Türkiye Trilogy #1

(Published on 14/08/25)

 He’s after fish. She’s after him. And I’m just watching to see who wins. 

It’s evening on the Galata Bridge. The air smells like salt and grilled mackerel. Ferries churn past, and every few seconds, a fishing line flicks overhead and disappears into the Bosphorus. The men lean on the railings like they’ve been doing this all their lives – patient, steady, eyes on the water.

At my feet, a tabby cat is holding her own vigil. Tail swung like a whip, the kind a dominatrix snaps to keep her slaves in line. Her gaze fixed on a polystyrene box where fresh fish still twitching, captives waiting for their sentence. She’s not begging. She’s not chasing. She’s commanding, silent, as if the whole Galata Bridge is already hers, part of the scene – and in this city, that makes her royalty.

People feed cats here without thinking. They fuss over them, build little wooden houses for them, photograph them like celebrities.

The fisherman came for fish, certain of his plan. But then she wandered in, calm, sharp-eyed, impossible to miss. The fish he was chasing… and the cat he’s suddenly feeding.

That’s the thing about travel. You come for one thing…: You end up with something else in your lap, purring.

Behind us, Hagia Sophia glows in gold, minarets carving into the night sky. The fisherman keeps casting. The cat keeps waiting. And me? I’m still watching –  because sometimes, everyone gets exactly what they want… even if it’s not what they came for.