ISTANBUL – PART ONE

July 2015, Istanbul.

Where do I even start?

We booked ten nights in this chaotic, crazy, colourful city and dove right in. I didn’t know much, but I did know that both our parents were a little nervous at our choice to travel so far east and I was excited to be travelling somewhere so unknown to me. We decided to book four nights in a hostel on the Eminönü side and five nights in an airbnb apartment on the Karaköy side in a residential neighbourhood near Istaklal Street. I wanted to see and feel it all.

Over these ten days I took some of my favourite pictures from our trip. There was simply so much to see and capture. But I would be lying to say that travelling to Istanbul was easy. It tested me, there were days where it was my favourite place we’d been to date and there were moments when I hated it. Honestly, I would throw my hands in the air in frustration. When we were hassled, stressed, overheated, a little scared or mosquito bitten from sleeping with the windows open in the stagnant heat.

There are two types of travel destinations, those that are relaxing getaways and those that you have to work for… but even with it’s difficult moments Istanbul was incredibly fascinating and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

We were greeted in Istanbul by the most magnificent sunset. From the plane window the sun seeped through the clouds in patches of light, and from our bus to the ferry port it became a ball of red fire sinking into the horizon. We exited the bus in the heart of chaotic peak hour, dodging cars and buskers and people making their way home. We were mesmerised and a little bit lost, frantically reading strange words on signs above boats trying to find the one to take us to Eminönü. Little did we know almost all the boats were heading where we wanted to go! So after a few hectic minutes running up and down the dock, we took our chances and boarded a big ferry that was about to depart. I stood at the edge with the hot and sticky wind in my hair while Martin bought us cold ice tea’s from the shop on board. I saw the looming shapes of grand mosque’s on the surrounding shores, twinkling in the dusk light.

It’s moments like these where I think of how very different travelling experiences of the same city can be when you’re travelling wealthy or on a strict budget. In a city like Istanbul, there is a big difference to catching a comfortable taxi ride to a safe and welcoming hotel…  to cramming on a local bus to the ferry port, finding a ferry in almost darkness to the main part of the city, hiking through pitch black streets and up steep hills and arriving at a hostel with cats fighting on the rooftops outside your window, the said window you cannot close in fear of suffocation from the stagnant no-fan heat! Both of course have their upsides, the first choice has you feeling secure and comfortable, and often gives you just enough of a taste of a place but also keeps it feeling like a vacation. The budget choice throws you right in, there’s no chance to adjust to a culture shock, you have to have your wits about you and start thinking like a local.

We survived our first night at the hostel and on morning number one I was desperate to get out onto the streets. We started the day by stopping at the first cafe that beckoned us (literally, the guy was very persistent while getting us to sit down 😉 ) and Martin ordered his first Turkish coffee. A very different kind of coffee to his usual flat white, a Turkish coffee is prepared on coals and has a very thick and strong taste. He loved it! I had an orange juice and started planning our route for the day.

Our next stop, Istanbul’s famous Grand Bazaar. One of the largest and oldest markets in the world with over 3000 stalls inside sixty-one covered streets. It really is amazing. From your usual cheap and tacky souvenirs, to sweets, teas, intricately painted bowls (I wanted them all!), jewels, beautiful pillows and more. We were called at from every angle, spices thrust out in front of me, “Hey Lady!” as soon as I stopped to peer at something outside a stall. It was a fun kind of madness.

After visting the Grand Bazaar we explored further through winding streets towards the river. Leading us to the Spice Market! So many delicious smells in one place should be illegal. Edible souvenirs tempted me at every stall. If I was going home after Turkey I would have bought an entire suitcase and filled it with all these teas!

A few hours of exploring in the mid-day heat and we were ready for a much needed rest back at our hostel. We encountered our first attempt at a scam while winding our way back through quiet alleyways. A man dropped his shoe shinning brush right in front of Martin but sneakily made it look like an accident by continuing to walk past us. We were ready for this one, so we kept walking ignoring the brush. But we’ve read that it’s a common scam that when you stop, pick it up and chase after the man, he’ll offer you a shoe shine our of gratitude. Of course afterwards that shoe shine is going to cost you a huge amount more than any other on the street (even up to 40 turkish lira!) and you’d be asking for trouble to say you’re not going to pay. Unfortunately all over the world these scams take place, so it’s important to read up before you visit a new city so you’re aware of who might be looking to trick you. The most hilarious part for us were that both of us were wearing sneakers? Who knows how he would have made those shine!

For dinner we would find little restaurants hidden in alleyways that offered a mixture of dishes sitting in bain marie’s. You grab a tray and place it on the bench infront of the dishes, order a dish by pointing and saying “1 serving of this please”, move along the counter ordering anything that tickles your fancy, grab as much free bread as you want (yes free! yes baguette style!) and pay at the counter at the end. We never saw any tourists in these restaurants… but they were so delicious! Seriously we never had a bad dish, they’re everywhere you can’t miss them, it cost us about $4 a plate (and yes free bread!) and there were always at least three vegetarian options. Mmmm tomatoey-oily-veggie goodness. Definitely not the healthiest choices but no doubt the most delicious.

Afterwards we would stop for turkish tea and a little turkish delight. I made a friend and I desperately wanted to take this kitty home.

One afternoon stopping by the Blue Mosque to admire the architecture. We didn’t line up to go in, I know it’s one of the most famous sights in Istanbul but I’m not overly interested in visiting religious buildings. I did enjoy the beautiful building from the outside and sitting down on a bench for awhile just to people watch.

Dusk wandering by the river watching the popular fish roll and sweet pickle tea stalls. It’s so strange wandering the web of Grand Bazaar streets after closing hours. Kind of like wandering a post apocalyptic town, I expected a zombie could jump out at any moment.

We took a day trip ferry ride to Kadıköy area across the sea. It’s technically travelling from Europe to Asia!  Known for its hip vibe, bookstores and cute coffee shops. The ferry is just a few dollars and it’s a beautifully scenic half an hour ride. We didn’t plan a specific destination, just wandered the coloured streets, stopped for turkish coffee and tea, and peered into a few of the cute shops along the way.

More tea and free turkish delight!

Quiet moments on the ferry ride back into town.

Our first four days in Istanbul were intense but exciting. We didn’t love our hostel on account of there being no fan, crazy guests who partied in the corridor all night, unhappy reception staff and a very shonky lift. We were excited to be moving into an airbnb apartment on a new, unexplored side of town, but even that came with it’s own set of challenges. Part two of my Istanbul blogposts will tell the story of living in a Turkish neighbourhood in the heart of Istanbul.