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Ayvansaray, Kürkçü Çeşmesi Sk. No:5, 34087 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye I seize the moment to direct us to a coffee shop that Lonely Planet listed in their ‘Global Coffee Tour’, a book featuring coffee experiences from around the world, including some of the best espresso bars in different regions. Having done my research beforehand, I knew that Coffee Department happened to be around the area we were wandering so I steered us through the narrow streets and more residential areas to arrive at a row of coffee shops and restaurants where people were quietly sitting and smoking, watching a pair of street cats edge back and forth into one another’s territories trying not to incite a full-blown brawl. It’s a change of pace to navigate areas where people live, away from the perpetual havoc of tourism and industry, going about doing the necessary to survive. For all the wonderful things we’ve seen and done this week, I love just taking the time to see how people live in different parts of the world. Coffee Department is a chic, all-black affair that pitches itself at the speciality coffee crowd with its array of filter coffees and a variety of brewing methods to suit your preferences. I wonder about the criteria for getting into Lonely Planet’s guide given the amount of cafes along this strip but we settle outside in the midday sun for iced oat lattes. Today is a trickle, just sun and strolls, and to sit here soaking it all in, just being is really wonderful- aided by rich, indulgent coffee that is markedly more full-bodied than I expected. Rarely, I go back for another coffee but, after an unfortunate incident with a bird mistaking my outfit for a public convenience, we relocate inside (once I’ve wiped myself down) and order black coffee just so we can enjoy the tranquillity a little longer before ambling out for the rest of the day. If you like this piece or any other of my writing, why not buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vincentwoodwritingor subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@thevincewood
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Kılıçali Paşa, Anahtar Sk. No:3/A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye We have a little time left before we have to head to the airport and so take a gambol in no particular direction until a sudden and unexpected downpour forces us to take cover in a local coffee shop. A higgledy-piggledy mismatch of a place, it serves strong coffee that has a pleasant coarseness to it in how diligently it expresses its caffeination. It’s still delightful speciality coffee, just offering up an acidic buzz that jolts you to your core as opposed to the super smooth stuff that can become a little wearing over time. Here, homemade earrings are for sale and flyers and leaflets dot the counter for community events and projects. The owner begins to talk to us and we discover that she’s German and has relocated here with her husband, saying she prefers living in Turkey. “Why’s that?” I ask. “Life is objectively harder here, but the people are so much warmer and happier to talk and lend a hand. I think we forget that back home.” I nod at this, the UK definitely has some of that sensibility about it, still, it’s home and it’s where I want to be now. If you like this piece or any other of my writing, why not buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vincentwoodwritingor subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@thevincewood |
AuthorThe Mean Bean Machine (Vincent Wood) Archives
September 2025
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