1 October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi Apartment 53TL

We moved into our Istanbul apartment today and will be here for a month. It is in Haci Mimi in Beyoğlu north of the Golden Horn estuary on the European side of the Bosphorus. Our street is narrow and steep, filled with tall slender apartment blocks, one or two of which have been renovated. At the top end of the street is a Catholic church beside a mosque; at the bottom end an expensive coffee shop. Not far away are three or four small lokantas offering ready-made Turkish fare, the inevitable çay evis, a supermarket and a butchery. On our first day we met a resident Californian walking his dog, our Russian (Chechen) neighbour who runs a small hamam (Turkish bath) in his basement, and the old lady who feeds some of the many stray cats to be found roaming Istanbul. Our neighbours across the street wear the chador; while just 150m away is Istiklal Street where all of Istanbul meets to eat, drink, shop and party. So excited to be here...

Haci Mimi - Istanbul