Ashes in the Light

As much as I loved the grand mosques and historical side of Istanbul, I think I slowly realised that the parts I connected with most were actually the quieter, slower corners of the city.

The kind of places where people lingered a little longer.

Where cafés felt tucked away instead of crowded.
Where the streets felt more lived-in than touristy.
Where the city seemed to soften around the edges.

A lot of those moments happened around Karaköy and the Asian side of Istanbul.

One thing I quickly grew to love about Istanbul was taking the ferries.

There was something calming about sitting by the water, watching the city move slowly around you while the cold wind hit your face.

The skyline looked different from every angle — mosques, old buildings, seagulls flying overhead, people quietly drinking tea onboard as if this was just another ordinary part of their day.

For us, it still felt surreal.

Karaköy itself had a completely different energy from Sultanahmet.

It felt younger somehow. More modern, more creative, but still unmistakably Istanbul.

There were cafés hidden between old buildings, little bakeries, random stairways covered in street art, and people sitting outside talking for hours over tea and cigarettes.

And somehow, even the slower moments felt stylish there. 😂

We spent quite a bit of time simply wandering around without much of a plan.

Somewhere in between all that walking, we stopped by SALT Galata.

Honestly, I think places like this became some of my favourite parts of travelling — quiet spaces where you could slow down for a bit, sit indoors, and just observe life happening outside the windows.

It felt peaceful in a different way from the mosques.

Less grand.
Less overwhelming.
But comforting in a quieter, more everyday sense.

After spending some time there, we slowly made our way uphill towards Galata Tower.

I think it was one of those landmarks that felt familiar even before arriving — probably because I had seen it so many times in photos beforehand.

Seeing it in person felt oddly grounding though, especially with the narrow streets and slopes surrounding it.

And once again:
more slopes. 😂

Originally built centuries ago, Galata Tower has gone through many different roles over time — from a watchtower to even serving as a prison at one point in history.

Standing there in the middle of modern cafés, crowds, and street musicians, it felt strange imagining how much the tower must have witnessed over the centuries.

We did briefly consider paying to head up the tower for the panoramic view, but the queue was honestly snaking around the area.

And at that point, we were slowly realising something about ourselves during this trip:

we didn’t really want to spend hours queuing just for the sake of “ticking things off”.

So instead, we decided to look for another place to enjoy the view of Istanbul from above — which honestly turned out to be a really nice experience in its own way too.

(…maybe I’ll write more about that in another entry. 🙂)

By this point in the trip, I think we had naturally stopped trying to “cover everything”.

Instead, we were beginning to enjoy simply existing in the city.

Walking slower.
Stopping randomly.
Taking longer meals.
Watching people pass by.

The sound of ferries, tea glasses clinking somewhere nearby, cold air brushing past us — those became some of my favourite parts of the city too.

And somehow, that version of Istanbul became the one I loved most.