Recently, my neighbourhood Goztepe Istanbul, 20 minutes inland from Kadıköy by bus, has become somewhat popular with Chinese and Taiwanese tourists. Apparently my middle class, middle average nothing much happens mahalle has been featured on Weibo, what I’m told is the Chinese version of Instagram. The very fact Goztepe’s so normal and ordinary is what…
If you’ve ever been to Istanbul you’ll have probably already seen the way Turks look after street cats. People put out bowls of water, piles of dry food and even set up cat homes in parks and apartment block gardens. It seems idyllic, at least that’s what many Instagram influencers would have us believe. Although…
Banks and other corporations have collected art as part of their private portfolios since the 19th century. Usually kept behind closed doors, it’s not often shared publicly. However in Istanbul, some of the most interesting exhibitions happen in bank owned galleries. Compelling painting displays, installations, photographs and film screenings are open to the public in…
Today Kadikoy is a hive of activity, packed with cheesemongers and charcuteries, cafes and coffee shops galore, popular bars, cheap student eats and a smattering of upmarket restaurants. So much so I decided to write this brief Kadikoy guide so you can find all my posts about the neighbourhood in the one place.
April in Turkey sees the start of spring, and nothing says life is for living better than displays of colourful flowers. The Istanbul Tulip Festival delivers this and more, with tulips growing in a former private garden belonging to the Ottoman Sultans or cascading down the banks of the Bosphorus in a public park in…
Now that you’ve booked your trip to Istanbul in winter, you’ll want to learn where to have a drink in Istanbul to enjoy some festive cheer, alcoholic of course, accompanied by some tasty Turkish delights. Luckily for us, Turkish wine expert Andrea Lemieux aka The Quirky Cork took some time out of her busy schedule…
You’d think the chances of crossing paths with someone who only lives a few blocks away from you in real life in Istanbul (pop 16 million and counting) via a Facebook group started by American writers would be pretty slim. Especially when you’re me, a woman from Australia and the other person is Pinar Tarhan,…
Some of my best days in Istanbul aren’t when I visit a famous tourist site but when I’m out and about trying to get things repaired. Like the time I had to find someone to reattach the handle of our cezve (Turkish coffee pot). My husband Kim has the habit of banging pots on the…
I often hear expats say how they wish there were libraries in Istanbul where they could go and hang out, somewhere to do some writing or just seek inspiration. Here are four easy to get to libraries in Istanbul anyone can enter without having to be a student, a paying member or by prior arrangement….
I’m an Australian living in Istanbul and like many people here in Coronavirus Turkey, daily life is very different. I haven’t been out other than to buy food since March 14. Every day I read the contradictory medical reports about the Coronavirus on the news, see the rise in infections and deaths and like everyone,…