The cats of Adalar

I’ve travelled around Iran through havij bastani and Lebanon through ice cream. So, I had a thought— ‘Shouldn’t I travel around the Princes’ Islands through the encounters with my beloved cats?'

This is how

 

The cats of Adalar

 

was born.

In a way, I couldn’t have written about anything else. I’ve never seen so many cats in one place in my life! They’re the soul of the islands!

When a cat crossed my path, I knew we were going to catch the ferry to Büyükada.

Tip: Get an Istanbulkart; top it up (I suggest at least TL 500). You will find the vending machines just outside the ferry terminals.

[We entered the first building and were directed to the next; we were in Kadıköy. As we got on board, the ferry left. I was ecstatic.]

 

The first island was the Armenian one, Kınalıada. We decided to ride on the deck, so we could clearly see what was going on.

[Do treat yourself to çay; the air was cold, so it warmed us up in seconds!]

The first good omen was a cat who appeared on shore as the ferry approached.

 

Burgazada followed. Of course, a cat was waiting for us – and Marcel could see that cute walk, too. It couldn't have been otherwise on the Turkish island!

 

On Heybeliada – disappointment. A seagull saved the day, though. As the ferry was already leaving the Greek port, Marcel spotted a cat silently braving the night air. He showed me that scene, and I smiled.

Büyükada is said to have Jewish influences. From the moment we set foot there, it felt quite Turkish to us.

 

[We were eager to discover the islands the following day, under the – hopefully – Sea of Marmara sun. We had seen them from our plane, too, as we landed.]

For now, Büyükada it was. We had come prepared: dry food, treats, creamy snacks. By the time we got to our accommodation - and fed the first cats -, we realised 1) the amount of food we had wouldn't suffice; 2) this archipelago off Istanbul's coast hosted the largest number of cats we ever saw during our travels, and we loved it.

Of course, there was a resident cat at our B&B: Diar. She jumped out of a lighting arrangement, full of feathers. Her Dad told us that she loved sleeping there. We would, of course, meet her for breakfast.

Until then, however, we had dinner to catch (literally) and other cats to meet.

In the end, we found a restaurant, even though many of the local-favourite restaurants were already closed. People tried to help us and make us feel welcome.

Ultimately, the cats had led us to this restaurant.

It was weird; among the many cheerful cats, there was an upset cat. I promised myself to bring something from dinner (by asking Marcel, of course) if we ended up dining there.

We did. There were so many cats inside! And a birthday celebration!

The birthday girl received a giant Teddy bear. She was celebrating with her fiancé and her parents (even a proposal might have been in the cards!). They all seemed very kind, so I went over and congratulated her. In the end, my birthday was next, in 8 days.

Other than that, the food was terrific. However, a common (and alarming!) thing I noticed around the islands was that many people tried to scam us, especially at restaurants. This left me a bit sad, but I knew I'd survive.

Sadly, the cat I was most looking forward to seeing wasn't around. Still, Marcel fed all the other cats with the food he saved for them from dinner.

[We were still trying to find a dessert to go with our dinner, lost our way, and realised that the online maps and the actual island are two different stories.]

Two kind Turkish men tried to help us find the restaurant bearing one of my first names, in the hope it served sweets. It didn't.

We ended up having pistachio dondurma. One served with chocolate. This way, we managed to compare the Bronte and Antep pistachios. We nodded: we liked the southern Turkish kind more.

Marcel tried to feed the fish bones he had left to one of the cats he found next to the dondurma parlour. The cat started choking, but recovered soon enough. Marcel was worried. Another couple stopped to see if the cat was alright.

[This is Turkey. ♥]

 

At breakfast, we were so happy to sit in the garden! It felt as if a weight had been lifted. Diar, of course, came to sit with us. [So did many other cats.] At one point, Diar and a neighbouring cat started fighting. The kind lady who had prepared breakfast for us came out with a water bottle and started spraying. 'So, we're not the only ones!' we giggled.

After we spent a little bit of our morning trying to get to know the island, Marcel took me to one of its highest points, around the Greek Orphanage - a very curious building [and I'll let you find out why].

We didn't need a bicycle, we just walked! And I loved it! I loved the pine trees; I embraced the tranquillity. As we returned, one by one, cats started appearing from – seemingly – nowhere! We recognised some we had fed while going uphill, but fed them again anyway.

Tip: You can, of course, rent a bicycle – I’d suggest an electric one. The island is quite steep.

