Wednesday, October 7

Better Stop Looking Now

The party at Bonjour Pensiyon (see last post) went on most of the night and involved a lot of singing and dancing, even Grandma forgot her humming and danced and grinned like it was the best party ever – which it was. Next day I loaded their computer with the movies and photos I had made during the evening and they loaded me up with a big bag filled with olive oil, jars of olives and olive oil soap (because the olives in Ayvelik are the best in the world!) and the following evening I staggered on to the night bus - bound for Istanbul.


My baggage consisted of little more than a skirt, a summer dress, some t shirts, swimwear, spare knickers, a hat and a shawl - and a lot of olive-based products. The weather in Istanbul is in the 20s and feels like the height of a British summer but the residents of Istanbul are swathed in their autumnal woolies and I was looking ridiculous.

Yesterday morning I went to Taksim, the area one goes for shopping.

An escalator brought me, and a pile of other people, into Taksim square from the underground station, there was a demonstration going on and several of us stopped to watch, the crowds were perfectly well-behaved, marching nicely through the square with their banners, then the police started firing tear gas and the demonstration was made chaotic, I got swept up running with all the protestors, filtering off down side streets stopping finally by a shop to buy lemons and water which helped ease the burning.


Finally today I managed to get me an autumn outfit, a frock and some shoes, all I needed were some black tights - could I find some?

There are countless shops selling hosiery but none have plain black tights. The shop assistant, determined to sell me something, produced a pair the wrong colour, I said these are brown

the shop assistant replied no not brown, light black

24 comments:

  1. It all depends on how you look at it! And if you're wearing rose coloured glasses. My my the return to Brit is going to be a stinger! But at least you will be able to buy black tights ;-)

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  2. Hope you are OK from the gassing. Yuck.

    Were there large puppets at the protest? Seems like protests against international organizations always include large puppets...

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  3. Hahaha! Light black! :) Nice try. Although wouldn't light black be grey?

    I used to be obsessed by Marks and Spencer's opaque cotton black tights. They just made the best cotton tights. So cosy and awesome with a short skirt.

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  4. you want to think about getting yourself one of those lovely trolley thingies, Lulu. so that you can easily cart around your olive-based products without straining your back.

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  5. sweet lord, sugar! Y'ALL WERE IN THAT SWEEP?????? i was watching the news and saw soem of the coverage! somehow i thought y'all were safe outside of the city! *sigh* xoxox

    (so, what did y'all find instead of black tights? or did the brown work out?)

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  6. Brown is the new black in Istanbul.

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  7. Light black makes more sense than the old Brit fave 'Barely Black'. Is it black? Barely! It's brown.

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  8. Of course they were light black.....

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  9. Ange - yup that return will be a 'stinger' alright. I always wear the rose-coloured specs - pink goes with everything.

    Ellis - Brown is the new black
    darn I though it was fuschia this year!

    xl - I only got a light gassing although the poor shopkeepers 2 miles away were thouroughly dosed.

    Didn't see puppets, but maybe I didn't stick around long nough!

    Ms Assassin - I'm with you on the Marks and Spencer's opaque cotton black tights - and short skirts

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  10. Thank you MJ - I will be right over...

    Ms projectivist - I do have a little suitcase on wheels, I wonder if I could manage another wheelie thing.


    savannah - I think the news coverage did look quite scary, I haven't seen it and I was well away when the fighting got going.
    so, what did y'all find instead of black tights? or did the brown work out?
    I've just painted my legs Sav - an old wartime trick.

    louciao - Nice to see you here - Now that I realise it's an Istanbul thing - that's cool!

    Glory - 'Barely Black' is a great catch-all isn't it?

    nursemyra Of course they were light black.....

    '... and I should cocoa' as they say

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  11. Blimey - you're causing riots wherever you go.

    As for the tights - as long as they weren't American Tan you'd be okay.

    What exotic place are you bound for next?

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  12. O my goodness what an exciting, fascinating time you are having!

    You are so brave to be in this and traveling these exotic places! What memories you are making!

    (Topiary extremely impressed, resolving to Do More Traveling)

    Only advice on tight is, don't buy these new stylish ones made with bamboo. They fall apart quickly after a few washing, though very comfortable till then.

    Impressed Moo from Stateside!

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  13. Crikey, that does sound scary... brown tights instead of black.
    Sx
    Seriously though, I am pleased that you're okay. And it does sound scary.

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  14. Ha, not brown, light black! Or how about "off-black"?

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  15. Ms Fancy - I do hope I didn't cause that riot, I'm blaming the police.

    No more eastern exoticism for me - it's back to Blighty in a few days time.

    Mrs Cow - never heard of bamboo tights - are they an American invention?

    Scarlet - the idea of being caught out ill-accessorized was far worse than that of being trampled by a howling mob.

    Gadj - 'Off black' - brilliant!

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  16. seriously though it must have been very scary to witness a riot first hand and almost be caught up in it. Years ago - I was but a child bunking off school - I was sprayed with a water cannon during a demo and then arrested for obstructing the highway.

    I had to appear at Marylebone Juvenile Court where - of course - due to the high-powered solicitor my parents hired I got off with a caution. Thus I stepped on the path to destruction...

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  17. I can't believe that after being GASSED for cripes sake, that you went out looking for plain black stockings, or light black or possibly that shade of brown that appears to some people to be light black. I am beginning to worry about you Lulu. Never mind autumn clothes. Buy a helmet.

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  18. Turkey wasn't this exciting when I was there. I must have been to the quiet bits of Istanbul.

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  19. What the hell is wrong with those schleppy anarchists? Why can't they accept that we wealthy "normal" people don't want or need them to participate in the marketplace?

    Good Lord! If this asshattery affects my stock portfolio I will be miffed. Why can't these bolsheviks understand that the poor ARE the problem? Even Jesus failed to recognise this.

    Lulu please stop encouraging them ...by running alongside of these nogoodniks you only trigger their chase response.

    I should hope that by now the effects of their pitiful homemade drugs have worn off and they have all returned to Albania to pout in their stark cocoon of horror.

    My accountants, several of my bond traders, and even a few of my corporate lawyers, all think that these free loaders are all just jealous and poor sports about being poor.

    Go out and get a "real" job you lazy "Protestants". How do they expect to create personal wealth by protesting the very institutions that are designed to maintain it?

    Bad form I say...Honestly.

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  20. Funnily enough I wasn't particularly scared, I'd been chatting to some of the demonstrators when I'd come out of the metro and they all seemed so sweet and young.

    Fancy you getting arrested - rotten luck!

    K - is that what you do after a gassing go out and buy a hat!

    I guess we all have our sartorial priorities!

    Mme Def - Istanbul has been very quiet ever since.

    Donn - I did give those pot-headed students your best wishes actually they said that they understand your concerns but they've got nothing better to do with the job market the way it is and all. Start up a youth club, that'll probably stop this nonsense!

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  21. Tights: I vote for Barely There. Tear gas: this has been branded so poorly, it's time the professionals stepped in.

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  22. Inky - Barely There, nice but not for autumn. Interested to know how you would promote tear gas.

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