Saturday, August 2, 2014: Musings

Saturday, August 2, 2014: Musings

Today was a blustery, humid day, replete with thunder, lightening and heavy rains. Waking up in Küzgüncük, it seemed a good day to stay close to home, but a call from Müge at midday sent me out with an umbrella to find a bus to Beylerbeyi. I brought what I needed to spend the night, just in case, and I'm glad I did: the rain ceased only long enough for a cup of tea in nearby Çengelköy (pronounced Chengelkoy) before the downpour began again. Later that evening, from Müge's 4th floor porch overlooking the Bosphorus, the lightening gave us a dramatic show, and complemented the fireworks released from a dinner cruise passing by. Müge and Alp had guests for dinner, a sophisticated couple who spoke good English and we had interesting conversations over Sangria. It was a lovely evening.

The teahouse we had visited earlier in Çengelköy was very crowded, and was near the water. With storm clouds menacing, we found a spot under a magnificent tree (the sign said it was 800 years old) which shielded us under a canopy of branches. Two glasses of tea later, we were ready to take a stroll.

Rainclouds over the Bophorus from the Çengelköy wharf

Fresh simit from the baker in Çengelköy

Downtown Çengelköy

My friends speak fondly   of Çengelköy, and describe it as having a very "Turkish flavor," unlike Küzgüncük, which has attracted a more bourgeois crowd drawn to its many cafes and its tree lined main street. Where you find cosmopolitan artists in Küzgüncük, and middle class families in Beylerbeyi, perhaps they mean that one is more likely to find in Çengelköy an older generation and their less sophisticated and less worldly offspring. This is all just my interpretation of their comments, since Çengelköy's small town feel is difficult for me to sense.

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If you don't like to read about cats, there is no need to read on.

The noisy Küzgüncük cat outside of my back door. 

Have I mentioned much about the wild cats and dogs around Istanbul? Around the home in Küzgüncük, cats provide a constant soundtrack. They mew constantly, and fight over territory and food. Kittens are pitied because they are not expected to live long, considering the difficult life they lead. Dogs are captured by the city, given vaccinations, then marked and released back in to the neighborhoods. Cats don't have this luxury. Nükte and Vincent rescued their cat from the wild and give it a great deal of love. They coo over beautifully colored strays they pass in the street.

This Çengelköy pet store cat is very
content. A rare sight.

This Çengelköy was ready to fight over the
scrap she got from the butcher shop.

Müge seemed quite alarmed actually, when I described our SPCA to her, and felt it was cruel to put these animals to sleep.

No, stray dogs and cats are simply part of the Istanbul milieu. They're here to stay.