[URBAN BEAT] Peaceful walking and biking in İstanbul

A recent walk took us from İstiklal Street, through Dolapdere to the center of Kurtuluş, where we stopped to look at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Dimitri. At first glance, we assumed the rock carving over the entrance represented St. George, but the watchman, Yusuf, explained that St. Dimitri is distinguishable from St. George because “he's killing a human, not a dragon.”

We continued speaking with Yusuf, who told us he was an Arab Christian from Samandağ, near Antakya. He repeated a litany familiar to anyone who has visited Hatay, from the decline of the Christian population there to the government's failure to exploit the area's economic potential. “Samandağ has one of the world's longest beaches, but they don't use it,” lamented Yusuf. Our 10-minute visit with Yusuf in the courtyard of St. Dimitri felt like a vacation, but we were just a 20-minute walk from Taksim.

We continued our walk along the Greek Orthodox Cemetery on the edge of Kurtuluş, catching glimpses of the cypresses of Feriköy Cemetery on the next hill. We admired the graceful ornamentation of the older buildings, willfully ignoring the concrete boxes that dominate the neighborhood. On our way back to Taksim, we stopped to listen to the Mehter Band (Ottoman janissary band), which plays at Harbiye each afternoon between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Military Museum. In the old days, this music urged the Janissaries toward battle and instilled fear in enemies. Today it prompts musings about İstanbul's place in the world.

Take off on a bike

To keep the training regimen varied and to give the knees a break from running, we have also been biking, which turns out to be an excellent way to visit a variety of sites that we would otherwise rarely, if ever, see. A mountain bike is a good way to negotiate İstanbul's uneven pavement and high curbs, and if you choose your route and time of day carefully, it is possible to escape the traffic.

Sunday mornings are best

On a recent Sunday, we set off early, just after 7 a.m. From Tophane we headed for Gülhane Park, where we sat in quiet solitude and contemplated the traffic on the Bosporus from the tea garden below the walls of the Topkapı Palace. Not too long ago, these grounds were poorly maintained and the main path was lined with carts selling pirated cassette tapes, but now the park is clean and beautiful.

From Gülhane, we cruised through Sultanahmet to Kadırga, with a detour through the narrow streets of Ahırkapı -- one of the city's isolated corners where wooden houses still line narrow streets. We continued next along the sea and stopped for tea in Yedikule, another picturesque old neighborhood. Riding north along the inside of the Theodosian walls, we marveled at the gardens, churches, mosques and soccer fields. Mustafa, the guard at the new skating rink in Silivrikapı, told us the facility will open in October.

 At Topkapı (roughly halfway between the Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn), the shaded tea garden next to the Surp Nigoğayos Armenian Church provides the perfect place for quiet conversation or reading. Like the tea garden at Gülhane Park or the tea garden on the edge of the Bosporus at Fındıklı, Topkapı Square has a distinct charm and intimacy. It is a good place to take visitors eager for an insider's view of the city. One should not miss the chance to joke with Kadir, the owner of Macgal Burger (in the middle of the square). “Life is short; we have to laugh together,” Kadir told us during our recent rest stop in Topkapı.

Some warn that there are miscreants and thieves prowling the old walls. Indeed, those who climb to the top of the walls next to Sulukule or Edirnekapı (near the Kariye Museum) will likely be surrounded by 9- or 10-year-old tough guys pleading for TL 5. Urban trekkers never drop their guard entirely.

On Sunday mornings, the traffic is surprisingly calm and civilized. My friend and I rode our bikes comfortably with traffic on the Galata Bridge, along the Golden Horn and from Mecidiyeköy to Taksim. We took the middle of the right-hand lane. Drivers accepted us. Surprisingly few drivers honked. They appeared to respect -- or at least tolerate -- our right as bikers to use the streets. Sunday mornings are different.

Escape to car-free İstanbul

At busier traffic times, the 20-kilometer coastal path from Kadıköy to Kartal is almost entirely protected from car traffic. If you time it right -- as we did -- you arrive at Bostancı (11 kilometers from Kadıköy) just in time to board the ferry to Büyükada, which gives you an hour to rest and have a snack. One of the best things about biking around Büyükada is the chance for Turkish coffee at the rest house on the far end of the island. The view of the mountains and sea beneath a late-afternoon sun is magnificent. And dinner is a fitting reward for completing the approximately 13-kilometer circuit around the island.

Walking for peace and friendship

The walks and rides with my Iranian friend are part of our preparation to complete the 15-k event in İstanbul's Eurasia Marathon. As members of running and fundraising group Adım Adım (www.adimadim.org), we invite support in the form of contributions to one of Adım Adım's designated charities: The Turkish Spinal Cord Injury Paralytics Association (TOFD), The Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) or The Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG).

Finally, we have decided to walk in the name of Iranian-American friendship. İstanbul is a city where people of different nationalities can walk together and everyone is welcome to join us mid-week in Taksim or on Saturdays in the Belgrade Forest. There might even be an Arab-Israeli team as well.