This was a busy day of preparations for the Klasik Keyifler Chamber Music Concerts Project http://www.klasikkeyifler.org, begins this Saturday. Husam took an early morning flight down to Cappadocia to get permissions to perform in Turkish historical sites. This turned out to be a very long day for him, traveling back and forth between local and state government offices. Later in the day, we learned his efforts paid off.
The opening event for the 2009 summer project takes place this Saturday at Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi) in Istanbul. Ellen, Doris and I will hold master classes for string students of university of fine in arts (in Istanbul). Akemi will join us later, due to a previous engagement back in the United States and after she joins the Audubon Quartet, we will give concerts in Cappadocia, Sirinçe and Bodrum.
A few hours after Husam's morning departure, Ellen, Doris and I hurried to catch a Bosporus ferry from Çengelköy to Kabatas. Taking every opportunity to make errand-running a sightseeing event, Ellen took us to Taksim Square, a busy intersection of modern-day Istanbul life, with all the hustle and bustle one would expect from a large city of more than 12 million people. When Doris left with her parents in 1959, the population of Istanbul was a modest 1.5 million habitants.
Speaking of Doris’ parents, we were excited to visit Taksim, because this is the location of the Mamara Hotel and Casino, one of the places Doris’ father played piano during the family’s 11–years tenure in Turkey. None of the current hotel staff had recollections of the casino from those bygone days, probably because a new hotel was family in the 70s. Failing to make any substantial discovery, by retracing Doris’ roots in Istanbul, we decided to have lunch at a bistro on the street outside the Marmara Hotal. Ellen excused herself, leaving Doris and me to eat alone, while she ran to a nearby photocopy place, to print posters for the Klasik Keyifler Chamber Music Concerts Project, which begins on Saturday.
After Ellen returned to join us, we took a nice long walk through the crowded streets of the Taksim shopping district, veering down cobblestone streets, lured by the sights and smells of connecting open-air markets and street cafes. Later that same afternoon, we took an elevator-ride to a breathtaking panorama view of Istanbul from the top floor of the 360 Restaurant, post-modern, degenerate, trendy bar/club, catering to a newly rich, upwardly mobile, jet-setting clientele, and tourists who simply want to “check out” the view.
From our eagle's perch, we could see the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese (Italians) in 1348, the entrance to the Bosporus from the Sea of Marmara and the old city of Istanbul, with the Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque clearly visible.
We really wanted to visit the Galata Tower, but by the time we left the 360 and made our way on foot, the museum had closed for the day. Down the street was another hotel where we thought Doris’ father might have worked, while in Turkey. It was an older establishment and we were happy that the stairs took up to a restaurant at the top floor. Even though it did not offer the same spectacular view we had just experienced, we were treated to stunning sunset in the western sky over Istanbul.
Not daring waste this special moment, we decided to have a pastry and tea before starting our trek to the ferry, but before we could order, the muzak from the restaurant loudspeakers stopped and we were "treated" to the sunset installment (Maghrib) of the call to prayer. Minarets are everywhere! There are around 3000 mosques in Istanbul, of which 600 of them belong to the Ottoman period. Of these 600, most were built between the years 1850-1900.
Exhausted from a busy day and wanted to time our return back to the villa, to meet Husam, we opted to take a taxi over the bridge back to Çengelköy, about a 20-minute ride at that time of night.
We arrived before Husam, so we had time to set out a light dinner of salad, bread, cheese and wine, and naturally, we planned to sooth our aching muscles with a wee bit of Raki…
…Sweet dreams!
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