Istanbul'a hoş geldiniz!

Welcome to Istanbul!



Our overnight flight from Berlin to Istanbul on Sun Express may have been the worst flight either of us has ever taken. The seats were tiny (neither of us are very large people and we barely fit), they also were about as comfortable as sitting on a cement block and the flight was delayed due to lack of organization herding us onto the plane. Warning: DO NOT fly this airline no matter how cheap a flight you can find!

Anyways, we arrived in Istanbul around 8 in the morning, tired and frustrated from our flight. With not a clue how to get to our hostel we decided to try and find our way on our own…no map, no directions, no nothing. (In hindsight this was not the most brilliant idea.) We got on a one-hour bus that appeared to be taking us right where we needed to go, however, when the bus pulled into the station…the last stop…we finally figured out we were not in the right place. We found a cab driver, showed him our address and begged him to take us there. He laughed at us, telling us we were on the Asian side of Istanbul and needed to be on the European side (such a weird concept). So onto a ferry we went to take us across the Bosporus River.



We arrived on the European side…still lost…told which tram stop to get off at…still lost...helped by a stranger on the street…still lost…finally after walking up and down streets for about an hour and being helped by 5 different individuals, one man finally pointed us to our hostel…The Second Home Hostel.

Located in Sultanahmet, we were very close to many of Istanbul’s major
attractions including Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, and the Blue Mosque etc. The hostel was completely booked, so Matt and I were taken to a separate building they owned that had individual apartments. We couldn’t believe how big our room was upon entering…we had a queen size bed, two sets of bunk beds, three closets and a large bathroom…my entire extended family could have stayed comfortably in this room. Exhausted…we both lay down on the bed to see if it was comfortable and passed out for a few hours.

We were quite startled when our nap was interrupted by a blaring voice coming from right outside our window…we soon realized it was one of the five daily calls to prayer…we also realized there was a mosque and a speaker pointing directly into our window. After a few times we were used to it…I actually came to enjoy it…though not when it sounded at 4AM.

Now awake, we headed off to see Istanbul. We walked up the street to Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. There were hoards of people sitting in the outside gardens, entering the mosques to pray, trying to interest people in converting to Islam, and snapping photo after photo of these incredibly famous mosques.



The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616, is better known as the Blue Mosque due to the spectacular blue tiles embellishing the walls of the mosque. Matt and I attempted to enter the mosque through what appeared to be the main entrance, however, it was only for worshippers.



We found a long line of people behind the mosque waiting to enter the “tourist” entrance. We had to remove our shoes and I had to cover my head to be allowed to enter.



The main dome and a chandelier that hangs over the prayer area are truly incredible.



Starving after leaving the Mosque we walked down the street to an authentic Turkish looking restaurant, the Haan, for a snack. We sat on pillows around a very low table and enjoyed humus, a Turkish pancake filled with spinach, and the “Haan Pastry” which was fried pastry filled with the Haan special filling…vegetables and cheese! Two women sat in the front of the restaurant rolling and making the pancakes and cooking the lavash over a dome shaped oven.



After freshening up, we walked to the Beyoglu area of Istanbul across the Galata Bridge to the Galata Tower.



We were recommended by Nina, a friend of Charlie Johnstone’s who lives in Istanbul to eat dinner at a small fish restaurant called Balikcisi on Serdar-i Ekrem Sokak.



It was a hole in the wall but my was it good. We were told the best dish on the menu was the blue fish, which we both ordered. Having ate plenty of freshly caught bluefish in Duxbury, we were expecting a large chunk of fish, maybe a small fillet…however, I was quite shocked when I was served 4 tiny grilled fish, each no longer than my middle finger, complete with skin, the head, the tail, the bones…everything.



I hesitated before taking the first bite, contemplating sending the dish back for a bowl of pasta with pesto, but I decided to give it a try…when in Istanbul right?! It was delicious….the best bluefish I have ever tasted. Matt and I sat carefully peeling as much meat as possible off of the barely visible bones and eating ALL the skin. We thought we were doing a wonderful job until a couple at the table next to us ordered the same dish and began taking bites out of the fish…yes, they ate the whole thing! On our walk back from dinner we passed outdoor markets, pushy salesmen, street dancers, vendors and hundreds of fishermen.



