Just came back from Istanbul. I was there on an organized trip with other architecture students and professors from my university, mostly to devour the magnificent byzantine and ottoman architecture. However, I managed to squeeze in some shopping and cat petting. In fact, I made some cat-connected observations: First, you have to know that everything is an organized chaos in Turkey. The cars are driven by stunt men, really. They almost crush or run you over about every other minute, and despite that, nobody argues or shouts or gets angry. So, to get back to the cat thing, they say you can tell how civilized a culture is by the way they treat animals and the elderly. And let me tell you, I would love to be a cat in Turkey. Nobody harasses them, they can sit everywhere they want and I don't think a saw any run-over cats (very sad), like in Greece. So, in almost all archaeological sites, palaces, old churches and camis we visited, there was a house cat, or more, browsing inside or lounging outside. I couldn't resist some cheesy cat photos. Below are the Chora church/Kariye museum cat, the Topkapi palace cat, the Agia Sophia cat and the Grand Bazaar cat.
That last one on the sofa of the out-of-this-world little tea shop just outside the Grand Bazaar covered market, also had little kittens. Say "awwwww" with me now.
"How much for the pashmina, sir? Ok, if you throw in the cat, we have a deal."
