It has occurred to me that, while I walk them frequently, I have never photographed my neighborhood. While I am now in the holding pattern of the overcast and ofttimes grey Istanbul winter, I did go out a few months ago and get some of it on film.
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| Yeni Çarşı Cd. |
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| Yeni Çarşı Cd. |
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| Istiklal Cd. |
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| Istiklal Cd. |
I headed up Yeni Çarşı to Istiklal. I've written before about the steepness of my street so, as much as Istiklal is in my top five 'Things I Hate about Istanbul', it's always a bit of a relief to reach it! On this particular day I was specifically planning to photograph some of the many churches on and around Istiklal and the first one I came to was Saint Anthony, the largest Roman Catholic church in the city.
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
I hear Saint Anthony's bells from my apartment every day. I always know it's noon because the bells ring a song that is always the recessional at my Sunday Mass. I attend the smaller and, in my opinion, far prettier Santa Maria Draperis Franciscan Catholic church farther down on Istiklal. It's a little 'hidden' as the gate is relatively modern and the church is down a few flights of stairs from street level; so you don't see it right away.
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
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| Saint Anthony Catholic |
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| Santa Maria Draperis Catholic |
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| Santa Maria Draperis Catholic |
I sing the Responsorial response Psalms on Sunday now. Every week it's terrifying. My priest asked me in late November or early December if I would mind doing this but of course I couldn't start on a normal Sunday when attendance is maybe 10 people. I started Christmas Eve which was not only standing room only but with more than the average tourists wandering in and out.
It did not go well.
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| Asmali Mescit Cd. |
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| Asmali Mescit Cd. |
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| Asmali Mescit Cd. |
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| Mesrutiyet Cd. |
Because I deeply dislike Istiklal, I often use Mesrutiyet as an alternative route from Tunel to my street. It's a charming street in its own right, lined with cafes and restaurants (including my favorite Thai place - Pera Thai, and a specialty delicatessen); and bonus, a fraction of the foot traffic on Istiklal. Asmali Mescit is similarly packed with restaurants and bars and it's fun to get lost back there exploring them all.
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| Mesrutiyet Cd. |
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| Mesrutiyet Cd. |
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| Mesrutiyet Cd. |
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| Galip Dede Cd |
Galip Dede is the street that leads off Istiklal down to the famous Galata Tower and is home to my favorite Turkish towel and soap shop, Home Spa, and my new favorite jewelry shop...which name I unfortunately don't remember.
Galip Dede is also pretty heavily traffic but thankfully it's a little emptier on Sunday mornings. Last Sunday the weather was so nice I didn't need to wear leggings under my skirt for church. Unfortunately, I failed to take into account the especially high winds that day and had my own Marilyn Monroe moment.
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| Galata Kulesi |
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| Galata Kulesi Sk. |
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| Saints Peter and Paul Catholic |
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| Istiklal Cd. |
Past the Galata Tower is yet another Catholic church, Saints Peter and Paul. And despite the fact that I showed up when it was supposed to be open and hung around for half an hour, it never did open. So all I managed was a picture of the gate door. I had not intended to take pictures of only the Catholic churches that day, but I lost my way trying to find the Crimean church and there was something going on at the Armenian church. Another day then.
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| Balik Pazar-Istiklal Cd. |
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| Balik Pazar-Istiklal Cd. |
My next time out I'll try the other end of Istiklal, the passages running off it, and its churches-specially the big Greek Orthodox church at Taksim.
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