The last day of summer

Even the dawgies lapped up the last of the sun!

Last Sunday ( Pazar) was the end of summer. I didn't know it was the end of summer (that's what hindsight is for: that and wishing you hadn't drunk all that Chandon like it was water!) but it was such a perfectly lovely day I should have known Istanbul was trying to tell me something.
I started my morning with a walk along one of the quiet leafy streets behind my street. Cihangir really is the most lovely of quarters and as I walked the street every single cat seemed to leap out from their posts to say 'Top-of-the morning-to-you-fine lady'. And these were not cats from my possè. These were newbies all out sunning themselves with grins on their faces and swishes in their tails. At the end of one particularly lovely street I found a cafe with a slight identity crisis (Kalimera Kahve - which is basically a combination of Greek and Turkish and means 'Good morning Coffee'). It made the best coffee though. Greek style with cinnamon on top. And as I sat their enjoying the taste I admired the bunch of white flowers an old man had given me in the street. He actually lives on the corner of the street with about a 1000 cats and a few dogs but he was so happy to hand me this ( slightly wilted) bunch I couldn't help but smile.

After my coffee I wandered for a bit longer and stumbled across a park and the most wonderful view of Istanbul. How could I have not known about this! Right in my own neighbourhood. Cok ayip! (Great Shame!)

That was last Sunday. Now it is grey, cold and the streets have that dark, wintry feeling to them.

But what a lovely end.