It was a common sight in Istanbul. You'd be standing in front of some amazing building like the Hagia Sophia or the Galata Tower, and all the tourists would be completely ignoring it. Their cameras were trained on something cuter than some ancient old structure: a playful pack of mewling kittens.
With its trees, chalets, ponds, waterfall and jungle gyms, Emirgan's park is one of the best in the city. Of course, since it's also one of the only parks in the city, it doesn't have much competition. Istanbul may have a lot of things to recommend it, but an abundance of green spaces is not one of them.
An afternoon spent exploring Gülhane Park reached an unexpected conclusion when we discovered an abandoned baby kitten and attempted to reunite it with its mother. "Attempted" being the operative word; nature, we were bitterly reminded, is not a Disney movie.
