This is Expatbul, gentlemen
That visiting is not the same as “living in” is quite evident . Let's do a test: would you live with your grandmother, whose house you go to eat religiously once a month? Save the answer. Istanbul is no exception to the rule and the aroma of lamb mixed with the evocative call to prayer in the distance during a vacation is not the same as bumping into traffic every day while everyone smokes around you.
Hence the need to search corners that allow you to breathe, let off steam and escape in the largest city in Europe: a city with hardly any green spaces and in which the presence of the sea is minimal despite its obvious geography. Here is the personal choice of several expatriates who live in that giant of 17 million inhabitants (and that does not stop growing every year):
Andrés, thirtysomething, from Spain. He came to Istanbul in 2005 and... he still lives here:
“One of my favorite places in Istanbul is the Maçka Democracy Park . Situated in the cleft between Taksim Hill and the Nisantasi neighborhood and spilling downhill towards the Bosphorus Strait, it is one of the last remaining green lungs in central Istanbul. A good place to picnic, walk or sit under a tree to read a book . Also, as it belongs to a district governed by the opposition, drinking alcohol is not frowned upon, so you can enjoy a beer lying on the grass on fine afternoons.”
The macka park (pronounced “Machka”) is also the place where locals go to play sports or walk their pets. It also has a cable car that crosses it from end to end.
Maçka Democracy Park
Cristoforo, Italian, in his thirties. About four years lived in the city of the Bosphorus:
“Among so many possibilities, I prefer the ** Nazim Hikmet Cultural Center **, in the Kadiköy neighborhood, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus. For me it is a breath of fresh air in the daily chaos of the metropolis, where traffic –both cars and people– is constant and often overwhelming. The Nazim Hikmet is a place where you can quietly sip a çay (the typical Turkish tea) while reading a good book or chatting with a friend. In addition, as a cultural center, often offers interesting cultural events such as plays and concerts.
The Nazim Hikmet (named after the Turkish poet laureate) is a closed area made up of a mansion in which language courses are taught and other activities are carried out (like those mentioned by Cristoforo), and a tree-lined patio with a hundred tables where they can be eternalized on good weather days.
Javier, twentysomething Spanish, a year in Istanbul:
“There is no better place than the Feriköy Muslim Cemetery to escape from the noisy chaos of the streets of Istanbul. For me it is one of the best ways to relax in this city. In it there are no great mausoleums for sultans or important personalities, but there is life . That's why I like it better than the nearby (and refined) Catholic and Protestant cemeteries. Here, green abounds , groups of young people gather to enjoy the afternoons and some private homes are literally attached to the cemetery. Its endless streets allow you to disconnect and imagine what lives all those people represented in small photographs led. The graves with inscriptions in the Arabic alphabet In addition, they transport you to a past of which little remains”.
This graveyard is one of the few green outlets in the area of Ferikoy, northwest of Taksim, which has become a hotchpotch of buildings and concrete populated by a growing Turkish middle class.
Sarah, in her thirties, from Syria. Two years living in Istanbul:
“My friends call it ' the kurdish bar ', but on the sign outside it says 'My home' . It is in the attic of a building (on the corner between the central My Sokak and Tarlabasi Bulvari , which is accessed next to the place that reads 'Keyf-i Ciger' ) next to Istiklal Avenue. It has a unique view over Tarlabasi and beyond. But if you look down instead of forward, you can see a multitude of transvestite sex workers hunting for clients. The bar has as much character as its surroundings: the playlist changes from Turkish arabesque music to Kurdish folk songs, to flamenco, to 90s rock hits or even opera. Sunsets are my favorite moment in this little gem”.
The 'Kurdish bar', as Sarah calls it – no one is quite sure what her name is –, It was Ivo's creation , a Kurd who studied in Cuba and speaks perfect Spanish, although he is no longer in charge of the premises. Cheap drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.
Balat
Joris, a Dutchman in his thirties who has lived in Istanbul for more than three years:
“The Fashion Park is a small green strip along the Asian side of the Bosphorus (and the Sea of Marmara). This is where the local people from Kadikoy he is going to breathe and escape for a while from the concrete jungle that is the city. the park is perfect for picnics and/or drinks , and above all, see how the sun goes down behind Hagia Sophia, on the other side of the strait. This is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular views in the entire city.”
The view Joris refers to, that profile of domes and minarets that also make up the Topkapi Palace and the Galata Tower ... has not changed in the last four centuries! Can you think of a better place to end the day?
Maiden's Tower
Nur, Algerian, 42 years old, the last two in ancient Constantinople:
“On sunny afternoons, my boyfriend and I like to sit and drink tea in front of the Maiden's Tower , in the neighborhood of Üsküdar. There is a cafeteria that puts cushions on the concrete steps in front of the tower and you can sit there to watch the sunset... and to see the transit of freighters at the mouth of the Bosphorus. Some ships are gigantic! ”.
If things go well between Nur and his partner, the same is encouraged to take the ferry that connects the Asian shore with the nearby tower, famous for the numerous marriage proposals that take place there ... And if they ask me what I'm keeping from the city, I'll opt for my winter refuge, when Istanbul is colder, grayer and more hostile, and pleasant summer walks in the few Istanbul parks are far away. you'll find me in the small Afille Çezve, in the neighborhood of Balat, having a warm tea while typing on one of its tables or simply reading curled up in one of the wing chairs upstairs. The leaves of the neighboring vine, which gives grapes in summer, have fallen months before, and only the bare branches resist the snowfall in the city. It is my bunker to withstand the winter.