Random istanbul things

Shopping for Dad’s Beer

I had a good time making fun of my dad for his daily trip to the supermarket across the street to buy cheap Turkish beer. I alternated between bemoaning the fact that he was spending our entire travel budget on alcohol and demanding that I be allowed to be a Turkish apple tea whenever he went off for his beer. For whatever reason though on our last night in town I agreed to go buy his beer for him – I think he was just finishing his book and I took pity on him. The supermarket had sadly just closed (it was 10:05) so I came back to ask the front desk where else to head. He directed me down the street but I came back again, unsuccessful. He was highly agitated on my behalf, apparently not used to having his clients going shopping late at night and gave me painfully long directs in painfully unclear English. This time I found it… but when I asked for the beer the guy literally laughed in my face. There I was, a woman, asking for beer after 10pm – this seemed to be the funniest thing to happen to him in a long while. So I returned, tail between my legs, to the agitated hotel staff, several of whom literally got to their feet in expectation when I walked through the door (I wonder what they thought I was shopping for?).

Bosphorus Part One!

Definitely one of the coolest things we did in Istanbul. We rode a public ferry populated almost exclusively by other tourists also looking to see the Bosphorus almost all the way to the Black Sea! For history/mythology nerds like my dad and myself it was heavenly. Jason and the Argonauts sailed through here! The meeting point of the Bosphorus and the Black Sea is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable shipping thoroughfares in the world. As if to prove the point the clouds opened up as we approached our final port along the Bosphorus. We had the chance to get off in Asia – dad’s first time on the continent!!! – and climb up to some castle ruins with spectacular views. Wandering around the Asian countryside and towns drove home the arbitrary nature of “continents”.

Bosphorus 2 and Fener

The Highly Present Waiters

On one of our last night in Istanbul my Dad and I took a wander to a non-touristy neighborhood near our hotel where we hadn’t yet dined. We hoped to find a cheap place where mostly locals eat. Well - we did have the opportunity to dine at very close proximity to locals…but those locals happened to be the owner and waiter at our restaurant. Initially one of the Highly Present Waiters (HPWs) paced the marvelously gaudy restaurant with a stern look on his face. We figured the HPW would disperse after we ordered. We were mistaken. He situated himself at the table not three feet away and proceeded to brood, starring directly at us. At this point I became highly aware of the lack of music or, in fact, noise of any kind in the building. Dad and I sat starring at each other – stumbling through the first awkward silence of the trip. When he eventually we began to breath freely again but – don’t worry – he was shortly relieved by another HPW. This particular HPW alternated between starring out the window and starring me down. The whole HPW experience culminated with the owner of the restaurant dressing Dad and I in traditional Turkish headgear (think: Arabian nights) and taking pictures with us. It sounds like that could be a goofy frivolous activity but the HPW was dead serious about it. The HPWs were highly present till the end so I guess we got what we wished for: plenty of face time with local people.