Ramblings

This morning I'd like to write about the things that just don't fit into any category. I still marvel at how friendly everyone is, and how prevalent English is, at least in the old downtown core. At dinner last night, I asked my server if kids learn English in school here, as I noticed how many people speak English. He replied that no, they didn't, and in fact, it was forbidden (this was me trying to understand his accent, him trying to express himself in a second language). But I think that's what he said. ?? Would be curious to find out more about this. This same fellow thinks Canada is a wonderful, large, welcoming country (we have that reputation all over, it would seem), and then he asked if I know the program, 'Just for Laughs'. He said it is common in Turkey, that people love that show (really?!), and that even in Sweden, they watch it. How 'bout that. He equated it with 'Mr. Bean' in terms of popularity. Go figure!

There are these really wacky exercise parks set up around the city, in addition to regular play parks for kids. The exercise parks work on core strength, and stretching...however, I never, ever saw people on the equipment except for us each time we saw them. Great idea, but maybe hasn't caught on? Maybe more popular with tourists?


When we went to see the roman aqueduct in Istanbul (um, might I interject here that it was built in the late 4th century, and is still standing!), we were hoping to find an access point to the top, as we thought we saw a stairway on one site (no luck, by the way), but the most curious thing happened. Ian came running to tell me that I had to come see what he had found- someone was making earth bricks, and they were drying in the sun. On the way over to see them, we happened upon an elderly man who had guns, and at first we thought he was selling guns & earth bricks...but within a few seconds, we looked over at the base of the majestic aqueduct, and there were bottles, cigarettes and cans set up. This man had BB guns, and for 5 liras, you could pop some shots at the bottles set up by the wall. Isaac took a few shots, and he was surprisingly good at it!



What a weird thing to come across, I have to say. I was quite excited by the earth bricks, although I couldn't find anyone to tell me what they were for. I found bags of clay sitting under one of the arches, all bagged up.


We have found a few fairly wacky art galleries, each with their own flavour and theme. It was fun to breeze through them, but you have to be firm about what you do and don't want to do.


One of the funniest things that has happened several times to me is the men doing shoeshines try to convince me to come and get a shoeshine- my boots are incredibly beyond shining. But some of them kept trying!

These boots are made for walkin'- not shining!

Maybe I should replace my boots with a pair of these? Don't look ideal for trekking across cobblestone streets...

There is an incredible number of cats in the city- seriously, everywhere you look, there are stray cats. And they're not wimpy cats either, they are well cared for. When we asked about it, Elif said Turkish people love their cats & dogs- and there aren't any rats in the city due to the large cat population. I have to wonder how this has affected their bird population, but nonetheless, that's how it is. And apparently, the government collects the stray dogs, fix them, and then tag them and set them loose in the city, thus controlling population. There were 4 stray dogs roaming around the palace grounds the other day, free to romp around at their leisure. You see bowls & plates of food set out all over the city, so these animals  are definitely being fed. Isaac counted 29 cats in one tiny park square yesterday!

Prior to entering the mosques for prayer, men wash their feet at the outside fountains. It is getting chilly for outdoor washing! We remove our shoes before entering mosques, and women are asked to put on a headscarf.

So, on this sunny wonderful day, I'm going to head out and enjoy my last stroll around the city, in this beautifully clean city (garbage collection, and recycling and sorting happen quite regularly here!).