Ready to go to bed but feeling lame since it seemed the entire city was out doing something we decided to go home, change and find a relaxing hookah bar. However, as we passed our hostel, the man at the front desk invited us upstairs to smoke the water pipe with two other girls from Denmark, a man from Australia and a woman from Austin, Texas. We all sat on the rooftop of the hostel talking about our travels and playing team backgammon!

The next morning we stopped at the Egyptian Spice Bazaar before heading off to Bebek, a wealthy village along the Bosporus River Nina suggested we visit. The Spice Bazaar was absolutely fantastic…ever sort of spice, nut, dried fruit, or treat could be found in every stall, piled on top of each other, trying to lure in the next innocent passerby by offering free samples and mint tea. Matt and I made it to the other end of the Bazaar without being hassled but were trapped at the stall before the exit and sucked into buying about $10 worth of pistachios!



We decided to take public transportation to Bebek…in retrospect this was a terrible idea…it took us about 3 hours to get there (instead of 30 minutes)…and probably would have cost the same as taking a taxi from our hostel…I think we took three trams, the subway, and then a taxi. But it was worth the trip! We tried to find a restaurant that Nina recommended us, however were unable to find it so we decided to walk along the waterfront up to Rumeli Hisari. She told us we would feel as though we were in Cape Town, and since neither of us has been to Cape Town, we took her word for it and hope to someday visit if it is truly like this.



We grabbed a bite to eat at a small restaurant right on the river. It was 3PM, yet the waiter asked us if we would like breakfast, confused we said no and ordered lunch. Not only did we stand out because we were not Turkish, but as our food was brought out we realized it was Sunday and you come to this restaurant to have brunch. People were practically laughing at us and looking at us as though we were from another planet!

Later that evening we went to another Turkish restaurant, Home Made, and enjoyed their cold meze platter. Meze is more of an eating experience than a type of dish. Meze typically includes cacik (yogurt with cucumber and mint), enginar (cooked artichoke), haydari (yogurt with roasted eggplant/aubergine and garlic) and yaprak sarma (vine leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and pine nuts. It also included tabbouleh and humus! I think I could eat Turkish food all day every day!



The next morning we headed off early to visit the opulent Topkapi Palace, one of the largest and oldest palaces in the world. It was the Imperial residence of Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. Everything was ornate, from the Imperial Council Chamber and the Library of Ahmet III to the rich collection of imperial robes, kaftans, and uniforms worked in gold and silver thread.



But the most incredible sight is the Imperial Treasury…which showcases an incredible collection of precious stones, objects made of gold, silver, rubies, pearls, diamonds etc. The most fascinating pieces are the enormous gold and diamond candlesticks weighing 48kg each…or perhaps the Topkapi dagger featuring 3 enormous emeralds…or maybe the Kasikci (Spoonmaker’s )Diamond, a teardrop-shaped 86-carat rock surrounded by dozens of “smaller” stones. This is the fifth largest diamond in the world and named such because it was found at a rubbish dump and purchased by a street peddler for 5 spoons!



Next, we headed off to the Grand Bazaar to try and tackle as many of the 4000 shops and several kilometers of lanes this “covered city” as possible. We came across innumerable shops selling jewelry, silver, ceramics, knock-off designer everything, and antiques. The shopkeepers were all friendly but overly eager to sell you any of their goods! If the Grand Bazaar itself wasn’t exciting enough, the maze of more streets and shops surrounding it are even more interesting as that is where we saw all of the locals doing their shopping!



The next morning prior to our departure, we decided to ship a box home with all our warm clothes, things we no longer needed and some gifts. What we thought would be a simple task turned out to be quite complicated. To make a long story short the “shipping center” had no boxes, and maybe would have some in two weeks, so we ran from shop to shop trying to buy one. We finally found a man to sell us one, which had probably been used 19 times. Hopefully it will hold up on the 18 day journey it has to make it to Duxbury. Who knows when it will truly arrive! Well, we are off to Jordan and to the warm weather from here on out! Yay!

Stay thirsty my friends,

Lindsey and Matt