First up: a long weekend in Istanbul, late January 2014. Apologies for the lack of Chronology here: it was 9 months ago and my memory isn't that good!
I've wanted to visit Istanbul for years, having heard only good things. So when we decided to take a trip away in January, it seemed like the perfect choice. What I hadn't bargained on was quite how cold Istanbul is at that time of year!An early train to the airport started us on our first adventure overseas; I love airports and flying, so was pretty excited already. Nick does not. Fortunately, the flight wasn't too long and we landed that afternoon in Istanbul. From the air, the city didn't look as 'exotic' as I'd expected but that all changed when we got into the city centre itself.
After a few issues with hotels (I really don't recommend Turvan Hotel, er, ever. It was appalling...but that'd be a subject for a post of its own), we went out to explore. First stop, the Grand Bazaar. I've been to Morocco and love the souks there and the Grand Bazaar has a similar feel to it, albeit with more relaxed and less overtly aggressive traders. Unlike in Morocco, you won't find yourself physically pulled into stalls and shops, which is a big bonus! There's all sorts on offer, from knock off 'branded' goods to expensive jewellery and everything in between. The Spice Market nearby is pretty amazing too and well worth a look; some very tasty dried fruit on offer there too!We had to try a decent Turkish Kebab while we were there and we found on TripAdvisor a tiny little place, really just a hole-in-the-wall near the Grand Bazaar and very popular with locals. I've never eaten Doner Kebab in the UK because, frankly, it doesn't look at all appetizing but the Kebab in Turkey was incredible - melt in the mouth, incredibly succulent meat and lots of fresh veg. Definitely something to try while you're there!
The rest of our weekend involved visits to Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern...basically, all the standard tourist-y places, plus the Galata Tower, and took a boat trip across to Kadikoy (working out how the boats worked took an age!) - it's technically in Asia, so was Nick's first steps into a new continent, and the Fish market there was incredible. We found a whole area dedicated to Antique shops too; well worth a browse.
A lovely pub near our hotel was the Red River Pub, an American style place with cheap and tasty snacks and very reasonably priced Efes on tap. With complimentary nuts, this was a great place to relax for a few hours. Otherwise, we found Tripadvisor very useful for finding good places: most restaurant owners will bend over backwards for you, giving you apple tea after your meal (not that the Turks actually drink it but it is good...and if you miss it when you get home, Whittard's do a great instant version) and, on one occasion, the owner even ran out to get us some freshly baked bread from a nearby vendor to go with our meal. Turkish food is generally pretty tasty, Pide are worth a try and their cakes are fabulous, too, not to mention Turkish Delight and Baklava etc.We went to a nearby cake shop for breakfast one day, enjoying fresh Turkish Coffee (yum!) served with the obligatory glass of water, and a cake to share. Don't expect milk in your Coffee; just enjoy it the Turkish way. It can be pretty strong but it's a great experience.
So, a quick roundup of the places we visited:
Basilica Cistern - used in the filming of one of the James Bond movies. Interesting, peaceful and quite surreal. But crowds are substantial and it's not cheap for what it is.
The Galata Tower - beautiful views on a 360 degree walkway around the tower. The queues were insane but we did get some good photos! We found a lovely, cosy little bar nearby too: I haven't a clue what the name of it was but wander around the back streets for a while and you'll doubtless stumble across some absolute gems.
Hagia Sofia - well it has to be done really, doesn't it? Some incredible history and, when the sun came out for our last full day, it looked incredibly beautiful! The queues seem huge to get in but it's very serene inside and there are some stunning mosaics to be seen; an enthralling mixture of its both Christian and Muslim history.
I've no brilliant photos of either Topkapi Palace or the Blue Mosque but both come recommended: there's an awful lot to see at Topkapi and it's very reasonably priced indeed. The Blue Mosque allows visitors in outside of prayer times and, while you have to cover up somewhat, they're very helpful in assisting foreign (read: clueless!) visitors with this and clearly welcome the interest in Islam. Having never visited a Mosque before, I was very excited about having the opportunity and numerous signs around the Mosque proved that they were keen to discuss their religion, ethics or really any spiritual topic with any visitor, regardless of religion. What a brilliant way to enable others to learn.
It was a fantastic, if very cold, weekend and I came home with lots of great memories (plus a lovely scarf!). The prices were all very reasonable and the city is incredibly beautiful, if very cold. If you do visit Istanbul in the colder months, remember to take lots of layers. The wind chill there is something else. Most people speak at least basic English, which is good as my Turkish is non-existent. While we went during the riots that were happening at the time, we saw nothing bar a group of well-dressed, middle aged individuals walking calmly through the streets with a few placards. It feels very safe indeed.
Will we go back? Who knows, but I'm glad we went!
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