Dec. 31, 2000

We'd been cooped up in the house most of the week because the Bayram holiday brought everyone to this area and the crowds were unbearable. The kids of the neighborhood set off endless fire crackers and it seemed like everyone was in the street.

Finally I suggested a possible escape. I've passed the region of Ayvansaray several times by car. It always looks empty even thought there are some beautiful old walls and the ruins of a palace there. We took the bus to Edirnekapi and got off at the last stop (The Edirne Gate- Edirnekapi). I had walked along the walls leading away from the Golden Horn with Kelleen and Michael when they were in town. That direction leads through a slum. It made me think of a book I read (was it The Color Purple) where there is a slum located behind a wall. It is as if the wall has a psychological effect on the community... It blocks the sun so you are always in shadow. It is a barrier to keep you from something... or you are barely within the border of society.... When the enemy attacks, you are dispensible... you can go first.

This time I led Roshan in the other direction. Along the outside of the walls there is a park with a tended lawn and a path. The walls and towers are in fairly good condition considering their age. They make an impressive line of stone. This section went by Tekfur palace. The outside walls of this palace are very well preserved. There are lovely stone designs and arches. We climbed up the walls and walked inside the remains of the second floor: a stony ledge which looked down upon the grassy ground floor. A few column bases remained poking out of the grass but the main feature were about a hundred blue and orange glue boxes. Apparently, glue is the drug of choice for those who can't afford anything stronger. Ironic and sad to think that the residents of this palace are a bunch of glue sniffers. Roshan pointed out where the grass was flattened. They must have all slept in one corner. We continued up to the outside wall of the palace. Here it was possible to climb onto a roof which had been reinforced with concrete. From this point we could see the Galata tower, Golden Horn and the walls stretching away from us.

We left the palace and continued along the walls to the Crooked Gate, which is the site of an Ottoman grave yard. Eventually we came to Ayvansaray, the location of the Blachernae Palace. This palace isn't in as good condition as the Tekfur. Just a few towers and the dungeon remain. On the outside of the walls there is a mosque. We walked around to the inside (more bedraggled buildings, including one that looked like it was being held together by strategically tied rags and plastic). A stairway rising from a small park leads onto the walls. We were able to look down inside the towers and into another Ottoman graveyard enclosed by the old palace walls. Next to the walls are the ruins of a dervish lodge. In this area there is also a church with a sacred fountain but it was closed. We walked back to the Golden Horn and followed the shore line. There are some parks with potential but in the summer, the stench of the Horn makes them fairly useless. We passed the remains of the old Galata Bridge. Roshan told me how it used to have all these bars on the underside including Kemanci (now located in Taksim). Then it caught on fire. Fortunately, they were in the process of finishing the new Galata Bridge and were able to move the old one out of the way and open the new one a couple weeks later. The new one actually has space for bars or shops but they have never been used, probably because of the fire. There is a rumour that the old one might be opened again as a bar and restaurant spot. From there, we caught a ferry back to Kasimpasa and walked up to Tarlabasi.