A look at the Turkish public health system Back in 2000 my husband and I worked at an English college on Bağdat Street, run by a money hungry former military man with good connections but bad intentions. Thanks to him we had the dubious pleasure of visiting one of Istanbul’s many Turkish public hospitals as…
Living in Istanbul … “Each day certain sounds can be heard echoing down my street. Early in the morning I hear the eskici come through. These buyers of old wares and junk roam the streets dragging or pushing two-wheeled, flat barrow carts, calling out “eskici, eskici”, buying old books, lamps, bric-a-brac and knickknacks. The items…
Here are some of my favourite Istanbul neighbourhood parks on the Asian side of the city. Istanbul is a densely populated city sprawling over both banks of the Bosphorus Strait. It is a metropolis full of high rise apartments and office blocks. Nonetheless, Istanbullu (people who live in Istanbul) value their green spaces and make…
Imagine the time – almost 35 years ago. Imagine the place – Istanbul, Eminönü and the old Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn. “Up on the terrace of the hostel, the six of us ploughed our way through three bottles of reasonable red wine and one or two bottles of remarkably cheap Black Sea cognac,…
Despite the heat of summer I decided to prowl the backstreets of Rasimpasa Kadikoy. This neighbourhood sits between the popular and well known centre of Kadikoy, and the now very hipster Yeldegirmeni neighbourhood. Foundation stones like this one are living proof of one of the many minority groups that lived in Rasimpasa Kadikoy in the…
Riding an Istanbul ferry as it slowly crosses the Bosphorus is like being suspended in time. While the journey is short, I am instantly taken back to my childhood, to endless days, freedom and adventure. I feel sadly nostalgic for the past but excited too because I feel I am travelling with early explorers to…
There are many things I love about my life in Istanbul, in particular the way the locals prepare for traditional Turkish celebrations. Whether the special event is a wedding, Christmas, New Year’s Eve or Ramazan, they approach it in their own truly unique style. Here are some photos I’ve taken over the years that give…