Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Sleepy Day in the Life of an Istanbul Cat

Starting point is 00:00:00 Tonight's episode of Get Sleepy is brought to you by BetterHelp. You've probably heard of the phrase social battery. It relates to a person's capacity for socializing or being around other people, and the point at which that runs low and needs some time to recharge. I know that I enjoy my own company, but I also feel my best when I'm able to socialize fairly regularly. Therapy is a great tool to understand how to optimize the way you spend your time, whether that's for socializing, for personal projects, or just for your own leisure.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Realizing which activities make you happy and how much of each is ideal for you can really help you grow into your best self. So if you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be flexible and convenient. Learn to make time for what makes you happy with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash GetSleepy to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P, dot com slash GetSleepy. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. I'm your host Thomas, thanks so much for being here.

Starting point is 00:01:42 Tonight's story takes place in the city of Istanbul in Turkey. It's a very big city, more than 15 million people live there, and that's just the people. That number doesn't include all of the other animal residents, like birds, frogs, cats, dogs, even butterflies. All those creatures and many more besides make Istanbul their home too. This story is all about one of Istanbul's feline residence, a marmalade colored cat called Mehmet. It will be read by Simon and was written by Jessica. If you enjoy tonight's story, you'll probably also like two previous episodes called A Sleepy Day in the Life of a London Mouse and A Sleepy Day in the Life of a Paris Sparrow. I'll add links to both of those episodes in the show notes so that they're easy to find if you haven't heard them yet. Before we go to Istanbul, I know that the majority of you really appreciate having a bit of time to

Starting point is 00:03:08 transition into a more relaxed state of body and mind when you come here to listen at night. So let's enjoy that opportunity here and now. Begin by easing your breathing into a slower, deeper pattern. Feeling the calming sensation that comes with the release of the out-breath. And while you focus on your breathing, I want you to remind yourself that by simply being You're giving yourself a token of care and positive intention. You are here to rest. There's nothing else you need to concern yourself with. If thoughts come to mind, watch them with calm, laid-back observation, as if they are gentle white clouds drifting through the bright blue sky. and you can let them float away out of sight, leaving you to enjoy the calm clarity of a

Starting point is 00:04:53 clear blue sky. Join me for a nice deep breath before I hand over to Simon Breathe in for one, two, three, four, five, and out for five, four, three, 2, 1. Perfect. Now it's time to close your eyes and open your imagination as Simon tells you a story all about spring day in Istanbul. Sparrows are singing and the city is in full bloom. The branches of the city's ergovantries are heavy with big pink blossoms. Purple wisteria sprouts on the crumbling walls of the old city, and in the public spaces from Yildiz Park to Taksim Square, the flower beds are bright with unfolding tulips.

Starting point is 00:06:58 Mehmet, the cat, doesn't see any of this. He is snoozing, cozy and comfortable, curled up into a ball on a pile of kilim rugs. It is very dark and quiet in the grand bazaar, the historic covered market, where Mehmet is sleeping. But it won't stay that way for long. There are footsteps, the creak of a heavy, centuries-old wooden door slowly opening. A shaft of golden sunlight shines through the dark. Mehmet stirs and blinks one eye slowly open.

Starting point is 00:07:57 He sees the stall holders coming into the bazaar to start their day. He hears the squeak of windows opening and the whirr of a coffee grinder a few stalls over. He smells the rich, delicious scent of fresh ground coffee beans. He uncurls from his sleeping position, stands up and does an enormous stretch from the tips of his ears all the way down his spine, right to the bottom of his padded feet. He springs down from the pile of rugs, but only after he has used his tail to swipe away any stray cat hairs he's shared in the night. He is sure the owner of the stall wouldn't be pleased to find marmalade-colored hair on his antique woolen rugs.

Starting point is 00:09:02 Mehmet wants to stretch his legs. Luckily, there is plenty of space in the Grand Bazaar. This market hall is large and maze-like, with more than 60 covered lanes lined either side with stalls. There are over 4,000 stalls, in fact, and the merchants of Istanbul have been selling everything from gleaming gold jewelry and fine rugs to fragrant apple tea and tasty spices here for 500 years. Mehmet goes from stall to stall, stopping here and there to admire anything especially interesting. He pauses briefly at a spice stall, where powdered spices are held in copper barrels

Starting point is 00:10:08 and heaped into enormous pyramids. Sweet cinnamon, bright yellow saffron and orange turmeric. He stretches his neck back to admire a stall hung all over with brightly painted glass lanterns. He watches as a merchant unrolls carpet after carpet in a kaleidoscope of colour and pattern. He stops to sniff the air outside a stall that sells perfume oils in large glass jars. He smells rose and amber and aniseed. Delicious. Then there is a low growl. Mehmet looks around to see where it's coming from. It's not from the stall-holder nearby who is sitting down to a Turkish breakfast of

Starting point is 00:11:17 tea, salty sheep's cheese, warm fresh bread and sweet cherry jam. And it's not from the dog sitting under the table munching on a tasty chicken kebab he has pilfered from one of the food stalls in the market. No, the growling is coming from Mehmet's own belly. It's time for breakfast. There are so many options here. A charcoal grilled shish kebab, a flaky pastry filled with cheese or spinach,

Starting point is 00:12:03 a fresh simit roll sprinkled with delicious sesame seeds. But there's only one thing that he's hankering after. Fresh fish. Licking his whiskers with anticipation, Mehmet slinks out the front door of the Grand Bazaar. He winds his way onto the cobbled streets of old Istanbul and heads downhill. He goes past the slate-grey domes of a mosque and through a bustling port to where the Galata Bridge stretches over the Bosporus Strait. The Bosporus is wider than a river, narrower than a sea. This waterway divides the continent of Europe from that of Asia.

