My Home exchange Neighborhood in Istanbul, Cevezli
AlteCocker was really lucky to get a home exchange in Istanbul--anywhere. There aren't a lot of Turks in the home exchange directories and most of the homes are beach places. Some people try to exchange their beach homes off season under the mistaken impression exchangers will be interested in exchanging off season. Duh. Certain times of the year are popular because the weather is nice. No one wants the beach in winter for an exchange. The weather is chilly and everything is closed. If you can't rent your beach house, you probably can't exchange it then--for all the same reasons.
When you remove the beach houses from the Turkey listings, you end up with not much. So, if you want an exchange, you can't get picky. I was glad to get an exchange anywhere near Istanbul. Well, it was an hour commute to the historical stuff on the European side no matter how I did it. The commute generally involved a dolmus, a sort of mini bus that goes along prescribed routes and stops if you hail it or a longer walk to the train station and a train to the Haydarapasa ferry terminal where you pick up the ferry across the Bosporus. The ferries run all the time. The first time or two it is exciting as you stand on the ferry to watch the scenery go by--great views of Topkapi Palace. After a few times through, however, it becomes another commute.
So, one day I decided to just take photos around the neighborhood. Compared to downtown, it was conservative, with lots of women wearing the hijab and those Muslim raincoats over their clothes for modesty. It was Ramadan (called "Ramazan" in Turkish) and I was careful not to eat in the street until after the mosque announced the end of the fast at night. At about 2:00am a guy banging on a drum would come around and wake everyone up to warn them to eat before the fast commenced again. I could have lived without that for sure, but, new place, new customs.
Ramadan/Ramazan is not a season of deprivation. Turks may fast during the day, but at night it is party time. One evening I came home from Istanbul and the main street was absolutely covered with tables. Apparently all Istanbul neighborhoods have communal Iftar (the evening meal at the end of the daily fast). The local mosque simply tells a well healed guy he is paying for it and that's that. I was even invited to have a seat and a free meal, but I did not feel comfortable joining in since I was not fasting--although a couple of people told me it did not matter. Instead I took photos.
AlteCocker's photos of Cevezli are below.
When you remove the beach houses from the Turkey listings, you end up with not much. So, if you want an exchange, you can't get picky. I was glad to get an exchange anywhere near Istanbul. Well, it was an hour commute to the historical stuff on the European side no matter how I did it. The commute generally involved a dolmus, a sort of mini bus that goes along prescribed routes and stops if you hail it or a longer walk to the train station and a train to the Haydarapasa ferry terminal where you pick up the ferry across the Bosporus. The ferries run all the time. The first time or two it is exciting as you stand on the ferry to watch the scenery go by--great views of Topkapi Palace. After a few times through, however, it becomes another commute.
So, one day I decided to just take photos around the neighborhood. Compared to downtown, it was conservative, with lots of women wearing the hijab and those Muslim raincoats over their clothes for modesty. It was Ramadan (called "Ramazan" in Turkish) and I was careful not to eat in the street until after the mosque announced the end of the fast at night. At about 2:00am a guy banging on a drum would come around and wake everyone up to warn them to eat before the fast commenced again. I could have lived without that for sure, but, new place, new customs.
Ramadan/Ramazan is not a season of deprivation. Turks may fast during the day, but at night it is party time. One evening I came home from Istanbul and the main street was absolutely covered with tables. Apparently all Istanbul neighborhoods have communal Iftar (the evening meal at the end of the daily fast). The local mosque simply tells a well healed guy he is paying for it and that's that. I was even invited to have a seat and a free meal, but I did not feel comfortable joining in since I was not fasting--although a couple of people told me it did not matter. Instead I took photos.
AlteCocker's photos of Cevezli are below.