istanbul cats

Istanbul Diaries

Day 1

We arrive at the airport in Istanbul and stay in queue for passport check 45 minutes. It's hot and sweaty, and at least tree people jump in front of us in the line. The majority her seem to come from the middle east, and I for once feel like I could truly blend in. My mother jokes that I might be mistaken for a Turk, and I reply, that we should have taken with my dad. On the other hand, I know how much of a party-pooper he can be, so a part of me is happy that he isn't with us.

Due to her Austrian passport, my mum has to run back to buy Visa. I have to wait 15 minutes for her, and try to analyse the movie I watched on the plane (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty). This doesn't go to well, partly because my head feels heavy and dizzy, and partly because there really isn't that much too it. When we're finally outside, my aunt, who landed half an hour before us, is already waiting. We go outside and hail a cab. The drive to the hotel isn't long. Outside children are playing and pastel coloured houses line up between restaurants. The air is hot and sticky, and our driver seems to be set on a suicide mission, judging by the speed he's driving.

I already love the city.

Before we go to bed in the hotel, we visit the Bosphorus.

Day 2

Our hotel is located near the New Mosque. In a narrow alley we find an unnamed bazaar, one that seemed to have just "happened" one day. We are all ushered into the small streets by a line of tourists and turks. Merchants from both sides yell in turkish, occasionally English, and offer us all sorts of stuff. My mum buys my little brother a fez for 10 lire and we leave the bazaar exhausted but pulsating with energy at the same time.

After a pit stop in the hotel we visit the palace garden, and thereafter the Topkapi Palace. There's a cafe in the garden where we drink turkish tea, which I take with tons of sugar, and have the prettiest view.

We eat dinner in a restaurant where the waiter calls me princess and the music is way too loud. The food is crap but I love the atmosphere, and I love the people. The shop owners will do what they have to do to lure tourists inside and earn money. They are fully aware of their stereotypes, and use the fact to their advantage. 

Before heading to our temporary home, we visit a confectionery "Hafiz Mustafa" where we eat chocolate rice pudding and Baklava amongst turks. 

Day 3

It takes a while, but we finally find the blue Mosque. The line moves quicker than expected, and I hear familiar languages all around me. Istanbul seems to be a popular travel destination amongst Germans and Austrians, and I miss Austria a little. Soon we are inside, and I eavesdrop on a German tourist guide who explains the breathtaking arcitecture. As we are in a mosque, we are barefooted and the women wear hijabs. Growing up as a Christian, and where the muslim part of the family is very passive, I never thought I'd find myself in a situation to wear a hijab. I'm glad I am though, because the Blue Mosque is quite a view, where the sun shines playfully through the coloured glass windows.

Outside is so surreal afterwards, like stepping into another world, or returning from one. 

It is late afternoon and the Hagia Sofia is, to my aunts misfortune, already closed.

We then visit the Taksim Square, where I try to, without luck, hunt down a good international book store. I've read the book I bought, and want a quick, light read. Although I find nothing in my taste, unless I want to read Turkish (not an option) or German (not in the mood), I would have loved their selection here. The Young Adult and fantasy books are kept to a minimum, but their political, religious and women studies section offer a wide variety that I admire. 

The modern part of Istanbul keeps up the vibrant energy that I admire so much, but has all the elements you see in every city nowadays. We visit a Starbucks to use the restroom.

Afterwards we roam the streets of the Grand Bazaar with hundreds of thousands of tourists. 

"We're lost" my mother exclaims when we've taken the fourth left turn to another identical road. "We all are," a passing, German tourist laughs.

In the evening, we track down a restaurant my mum looked up on her iPad, to properly celebrate my aunts birthday. We don't find it, but end up somewhere else, top floor with a nice view. 

My aunt jokes that she's old and I'm lost in thoughts while they discuss all the things that suck about growing older. It doesn't surprise me that I grew up to hate myself and my body when I'm surrounded by this constant body negativity, but I've learnt to let i pass, and lately I don't seem to care. 

