AT THE ROXY
Music Festival with Ludwig, Club Roxy, Taksim —- Ludwig—— A night out with Kate, Cate and Ludwig, a German gent who knew every musician in Taksim.
DERVISH GIRL
The girls tending bar at the Roxy, Taksim —- Sevi — Piren — Dancer at the Music Festival —- Filiz — “Going to study soon to be DERVISH!” ——- I met Filiz a couple years later at Lewis Elbinger’s. She was still dancing, with fire.
LATE NIGHT GALATA BRIDGE
Looking toward Sultanahmet very late 17 May ’03. I dimly remember asking the taxi driver to pull over for awhile. That’s Suleymaniye Camii up on the hill there, below it is Rustem Paşa.
THE LOST HOUSE
18 May ’03 Lost House at Tophane —- Cream & pale green it hangs in the trees — Nobody who could afford it would live in it because the city has grown up around it — looks like it fell out of a Jane Austen novel ——Now in restoration, it’s part of Istanbul University. They have left its trees intact.
FAST TAKE DOLMABAHCE
This palace has a fabulous wedding-cake exterior but for some reason I’ve only ever done this fast take.
DOLMABAHÇE
Dolmabahçe Mosque & Palace — Mesut — 13 May ’03 —— The Palace is in the distance, and beyond it the First Bridge. Mesut was the son of the simit seller there. I bought one, my first. It was late in the day, I was a foreigner, and it was hard as a rock. Ustın hated the portrait and I deleted it for the first book, I am sorry to say. Mesut & his crafty dad were as much a part of the milieu as anything else.
THE AKBAYRAK BROS
The three brothers of Kybele: Hasan, Mike & two of Alpaslan.
ALP & NECLA 2003
Kybele siblings.
NAMIK AT THE PUDDING SHOP
Namik is the brother of the famous Pudding Shop’s founder. The original open-air courtyard has been roofed and steam tables and cooks added to augment the puddings. All during the 60s and 70s this was the first stop on the Hippie Trail.
SUSIE &YONCA
Mike’s wife Susie, from Germany originally but now absolutely Turkish, and their daughter Yonca, just sixteen when I drew her here for the first time.
FAST FOOD
16 May ’03 — Sadettin — Karim — Nesrin—— at the Ayasofya Bufe across the street from Kybele. I liked them and put this in my first book. They were even in Lonely Planet. Later I learned he overcharged tourists by ten times. Alpaslan, thinking of Kybele’s reputation, had tracked the tourists down and paid them back. The book was already going to press, so I had to caption this “Don’t buy from this guy, buy from Mike.”
MUAMMER &TURAN
Muammer — Turan —Muammer managed a hotel down the street. The pillar is 16thCentury, from Corlülü Ali Paşa tea garden. Turan lived in Taksim and is still a friend.
CATE BY MIKE &ME
Mike’s drawing of Cate —— Cate was traveling with our Kate. Everyone was much taken with her. She later moved to Turkey.
ZELIHA & AYNUR
Kurdish 11-year-olds selling tops. They have always been friends—— The first of several portraits of these two, who I came to know very well over the next few years. Zeliha was wearing a new shirt and fingered the design, most particular that I draw it. Adorable girls!!
SWEET TURAN
Cooking for me in his tiny kitchen. He was the caretaker at Union Han. I fell down their steps one night and lay helpless on the street with a crowd around me. Turan carried me into the Han and put Voltaren creme on my ankle while he called my boyfriend. He is still a friend all these years later.