Bulgaria...land of the cheap everything and funny writing...

I am sorry for the neglect of the blog in recent weeks, we had an influx of visitors and uni has been getting pretty busy... However we did make time for a weekend holiday to not-so-sunny Bulgaria! We visited the very pretty town of Burgas on the Black Sea Coast, although the weather wasn't as hot as we'd have liked we had a great time and it was a welcome break from the constant hub of Istanbul.

We stayed at a really cute hostel randomly owned by one of Bulgaria's most famous rappers who ran a studio and hostel together, everything was amazingly super cheap from beer to clothes and we even swam in the Black Sea! We met up with Sara's friend Damien who is Bulgarian but also goes to Newcastle Uni and he was our tour guide for the weekend..we had a couple of nights out and loved the cheap cocktails...however no one told me a Bulgarian double is a British quadruple...there was messy times and a very hungover morning. On the Sunday one of Damien's friends (also bizarrely a rapper...never have I met so many MCs!) was filming a video for one of his tracks in a town close by on the coast so we got a lift there and explored the town which was full of beautiful old red brick orthodox churches and quaint antique shops while they filmed at a local hospital, Sara had a starring role as a nurse which was hilarious to watch....the first steps on the ladder of fame...to star in a Bulgarian rap video!

Other than that we shopped and dined for extra cheap and on Monday braved the cold cold waters of the black sea for a refreshing dip I wont forget in a while! It was great to have a break and explore somewhere new that none of us had ever been but by Monday night we were all ready to return to the buzz of Istanbul, Burgas felt like a village in comparison!

The Travis Brothers in Istanbul..

A very belated blog post....

So I've just had a very lovely few days with James and Ben visiting, it was great to see them and I'll give you all a quick run down of what we got up to on their trip to the Bul!

They arrived on Monday and we met by the ferry port in Kadikoy then headed back to my flat for a chill out on the balcony and a walk by the sea, we bought food to cook in and went out for a beer in the evening with my housemates.

Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day so we got up and out in good time and caught the ferry to the other side of the city. We went to the Spice Bazaar first, tried lots of free turkish delight and had to smell umpteen types of tea that was offered by the stall holders! Then we visited the Grand Bazaar for a wander and grabbed kebab for lunch. The Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque were looking beautiful in the sunshine and the fountains were switched on and looked amazing. We went inside the Blue Mosque, we all had to take off our shoes and I had to wear a headscarf and a long skirt over my dress to be allowed in even though Ben was wearing shorts! It shows the difference between what is seen as acceptable dress for men and women, its much stricter for the girls! The boys seemed impressed by the sheer scale of the interior, it was the first time either of them had been in a mosque, the tranquility of it is really impressive. Afterwards we fancied a chill out so went for beer and shisha at a rooftop place I'd been to before that's all done up with lanterns and massive cushions, it's so comfy!

We went for a night out in the evening with my housemates and a Canadian guy who lives near us, had fun pre-drinking in the flat and dolmus and headed to Ritim Roof, a terrace club that I've been to a lot, it was pretty empty so we got a beer in and they gave us a free hazelnutty shot and snacks then we got dancing...it was amazing..we got a circle going on with one person showcasing their moves in the middle..then randomly the barman got us to stand back and poured alcohol on the floor and lit it! So we had a flaming dance floor in the middle of our circle, it was mint! Another group started dancing with us, we got the party started! We moved on to Araf, another rooftop club that had a live band playing, Ben was, ahem, slightly worse for wear and it was getting late so we headed back with obligatory takeaway kebab in hand..it was a great night though! The next morning was designated for recovery so we chilled out and had a morning around the flat then went to Kadikoy, a bustly port on the Asian side for a look around and to get something nice for dinner, we had very yummy spiced lamb kebab with a salsa salad and this special kind of bread that arrives filled with steam so it's puffed up and then deflates when you cut it! The waiter was really nice and gave us free samples of a special kind of juice and free thyme tea afterwards, we were all a bit knackered when we got back so just had an earlyish night. I had to head to uni on the Thursday morning but we met in the afternoon and got the boat to Taksim, a modern hub including a massive shopping street, we also went up Galata Tower which stands at 60 meters on a hilltop and has great 360 degree views of the city...the sheer scale of istanbul is immense, the city sprawls as far as you can see in every direction . In the evening we went for a yummy fish meal at a restaurant a short walk along the sea front from my apartment, we had fresh calamari, sole and red mullet yum yum yum!

Friday was unfortunately the last day of the boys' stay :( we visited Topkapi Palace during the day which was beautiful and offered great views of the Bosphorus as well as the biggest diamond I have ever seen! After a kebab we topped up on our local history at the archaeological museum and then ate chewy Turkish ice cream in a cafe overlooking the Spice Bazaar. Our final night all together called for some drinks so we got ready with my flatmates and went for big beers in Baba Alis then on to the reggae club for a boogie....James was wasted mwaha, there is pictoral evidence on facebook..please also take a look at the less drunken photos that accompany the content of this blog post! We had a great time all together and as far as I could tell the boys loved Istanbul!

First scraps of studio workings...

Having got my dissertation handed in I can finally start on some studio work. I'm continuing my sails work from Newcastle and for a start am experimenting with weaving my own fabric from materials I bought at a local market. I chose the fabrics for their colour which I felt evoked certain shades I'd seen in the city, particularly in the Spice Bazaar. At the moment I'm using chicken wire as a framework and am experimenting with creating texture by manipulating the fabrics in different ways throughout the weave.

I also had a steel frame made to begin working on a new sail sculpture, the frame takes the form of a minaret, a recognisable shape seen throughout the city's skyline that seemed a solid starting place for the sculpture work. Initially I've been wrapping the frame in fabric, building up layers, I particularly like the contrast of the decorative fabrics with the rusted industrial aesthetic of the steel. I will experiment further with the frame, hanging my woven piece from it and stretching material around it much like the piece I made in Newcastle...

Stumbling upon a women's rights march in Kadikoy...

So Yesterday was an eclectic one... I had planned to visit an area on the Asian side of the city called Uskudar with my friend Rosie, so we got the train to Haydarpasa and then when walking towards the port in Kadikoy came across a mass police presence, riot police with shields that looked well prepared for something big happening. We wondered whether it was something to do with a football game or something and stopped to have tea at a cafe near by to wait and see if anything developed.

About ten minutes later people started parading down the street, we could hear drumming and shouting and went to investigate, first thing that struck me was that the marchers were all women, of all ages, some were older in traditional dress and others were young students waving placards. They were split into distinct groups with their own colours and banners, it seemed like organised chaos..we gathered from their signs that some were marching for women's rights, others for sexual freedom and gay rights. Leading members of the groups were shouting into loud speakers, stirring the crowds to chant, others played drums and accordians creating a crazy rhythm. There was a kind of carnival atmosphere with people blowing whistles and jumping around but also this serious undertone that they really believed in what they were marching for, the mass police presence suggested that it was a serious event. We followed the crowds through the main street and up to the ferry port, where you had to go through police barriers and be searched for security, men were stood by the side of the road and all looked a little bemused at what was going on, I think with the city being so cosmopolitan in places you forget that there is still a lot of sexual discrimination here. I noticed very early on that in tourist areas like Sultahnamet you rarely see women working, and indeed rarely see them out at all..I left the rally on a high, the high spirited atmosphere was contagious but it also really made me think about the position of women in Turkey today and left me wanting to research a bit the rights that they are entitled to and whether its expected that there will be any change.

So there you have it...Just another completely random, vibrant, thought provoking day in Istanbul..