I saw this from my friend's balcony and I sucked my breath in, suddenly reminded of all the things I have always loved about Istanbul and the people who live there, things that can get lost in the day to day business of living when you forget about the majesty. Views like this -- they always make want to try harder, reach farther and and sing louder.
I scanned the rows of park benches and one by one ruled out all those I couldn’t sit on. Family of tourists, no room for me anyway; young Turkish man who might get the wrong idea; elderly couple having a romantic moment in the dwindling sunlight.
A middle-aged woman sitting alone at the edge of one bench caught my eye and I approached her.
“May I sit here?” I asked in Turkish.
“Of course, of course,” she said, moving an eighth of an inch closer to the edge of the bench, the way polite people do when there is no need to make room but want to appear welcoming.
I sat and put my bags next to me, clutching the straps through my arm. It was still touristy, I told myself, you never know who might try to take your bag.
From my bench, I had the most beautiful view of the Sultanahmet Mosque, lit up by the setting sun, sparkling behind the water fountain’s mist. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been here in so long. I hadn’t ever noticed how many locals were doing the same thing I was, just sitting, staring, contemplating, maybe a wee bit in awe of how strikingly beautiful the view was.
I remarked as such to the woman next to me.
“It is gorgeous, isn’t it?” she nodded in affirmation. “I love coming here.”
She asked me what I was doing in Turkey, and I told her I lived here.
In Istanbul? No, I said. Izmir.
“I hate Izmir,” she said, vehemently. “I went there last year and hated it.”
I was surprised and said so. I’ve met very few Turkish people who don’t like Izmir. I asked her why she didn’t like the city.
“There’s nothing there, nothing at all. It has no soul.” Here she nodded knowingly, as if imparting some kind of sacred information.
“Now, Istanbul, Istanbul is something else, isn’t it?” she said, and it wasn’t really a question the way she said it.
We sat in silence for a moment, watching the seagulls swooping wide and low over the mosque.
“I’d offer you some tea, but I don’t imagine you carry a teacup with you,” she said with a smile, gesturing with her own hour-glass teacup, which she had produced from a canvas bag carrying a thermos filled with tea.
I laughed. No, I said, I don’t have a teacup in my purse, but thank you for the offer.
We sat in silence for a while longer, and then I stood up to go.
We're wrapping up a week of people's favorite things about Turkey with a guest post from long-time Turkish Muse reader Dion Good.
Past the Blue Mosque, down the hill beyond the end of the old Hippodrome toward the Marmara shore, away from the tourist crowds, is a sleepy neighborhood clustered around one of the oldest structures in İstanbul, Kuçuk Aya Sofya (Little St. Sophia).
The mosque itself is nestled right up against the old city wall. Enter the compound and make an immediate right and you will find yourself in one of the loveliest çay bahçeler (tea gardens) in all of Turkey. It occupies one side of a courtyard complex that was once part of a church cloister (the mosque was originally a Byzantine church, and you can still see Latin inscriptions on the walls inside). It now houses a cultural center and a couple of book shops in addition to the çay bahçe. In the center of the courtyard is a garden with a fountain, and shade trees.
Surrounded by cool stone walls in the shadow of the mosque, the past is present here, more so than in more famous places thronged with tourists. It is a dreamy place, where, for a few hours, you can read a book and forget which century you are from. Ottoman tombstones dot the mosque’s yard and a rear gate opens onto an ancient cobbled street which leads away along the original sea wall.
The mosque has been renovated recently and some of the decrepit buildings around it have been torn down. It is almost a pity; some of its character has been lost. Yet I will continue to come here each time I am in İstanbul, because it is a place where the past still feels accessible, where one can feel connected to the river of life which is history.
About the Author: Dion Good is a cartographer living in San Francisco. He has worked for Lonely Planet, Affordable Travel Press, Art-Sites Press, and The Intrepid Traveler.
It's been a while since our last Ask the Expat post, but I've got a vexing question from Viviana today about whether she should move to Istanbul or Izmir:
Dear Barbara, My name is Viviana, I am from Italy, but I live in China (Shanghai). My husband and I are moving from China to Turkey in a few weeks! Nevertheless I write to you because we are still indecisive between living in Istanbul or in Izmir. The main doubt is about the job opportunities that are available. My husband is a lawyer with expertise in commercial-international law and has good experience in different European markets and in China (he has lived in Shanghai for 5 years). He speaks German (his mother tongue) and fluent Italian, English and Chinese. Unfortunately he still doesn’t speak Turkish! Here in China I teach economics in an American Business School. I had previously 5 years of experience in an Italian consulting company. I speak Italian (mother tongue) and fluent English and Spanish. Again...I don't speak Turkish yet!
The reason why we decided to move to Turkey can sound “strange”, but reading your interview I felt good and I thought you could maybe understand us. After a long time in China we really need to get closer to Europe, to our culture and tastes…like good Mediterranean food!! Nevertheless, we wouldn’t like to go back home, but we prefer to experience a new culture and to enjoy the beauty of wonderful Turkey! We are also considering to have children in the near future and from this point of view I would consider Izmir much more suitable than Istanbul! Then…it is a great DILEMMA! If we knew that in Izmir we could have more job opportunities, I think we would choose it… We are going to commit ourselves very much in our job research, but we know it will take a lot of patience and time! Can you give me your opinion? Thank you very much! Your help to foreigners approaching beautiful Turkey is PRECIOUS!
