After five years in this fascinating city, the need to finish a master’s is calling me back stateside. I have known about the move since December, the and process of leaving Istanbul has been akin to a breakup, with my mourning the small moments and the temptation to hold onto each fleeting memory. Istanbul has awakened an artistic side that had lain dormant for ages and taught me to be more patient and generous, to take deep breaths, and to go where life leads me. I leave, a changed person forever grateful that I have had the chance to live in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Here are just a few of the things that I will miss about Istanbul.
Street Muscles
“So, have you gotten some of those street mussels yet?” My brother, who had been to Turkey a few summers earlier, asked me this over the phone soon after I’d moved.
“YES!” I answered, a little too emphatically. I had understood “street muscles” and started explaining how muscular my calves had gotten from hiking up and down the enormous hill I lived on my first year here and how every venture out of the house was a workout.
After a moment of silence on the line, the misunderstanding was cleared up. “I was wondering why you got so excited about mussels,” my brother said. I could have mustered up that kind of enthusiasm for bal kaymak, sure, but not for midiye.
While living in Istanbul, I have covered much of the city by foot and have made it a point to explore different neighborhoods, getting acquainted with its various nooks and back alleys. I will miss my long meandering walks through the city.
Sketching in the City
Istanbul breathes history and has been an ongoing source of artistic inspiration. The city’s streets are flattering from most angles, especially the older neighborhoods and historical areas. Sitting on the Bosphorus or atop an old han, pulling out my sketchbook allows me to draw out and really savor my time in a place. Sketching has also been an excuse to explore the city and encounter fascinating people and places all along the way.
The Feriköy Flea Market
Nothing thrills me more than perusing flea market tables for knick knacks and treasures, and this Istanbul market is one of the best I’ve been to. Not only that, but the food at the Feriköy Flea Market—fresh juices and tasty gözleme. Although it’s gotten more touristy over the years, you can still scratch your itch for Ottoman artifacts, Atatürk paraphernalia, and unique jewelry there.
The Prince’s Islands
At an hour’s ferry ride away, the islands, and more specifically Burgzada, have become my go-to haven when the city gets a bit too hectic. The ferries are often overflowing, and my tolerance for personal space invasions is pushed to the limit. Persuasive vendors make me wonder whether or not I do, in fact, need one of those handy lemon juicers and multi-purpose peelers. Horse-drawn carriages, ornate wooden houses, and small beaches—a trip to the islands always feels like a small adventure.
Where Feast Meets Rest
Never was there a more relaxing meal than the Turkish breakfast, which can be dragged out for hours. The sheer variety of tasty morsels gives a deep satisfaction to both the palate and the soul. When going out for a Turkish breakfast, there is no rush; no one setts the check on your table, prodding you to take care of it “whenever you’re ready.” You can bask in the company of friends and while away the hours. And that bal kaymak still makes my eyes roll to the back of my head in ecstasy, even after having it dozens of times.
Turkish Sayings
Living here, you notice that the day passes with the invariable call-and-response social niceties. Once I learned a few, it allowed even an outsider like me to participate in the small exchanges of daily life that I sorely missed when I first moved here. Although they are thrown around casually throughout the day, these phrases never seem unappreciated. A “kolay gelsin” never fails to break down a hardened façade and add a dose of warmth to any exchange. They give a foreigner a small, accessible window into Turkish culture. My favorite is “eline sağlık” (“health to your hands”) because it signals respect for the all things hand-made, whether it be a pastry, jewelry or a piece of writing.
The Street Vendors
At times it feels like the street vendors in Istanbul are auditioning for a musical, or that I live in a land where people spontaneously burst into song. The eskici and other vendors that wander through the Istanbul streets have quite the set of pipes! The jingle playing as the Aygaz truck drives by always makes me smile, and I sometimes find myself humming it while doing chores around the house hours after it’s passed. The vendors change with the seasons—sahlep in the winter, cucumber and watermelon in the spring and summer, simit and chestnuts all year round. Some roll their goods or hoist them on horse-drawn carriages. Some push simple three-wheeled carts, while others carry their wares on their backs. Their calls have become part of the tapestry of sounds I associate with Istanbul.
Kuruyemiş
The money I’ve spent on hazelnuts alone during my time in Istanbul could amount to a small down payment on a home. I loved hazelnuts even before coming to Turkey and when I realized how plentiful and tasty they are here, I knew I’d landed in the right place. Dried mulberries, figs, dates, walnuts, pistachios—the kuruyemiş has fueled me through Istanbul chaos and cooking adventures. I’ve frequented the same shop for the entire time I’ve lived here. When he sees me coming, he nods and puts together my “usual” scoops the flavorful orbs into a paper bag. It’s a struggle to make it last longer than two weeks.
The Galata Tower
Every morning, I have been lucky enough to get a view of the Galata Tower as I rush to catch the bus to work. When I hike the hill back home, I love to catch glimpses of its party hat peering out from between the buildings. The space around the tower is often bustling with tourists and students Although selfie sticks are springing up like weeds lately—I’m sure I have accidentally photobombed countless vacation shots—the space around the tower never feels stale. It has its permanent characters. I once spoke to an older man who said he’d leapt from the tower upon hearing that his beloved had gotten engaged to someone else. A simit cart happened to break his fall. Tall tale or not, it made for a good story.
The Istanbul Atolye
The world of the craftsman is alive and well in Istanbul. The city is rife with those who have learned a trade—not just as DIY hobbyists. The backstreets of Istanbul house workshops of cobblers, tailors, carpenters, spring makers, fabric dyers, and metalsmiths. Walking through neighborhoods around Sultanahmet, I love to follow the tapping or sawing noises and poke my nose in the small workshops where beautiful and often delicate objects are shaped through rough acts of heating, filing, hammering, sawing—all with the human hands.
Turkish Hospitality
It sounds like a cliche, but people here actually do live up to their reputation. It has made me reflect on my own behaviors and question whether we are as welcoming with strangers back home. I was invited to a stranger’s home on Büyükada when I’d taken the wrong ferry and needed to wait an hour for the last one back to town. I was also offered a full Turkish breakfast as a gift at 10 pm at a gas station near Gaziantep. The kindness and sense of welcoming I’ve received while in Turkey has been unparalleled.
I will miss these things as many more as I bid farewell to Istanbul. Deep down, I know that it’s more of a “görüşürüz” anyhow…. I won’t be able to stay away for long.