Imagine Istanbul

Not only did I have the sky of pink and gold and the goulettes and tankers streaming down from the Black Sea to the Marmara to watch, but from my lovely black iron work balcony at the Bebek Hotel, there were the waiters and the rich people drinking coffee below. So every morning instead of watching Turkish television, dressed in my white terry cloth housecoat, I would sip coffee and listen to the sounds of the water, the tankers, the distant conversations, the birds, and watch the sun rise with its elegant grace into the morning sky. Nothing could be more perfect.

The people of Istanbul live close to the sea. Their houses, their balconies, their restaurants, their cafés lie over the water. If you stroll along the banks of the Bosphorous, people fish, walk alone or with families or a lover. Along the Galata Bridge, fishermen are lined up almost shoulder to shoulder catching their evening meal. I can always remember that almost everywhere I went, the sea, the Bosphorous, the Marmara, the Golden Horn was close to me as it is to anyone who visits or lives in the city.

If you like this post, bookmark it!