Mardin in a Messy Morning
i just checked and it's a crisp 10.07°C out, feels like 9.14°C, perfect for wandering. the streets around the old market are buzzing with the kind of hum you only hear when locals are arguing over the best coffee roast.
if you get bored, the next town over is just a short drive away and somehow feels like a tiny rebellion against routine.
the weather here is weirdly stable, like the sky decided to stay in a perpetual gray that matches the stone walls. i heard that the old clock tower used to chime every hour but now it just sits there, a silent sentinel that locals swear is haunted. someone told me that the bakery on the corner still makes honey cake that melts on your tongue, but i heard that the owner retired last year and the recipe is kept secret.
i popped into a tiny café that claims to serve the best avocado toast in the region and ended up spilling my notebook on the sticky floor; the barista laughed and said it's a rite of passage for anyone who tries to write about this place. you can find more drunken advice on the local board here and if you want a more polished take, check out the TripAdvisor page for the historic square here.
i also grabbed a quick bite at a street stall that sells grilled fish with a dash of lemon; the vendor shouted something about fresh catch that made me think of the sea even though we are miles from the coast. the view from the rooftop of the old cinema offers a weirdly beautiful panorama of the hills, and i snapped a quick photo that somehow looks like a painting
by the way, the clouds today look like they’re trying to spell something, and i’m pretty sure they’re whispering about the next festival. if you’re into weird folklore, the town library has a dusty section on local myths that will make you question everything you thought you knew about this region.
the hidden garden behind the museum is rumored to have a fountain that never stops singing, and locals swear you can hear it if you stay quiet enough. for a deeper dive, see the Yelp reviews of the rooftop bar here.
the map below should give you a rough idea of where you are and where the nearest bus stops are, but honestly the best way to explore is to just start walking and see where the cobblestones lead you.
the map iframe shows the exact spot i’m talking about, and you can see the bus routes if you squint enough.
the third image captures the soft light that falls on a nearby wall, kind of like the glow you get when the sun finally peeks through the clouds.
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