Our second day in Istanbul, once again with Alper who is taking us on a street art tour in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. We’ve been in this general area when we visited Istanbul in 2015, but we went to the Tuesday flea market, which isn’t in the same area that Alper is taking us. It is a whole new experience!

But first – the port! Two more ships came in today – and overnight, they have expanded the dock area behind us and in front of us. All the walls are now up, completely blocking the waterfront from the buildings at the port. We are just fascinated! And so bummed we didn’t stay up – or get up early – to see it all happen. We’re hooked – Simon – you are right – this port is amazing!

Okay – so now on with the tour. We meet Alper at the fountain again, this time walking over to the ferry station on this side of the river and, as is now the norm, get there right in time to board. We love this guy! As Alper explains on the way, Kadikoy is a much more local area that had gotten fairly run down over the years. An art project was begun in 2014, where different artists painted murals on the buildings in an effort to revitalize the area. And boy, did it seem to work. This place is now a crazy bustling neighborhood. We start our walk right off the water front, and immediately begin to walk past all these great different murals – along with beautiful old buildings and these amazing ancient wooden houses still standing right up against newer (relatively speaking) concrete built multi-storied places.

All these murals tell a story – some we remember, some we don’t! But regardless, they are all so wonderful and fun to look at it – it doesn’t really matter to much their meaning. As this is also a snacking tour, In between the murals and the raindrops that have begun to make an appearance, we stop here and there for food. Our first stop is for coffee and cake at the wonderfully named Coffee Manifesto. Their slogan is “ask stupid questions.” Oh, we do love that!

Then, as the rain abates, we’re off for more fun art, including a stop at one of the city’s oldest wood fired bakeries – complete with the old guys sitting out front, in front of the wood pile, chewing the fat! Here we are treated to Simit, the Turkish version of a bagel. Basically a round piece of dough with sesame seeds which are so very good. And nowhere near as hard or chewy as the Polish version which can pull your teeth out!

Then we are heading off to see more murals, including the one on the side of the building that was created by multiple artists, all with their version of self-portraits. Along with buildings that are half rehabbed – a situation Alper says is fairly usual. The people who own one side of the building have kept it up and redone it, while the other side has just decayed. Many are for sale – and it is normally a hard sell because they need so much work and it is so expensive to complete.

Continuing on, we head back into the more populated part of town, passing a bell tower made by Zildjian the bell maker, the oldest instrument maker in the world. The company is now based in Massachusetts, moving to Quincy in 1928. They were most famous for the cymbals that they made. Next we stop so our personal photographer can snap some pictures of us in what he says is an iconic part of Kadikoy, then onto a cool mural using wire – from the front it almost looks like a pen and pencil drawing, but from the side you can see it is thick wire/cables that have been formed into this mural, before stopping for some passion fruit tea. Which is surprisingly good – says the non-tea drinker.

Moving on, we pass more and more incredible paintings, some funny – like the angry panda – some odd – the aliens abducting police cars by the Polish artist M city – some with a message – the Australian artist who painted people waiting for the rain with buckets, placing the mural around small bathroom windows (at the very top of the building) as a way to emphasize his discussion about the lack of water. And then there is Noah’s ark, but instead of live animals there are dead ones and stuffed animals, musical instruments and toys. I can’t remember the meaning of this one – but there was something symbolic.

The funny thing we also notice here is that there are only white and black and grey cars parked in the car park – and really when you look around, that is all there is anywhere (well, except for the one red car in the parking lot). Alper says that it is a statement about no more war – the colors are somber reflecting the people’s mood.

Walking through one of the more busy market areas, we get to stop at the pickle store for samples. Oh my. Can I just move in here? They have anything and everything you’d ever want or think of pickling – and it is all so good. We get a big plastic cup full of different things to try – the beets are fabulous and the brine is only salt and water. Just like the old-school way – if i have the nerve, I definitely want to try that when we get home!

Off once again, through the market and out into the streets for more murals – some in plain sight, some hidden between buildings before stopping for lunch at Ciya, a traditional mezes restaurant featured on a show called ‘The Chef’s Table’ on Netflix.

it is another feast that Alpert picks for us – excellent Naan bread that comes hot from the oven, all poofed up and filled with air until we prick it and it deflates, ladies’ thighs (thick oblong shaped meatballs), smoked bulger, lamb shank, Cherry Gall (cherries, meatballs, tomatoes and spices), and fried zucchini. So yummy!

Sadly, after our meal it is time to go back to the ferry and head to Galataport. We’ve had a wonderful two days with Alper. Needless to say, we adored him – a truly wonderful individual who loves to cook (yep, our kinda guy) and loves off beat different kinds of places that shows Turkey’s true culture. What could be wrong with that! We are so happy we found him. 

Back aboard, we spend our evening between the balcony and dinner – heading back for the sunset and our sailaway for marvelous pictures of Istanbul in the dusk. Nice way to end 2 perfect days in Istanbul with Alper, who we now consider our new friend.