The city has truly unfurled in the sun and with many lockdown restrictions gone. There is a different feel to the streets, it’s like there has been a very long blink, and what was before was Istanbul in September or October, and then there is now. There are many more people in the streets, there are tables and benches outside restaurants and cafes, shops and galleries have opened up in places where I hadn’t known there were any. It feels alive.
We had to go to the bank this afternoon, and so we went through Istiklal street, stopping on the way for pilav and beans from a famous place. I have once again started hoping to recapture some of that enjoyment we used to once share in eating out, though it’s probably a lost cause, but I keep trying. Anyway, it was a famous pilavci with a 150 year pedigree, but not as nice as others we’ve had. But good to have close by as I can imagine picking up a takeaway and adding something more for a lowkey sort of meal.
The bit at the bank was quick and done. The currency has really tumbled even in the time we’ve been here, and food is more expensive, though we are fortunate of course in not earning in lira. Not an easy time for Turks.
At Galatasaray there was an exhibition about an Armenian boxer, emphasising his love of country.
At Taksim Square the new mosque opened last Friday on a significant date, so today would have been the second jummah prayer. It was over by the time we got there of course, but there were police barriers everywhere – the monument to the republic was closed off, as was a large portion of Gezi Park.
We returned via coffee in Cihangir to find no electricity. Luckily I had finished my work before we left.
One of the interesting things about travelling as we have is the growing awareness of local politics and histories, and how that changes the ways one sees what is around one. Starting our travels in Beirut kickstarted it, perhaps.