A Peek at Sarıyer and Koç University

On Monday, I went up to Koç University to take care of some administrative tasks (and received a new set to do!). This time the trip wasn't in a torrential rainfall, so it was possible to take some photos of the area and the campus. Here goes:

A couple street scenes near the Hacıosman Metro stop

 On the way to the university

 One of many impressive views from the campus

 Do you see the Bosphorus?

"Justice for Everyone" 

 Faculty housing

Kabataş / Kadıköy Ferry

In such a crowded, hectic megacity as Istanbul, the Bosphorus provides breathing space. Taking a ferry across is one of my favorite activities because it allows a wider perspective. Otherwise, it's much too easy to get stuck in the grimy details. (You could easily argue that I'm ignoring the grime of the Bosphorus waters... so be it.) Here are some views of the Bosphorus from the ferry and from the Kadıköy waterfront.

 But first, a little concert at the Kabataş pier

 Waiting to go!

 View from the Kadıköy waterfront

 On the return trip

Scene change: Gümüşsuyu

Tolga, Funda, and Ege moved back to their original home in Büyükçekmece and I moved to a room in Gümüşsuyu (which I found through Airbnb). The hosts (a young couple, Turkish and American) are quite welcoming; I happen to be their first Airbnb guest, so there are a few details to be figured out as we go. Strangely enough, we have common interests. Rumeysa is a journalist covering various art exhibitions and James is an newspaper editor and happens to be studying Ottoman history. Small world indeed.

This morning I got up pretty early to see friends, Phil and Courtney, from the UA for breakfast before they left Istanbul for Ankara and back to the U.S. Here we are with our huge meals:

Below are the streets of Gümüşsuyu

I made my way downhill to a tea garden on the Bosphorus, where I spent a couple hours (and started a new drawing).

Get that cruise ship out of my view!

After it turned, all the ferries rushed past.

I had wanted to visit the Museum of Innocence, but it was inexplicably closed this afternoon. I'll go back another day; in the meantime, here is a photo of the area. 

After this I stopped to buy ingredients to make kısır, somehow forgetting to buy a lemon, but I was too lazy to go back out again and get one. Yeah, that lazy.

A Little More Time in Cunda

After we returned from Lesvos, I stayed a couple more days with Alex on Cunda. He went to class from 9 to 3, and then we could hang out in the afternoon. On Monday after class, Alex and I took a little hike over a narrow section of the island to go swimming at a free beach. It was an especially hot day, so I was really ready for this swim! It was delightful--the water was warm (especially compared to my last swim in Lake Michigan) and the waves were gentle.

The next three photos are from the walk back

We had dinner at a spiffy place :)

Someone's watching me (get my salad)

 On Tuesday, I went up the hill again to the windmill that has a cafe and library

Oh yeah, the library must have been a church in the past

This dog was trying to catch the breeze

Later I treated myself to a Fredo Cappuccino; who knew it would be GIGANTIC

All good things must come to an end. On Tuesday night, I caught the bus back to Istanbul. Around four in the morning, it was time for the bus ferry and I took this photo of another ferry behind us.

I got back to the Asian side of Istanbul around 7am, took a shuttle to Kadıköy, and then another shuttle to Sabancı, and then collapsed at Tolga and Funda's apartment. Uff ya.