It's what I enjoy the most about being here, to be able to roam the streets carefree and experience without feeling bound and tied up. 

Day 4

Today is the day we do all the things we didn't manage the past days, my mum tells me in the morning. They inquire what I want to see, but I have managed to visit every program point. I know my mother wants to see the cisterns, so I say that I wouldn't mind, and off we go. It's more interesting than I'd expect, despite the tourist photos my mum and aunt insist on, and in the end I did find them quite funny. 

I am tired out when we let ourselves down on a bench in front of the Blue Mosque. For three days I have been using energy, and not once really tanked up. My aunt wants to visit the Hagia Sophia, but my mum and I don't feel like standing in line. So we split up, and the two of us go back to the grand Bazaar, where my mum wants to buy a pair of earrings she saw earlier. 

We get back, and together with my aunt we visit the Egyptian Bazaar, that is exactly like all the other bazaars, with slightly more tourists.

My tired mood doesn't help the we-are-slightly-bored-and-very-sweaty situation, but I try to stay enthusiastic. After all, it is hard to be in a bad mood when colours, sounds and impressions are all around you. It should be illegal to be tired when travelling.

As a sort of compromise, after I beg to go back to the hotel so I can sleep a couple of days, we decide to go on a boat trip on the Bosphorus. It isn't hard to find a boat, just go near the water, and about hundred people will yell at you "BOAT TRIP ON THE BOSPHORUS ONLY 1/2/3/4 HOUR/S!! I CAN EXPLAIN". 

The trip on the boat is 1 and a half hours, and I have already had enough after 15 minutes. I guess I'm not a water person, but hey, at least I didn't puke.

Everything seems much more extreme, which is exciting and tiring. I don't I would have lasted more than these 3-4 days. The water is bluer, the sun is hotter and the people are louder. Although I must admit, that the Turks I saw where incredibly chill and relaxed. Despite how much I loved Istanbul, I could never see myself living there. But I can definitely see myself going back one day.

(I realise that this is a very long entry and that most of you will probably skip the text. I still hope you'll enjoy the pictures, though)

blonde

From left to right: Julie, Eva, Sarah, Josefine, Katja

(Planned post)

Jeg befinder mig, hvis alt er gået vel, lige nu i Istanbul. Disse billeder er taget af mine veninder i fredags, og selvom jeg overvejede at sætte et sort/hvid filter på, elsker jeg bare hvordan de ser ud i farve. 

If all went well, I am right now in Istanbul. I took these pictures last friday in school. Even though I considered setting them in black and white, I just love the way they look in colour.

The Little Mermaid

Elle Fanning // Mia Goth // Amandla Stenberg // Emilia Clarke // Allison Harvard // Abigail Breslin // Malaika Firth

Jeg kan slet ikke udtrykke hvor meget jeg glæder mig til Sofia Coppolas fortolkning af vores eventyr "Den Lille Havfrue"! Jeg elsker H.C Andersens eventyr, og jeg tror at Sofia Coppola kan lave den perfekte film, eftersom hun er et rent naturtalent med at balancere det smukke og æstetisk tiltrækkende, med de mere mørke og dystre aspekter. Jeg fuldt ud forventer noget a la "The Virgin Suicides" tilsat magi og havfruer. Som I kan se her har jeg samlet nogle skuespillerinder (og to modeller) som jeg kunne forestille mig i rollen som den lille havfrue. Jeg håber virkelig at hun (eller castingdirektøren) vælger nogen interessant og unik.

Udover det har jeg også virkelig brug for en interessant biografoplevelse, efter at have set Divergent (ikke at der var noget i vejen med filmen, eller at den var skuffende, men den var ret så uimponerede). Næste biografbesøg ender dog alligevel med at være Captain America 2, eftersom jeg aldrig kan få nok Scarlet Johansson (Ser også meget frem til hendes film "Lucy").

