Istanbul, Men and Cats (page 6 of 9)

Hi Julie, Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 I didn’t see any bear trainers, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have taken a photo. I’m not really into that.

Hi Kate. Hi there, and thanks for this feedback with such a unique feline perspective... It reminded me of my Istanbul getaway—two years ago already... I loved this city, a blend of East and West, and back then, the restoration work on the monuments wasn’t so widespread... What I loved most was the atmosphere, the smells, the food, but also the warmth of the people. I went on a whim, with no preconceptions or prejudices, and I have such great memories of that city trip! But I don’t remember there being *this* many cats!!! 😄

But I didn’t remember there were so many cats! 😄

Hi Bruno, You’ve gotta keep your eyes peeled! And yet, they’re definitely there—some 165,000 cats living among the people ;)

Friday, October 25

Last day in Istanbul... And still so much to see and do!

What if I took a trip to the Princes' Islands?... No, never mind, it's too much for one day... I feel like getting lost again in the narrow streets of Galata and finding the Camondo Stairs, or just wandering along the quays at Eminönü... Oh, I know, I'd love to go back to the markets and haggle over another Nazar Boncuk... And then there's that blue vase—it hasn't moved from its display...

My Cartoville mentions the neighborhoods of Fatih, Fener, Balat, Eyüp, and Hasköy. Why not? And it’ll be my highlight of the week.

The bus drops us off in front of a white church, the Bulgarian St. Stephen Orthodox Church.

Hello

A wonderful travel journal... I always enjoy exploring Istanbul (or Istambul—both are correct) even through someone else’s travel journal. Istanbul is one of my favorite cities in the world. Thanks for sharing about the cats (it’s true, this city takes care of its four-legged strays!)

Thanks! 🙂 Maybe, like you, Istanbul will make it into my top 5 favorite cities. There’s still an open spot between Venice, New York, Seville, and Kyoto. But there are so many more to discover...!

I’m walking around this beautiful white church and come across a shoe shiner. Just as he passes by me, he drops a brush. And here’s a shout-out to you, Diamina—if you’re reading this, I just want to say I’m so grateful! You explained that it was a little scam. 😎 I pick up the brush because I’m polite and keep going. My friend doesn’t get why I’m brushing off this guy who’s insisting on thanking me. He’s already set up, tools ready to go. "Just leave him, let’s go—it’s a scam, and my boots are fine anyway!"

We follow the boulevard to reach the working-class neighborhood of Fener. Some quirky little workshops catch my eye with their old-world charm.





We head up a first street and take a maze of steep alleys where the houses seem to sag under a rainbow of laundry. It’s like stepping into another era... I realize I’m discovering a whole new side of Istanbul.

I hear the sound of quick footsteps, accompanied by a rumbling that sounds like a cart. I turn around and see a man pulling a kind of enormous trailer filled with various objects, probably meant to be thrown away. But how does he do it? The man is tall, with generous biceps and disheveled hair. His beauty is breathtaking. He stops beside me and locks his big green eyes onto mine. My camera, which is always ready to snap, won’t respond. I’m melting. Tut - Tut - Tut - tutututututututututututututututu....

a new side of Istanbul

Besides, isn’t it called Istanbul of many facets? 😛

The man is tall, with generous biceps and tousled hair. His beauty is breathtaking. He stops in front of me and locks his big green eyes onto mine. My camera, always ready to snap, freezes. I’m melting right here. Tut - Tut - Tut

Oh wow, this is getting spicy! 😱 Did she fall for the Ottoman charm? The suspense is unbearable!!!!

Really great! At least in Istanbul, she doesn’t have to worry about it...

The man is tall, with generous biceps and tousled hair. His beauty is breathtaking. He stops in front of me and locks his big green eyes onto mine. My camera, always ready to snap, suddenly freezes. I’m melting right here.

The rest... Kate, the suspense is killing me... what’s going to happen next????

To be continued... Kate, the suspense is killing me... what's going to happen next????

... a photo from behind? (Like "Kate avatar") 🙂 In the meantime, that cat photo is gorgeous!

To be continued... Kate, the suspense is killing me... but what's going to happen????

... a photo from the back? (Like "Kate avatar") 🙂 Meanwhile, the cat photo is really beautiful!

Yeah, that cat’s not bad, but if we saw the one with green eyes, maybe a bunch of us would book a flight ticket to Istanbul 🤩 Or maybe not...😂😂😂 Who knows if Kate isn’t just leading us on—she’s really keeping us in suspense 🤨

Kate! 24 hours have passed! And toot-toot?

She just remembered Turkish and since then she’s been in a vegetative state 😎

Yeah, I think we’ve lost it... we’ll never know how the story ends 🤪

Yeah, we already knew about Turkish coffee. But this time, it's more like coffee the Turkish way? ^^

😂😂😂 You sure this isn’t a Turkish stereotype?

Kate must still be under the spell of that magical moment. 😉 Let her dream. Or maybe we’re completely off the mark.