Merhaba (hello) from Turkey!! First stop, Istanbul. We got upgraded to an incredibly luxurious “comfort class” on Turkish airways from Delhi to Istanbul. Really set the tone for what was to come in Turkey…
Istanbul is where east meets west. The people speak of the European and Asian sides of the city. The divider is the legendary Bosphorus Strait. It splits Istanbul and travels from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. We made sure to do a 2 hour cruise up the Bosphorus to view Istanbul by water, and what a majestic city it is.
We stayed at the Kaftan hotel and immediately made friends with the new owner, Osman, who was really warm and welcoming. We chatted over coffee with him for almost an hour, talking about our backgrounds, politics and tourists. He was very accommodating and allowed us private access to the roofdeck restaurant during the closed hours, which overlook the Bosphorus.
We arrived in Turkey just as provincial elections were about to take place. There are massive political rallies happening, and we saw tons of vehicles promoting their “mayorial” candidates while blasting really loud music. All of the people we met joked with us about how absurd the campaigning style was for each and every candidate.
Our hotel was located in the historic center of town along the water. Steps from our hotel, we visited the Blue Mosque (built 1603-17), Aya Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom, built in the late Byzantine era, 1238) Topkapi Palace (court of the Ottoman empire, 15th – 19th centuries), Basilica Cistern (underground Aqueduct which served the palace, originally constructed in 529 AD) and The Hippodrome (ancient location of chariot races).
On one day we took the tram to the Beyoglu neighborhood, which is in the northern part of the city. It’s also known as “New Istanbul.” It’s a hilly area that reminded us of San Francisco, packed with cute restaurants and bars. We went to the top of Galata Tower there, which is the highest point around, and took in fantastic 360-degree vistas of Istanbul.
And of course let’s not forget about the amazing food! Our free hotel breakfast consisted of the Turkish staples: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheeses, hard boiled egg, dried apricots, cured meat and bread. Done in moderation, it’s a great start to the day. We typically have only been eating breakfast and dinner, and it’s working out well. Another favorite of ours are the kebaps (as they call them here). Chicken, beef, lamb…you choose. Always accompanied by a delicious salad. We could definitely live on a Mediterranean diet, yum!
We checked out the two main Bazaars in town – Spice and Grand Bazaars and sampled “turkish delights,” a fruit and nut candy covered in powdered sugar. There are a plethora of carpet shops here, which were beautiful, but thousands of dollars. Ran into several sales schemes although it’s not nearly on the level of India.
Oh, and cats are everywhere! Lots of dogs too, which are all protected by the government.