Inspired in Istanbul

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The first day was V ERY busy so events in piont form.

Hotel Evsen reached by public transport from airport - metro first then a change to tram - helpful men at turnstiles - get tokens 2turkish lira each- machines gives change- insert red token and you are on your way. Each stop announced in turkish and english and scrolling info rolls inside the the tram wagon. If you have a map and familiarize yourself with the name of the end station of your route you are well on your way. No time for digs at Toronto Transit!

Breakfast always eaten on the roof of the hotel and selection each day can be counted on being a repition of the day before .... eggs, sausage, carrot sauce, black and yellow olives, sliced cukes and tomatoes, bread, yogurt, jam sauce, honey butter and jams in little containers, white cake, and very strong tea, tea bags, and nescafe coffee.

Laundry is down the street and you are charged by the kilo. Paid 15TL for a bag of clothes. Did not give themmy granny underwear or my brassieres. Small stores among the nicely decorated and high priced restaurantsand sell fruit, veggies, bread of all kinds but not rye, beer, juice and yogurt.

Walked to Sirkeci Train Station ... forget the dates of departure - second time all workers in Turkey out on a day of protest - third visit finally gets the ticket but no info about arrival in Budapest.

And the adventure continues:

walk along Bosphorus

drink rosewater drink from a costumed vendor

take ferry to old train station- Haydarpasa Train Station

take lots of shots

eat a round pretzle

back by ferry ... 2TL for each ride

eat a sardine dish 8TL american coffee 5TL

walk back across bridge

encounter fish market

Look for Halic which is the port for the local ferry that takes comuters up The Golden Horn

take port boat to end ofGolden Horn and back

watch donut baker ...eat five for2TL

walk thru Spice Bazaar while searching for toilet

buy stuffed grape leaves, mushroom salad and bread

buy 4 jasmine buds 200TL for 1Kilo

get ribbon for my fraying panama

walk into mosque and shoot pics

buy a 10TL watch from a turkish speaking Sengalese

get money from ATM beside chestnut vendor

walk rest of way back to hotel

find man in my room trying to fix the door

take a shower, eat my food, flakeout

PEOPLE:::

spoke to a father and his 18 mo old at breakfast ... he is a german born turk on holiday

an english couple at breakfast were looking for the roman Basilica Cisterns

spoke twice to an agent looking for people to go on Bosphorus tours ... he had been a sailor and had been to Canada

woman on bridge admires my glass necklace

speak to the fisherman on the Galata Bridge and admire their catch teeny tiny fish out of polluted water ...

hope my sardines did not come from there

speak to an amateur photographer at the train station

at Halic port while waiting for ferry speak to a very daper old man dressed in a good suit ... no english for him no turkish for me ... involved a third person in converstion who had some english ... fourth man enjoyed the turkish part of the talk ... man's wife also very well dressed in good shoes, stylish long coat and tasteful black and gold scarf ... he would only reveal he was retired but not what he had done ...????

watched a girl trans form from loose haired maiden to scarfed daughter ... she crouched down while waiting for ferry , first tied her hair covered it with a white cotton retaining bonnet and tied a colourful scarfon top with the knot at the napeofher neck. Then she removed her white strapped sandles and retrieving grey knee socks from her bag covered her feet and calves retying the bejewelled sandals.

Observed women in all degrees of covering from loose scarf, tied scarf under chin, hijab and coat burka with head scarf and total black burka with eyes showing or barely discernible.I would like to hear a mother's explanation to her child about why she is totally covered. Have been unsuccessful in finding the cotton bonnet. Athere are no end to scarves for sale ... the ever pashmina is of course front and centre.

spoke to a bunch of guys in a sweets shop in the SpiceBazaar who all stated the other was called Johnny,

chestnut seller, where a man bumped into me just after i had been to the ATM .. lucky for me I have a thief proof -?- pouch,

speak some frewnch to the Sengalese cheap watch seller,

Cash – restaurant customer gatherer tries to get me into his establishment ... I have my dinner in the bag from the delicatessan in the Spice Bazaar

Under the bridge that crosses the Golden Horn are found one fish restaurant after another. Nice decor, nice menu nice prices. At the point where the water begins stairs lead up to the surface of the bridge. Along both edge barriers are arrayed many men and a few women angeling for small sardine like fishman. Each person has a water container with live and dead alike ccupying the space either big or small. One man was tying hooks onto a line. If understood correctly he puts ten hooks on at a time. Each hook is tied with the same combination of knots. Who can guess how long e has been coming here. And where do the fish go ... home? Or for sale?

In the Spice Bazzar a ribbon was bought for my fraying Panama Hat. The rim just started to come undone. Will have to phone Equador about that !

FOOD EATEN

The lure of the street food was too much. Rose water spiked fruit juice; a circle pretzle, ball donuts, chestnuts, and the plate of sardines in a restaurant. Burped those sardine into the night but they were good ... watch out old joke ... even the second time around.

All in all most successful encounters totally not onmy first day schedule OH well Tapioka topkapi can wait.

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