We went near the port to try to buy some things for home, but everything was so expensive! The only shop selling nuts and Turkish sweets on Büyükada was also close to the harbour. We had our fill (I had promised my Dad some Turkish delight); this was also the place where we met the only two Romanians we'd see in three days.

[I don't know if you believe me, but our last trips were so hectic that we barely got to buy anything for our dear ones back home.]

However, we do live in the moment. We managed to observe the cats in this part of the island: two were peacefully sleeping next to the store while a kitten was on one of his first adventures farther down the street.

On Heybeliada, things were different. As seen during the previous night, we barely saw cats. The prices were really high, so we didn't eat either. We decided to go for a walk to find a beach for my December swim; then, catch the next ferry to Burgazada.

Oddly enough, we only found fenced picnic spaces. When I asked about the beach, I was told a single word: 'Finiş'. I was outraged - and I expressed, as always, my feelings! 'You live on an island!' [d'oh!] We returned to the harbour. There was a beach that could be reached, but it was so dirty that I couldn't swim there! A few steps later, as we kept talking about what we saw, a cat came to us. She wanted to be caressed, so she changed our energy altogether! We fed her, smiled, and felt grateful.

We had some time to spare, so we sat down for a simit and a trileçe. It's incredible how prices have exploded in Turkey!

We could see two cats fighting again, with the sound that I dreaded from back home, and a man who intervened.

[I love these people!]

A good omen was also the cat we cuddled and fed while waiting for the ferry!

Tip: You're probably wondering how to get your money back, as you always pay the longest ride (to the mainland or from there to Büyükada). There are machines right outside each ferry terminal. You stamp your card. Be careful, though, to always have credit for at least one of those longest rides. You can always recharge your card at the ferry terminal, too. The locals will be happy to help you.

 

Burgazada was such a different story! It all started on the ferry. I knew the moment Marcel bought that simit that he wanted to feed the seagulls.

[And they came, and he did!]

I loved the island from the first minute. The sun was still warm! I realised that I mistook the sunset time, so, in my heart, I still felt like I had a shot at my December swim.

We decided to head to our right, so we started trekking the island. We met a couple from Germany; they reassured us that there was a beach with access 45 minutes away. And 45 minutes there were!

In the meantime, we had our fill of wild strawberries, the ones we discovered on Vis! Marcel even asked me: 'Do you think I can get sick from these?' :-) People were gathering them, probably for preserves.

We fed the last creamy snacks to some cats we met before arriving at the crossroads with the beach.

And there were so many cats waiting for us there, as if they were guiding us by sitting in a row. We were on our last treats, so we only managed to feed the ones who accompanied us to the beach (Madam Marta Köyü). One of them had the energy of Zo (my Mom); she was so sweet! 

There were some other cats on the beach – and they came to keep us company! That was my big support team, as I completed my December wild swim, feeling grateful for the sunset and the cliffs that reminded me more of Africa than Europe.

As we headed back to the harbour, we met so many beautiful cats! They were coming at us, and we cuddled them all – I can't even remember if we had any food left.

[I believe strongly in the fact that when you miss someone deeply, that spirit can remotely join you wherever you are.

In our case, we had recognised many of our fluffy family members from back home.] I remember one who resembled Bundiţă, our fluffiest kitten.

We even had encounters that moved us deeply, like a cat with only three legs. She was so affectionate, it melted my heart.

Or a blind cat when we were only minutes away from the harbour.

[These encounters stay with you forever.]

Even though I didn't choose the best place for us and our dinner was very expensive, the cat who sat in my lap was delightful.

So was the young woman we befriended on our ferry back to Büyükada. She was accompanied by her dog and invited us to join her and a friend of hers for a nice night out. Sadly, I mistakenly took her contact details (my battery was fully discharged). We were so tired that we bought some delicious profiteroles and then just crashed.

 

Our hosts kindly gave us a breakfast-to-go. We combined it with çay (again!) and happily enjoyed the company of the ferry's kitten, a beautiful and smart being who reminded us of Chira! I didn't expect our last cat encounter around the islands to be that! We shared food, and he sat in our laps. When we arrived in Istanbul, he followed us to the ferry exit, but we looked back and asked him to stay.

As we didn't have time to buy almost anything, we used our last liras to get some sweets and snacks from a harbour kiosk.

Our cat family was waiting for us at home. We couldn't wait to see them!