needless to say tea is something i cannot do without. i am more tea than coffee. in pakistan i used to drink milky tea with the guards at the apartment complex gate and they taught me to pour the tea in the saucer and sip it without spilling. in turkey my memories of tea have expanded far and wide.
my new found friend dirk vermieren who knows istanbul better than anyone i have met thus far wanted to go for a walk. now a walk in the woods i have done. a walk on the only interesting street in ankara i have done. a walk by the upper iowa river in the fall was absolutely gorgeous. a walk to the bakkal counts as a sort of walk... but a walk from moda to fenerbahce by the sea i had not quite thought about.
dirk has written a book about walks one should take in istanbul! `100% istanbul` with 6 great walks mapped out for the adventurous traveller. we met in kadikoy and began walking through moda, the building that the municipality took over and now does not serve alcohol...people protest by drinking right next to it...cats, kittens and dogs running around, abandoned dilapidated yalis, a group of people with `moving signs'- a new marketing idea, a ghetto like jetty area where retired folks dock their boats and take their tiny boats out for a ride... 2 hours of stories to share and gather.
we ended up at a park that was near the marina in kalamis. a beautiful park. reminded me of vienna. little cafes, labeled trees, clean cobbled paths, kittens and puppies of istanbul napping in the gardens and random people out for a park walk on a humid cloudy day.
istanbul has a multitude of facets and it's mysterious folds are only beginning to reveal itself. one is lucky if one has a guide and friend to help you see what it is. one thing is for sure, a fincan of tea after a walk in istanbul is undoubtedly a well- deserved treat.
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