kadıköy

I have been absent lately due to a rockin' freelance illustration project that I hope to share with you soon. It was loads of fun and I'm really pleased with the outcome. I had lunch with a friend today in the über-trendy Tünel area at Delicatessen— a fabulous café with delicious open-faced sandwiches (pecorino with quince and walnut jam!) and a divine breakfast. We did a quick tour of Tünel's sidewalk café packed tiny streets— I will have to be back in the next few days. I so badly want to sit at an outdoor table, have a snack and a lager and draw people all afternoon. When I go, I'll take some pictures of the beautiful old buildings and narrow streets— it's really a lovely area.


With a warm spring sun in the sky, I wanted to get on the tram to Kabataş and hop on a ferry. Any ferry, I didn't care— it was a perfect day for it. I took a wrong turn and ended up crossing the Golden Horn to Eminönü, where I accidentally boarded the ferry to Kadıköy on the Asian side. I had intended to take the Bosphorus tour boat, but I think I was so dazzled by the weather that I completely missed the big signs for Boğaz Turu, the Bosphorus Tour. As I was sitting on the boat looking at this ferry:


I realised I should have been on it instead. I considered jumping off to switch boats but it was too pretty a day for running and changing ferries. Plus, Kadıköy has a ton of art stores that I've been wanting to explore.


If you head straight up the hill when you get off the wharf in Kadıköy, you'll come across a network of little streets full of fish restaurants, bars, fish and vegetable stands, natural soap shops, charcuteries and— art stores. I bet it gets packed at night, and must be heaven in the summertime.