Art Underfoot

I feel a true historical spirit near me,

sometimes it is kept in a touching,
or
in a closer look.

So I walk straight ahead the streets of Istanbul to feel the history. In every step I take I find myself expecting to hear the tunes played in marketplaces that is ruined, old and alone as the City still preserves memories with its narrow streets, old wooden houses, and steep uphills with cobblestone pavements. I love to hear beat sound of well-trained horses hooves on cobblestones.

In the meantime, do you love the cobblestone walks and streets like me?

I start to wandering having forgotten everything about the City, and everything I know about. I cannot wait to see all about the City from its situation of being old, its spirit, people, mosques, bazaars, corners, houses, churches to the rush of living with my bare eyes. Even a drainage cover on cobblestones as follows that makes my heart flutter! I love it...here:


I love walking in the narrow streets coming from the good old days going to meet the sea embroidered with cobblestone pavements. Everyone and everything here is waiting for something on the streets of the past. And, one never feels lonesome in Istanbul.


I see some streetsellers are passing with their small display stands. Or women greet me smiling while they are sweeping the windows or hanging newly washed clothes on the ropes. Even the children are observing me while they are playing games, or competing with each other playing football in their streets. They cheering and asking me 'Oh, are you tourist? Take my photo'. So cute children indeed:) Then they return games, and forget who I am, what I am doing;)

Old cobblestone road
in Historical Peninsula of the City,
near Topkapi Palace

Bay-windowed fronted houses aligned on right and left sides spread on the narrow streets -see above-, giving a feeling me like happy houses. I cannot stop myself thinking that each of them surely experienced a lot of human lives pass by. Even though those passing years that the houses still alive, but caused them to be old, however they are stubborn to stand for a long time.

With old streets, rough cobblestone pavements, oriel windowed houses where I can feel simultaneously the impressive history, I continue to walking in the City on a wonderful sunny day, climbing uphill, downhill, again uphill, again downhill. Making the following collection of our pavements which some of them are old, some new. Most importantly, they are colored and beautiful looks! Named each of them as I liked. Here they are for your review:

-Blooming hearts

-Flowers

-Puzzle

-Tulip
-Daisy
-Snail's trail
-Snowball
-My garden
-Pinetree
-Stars in frame
-Petit squares

What do you think? Any pavement(s) you like the most? I know it's a difficult question;) I'm curious how is your pavements in your town...

I remember a saying that goes ''each cobblestone and every inch of Istanbul is made of gold.'' It's so true that we Istanbulites and also outsiders regard each cobblestone in the City to be as valuable as gold. Just think, the Ancient City embraces a millenia-old ''treasury of history'' in its numerous layers that is for certain.

There's always a continual movement of crowds, the rumbling sound of vehicles along the old cobblestone streets, the constant going-and-coming cries of the streetsellers meddling with shipping sounds from the busy port under its splendid skyline of her minarets and domes to remind you that Istanbul is vividly alive, a fascinating ''gateway to Orient'', not only a historic City.

''All roads lead to Istanbul''
The Anatolian saying