Görüşürüz, Istanbul

Early last summer we returned to Turkey for the first time in just over ten years.

Before we arrived we wondered if Istanbul would inspire the same feelings it did the first time we visited in 1998 -- a curious mixture of displacement and centered-ness, strangeness and belonging, that inspired me to take up Turkish and return to Turkey with Dave the next year, and the next.

It did. And it still does. When a place fits, you know it. Just like that.

Görüşürüz, Istanbul. We'll be back. And we'll be looking for a way to make you a bigger part of our lives in the years ahead.

(In the meantime, stay tuned for some overdue posts from Istanbul, the Black Sea, and northern Anatolia.

Comments

[matt]

sounds like you guys are moving on again? westward bound?

[Robyn]

Matt, not at all! We're firmly rooted in Malaysia for the foreseeable future. More of the year spent in Turkey is our goal.

[Turkey's For Life]

Looking forward to your posts on Turkey...and will we be getting a new komşu? Quite possibly, it seems! :)
Julia

[Katy]

This may be a strange question - is this a fishing boat (for fishermen) or a boat for fishing (for recreation)? I don't know what the harbor 'looks like' - just hard for me to imagine in a busy, hustling harbor for commuters and tourists actually function as fishermen's territory. You know, bit like Hong Kong. My guess is the latter, cause you could hardly supply restaurants stock of fish using rods. Do they cook their fish at home? That would be cool!

[MaryAnne]

I love reading your Turkey posts. Although I've been living in Shanghai for the past two years, I'd spent the previous 6 years in Turkey (mostly Istanbul but with 2 years in Cappadocia) and I miss it like, well, an amputated limb or a friend I'd sadly lost touch with. It's good to see it again through your eyes.

[Josh Tuck]

I know exactly what you mean. One trip to Mexico was all it took for me. Welcome home! Can't wait to read more about your trip.

[Robyn]

Julie - a part-time komşu. That's the goal, eventually, anyway. ;-)

Katy - they are all recreational fishermen. I've never been into fishing so I can't quite understand the appeal of standing on the bridge casting a line but these guys are there everyday, day in and day out, no matter the weather! The Bosphorus is not a harbor like Hong Kong's but a strait -- the fish there are not as plentiful as they used to be but on some days these guys bring stuff in. But if you're a real fishing fanatic (or so I understand) whether or not you haul in a big catch is immaterial. ;-)

Mary Anne - thank you. That's a nice anology! I feel like that abt Turkey sometimes, even though we've never lived there. We have lived in Shanghai though and I honestly can't imagine trading the one for the other!

Thanks Josh!