Visiting Istanbul: Everwalk the Words

“I want to continue. I want to wander. Let me fall in love with another part of the world, another place I’ve walked so my heart is a thousand scattered pieces pulsing in a thousand splendid lands.” – OS

Past a Fright

During my previous night in Izmir, I found myself in an untenable lodging situation with a combination of drugs and requests for excessive payments being mainstays for the story.

To be honest, I hardly even mind events like this. They make good stories. But it meant that my return to Istanbul started early. I awoke from a hastily set-up campsite at Mount Spil and started the long drive north.

I kept myself motivated with a combination of upbeat music and a concerning amount of coffee. Gradually, I made my way towards Turkey’s largest city, eventually checking into Cityloft 81 Hotel. While the hotel interior itself was fairly nice (and had a resident cat), my room wasn’t ready during my check in time, the internet didn’t work for the first few hours I was there and I was put into a smoking room despite my protests.

I’m not saying it’s a bad hotel. It’s fine. But I wouldn’t jump to recommend it to anyone.

That evening, I contacted all of my friends locally based in Istanbul. I considered going out for the night, but exhaustion had finally slammed into me full force. In a mere dozen days, I had arrived in Istanbul from Saudi Arabia, rented a car and completed a massive exploration loop which included Izmit, Bursa, Izmir, Fethiye, Xanthos, Kaş, Demre, Olympos, Antalya, Denizli and finally Izmir again. All of this was interspaced with ruin exploration, mountain hikes, ocean swimming sessions, late night conversations with locals, catching up with old friends, plenty of unhealthy snacks and historical lessons.

It was fair to say that my energy had vanished. I had racked up a whopping 2,200 driven kilometers in a single vacation.

So when the sun set, so did I.

The Rental Return

The following morning, I awoke early to return my car to the rental agency. I had placed a daunting number of miles on my rental vehicle, but the agency didn’t seem to mind. They quickly drove me to my requested destination, a metro station to the south. I was back to my old travel methods, relying on public transit for my last full day in Istanbul.

I took the metro to the center of the city, eventually veering to Çukurcuma to visit a very special museum I’ve wanted to see for some time now.

A Notable Cafe

Once I arrived at my chosen destination, I settled in at Cafe Note where a cat with it’s tongue sticking out closed its eyes as I pet it. I was awaited my friend Nancy, whom I know from my time in University.

During a previous visit to town, Nancy and I were speaking about books. She bought me a lovely gift; The Museum of Innocence a stellar love novel by Orhan Pamuk. I started reading the book once I’d returned to Saudi Arabia, devouring the stellar story greedily.

I enjoyed it more than I expected. The prose is lovely and the transitions are smooth. The historical events lend the story a facet of credibility that makes it all the more sorrowful, hopeful and potent. The tale is set in Istanbul between the years 1975 and 1984. It relays an account of the remarkable and complex love story between a wealthy businessman, the love-torn Kemal, and a poorer distant relative of his, a young beauty named Füsun.

The book is beloved, especially in Istanbul. It has such renown that there is a recreation of the museum mentioned in the book. Actual people can visit the fictional renovated home of Füsun’s family. Furthermore, those who enter with the book will see a ticket embedded in the text. This ticket, which is stamped with the image of a butterfly earing, grants free entry into the museum

I asked Nancy to join me in the museum, as she has also read the book years ago. There is nobody I would rather spend my day with in Istanbul aside from her.

However, when Nancy initially arrived, we didn’t immediately go to the museum. Instead, we seated ourselves outside and talked quietly among cats about life in general. It’s quite impossible to describe Nancy accurately to those who haven’t met her. So I tend to fall back on adjectives. She is a lovely human, a deft conversationalist, an insightful woman and an unmatched delight.

Some people brighten the world. Some people become the world and render themselves bright. Nancy is somehow both.

The Museum of Innocence

Eventually, Nancy and I attended the museum. I grew almost painfully enthusiastic as we walked around, my copy of the book tucked under my arm. The museum is meticulously curated. There are glass cabinets with handsome wooden exteriors that showcase items that correlate to events throughout the story.

Better still, these items are labeled. Not with plaques, but instead numbers, describing what chapter they’re referring to. Visitors can browse the museum in linear event order, allowing for a reminder of the tales embedded within each object.

It’s a completely unique experience that I enjoyed immensely from beginning to end. I cannot possibly overstate how much joy I found in finding a recently-beloved book come to life in such a tangible way. There is also a display of the author’s notes at the topmost level of the museum, showcasing thick, wrinkled notebooks with endless scribbles gradually building the masterwork together. Another completely unique feature was the wall of endless cigarette butts, each one carefully pinned in place, the date of it’s use written meticulously beneath, all showcasing the emotional smoking habits of the fictional character and beloved woman Füsun.

After Nancy and I finished the museum, we briefly explored the gift shop and exited, where I was free to vocalize my building enthusiasm with much more (unnecessary but enjoyable) volume.

The Antique Feast

After our time at the museum, Nancy and I stopped at a unique eatery; an antique-shop-cafe combination. I believe it’s called Çukurcuma Antiques & Cafe, but the sign out front also said Antikaci Muzaffer 1970. I’m not sure of the actual name.

Regardless, Nancy and I settled in from a rather heavy meal of meatballs, chicken and grilled vegetables. Then, we walked back to the metro station at the top of the hill, where I passed over a small gift from Bursa, blueberry syrup extract.

With that, we said farewell and I went back to wandering Istanbul on foot, as is my deepest nature.

I’d probably be happy if the world was simply comprised of walking from place to place.

Farewell Blossoms

Over the next six hours, I would walk. I would walk down the hills and busy streets. I would walk out to the water’s edge and walk over the Atatürk Bridge. I would walk past parks of bright blooming flowers, past tea shops were old men played board games, past the delightfully French Noir Pit coffeehouse, past vibrant blue posters with rolling ships, into the traditional soft-drinks mixologist shop of Sevda Gazozcusu, under purple hanging flowers, past old aqueducts and finally to the metro.

I returned to my hotel where my backpack was being held. Shouldering it, I eventually reached the bookshop-cafe combo Penguen Kitabevi İçerenköy. From here, I caught a bus and then a final metro back to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, chatting with a group of Kurdish students studying in Ankara.

And so my time in Istanbul and Turkey ended.

Weight and Dread, Dread and Wait

Though I made it to the airport in a timely manner, I’m absolutely dreading the flight home. This is, to be frank, my final trip while I live in Saudi Arabia. I’ve quit my lackluster job and I leave the country at the end of this month.

I’m aggressively ready to depart the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Even now, as I write this while seated at an expensive airport cafe, I have no wish to return to my pointless job.

But realistically, I shouldn’t complain. In a mere twelve days, I’ve gone on a vacation most people don’t get to enjoy in an entire lifetime. Within the past two weeks, I’ve visited ancient Lycian tombs, attended prominent Christian pilgrimage sites, reconnected with old friends, slept under skies scattered with stars, swam in seas of unyielding blue, sang while climbing up mountains, walked where historic legends made their marks on humanity’s collective story, ate pristine foods, lived out a favorite book, spotted mythical ever-burning mountain fire-vents, climbed hills of layered thermal chemicals, soaked in traditional massage spas, dined with lovely new acquaintances, dreamed on beaches, pet plenty of cats and immersed myself in a part of the world I’ve scarcely heard of before this.

Perhaps I need perspective and graciousness more than anything else. Soon, I’ll be embarking on another impossibly colorful chapter in life.

So until then,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written April 16th, 2024

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