Starting point is 00:13:09 Right now Mehmet is standing on the European side of the strait. If he stood on his tiptoes and looked across to the other side, he would see Asia. On the other side, he would see Asia. But just this minute, Mehmet is more concerned with breakfast than geography. All along the Galata Bridge, hundreds of people lean fishing rods against the railings, like a thick forest of long trees, thinks Mehmet. Every so often there is a splash and one of the rods jerks upwards with a delicious fish at the end of its line. But even more scrumptious than freshly caught river fish is balik ekmek, a fish sandwich

Starting point is 00:14:09 made on one of the famous boats that floats in the strait. After the fishermen on these boats catch a fish, they slap it immediately onto the steaming grill that hisses and smokes at the center of the boat. Once the fish is cooked just right, one of the boatmen places it on a roll of crusty white bread, squeezes juicy lemon over it and wraps it in paper to pass to the eager customers waiting on the shore. Mehmet slinks over to his favorite boat, and the chef behind the grill winks when he catches sight of the marmalade cat. catches sight of the marmalade cat. He tosses a sandwich in his direction, and Mehmet gobbles it up. He loves the flaky white fish and the crumbs that collect on his whiskers. Next, Mehmet walks into the historic district of Sultanahmet.

Starting point is 00:15:28 He stops to clean his whiskers and freshen his paws in the marble fountains of the square. Before him, he sees the massive domes and minarets which are a type of long narrow turret of the blue mosque. It's one of the most important buildings in the city. The mosques outside walls are covered in beautiful hand-painted blue tiles. It is this blue colour that gives the mosque its name. Mehmet decides to pay a visit. He walks right by the security guard and the line of people waiting to pray or simply admire the wonderful architecture inside the mosque. Jumping a line may not be acceptable for a person, but it's fine for a cat in Istanbul.

Starting point is 00:16:39 Cats have been welcome and looked after in the city for ages. have been welcome and looked after in the city for ages. They originally helped protect grain stores and wooden houses from rats, and now they're free to roam anywhere. Mehmet pads inside the Blue Mosque. A hush falls. All the noise of the bustling city streets, cars and trucks rumbling and honking, buskers playing traditional music on drums and zithers, flower sellers crying out to passers-by, melts away. Mehmet's paws sink into the thick, patterned carpets.

Starting point is 00:17:34 He looks around. He has been here before, of course, but the intricately tiled walls and wide marble columns are still breathtaking. Best of all, though, is the ceiling. Mehmet finds a cozy nook, curls into the thick carpet, and turns his neck upwards. The domed ceilings are studded with stained glass windows that let in rays of bright rainbow-tinged sunlight. Wide, twinkling chandeliers are hung overhead and the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns in every shade of blue. Mehmet feels his whole body relax as he gazes up at the ceiling. His spine uncurls, his tail loosens, his legs and belly sink deeper and deeper into the

Starting point is 00:18:56 carpet. He lets his chin rest on his neatly folded front paws. A long, low purr escapes him. Nemet could stay here, curled up on the plush carpet, all day. all day. But Istanbul is a big city, filled with wonderful things to do. And right now an idea is floating through Mehmet's mind. It would be lovely, he thinks, to climb to the very top of the Galata Tower. He stretches, stands, and walks out of the Blue Mosque.

Starting point is 00:19:56 He goes down through the steep cobbled streets, over the Galata Bridge, and into the district of Beorru, home to the Galata Tower. The tower is tall and narrow, made of crumbling bricks and topped with a pointy tiled roof. centuries ago it was used as a watchtower because it provided views all down the length of the Bosporus Strait. The guards there kept a lookout for any strange ships and reported them to the Sultan. Now the Galata Tower is no longer a watchtower, but it still has the best view in all of Istanbul. Mehmet climbs the stairs until he reaches the top, then peers out one of the narrow stone windows. He sees the whole city spread before him. The blue of the Bosporus Strait, crisscrossed with boats and barges and bridges, the rounded domes of the city's mosques, apartment buildings and grand old hotels and shiny glass skyscrapers, and in the distance tall green hills.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Coming down from the tower again, Mehmet makes his way up his favorite street in the whole city. It's known colloquially as Music Street. Many of the shops here sell or repair musical instruments. Mehmet sees guitars and keyboards and drums. He notices all kinds of traditional Turkish instruments too. Percussion instruments like the darbuka and the davul, and stringed instruments like the popular balama. Enchanting strains of music drift out from the separate shops

