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I would go on a train to go to Florya [in those times a beach resort on the shores of the Marmara, today a residential area]. I vaguely remember our going to Florya. There used to be French soldiers there [during WWI], and the trucks of the French army. They used to offer us tea when we went there. The Florya of that time was not like the Florya of today. There used to be a long sandy beach there. All we had to do was take off our shoes and walk barefoot on the beach.
At that time, people used to go to the Bosphorus or to see the city on their free days. There was no other form of entertainment. We used to take boat trips on the Bosphorus.
We did not use to go on holidays then. We would go to the cinema, or gather in homes with friends. There never was holiday we went to with my family. During the weekend holidays, which was either Saturday or Sunday, I don’t remember which, we used to go to this very famous place called “Altınkum” after Kavaklar [the very northern point of the Bosphorus] or to the two spring water places in Sariyer [again a district in the north of the Bosphorus], called “Hunkar” and “Chirchir” [these used to be very famous picnic places because they had clear and cold running spring waters. People went there both for picnics and also to drink from those wonderfully healthy waters that were provided by nature itself]. These were very famous places. Everyone went there. We used to carry bags, food everything. We used to go to Sariyer by boat and then we took horse carriages called “talika”s. I remember once, we were going in a horse carriage like that and I saw a little boy running after us with a sack on his back. I drew the attention of my parents and told them “look, this boy is running after the carriage”. And then my parents told me: “you are going in a carriage but this boy has to make a living by running after us so that when we come to the picnic place and get down, he will carry our bags to the café at the top of the hill and make some money”. We used to eat at those picnic places, we put the watermelons in the springs, in the ice cold water so they would cool. We used to bring our food and buy tea and coffee at the cafés.
At that time, people used to go to the Bosphorus or to see the city on their free days. There was no other form of entertainment. We used to take boat trips on the Bosphorus.
We did not use to go on holidays then. We would go to the cinema, or gather in homes with friends. There never was holiday we went to with my family. During the weekend holidays, which was either Saturday or Sunday, I don’t remember which, we used to go to this very famous place called “Altınkum” after Kavaklar [the very northern point of the Bosphorus] or to the two spring water places in Sariyer [again a district in the north of the Bosphorus], called “Hunkar” and “Chirchir” [these used to be very famous picnic places because they had clear and cold running spring waters. People went there both for picnics and also to drink from those wonderfully healthy waters that were provided by nature itself]. These were very famous places. Everyone went there. We used to carry bags, food everything. We used to go to Sariyer by boat and then we took horse carriages called “talika”s. I remember once, we were going in a horse carriage like that and I saw a little boy running after us with a sack on his back. I drew the attention of my parents and told them “look, this boy is running after the carriage”. And then my parents told me: “you are going in a carriage but this boy has to make a living by running after us so that when we come to the picnic place and get down, he will carry our bags to the café at the top of the hill and make some money”. We used to eat at those picnic places, we put the watermelons in the springs, in the ice cold water so they would cool. We used to bring our food and buy tea and coffee at the cafés.
Period
Location
/İstanbul
Türkiye
Interview
Izak Sarhon