We arrived safely in Istanbul, spending a night in a charming hotel (bed covered in paper rose petals in the shape of a heart) and going for a wonder the next morning to find money and SIM cards. The streets were full of very relaxed police officers – literally hundreds and hundreds of them – in every cafe, so we suspected some kind of march was going to materialise. We suspected a pro-Palestine parade because of the number of flags on sale. We weren’t sure until we were due to catch our taxi for the airport, only to be told that the streets around the hotel had all been closed and we needed to find the taxi elsewhere. So we charged up the road with a very kind person from our hotel schlepping our bags and found ourselves in the middle of a massive demonstration of people of every age:
We flew to Kayseri to pick up our car and meet up with Nikhil who had just flown in from India. We had been on tenterhooks all week as to whether he would be able to come because of the issues between India and Pakistan, but in the end the ceasefire was signed a few hours before he was due to leave and, aside from having to fly a long way round in order to avoid Pakistan, all was well.
So – a four hour drive today to Gaziantep on lovely roads from snow-capped mountains through flat plains, and then wending our way through curvy roads to arrive at the Turkish capital of pistachio baklava (no, we haven’t had any yet – tomorrow’s treat).
And tonight – a trek through the modern streets of Gaziantep past the gold and silver toilets for sale:
We were headed for a restaurant with raki (not many places serve alcohol so this may become a theme on the blog):
We were clearly in the heart of relaxed Gaziantep as everyone was there drinking, eating wonderful mezze and listening to live music until the rain came down:
We leave you with our two small friends (did we tell you how friendly Turkish people are?) sheltering from the rain:
Very relieved to hear Nikhil arrived safely to join you! Amazing start to your trip amidst that street protest – I hadn’t realized there’s so much support there. And a BIG thank you for the music video – Turkish folk eg Türkü etc is so wonderfully rich and varied – if you get another opportunity to record I’d be grateful…
Well, in terms of the pro-Palestine demo and the relaxed looking at their phones and drinking coffee demeanor of the police, as the nice man in our hotel said, no one here in Istanbul is going to be mounting any counter demo! Will keep an ear and eye out for more Turkish music.
A full-on start: glamour, dissent, bizarre bathroom ware, a drive into mystery, a charming oasis in the evening. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Yes, a grand start! Tomorrow- mosaics and pistachios! Now amongst the Kurds in Sanlufria ..
Wonderful music. And love the energy coming through from the streets of Istanbul. Very envious!
You could definitely feel the energy – the demo was also full of furious women demanding justice – v moving. The music was mesmerising.
Perfect title for this exciting first day. Enjoy the Raki, the best baklava in Turkey and whatever tomorrow offers.
We drank quite a lot of Raki but it was delicious – tales of baklava to follow!
Sounds like you’re off to a flying start! Hoipe you managed to sleep without having (gilt-edged) nightmares in what looks like Liberace’s second guest bedroom.
I particularly like the battery powered tea lights, programmed to flicker ( well, I think they were programmed – may just have been a bit dodgy I suppose). Lovely hotel though with charming, helpful staff – more than you could say, probably, about staying at Liberace’s …