Christmas in Istanbul was a warm sunny14 degrees. Due to the mix of religions and cultures here, it was just another day for most people. We took two subway trains and went to the largest mall that I have ever seen.....in fact, after the day, I still did not see half of the shops and events. Boxing day was for relaxing and doing household things, so we did not meet that day.
Today, we went to the Galata Tower which is 675 years old, and extremely well maintained. We again took two subway trains, and then walked about five minutes. We went to the top, after stopping along the way to take photos. There were very few people there, as it was just after opening.
For this post, I am going to give you some information as to what it is like here in this city of around 15 million. Firstly, English is not a common language here. In fact, it is the least spoken language of any country I have visited. Arabic and Turkish are the predominant languages, although many do not speak Arabic. My friend speaks Arabic and English, so we manage quite well. When I was in Southern Turkey in 2012, I found many more people using the English language, perhaps because of more tourists, and less dense population.
I would estimate that about half of the citizens are smokers...both ladies and men. Restaurants have outdoor smoking areas, and most have a supply of the famous Hooka pipe. There are cats every where....bus shelters and outside shops, and many people bring them food so they do very well. The city is well served with subways and buses, but while all buses carry their route number, not one bus stop/shelter has the number of the buses that stop there. Wheel chairs are never seen....the streets and sidewalks are impossible for travel....holes, no ramps, etc. Motor cycles run on sidewalks when they want, and, when walking, the "walk" signal means that cars turning have the right of way over pedestrians. Police cars run with the red and blue light flashing all the time....this is also done in Asia.
Several evenings ago, while we were out walking, a lady in front of us fell backward....and I was able to grab her and prevent her from hitting her head on the curb. It appeared that she had tripped over her long untied shoe laces. My friend remarked ....."Don, you are always in the right place at the right time".....my response......"where ever I go, ladies fall for me". With that, I will close for today. Have a safe celebration...if you do celebrate, and have a great New Year/Don
No comments:
Post a Comment