This morning I woke early, as we were moving flat. Away from the mosquitos, the dripping fridge, the foetid kitchen sink, the oddly placed shower. Off to Galata, to the same building we lived in when we first arrived in Istanbul, but a lower floor. Also, no hot water, for there was none this morning […]
Syria town
After the drama of yesterday, today we decided on a quiet day’s exploration. So we took the tram to the other side of the Golden Horn, past Aksaray, to areas new. This is a very Syrian part of town and I’d heard of a fine Syrian restaurant there; from there it was only about 20 […]
Foiled
This morning, we were told, the appointment would be arranged for the afternoon. We would have to go to the bank to arrange payment, pay the taxes and turn up at the appropriate government office, hand over the payment, attest that we did indeed intend to buy this specific property at this specific price, sign […]
Waiting, waiting
Still waiting for our appointment at the deed office. Now it’s likely to be on Friday as tomorrow, Thursday, is Republic Day. There is what appears to be a grey battleship moored outside, and lots of shouting and martial singing on loudspeakers. Hopefully this is for Republic Day, not an invasion. We killed a few […]
Day of the hunters
This terrible flat has, gram by gram, more mosquito in it than human. I usually don’t get bitten much these days as the GF’s blood is clearly far sweeter, but both of us are tormented by the sound of mosquitos whining around our ears at night. Today we killed about 6 and 4 more emerged. […]
Craving unsatisfied
This morning I woke up craving desi food and did some diligent research to find a place in Fatih, across the Golden Horn: a small Indian place run by an Indian couple. A bit of a dhaba, so less likely to water food down to Turkish tastes. So we took the tram over to a […]
Free at last
All guests are gone, and the cousin with COVID is quite self-sufficient, hurrah. He is in very strict lockdown indeed – when I went to drop off his instant coffee, a man rushed out of the building shouting ‘very bad, your friend, very bad!’ At first I worried that the cousin had developed bad symptoms […]
Boaters’ bazaar
The agent entrusted us with the key to the flat, though we are not yet its owners, so we took the Trial to see it. It was really gratifying: she really liked it, and could see the potential in it. A bit of a relief to have someone outside my and the GF’s head see […]
The trial
Another relative has arrived, this one staying with us on her way to Lahore. It is a relative I am fond of, but she is undoubtedly a bit of a trial and I have to remember each time I see her that one doesn’t need to engage with the stream of consciousness. She is a […]
Connecting paths
I finished up my work this morning and by that time the GF was awake and had finished his rather long morning rituals, so we left, planning to go to the farmer’s market. We hadn’t made it more than a few steps, though before we decided not to bother: the kitchen in this flat is […]