offered me one more night here for free...I WISH!!
Until I return to the states and upload heaps of photos, cheers <3
I woke up Friday morning without set plans but definitely with ideas of how I would spend my day. It turned out quite differently, which was little surprise to me, as that is how my time in Istanbul has been.
Highlights:
1) Tony invited me to Kadicoy with him (on the Asian side) for a brief shopping trip. How could I say no to that?! I love being out on the water here and good company is always welcome. We had a hotdog for lunch...my first in *years*.
2) I met up with Enver, another new friend from the hostel, for baklava and ice cream on the terrace of Mado. It came with *three* different kinds of baklava. Nice.
3) When another friend had to work late I took a little rest at the hostel and then went out on a walk. Tony was just leaving too so we walked around a bit. As soon as we parted company the guy who spoke to me yesterday to make sure I knew where I was going saw me again and checked in on me! And *immediately* after we went our separate ways, another man called to me to make sure I was crossing the street safely, as Turks will walk right in between cars if there is enough room and I am trying to master the skill this week O:-) It seems he's been living in Virginia for a while but is back here to conduct research. He asked if he could escort me on my journey through Gulhane Park, one of my favorite places. Why not? By the end of our walk, however, he requested that if we keep in touch and meet again in the future in Virginia, to "Please don't break my heart, like the guy on Monday."
AND, drumroll please...
4) I *finally* set out on my own on the tram/metro/funicular system. Picked it up at the closest stop (7 minute walk?), went across the Golden Horn to the newer district, got off and walked around until I found the funicular, took that up to Taksim Square, and waited for Arda. Public transportation systems are still pretty new for me in terms of navigation, but at night and going without a travel partner as a woman just means you have to be alert and aware of your surroundings. After several text messages and a phone call (bless my international phone!), Arda and I found one another and then a restaurant/pub on a COOL street for raki and french fries (not fresh rice, Arda ;-). As we were looking for a taxi afterwards, a 20-something woman approached me and asked in Turkish for me to take their photo :-) Only after Arda called out, "Did you understand that?!" did the group realize I don't speak a word of Turkish and they got a good laugh. The woman asked, "Did you understand what I said" in English with a big smile, but sadly I had to tell her that I just simply understand the "universal sign for 'can you take my photo?'" :-)
I didn't sleep very well anticipating 2 days of travel, but they are here nonetheless! One of the super nice guys who works at the hostel just jokingly offered me one more night here for free...I WISH!!
Until I return to the states and upload heaps of photos, cheers <3
1 Comments:
good for you for navigating public transportation on your own :) have a safe trip back!
By
math jedi, at 11:34 AM
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