Starting point is 00:22:45 and meet in the air outside. Mehmet can't help but sway his tail in time to the music as he walks to the small square at the top of the street. Here he springs up onto a bench and, still listening to the music, he lets his eyes close. He is doing what cats in Istanbul do best, having an afternoon sunbathe. He stretches out on the sun-warmed stone, lets his tail flop to one side, and drifts into something almost like sleep. for a long time, until the sweet scent of sugar tickles his nostrils. Feeling rested, he climbs down from his bench and saunters to one of the busiest shopping streets in all of Istanbul. In fact, this street is one of the longest, busiest, and most colourful of its kind in the whole world. The wide cobbled road is lined with elegant buildings,

Starting point is 00:24:31 elegant buildings, housing shops and restaurants, cafes and cinemas, flower stalls and coffee bars, where coffee is made the Turkish way, cooked in a small metal pot on a stove until it becomes foamy and creamy. Every now and then a bell jangles and an old-fashioned red tram clangs down the street. There is one spot on this bustling road that Mehmet is particularly keen to visit, a famous patisserie that specializes in Turkish sweets. Behind the glass counter, Mehmet sees bowls of sütlac, a milky rice pudding sweetened with cinnamon, and plates of lokma, crispy fried dough in sugar syrup, and every flavor of baklava,

Starting point is 00:25:38 a sweet made from layers of pastry and crushed nuts covered in honey. from layers of pastry and crushed nuts covered in honey. A kindly waiter slips him a slice of honey-drenched baklava. It tastes so good it sends shivers, Mehmet sees the days drawing to a close. The sky deepens from blue to black, and the bright neon signs around are switched on, twinkling against the dusk. Mehmet has walked all over the city from end to end. His paws are dusty and his whiskers could use a clean. Luckily, he knows just the place to go to freshen up. The hamam, a traditional Turkish bath.

Starting point is 00:26:57 Mehmet hops a tram to one of the oldest baths in the city. He slips inside the grand stone building. Under its domed roof, the hammam is filled with soothing sounds. The gentle trickling the hiss of steam. It smells of fragrant cedar soap, and it is deliciously warm. First, Mehmet finds a private marble basin where he scrubs his pores and whiskers and dips them in fresh, cool water. Feeling squeaky clean, he walks into the steam room, where a large marble stone is heated to perfection by an underground fire. Mehmet lays out on a traditional linen towel known as a pestermal, and feels the heat of the marble soaking into his body. It warms his pores and his ears and spreads across his fur. Next, the heat creeps into his muscles and

Starting point is 00:28:32 loosens them one by one. At last, he feels the warmth spreading through his bones. Mehmet has never felt so relaxed. Slowly, after a very long time, he uncurls himself, neatly folds his towel, and leaves through the teahouse, where fellow bathers sit, enjoying glasses of warm apple tea. The night air is refreshing after the heat of the baths, and the streets are busy and filled with music. But Mehmet is tired after his long day. He needs somewhere quiet to rest. Tonight he decides he will sleep like a sultan. He makes his way to the district

Starting point is 00:29:56 of Fatih where, overlooking the Bosporus, the Topkapi Palace stands. In the olden days, this is where Turkey's ruler, the Sultan, lived, with his family, all the noblemen and women of his court, and all the other people of the palace. Scribes, chefs, advisors, fortune tellers, astronomers, poets, and more. From the outside, this 500-year-old palace is an imposing structure of high, torrented walls and heavy gates.

Starting point is 00:30:51 On the inside, though, it is something else entirely. Here, the walls are covered with hand-painted tiles depicting tulips and boats and sacred symbols and all manner of other things. Every tile is so detailed, Mehmet could spend hours looking at each of them. The ceilings are gilded and carved with detailed patterns. Being inside the palace is like being inside a beautiful jewelry box. The palace is designed as a series of courtyards. As Mehmet wanders from room to room, from courtyard to courtyard, the noise and bustle of the city streets grows quieter. Soon he can hardly hear it at all.

Starting point is 00:32:09 Mehmet almost feels like he has travelled back in time. He slinks through an intricately carved wooden door and finds himself in a walled garden. Low marble benches surround a fountain that ripples softly. When he looks up, he doesn't see any neon signs, just the night sky and a scattering of stars. Olive trees rustle in the wind. The walls of the garden are just coming into bloom, and their sweet smell tickles Mehmet's nostrils. He sighs, yawns, and stretches out his whole body.

Starting point is 00:33:25 It has been a long day, filled with sights and smells and sounds, and tomorrow promises to be just as good. He thinks sleepily of what he'll have for breakfast in the morning, perhaps fish again. But before too long, his tail starts to droop and his eyes fall shut. He rests his head on his neatly folded paws. long yawn, he falls into a deep, refreshing sleep. You.. You. You You You You I'm going to go ahead and close the video. You You You You You I'm going to go ahead and close the video. You You. You.... you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Sleepy Day in the Life of an Istanbul Cat

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