merchants and thieves

To the left of the Spice Bazaar stands a ramshackle animal market, which both disturbs and fascinates me. Sad creatures, mostly birds and bunnies, in cages too small for their bodies... but then there are the leech sellers and the thieving Laughing Doves. Seed merchants guard their abundant sacks with plastic scoops, with one eye out for any feathery intruders. The minute their attention is pulled toward a friend, customer, or çay glass, the doves descend.



They feast in a gluttonous frenzy, often immersing all but the tips of their tails into the seed sacks. When the plastic scoops start waving in their direction, accompanied by expletives, our little thieves casually fly to safety, where they watch in mockery for another chance to dine.

across the golden horn

He claimed he wasn't a dolmuş, but we paid this grey-moustached gentleman five lira to ferry us across the Golden Horn from Karaköy to Eminönü in his little red boat.

sketches, at last

Well my friends, here you go— sketches! I've been slowly sketching away from time to time, though not as often as I used to. Life has gotten in the way, as it can. I still have quite a few sketches from the Trabzon trip to share, and those will be coming soon, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these spreads.

One: the flight attendant with the very tight trousers, on the way to Antakya.
Two: some lovely finds in the Hatay Archaeological Museum.
Three: a woman in the butcher shop in Antakya, baklava in Istanbul.
Four: tile pattern in Rüstem Paşa Camii, and some Turkish coffee in Eminönü.
Five: man cleaning the floors of the Yeni Camii courtyard, glass of çay.
Six: lovers in the park in Sultanahmet, sheep and mosque in Karaağaç köy.

I suspect things won't calm down until I am on that flight to Kathmandu, which is coming up in a blink of an eye. In the shadow of the Stupa, I feel like I'll be able to breathe again.

by the golden horn

Hello, home.

near and far

the yeni camii, in two sketches

the yeni camii, in four photographs

As friends and fellow sketchers Lapin and Javier are in town, I've been spending my days in a fantastic frenzy of sketching and sight-seeing. One of our first stops was the Yeni Camii, or "New Mosque" which is as new as 1663, when its construction was completed. The Yeni Camii is that impressive, massive mosque in Eminönü, right next to the Spice Bazaar. This marvellous granite and marble structure is home to sixty-six domes and semi domes, two minarets and an enormous central dome with a ceiling of thirty-six meters in height. As you can imagine, it's not easy to draw.

the smell of olives, cumin and sea

eminönü stories

crossing the golden horn

Stretched lazily across the Golden Horn in its rusting cyan splendour, is the Galata Bridge.
The smell of fish and sea, the deep-throated laugh of a fisherman.

a monday in eminönü

one fish, two fish

Mmmm... delicious, fresh balık ekmek and warm, sweet lokma— a perfect treat for a mere five lira. If you have a hankering for grilled fish sandwiches, walk over to the foot of the Galata Bridge in Eminönü and order a balık ekmek (bah-luk ek-mek) from one of the men in embroidered vests standing by the bobbing grill boats. Once you've got your paper-wrapped sandwich, look for a seat under the tarps— you might have to share one of the Liliputian tables with some tourists or locals, no big deal. You'll all be so into your fish, it'll feel like you've known each other for years. Drizzle on lemon juice from the table's squeeze bottle, sprinkle on some salt, and dive in. There might be a bone or two, so be prepared, but don't let that ruin the experience.


Need some pickles? Those plastic cups of veggies in pinkish liquid gliding past on metal trays carried by swift-footed young men are pickled radishes, cabbages and possibly carrots. It's pickled and yummy, so who cares what it is, right?

How about dessert? Warm, sticky, syrupy lokma dusted with ground pistachio hits the spot. Lokma is a ball of fried dough reminiscent of a doughnut, but drowned in syrup. I highly recommend sharing these dangerously sweet treats— you might end up bouncing off to Asia from the sugar rush!

may fifteenth