Listen to the City

In one of his poems, the Turkish poet Orhan Veli said:

I'm listening to Istanbul,
With my eyes closed...

Today, after spending the whole day out on the streets of Istanbul, I finally understand what he means in this famous poem and what drove him to write all what he has written on Istanbul and its beauties.

My day started with a 'dolmus' (small busses) ride, to the European side, to Taksim Meydani, which was followed by a tramway ride down Istiklal Street, one of Istanbul's most popular shopping streets. Later, we took the 'tunnel', one other form of transportation in Istanbul, to the Karakoy Port, and got on a boat, 'vapur', to get back to the Anatolian side. After participating at the One Billion Rising event at Haydarpasa Train Station, we got on a train and came back home.

And through out this journey, over and under Istanbul, my ears had a delightful time. The dolmus hissing and humming on its way over the Bosphorus Bridge, the bells of the old, antique and rusty, yet perfectly functioning tiny tramway and its gentle touch on the rails, the somewhat sinister and creepy drone of the 'tunnel', slithering inside the old, stone tunnels, and the 'vapur'... How wonderful was the boat trip! For citizens of Ankara (and I think it's necessary here to point out that there is no sea in Ankara), floating on a pool of water is enough to make them happy, but to ride across the Bosphorus, with remarkable and postcard-landmarks all around you, with the sheer screams of the white, free seagulls and the blunt, dry honk of the boat, as if trying to make up to the wetness of the sea, is something truly special and is like nothing else. Finally, the tickity-tack of the train, as it slides gracefully over the now a little bit outdated tracks which once witnessed wars, revolutions, and a new government being built, caressed my ears, making me forget my tiredness, and looking back at the big day I left behind, making me realize again what all of the artists, tourists, the residents, adore and see in Istanbul.

So, listen to the city, listen to what it has to say, because listening to a city is the best way to understand it.