CULTURAL CAPITAL, OR THE VIEW FROM ELSINORE

Another one of the many benefits of living at IPC is that we are just a short 50 krone round-trip ticket from Helsingborg, a charming city in Sweden that was once owned by Denmark (much of the surrounding countries were once owned by Denmark, but its days of world-sweeping ambition have long since passed).

Besides buoying the alcohol industry in Helsingor (Swedes flock across the water for less heavily taxed booze), Helsingborg also serves as great foil to the its sister city across the water. Helsingor is a smaller town with cobblestone roads and houses that have stood unchanged for centuries. Helsingborg greats us with factory smokestacks, 5 story buildings, and glass. That’s not to say that Helsingborg doesn’t have its own history, including a beautiful city hall and the very stereotypical castle-looking castle tower that dominates its skyline.

Besides the times that I have traveled there with other DIS students, IPC has led a few trips on the ferry across the channel, the shortest trip there is between the Swedish and Danish coasts. We have been encouraged to explore all over town, documenting the many ways that is different from our Danish side. (Its certainly more industrial and conservative. Alcohol is tightly regulated by the state, most places close by nightfall, and bars are far less common than in small Helsingor.) Another time we walked along the beach promenade to a sauna, where we would switch between jumping into the ocean, sometimes nude, and warming up inside. A last trip, which I dared to take even in finals week, saw us on a bus North of Helsingborg to the stunning Kulaberg national park. We hiked for an hour to a lighthouse nature center and then climbed an hour back. 

My times in Helsingborg were a special and unexpected part of my Scandinavian semester. Growing acquainted with a Swedish town as well made my range of experience feel so much wider. Of course, this is still a very Danish area of Sweden, with red and yellow flags that signify a desire to reincorporate with Denmark a common site. Traveling by ferry didn’t even require us to show our passports. Helsingborg was a true neighbor in that sense.

Get a sudden case of amnesia? Here’s how to find out that you are, in fact, in Istanbul. Continued from this column.

6.     To recover from your jellyfish stings, you decide to take a bath. You lie down in a sauna-like room. Suddenly, very hot water is splashed on you, then cold, then hot. You are covered in soap suds, led to another part of the room, and your back is cracked. Then more soap, water, and massage.

Despite how surprising they can be to someone who has never tried them, the Turkish baths, or hammams, leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed. We went at night and it left us ready to fall asleep soon after, but during the day you can see the light seep through the ceiling, which has geometric holes in a dome. The water flowed into a carved system of drains, which formed rivers all around the building.

No Hammam pictures, but here is a soap store on the Asian side

7.     A mysterious man walks up to you, chanting “Free the Brick”! You follow him to a tower of bricks, where other characters pace and chant. One of these characters hands you a brick, which has written on it a task, such as placing it beside your favorite painting or running outside and dancing with it. You follow this task and are thanked for “freeing the brick”.

On my trip to Istanbul Modern, the new modern art center of Turkey, I noticed a figure, in a yellow skirt with no shoes, sticking her head into the corner. When I noticed a cameraman nearby I assumed it to be some weird art project and moved on. Later I found a brick behind the ceiling of books that is probably Istanbul Modern’s most famous piece. It had instructions written on it: “place me under your favorite book, sit here for two minutes in silence, and then leave me here”. Curious, I thought, and moved on. Soon I start to become more aware of the figures, carrying bricks, making odd movements, and sometimes chasing people with bricks. Finally, I turn a corner and am confronted by a pyramid of bricks and a strange book of brick scripture. I am handed one. My task: to run outside, use it like binoculars, and then give it to the smallest person I see. I run out, chased and encouraged by one of the figures. People give me odd looks as a play with the brick. A group of small children rounds the corner, and I give the brick to one. The kids start playing with the brick like binoculars and have a ball. I have freed the brick.

8.     Hungry for some burgers, you wander through winding lantern-lit streets until you come across a restaurant called “Heisenberg”. A hazmat suit is stretched across the wall and Walter White’s face stares at you from the menus. You know that you found the right place, that it has always been here, waiting somehow, for you.

Heisenberg and their burgers are located in a particularly scenic street of Karakoy, a beautiful café district tucked away in thin, unpaved roads. With street art, coffee shops, and outdoor tables everywhere, it is the ideal place to stop on a Sunday morning or Thursday evening. Try some Turkish ravioli or a Turkish kabab, and if you want to stay up all day, a Turkish coffee.

