Istanbul

December 24–26, 2010

Istanbul is an ideal city to live in. Not only is it diverse, picturesque, cosmopolitan and plentiful, it also appreciates the value of life’s simple joys. For example, they don’t suffocate bread in sealed plastic bags here. All the bakeries sell bread the old-fashioned way—laid out in the open.

Lush trees bow down over the roads, with a special sign warning drivers of this (see also Sydney).

The entire city is full of animal life. Hens and roosters run around in the courtyards.

There are tons of cats.

The cats pay no attention to the chickens.

The dogs pay no attention to the cats.

And all of them are procreating non-stop.

By the way, speaking of stops. They’re lovely in Istanbul.

I managed to locate their epicenter: the same company makes the stops, lamp posts and traffic lights.

The ISBAK company lot features both the posts.

And the traffic lights. A heavenly place.

Let’s enjoy the traffic lights set against the urban landscape.

For just a bit longer.

They love traffic lights here.

The center for monitoring traffic conditions and congestion in the city.

A traffic sign urges drivers to use tire chains during heavy snowfalls.

A “life-threatening danger” sign.

Trash dumpsters.

Payphones of one variety.

Another.

A third.

Destroyed houses fit in seamlessly among the inhabited ones.

The ruins don’t bother anyone, they’re just a part of the city’s unique charm.

It seems as though if you cleared all the crumbled buildings, new ones would immediately spring up in their place just for the sake of beauty.

Houses slated for demolition are bustling with life just the same.

There’s laundry drying everywhere.

This is what a place ideally suited for life should look like.

Maddening beauty.

It’s time to have a coffee for the road (like in Kiev or Lebanon).

And fly home, hoping to return in not too long.