Cheers, Viviana
That is indeed a dilemma, Viviana! A few considerations stand out to me after reading your letter: 1) that you both are looking for work; 2) that you are interested in Mediterranean food (and, I am assuming, a Mediterranean lifestyle); and 3) that you would like to have children in the near future.
As for number 1, Istanbul is your best bet, hands down. The majority of working foreigners in Turkey find jobs in Istanbul as the country's other cities simply don't offer the same kinds of job opportunities for foreigners who don't speak Turkish. That said, if your husband wishes to continue practicing as a lawyer, the only way he can practice law in Turkey is by learning Turkish and then passing the bar exam in the city in which he wishes to practise. This is a pretty big feat to accomplish in and of itself, and because there is already a ready supply of qualified Turkish lawyers in the economy, law firms tend not to hire foreigners with little experience of the Turkish legal system. (UPDATE: Check the comments for more info on how to be a legal "consultant" in Turkey!)
As for you, being a teacher makes your job prospects much easier. It is not necessary for you to teach in Turkish as long as you can find a school that uses English as its predominant teaching language. I'm sure you already know about the Chronicle of Higher Education, but you can check there for job opportunities available in Turkey and to research various schools here. You can find some more information about finding work in Turkey here.
Of course, that's not to say that finding a job outside of Istanbul is impossible! I know plenty of foreigners who live outside of the city who have jobs; you just have to be a bit more creative to find them.
As for Mediterranean food lifestyle, Izmir's certainly got that -- plenty of fresh food, easy access to numerous coastal towns and beaches in summer, a very chill laid-back vibe. However, the city is far from being an international and cosmopolitan one. I've written before about Izmir's lack of an international air; then again, I've also written about how much I love my neighborhood.
If what you're looking for is a city where lots of different people speak lots of different languages, Istanbul is where you need to be. The vibrancy of Istanbul simply cannot be matched anywhere else in Turkey. On the other hand, if you're looking for good Mediterranean food, want to have children and are maybe looking for a more laid back life-style, Izmir's probably where you want to be.
It's a tough decision for you to make, Viviana, and I don't envy you for having to make it, that's for sure! I've lived in both places now, and my answer has always been Istanbul over Izmir, even though that's where I live now. The more I stay in Izmir, the fonder I grow of it, but I love Istanbul much more, I consider it home, and I would choose it any day over Izmir. Best of luck with your decision, and let us know what you decide!
Readers, what advice or suggestions do you have for Viviana?
Before setting off for Iznik last Friday, I fully intended to buy several hand-painted tiles, some for me, some for my dad. And then.... and then.... well, I am not sure what happened.
I suppose if I had to guess, I would say that before Jeff and I -- really, I should be honest here: it was just me who wanted to buy tiles -- began looking in earnest for some famous Iznik tiles, we visited the Iznik Museum, which is full of gorgeous pottery unique to the region, and that must be where I got the idea to buy pottery instead of tiles.
And so...I came away with this.....
Isn't the craftsmanship just gorgeous?
A few pieces are for me and a few are for my dad. And, granted, while it's not much, it's a nice start to a Iznik ceramic collection, don't you think?
Psst...Dad...this is the one I'm sending to you:
P.S. Also, keep tabs on Turkish Muse for a three-part series from my lovely husband, Jeff, on listening to, playing and learning about the saz....
On our first day in Iznik last Friday, we were advised to check out the local oil wrestling match just a few hundred metres from our motel. Since I have never seen oil wrestling in Turkey -- I know! Shame on me! -- I hauled Jeff over to what looked like someone's backyard to see a bunch of hot, sweaty men covered in oil attempt to wrestle in the hot afternoon sun.
It was not a pretty sight.
See the guy on the right? Guess where his hand is going....
Yup, you guessed it...
The guy on the left doesn't seem to be working too hard, does he?
We got to the match pretty late in the day and I think it was nearing the end. All these guys lined up are awaiting to hear the results of the day's matches. They don't look particulary...err...well....fit, do they?
I shouldn't talk, really. Put me in a field in the middle of the afternoon in July and expect me to wrestle and I'd last 3 minutes before I fainted from sunstroke.
It just makes me want to go to Edirne all the more.
The weekend getaway that we took to Iznik was absolutely stellar. The sleepy little town on the shores of Iznik Lake was just what we needed to recharge our batteries and get away from Istanbul's hustle and bustle. We stayed at the lovely Çamlık Motel, right along the lakefront, and next to one of the town's best fish restaurants, the Çamlık Restaurant.
The lake stretched for as far as the eye could see; sometimes I felt as if I were looking at the ocean, The breeze off the lake was clean and cool and refreshing, unlike the air off the ocean, which feels salty and sticky.
On Friday evening, we joined the other local families and strolled along the lakefront, admiring the sunset over the water. A section of the lakefront near our motel is used for sunbathing, grilling and swimming....
We ate dinner at the restaurant next to the motel both nights just to enjoy the sun setting on the lake.
Sigh....isn't it gorgeous? Iznik is so peaceful, so quiet and tranquil, the perfect antidote for too much time in Istanbul.
We also spent the weekend exploring the town, its musuem, mosques and oil wrestling. More to come this week!