9.     Your bag is empty when you arrive, you are not a big shopper, but it is full when you leave.

Not only is the exchange rate very favorable, a lot of Istanbul’s great sites involve shopping. The Grand Bazar is the most visited tourist site in the world, and haggling in its mazes can take hours. The spice market is a one stop shop for cooking and the experience is something truly unique. From my experience, the prices are even better in the market streets outside of the bazar, which seem to stretch out forever and from where all sorts of items, though not souvenirs, can be bought. I got things like socks, speakers, and sunglasses just because I knew that I’d be getting them cheaper. The hills of Galata offer a more trendy selection of clothes and souvenirs, along with a bustling scene of food and activity.

We took this picture with the panorma feature on iPhone. I just ran behind as it was moving.

10.     You are standing where countless great leaders have stood, in the capitol of multiple empires, and the site of many determining battles in world history.

Walking through the Hagia Sofia, you can be struck by the history it shows. Roman frescos peak out from under the giant mosque renovations. Kings and conquerors have fought over this city, and countless groups of people have mixed in its streets. As a passageway between continents and a bustling center of trade and culture, Istanbul has seen a lot more than most cities and it shows in streets where a 1,000 year old building is just run of the mill, and many structures are far older. When it comes to vibrancy of culture, it is hard to beat Istanbul.

If you are in Istanbul right now, you are probably already aware of it. But maybe you’re on the DIS Sociology trip and have suddenly been struck by amnesia. Maybe you’re going to a really elaborate, secret-location wedding, and just had the blindfold taken off. Or maybe you just took a wrong turn in Northern Greece and are starting to realize that there are an awful lot of mosques and minarets for Athens. If any of these are the case, then here are ten quick ways to tell that you are in fact in Istanbul.

1.     You look up to see seagulls swooping overhead, and look down to see dolphins among the ferries in the water. You assume that you are on the beach and start to take off your shirt, but quickly notice that you are doing so in a massive crowd of people, which quickly whisks you away.

At around 18 million people, Istanbul is Europe’s largest city, and it often feels like the most crowded. Unlike other cities with grey skies and green rivers, Istanbul’s air and sea fight to grab your attention away from the activity on the hills. The seagulls buzzing overhead and the ferries gliding past each other mimic the rush of activity on the streets. And yes, you can even see dolphins, as we did twice, though they are an increasingly rare sight on the Bosporus.

2.     You hear a beeping slowly growing closer. You turn around to find a trolley pushing through the crowded masses. You realize that you’ve been on the street the whole time. You move out of the way onto the sidewalk, where, before you can register that it is behind you, a motorcycle swiftly swerves in front of you.

Traffic laws in Denmark and Istanbul are polar opposites. While foreigners are routinely arrested for jaywalking in Denmark, it’s the norm here. There simply isn’t enough room to follow all the traffic laws here. Cars and motorcycles will drive through pedestrian streets with abandon, and when those cars stop, pedestrians will flood into their space. Just keep aware, even though those swerving motorcycles always seem to just miss you, but never hit.

3.     You sit down for a bite to eat on a beautiful park bench by the Blue Mosque. A cat wanders up to drink by a nearby puddle. Aw, so cute! You have to feed it. Within a minute, you are surrounded by 4 cats and 5 dogs, each giving you puppy eyes.

Istanbul has a huge population of cats and dogs which are sterilized and inoculated against diseases by the government, then pretty much allowed to run free. They are well fed and friendly. We saw a cat walk into an open door, where five minutes later it was unceremoniously thrown out on its side. The cat, of course, flipped around in the air and landed on its legs.

Bonus picture from when a cat just hopped into our laps.

4.     You really hit it off with someone that you meet, you become close and he or she asks you if you want to go Asia together tomorrow. You are in no way an impulsive person, but the idea sounds fine.

Istanbul, as you will probably hear very often, is the only city with both an Asian and a European side. Taking the ferry from one to the other is faster than going from NYC to Jersey, and you can use your transport pass. The Asian side is worth a visit, as it is more modern, and gives you an idea of the non-touristy hum of Istanbul life. There was also some beautiful street art to be seen there.

5.     You get dizzy and fall off the boat. The water is warm and refreshing, but you slowly start to feel a burning sensation. A gooey blob snuggles against your burning arm. It is a jellyfish, and it wants to be your friend.

That’s right, Istanbul has jellies. Unlike many cities, which have a lake or river on their shores, Istanbul smells of salt water. The water, mirroring the city itself, is flowering with life and activity. Large trade ships and tankers glide along these waters too, meaning that the harbors, also unlike many other cities, are still very actively employed.