Returning to Istanbul

Back in 2005, I had an opportunity to work very briefly in Istanbul. I fell in love with this city and have, ever since then, wished to go back.

This year, a friend asked if I could play tour guide and show him Istanbul again. I seized the chance and revisited my favourite city between Europe and Asia. Here are some pictorial notes from our August trip. Should I get the time, I will update with more details. :-) 

V Day Escapade

If there is one word I have to use to describe this trip to Venice, it is "Serendipity".

I recall waking up in the middle of the night sometime in January. It was unusually cold, even for Coldpenhagen. There I was, sitting in the quiet of the night worrying about where to go. You see, that Valentine's weekend was when my then new ex-boyfriend was to move out. It was tough for us both.  

In a desperate attempt to avoid being around while he moved out, I chanced upon the Venice Carnival. It is amazing how efficient one can be at 2 in the morning. I booked the flight, the hotel and even bought a costume for the carnival. I didn't quite understand why I bought that costume. I acted base don instincts.

That weekend, I sat at Sing Tehus off the walking street in Copenhagen, reading about the carnival and staring at the costume. I thought about how ridiculous I would look. What will I do with my black hair? I even joined a Facebook group just so I have the option to meet up with some other travellers.

Came 12th February, I was enroute to venice, chatting with an American mother who was chaperoning her boys on their first trip to Europe. She told me about the insurance business in Connecticut. I was already planning my first trip to the USA in my head.

Upon arriving at the airport, I had my first experience of very "friendly and verbal" Italian men greetings. Harmless but a big change from their passive and quiet Danish counterparts.

I took the waterbus to the "island". The Casa alla Fenice was a charming little hotel close to the water and the main square. Breakfast was served in my room. There was a corner where I could sit and read a little in the morning. I rate them quite high as the receptionist helped me with my wardrobe malfunction and with printing my boarding pass.There is also a nice restaurant right opposite.

I agreed to meet up with B who formed the Facebook group I joined earlier. He spotted me by the dock where the water buses arrive and mask stalls line the esplanade. We had coffee together. It was quite clear to us both that we had picked the wrong cafe. I had to help B order his coffee and cake by speaking chinese to the waitress. That was the first time I had a glimpse into how peculiar and fussy B is about food. I remember being skinny like him when I was choosy about food.

I could not tell if B was aloof or arrogant. There was something about him which made me undecided about spending more time together. I decided to open my mind. I thought to myself that perhaps the dynamics would be different when we meet up with the rest of the group who signed up on the email list.

Had I not been saddened by the thought of Valentine's Day and my then recently broken relationship, I would have joined B for dinner. Instead, I went back to my hotel. I heard jazz from right outside my window. It was a small band playing at that restaurant opposite.


I popped by and chose a corner table. There were mainly locals from out of town eating there. The waiters smiled at me with sympathetic eyes as they passed. It must be a terrible ordeal to eat alone in Italy?? The food was good. I love the fresh ingredients.

Later that evening, while B was changing into his costume for a walkaround, I bought myself a venetian mask. I had no idea how this was supposed to work, so I was relieved that B seemed more experienced.
We spent the rest of the evening taking pictures with strangers. Some with costumes and others, who simply wanted pictures with B's venetician lion costume. His head piece turned heads.

Next morning, I enjoyed my breakfast. Inspired by B's costume the evening before, I put mine on. It was strangely liberating as I wandered onto the little alleys heading towards the main square. Going incognito was exactly what I needed. An escape from my environment and from myself. My costume proved to be very popular with young girls and teenage boys. I don't think I have ever been photographed so much.

As I was posing with scores of others outside Basilica San Marco,  I was approached by someone with a card inviting me to catwalk on the main stage at San Marco square at 4pm. I was both excited and nervous. Just then, B messaged me and asked if we should meet up again. I agreed.






At 4pm, I stood in a queue amongst those who would catwalk on the stage. I was intimidated by how fine and well thought the costumes were. There were spectators outside of the waiting area waiting for us "special" people to strike a pose for photos. A group of boys cheered me on. One said to me that he liked my costume best. "Sexy", he said. I blushed under my mask. My moment of glory came and went. I remember being nervous. I must have spent about 5 minutes on that stage. I wondered if B saw me.

We finally met in our respective full costumes. About a thrillion photographs later, we ended up back at San Marco square for the big parade and drag queen shows. We finally had a chance to chat a little. I felt B was finally warming up to me.

´That evening, I was about to attempt another dinner alone, B messaged to invite me to a masquerade dinner hosted by a German hostess at a historical venue. Among the lined-up items on the program of dinner and dance, are ballet and singing by a castrato. So off we went..passing the Rialto and further. We arrived early and were seated with a young Italian girl. B and I started an interesting conversation about gender roles. He was somewhat intrigued by my Asian background and interpretation of gender roles in Scandinavia. Later, our ability to keep ourselves entertained with each other's opinions proved invaluable. We were seated on a table with some rather uninteresting company.

Still we entertained each other, saw some good performances and ended up joining the Venetican court dance lessons.

I woke up early the next morning as I heard some chatting outside my door. I heard someone approaching my room and stopped. It was 8:55. I was about to drift back into slumber when there was a knock on my door. 9am sharp. That was my breakfast being delivered as I had requested. Ahh the little luxuries of life.
 
I had a feeling that V day could be an ordinarily pleasant day..especially when I could again be incognito.
 
My phone beeped. An SMS from B. An invitation to be his Valentine Day companion. A walkabout, a hot chocolate in costume event at a hotel in another island and dinner. I thought about it for a while. Hesitant. But then why not? So I accepted his invitation. He was waiting for me outside my hotel an hour later.
 
We made our way to the dock. The carnival was in full swing. What an atmosphere! Have you ever seen the Heath Ledger movie "Casanova"?
 
Later that afternoon, we took a little boat across to another island. There we met a nice lady from Brazil, Luci. The hotel was grand but extremely quiet. For a big price, we were served some chocolates and a cup of hot chocolate. Leave a Malaysian, an American and a Brazilian alone, you can be sure we will seek more fun. Coupled with a curious french lady across from us, B approached the DJ and requested some tunes. We started dancing and bringing life back to that hotel. Some conservative older guests were not pleased. Doing the macarena helped break the ice for the the few of us.
 
Later that evening, Luci left us. A friend was made.
 
While waiting for our table at a restaurant, B and I decided to do the most touristy thing i.e. take a gondola ride -in costume. nevertheless.  During dinner, more debates unsued. As it turned out, we had a lot more in common than expected. After dinner, we gate crashed the biggest masquerade ball at the Venetian grand theatre. B's ability to lobby us into parties and venues fascinated me. An interesting man indeed. We partied to the wee hours of the morning and found time to talk some more as we sat on one of the hundred bridges.
 
We said our Goodbyes and thanked each other. I left Venice the next day.
 
Despite being broken hearted, V day this year was pleasant and enjoyable. Thank B!