Looking really forward to Sofia Coppolas interpretation of the fairytale "The Little Mermaid", as I love H.C Andersen fairytales. Especially since she is flawless at combining beauty and darker aspects, á la "The Virgin Suicides". 

Here are some actresses (and two models) I deem fit for the lead, and I hope she choses someone unique and interesting. 

I really need a more interesting cinema experience soon, after having watched Divergent (nothing wrong with the movie, just very unimpressive). Next movie will probably be Captain America 2 anyway, 'cause I need me some Scarlett Johansson action (Looking forward to "Lucy"!).

shadow play on my wall

Gæt hvem der har fået nye briller! 

Som en del af mit kontaktlinseabonnement, var jeg i mandags ude at vælge et par nye briller. På trods af at de var gratis, kom der alligevel 500 kr. oveni, eftersom glasset jo også skal afhærdes osv. osv.

Jeg kunne allerede hente dem i går (hvilket jeg ikke nåede), hvilket vil sige at de var klar efter kun tre dage! Meget overraskende, eftersom jeg første gang jeg fik briller, skulle vente omkring to uger. 

I dag gennemførte jeg også den mundtlige del af det tyske sprogdiplom, DSD (Deutsches Sprach Diplom), og fik 24/24 point! Nu mangler jeg bare at få den skriftlige del tilbage, et tidsspunkt i maj, hvor jeg forhåbentligt også får at vide hvilket gymnasie jeg er kommet ind på.

Guess who got new glasses!

As a part of my contacts subscription I got these awesome pair of glasses! Even though they were free, I still paid about 500 kr., as the glass receives all kind of treatment. 

Today I also went through the verbal part of the german language diploma, DSD, and got 24/24 points! I will get the results of the writing part some time in may, where I will (hopefully) also get to know, in which Gymnasium I will continue next semester.

warming up

Top - Pieces//Jeans & Cardigan - H&M//Scarf - Glitter

Gudskelov for global opvarming! -Selvfølgeligt ikke virkeligt, men det er nu rart med lidt varmere vejr.

Nu hvor foråret nærmer sig, har jeg lyst til at gå med lysere farver -hvilket betyder jeg nok snart skal ud at shoppe. Det må desværre først blive efter jeg har fået min næste løn, eftersom jeg i løbet af denne uge har købt hele 7 bøger! En rekord for mit nærige hjerte.

Jeg har faktisk ret meget planlagt, og glæder mig til de næste par måneder, på trods af at 9. klasses eksamen lumrer om hjørnet.

Thank god for global warming! -Of course not really, but it is kinda nice with some warmer weather. 

Now where spring is nearing, I feel like wearing lighter colours -which means that I should probably go out shopping sometime soon. Sadly, it'll have to be after my next pay check, since I bought 7 books during this week! A record for my stingy heart. 

I've actually planned a lot of these next months, and I really look forward to it, even though exams are waiting for me at the end.

Movie recommendation: Dogtooth

From imdb: Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the über-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission. The father is the only family member who can leave the manicured lawns of their self-inflicted exile, earning their keep by managing a nearby factory, while the only outsider allowed on the premises is his colleague Christina, who is paid to relieve the son of his male urges. Tired of these dutiful acts of carnality, Christina disturbs the domestic balance.

Den græske film Dogtooth er et absurd drama. Plottet er ikke det stærkeste ved denne film, selvom jeg synes der er noget sjovt, på den lidt ude-af-verdenen måde, over det. Elskede dog det visuelle ved den og vil anbefale denne mærkelige film. Anbefales ikke til sarte seere.

The greek movie Dogtooth is an absurd drama. The plot isn't the strongest with this movie, even though I did find it funny in a sort of weird, out-of-this-world way. I did love the premise and the visuals of it though, and I would definitely recommend it. Not recommended for sensitive watchers.