ZumbadorCats spotted on our last walk in Istanbul, from Reșitpașa to İstinye.
Some more things that caught my eye in İstinye this morning on our last walk.
We're flying out this afternoon. Will be home in Cape Town by this time tomorrow.
I thought I was done writing about street cats, but last night this young mother cat came into the garden and placed her five kittens inside a vertical pipe.
My brother in law was worried that they wouldn't be able to get out again so he removed them from the pipe and provided an alternative shelter (the crate in the background.)
The neighbours around here have an informal system of looking after the cats, giving them food and veterinary care. But some people are resistant to the idea of neutering the animals.
With some subterfuge and diplomacy these cats might be lucky enough to get neutered. I do hope so.
#ThingsIsawTurkey #Turkey #Istanbul #cats #CatsOfMastodon #CatsOfIstanbul
I've been resisting buying too much tourist stuff, but now I look at my meagre evil eye collection and I regret not buying some more.
Especially the soft toy evil eyes shaped like plump pink-and-mint-green unicorns 😭
🧿🦄🧿🦄🧿🦄🧿
Saying goodbye to PJ, my favourite Istanbul street cat. (We're leaving tomorrow)
I need to pack my stuff but he's fallen asleep in my lap.
Things I saw:
A crow eating a pistachio in the forecourt of the Blue Mosque.
An old man, hands full of red peppers, looking wistfully at some discarded irrigation pipes.
A big plastic bottle full of live leeches.
A worrying plume of smoke that turned out to be a cloud.
A group of women in black niqabs sitting on the side of a ferry boat, feet swinging over the water.
A small bucket full of live fish being hoisted, suddenly, out of sight to the bridge above me.
Got to see the Hagia Sophia at last.
I must admit my enjoyment was overshadowed by the fact that the ancient building has been designated an active mosque again for political reasons by the conservative, nationalist government.
Non Muslims can only visit the upper galleries, and a lot of the byzantine artwork has been hidden behind screens, as its not deemed appropriate for a mosque.
The space doesn't look as if it's being looked after, with wires dangling across walls, and clumsily installed network cables.
But the building itself has so much presence. Brendon did a beautiful drawing of its exterior.
Today's street cat:
This one caught my eye, relaxing on the stairs of an insanely crowded underpass in Eminönü. Every now and then a passer by would reach down to stroke its head.
The photo doesn't really capture how crowded the space was. The cat was lying in this tiny island of not-being-stepped-on like it had its own forcefield.
#CatsOfIstanbul #cats #CatsOfMastodon #ThingsIsawTurkey #Istanbul
Definitely sleeping on the balcony again tonight, although the call to prayer is way, way louder when you're out of doors, and can't be ignored at 3:30 am 😅
Back in Istanbul. We're sleeping outside on the balcony tonight, nothing between us and the sky but the branches of a greengage tree.
It's too hot to be indoors, but it's lovely and cool out here. I can hear music playing, people talking, distant traffic, the muttering of the seagulls on the roof opposite us as they watch over their chicks.
The problems of the world can wait for a while. Look after yourselves, friends.