We joined the dozen or so Turkish fishermen as they cast their lines into the Bosphorus. The glaring, but welcoming sun made picture taking more difficult, but we still got several good photos.
I was getting tired of the rainy, gloomy days we�ve had lately; and they do not make for good sightseeing times with visitors.
Near the iskele, street cats and dogs were laying on wooden benches and the cold sidewalk soaking up the morning�s sunshine. I'm sure the animals also were waiting for some tasty bits to be tossed their way.
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| Three Turkish cats in Ortak�y enjoy the morning sun. |
Autumn/winter mornings in Ortak�y are quite different from the bustling tourist season. Now, it�s quiet. There�s no one to disturb you if you want to do some �gezmek-ing.�
Since our friend from D�sseldorf only had a few hours to spare that morning, Ortak�y proved to be the perfect location for a relaxing stroll and breakfast. And as we found out, the seashore is nearly deserted of females early in the morning. Or at least, it was on this day.
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| On the left, a Turkish man feeds the pigeons by hand in Ortak�y. |
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| A lone street dog chased through the flock of pigeons in Ortak�y. |
As I�ve mentioned before, Ortak�y is a charming neighborhood full of renovated old buildings that are home to caf�s, restaurants, artist galleries and handicraft shops. You can have a beer with a view of the Bosphorus Bridge, Starbucks coffee (huge newly, renovated building), delicious Turkish ravioli (manti) as well as a slightly fancy Turkish breakfast at The House Caf� (which is what we did).
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| The busy Bosphorus in the morning. |
Ortak�y is just one of many great places in Istanbul where you can watch the world go by whether you are with a guest or by yourself.
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| A cute black cat surrounded by Turkish evil eyes in Ortak�y. |
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| A rather plump street cat enjoying the sunshine and park bench in Ortak�y. |