So last month, I took myself to Turkey and spent a few days in Istanbul (not Constantinople).
It is a city I’ve never been to and also the furthest east I’ve ever been, so I was excited for a completely new experience (even if I wasn’t feeling the best).
As someone that likes to travel, I love airports, and with that, airlines. So another first on this trip was flying with Turkish Airlines. From the ground staff, to the flight attendants, the plane and the food, everything was extremely impressive and they have certainly landed themselves in my top airlines to fly with, which put my trip off to great start.
As it was my first time in the city, I positioned myself in the historic part of Istanbul, so that I would be in walking distance of all the major tourist attractions, such as Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace and more (in fact the Grand Bazaar was less than a minutes’ walk from my hotel). When it’s my first time in a city, I like to see as many of the main attractions as I can, so I that I can get a feel for the history and culture of a city, and from then on it becomes an adventure to explore the finer details of a city, be it in that trip, or the next time I visit the city.
As you wander through Istanbul, your day is punctuated by the calls to worship (adhan) from the minarets on the vast number of Mosques that inhabit the city. The adhan (or ezan in Turkey), sound throughout the city five times a day, starting at dawn. I have to say being woken up at 5am, did take some getting used to, but as someone who had not been exposed to Islam before, this was fascinating to me. This in turn led me to visiting the Blue Mosque. Visually stunning, the Blue Mosque stands opposite the famous Hagia Sophia, and is equally if not more impressive to look at. As it is a functioning Mosque, entry is free, unlike most places in Istanbul. All that is asked is that you respect the rules, such as removing your shoes, observing silence and women must cover their hair with a shawl (these are provided if you don’t have one with you). Information about the Mosque itself and Islam are placed throughout, should anyone want to learn more during their visit.
Usually when I arrive in any new city or place, I like to get my bearings straight away. However as I met up with one of friends who lives in Istanbul, I gave up the reigns to her and allowed a local to show me around. Apart from taking me all over the city, from the modern Taksim square to Bebek in the more affluent Beşiktaş district, she also took me on a Bosphorus river cruise, which was one of my favourite parts of my time in Istanbul. The short cruise costs only 10TL (approx €3.40) for a 2 hours, taking in both the European and Asian side of the Bosphorus. Apart from the beautiful Ottoman waterfront houses, the cruise also gives amazing views of Topkapi & Dolmabahçe Palace, to name a few.
Just as a Bosphorus cruise is great way to see the city from the water, a hop-on-hop-off bus is my favourite way to see most cities. I took the Big bus 48hr tour (€35), although more expensive than most cities I’ve been to, I still think it’s worthwhile. It brings you to areas that you wouldn’t have necessarily gone to by yourself, as well as giving a history of the city and its attractions. It also brings you across to the Asian side of Istanbul, so I can say that I went to two continents on my visit!
Throughout my trip, I visited some of the other big tourist attractions, such as the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, the Bascilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. Although Hagia Sophia & Topkapi Palace are beautiful and interesting historical sites, in retrospect, having paid for entry, I feel that viewing these places from the outside would have sufficed for me, as I don’t feel like they are value for money. The Grand Bazaar is free, and just for that is worth a visit, whether you decide to buy anything or not (just try not to get lost in the tunnels!)
Although I found a lot of the major tourist attractions quite expensive, this is offset by the extremely inexpensive food and transport. Trams and buses are readily available and cost only 2-3TL for most trips. However this is city where I would not be afraid to use taxis, despite the crazy traffic! If you’re walking around, I would forgo getting lunch in a cafe or restaurant and instead eat from the vast amount of food carts scattered throughout the city, nearly everything from the carts cost 1-2TL and is extremely tasty!
All in all, I really enjoyed my trip to Istanbul, it’s an incredibly interesting city filled with extremely friendly people. Just like its geographical situation, where Asia meets Europe, the atmosphere of the city feels like a confluence of eastern and western cultures, from the historical Faith district to the modern shopping areas of Taksim. It was a completely new experience for me and I so glad I visited!
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