Istanbul Summary & Review

Before this trip we had been to Istanbul before, very very briefly last summer.  The Mediterrean cruise we went on last summer stopped for a half day in Istanbul and we did a 4-5 hour tour of the city.  It was August so it was very hot and we quickly realized that Istanbul is a big vacation spot for Europeans. 
When planning this world-trip, Chris knew he wanted to come back to Istanbul.  Kate wasn't so sure but agreed to the stop anyways.  Now that we've spent almost a week here, Kate claims this was her favorite stop on the trip so far!  Good thing Chris added it to the itinerary!  We were there in June (even though we're writting this post in August!) so the weather was the perfect and having the breeze from the sea was amazing. Such a change from hot Dubai and humid India!

The Food:
SO much amazing seafood! And the doner (smoked lamb on a stick) is to die for. Chris is a huge fan of the famous Turkish (but also claimed by the Greeks) dessert, Baklava. Kate preferred the sweet, chewy Turkish delights. This was also the first place on our trip where we could get good wine and at a fairly reasonable price. Asia does not have much good wine and the good wine they do have is really expensive. Breakfasts here are better but not great or filling. It's breads, meats, cheeses - very European.

The people:
Istanbul is a very touristy town so the people are used to tourists roaming the streets. Most of the people working the restaurants, hotels, and tourist sites speak English. There's also plenty of English speaking tours given at each site.   However, it can be limited and we definitely had some cab drivers that didn't speak any.  The people in Istanbul are very nice.  The last time we were in Istanbul we had a tour guide we really liked so we met up with her on this trip.  She wasn't available to take us on a tour of the sites but we did get to meet up with her for coffee.  It's always fun to meet people that live in the cities that you visit.

Religion:
In the middle-east and in Turkey, religion is very important to the people living there.  Several times a day we heard the call to prayer ring through the streets and outside our hotel room.  It's interesting to experience this very prominent practice of religion.  It's always nice to experience other spiritual rituals but when it's something that in-your-face everyday, it makes us happy to live in a country where one religion isn't pushed on you.  Where you can practice, or not practice, any religion that you choose. 

In summary, Istanbul is truely a unique and incredible city.  It's geographically the center of world.  It's where Europe meets Asia across a stretch of water a few hundred meters wide. The only city that exists in two continents.  Istanbul is also very easy to get around and it's a historic town with a relaxed beach vibe.  We highly recommend that you visit.  We also recommend our hotel: Hotel Tashkonak Istanbul.  It was centrally located, in a nice and very European-looking neighborhood.  And the staff were some of the nicest people.

Istanbul - Day 4

Our forth day in Istanbul felt like such a blessing.  The night before we misread our schedule and thought we were leaving the next morning.  So on our fourth day in Istanbul, we packed our bags and headed down to check-out but we were quickly sent back upstairs by reception.  Apparently we had one more full day in Istanbul!  We were so excited because, you may recall, our first day in Istanbul we tried to see the Dolmabahce Palace but the line was too long. We made sure that was our first stop on our last day.

The Dolmabahce Palace was the administrative center of the late Ottoman Empire with the last of Ottoman Sultans residing there. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic in Ankara, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk transferred all government functions to the youthful capital but on his visits to Istanbul Ataturk occupied only a small room at Dolmabahce Palace as his own. He stayed, welcomed his foreign guests and made a practical center for national, historical and language congress and for international conferences.

Dolmabahce Palace has a signficant meaning for the Turkish people as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had used the palace as a residence and he died in this palace on November 10, 1938 at 9:05 A.M. All the clocks in the palace are stopped to mark this time. 

Unfortunately, the palace's status as a royal residence precludes the taking of pictures inside, but we did take many pictures outside.

The clock out front

The entrance

The gate of the Sultan

View of the city

Chris took time to smell the roses in the garden

We also visited the Harem and Crystal Staircase inside the Palace walls but, again, we weren't allowed to take pictures.  Outside the Crystal Staircase were many types of birds: roosters, chickens, and peacocks.

The back of a peacok.  It didn't want to turn around for us.

After the Dolmabache Palace, we went to Taksim Square to walk around and grab lunch.

Galata Tower

As we made our way back to our hotel, we took this very steep street.  It doesn't look as steep in this picture as it was.  Another odd thing about this street, there were multiple guitar stores. 

Like many big cities, there's tons of street food in Istanbul: watermelon, corn on the cob and candy.  Since this was our last day, Chris tried the very unusual candy on a stick.

Istanbul - Day 2

Our next day in Istanbul we joined a boat cruise / tour up the Bosporus strait.  Our first site and stop was the "Maiden's Tower" also known in earlier periods as "Leander's Tower".  Both names have their root in the same story: The ancient Greek myth of Hero and Leander. 

Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower. Leander, a young man on the other side of the strait, fell in love with her and would swim every night across the strait to be with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way. One stormy winter night, the waves tossed Leander in the sea and the winds blew out Hero's light. Leander lost his way, and was drowned. Hero threw herself from the tower in grief and died as well.

Views from inside the Maiden's tower

Views from the island of the Maiden's Tower

Continuing up the strait we we passed by the Dolmabahce Palace.

 

Our next stop was in Ortakoy, a small district of Istanbul further up the Bosporus. We stopped at the Ortakoy Mosque which, though closed for renovations, was the Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdulmecid.

While there Chris had some traditional turkish coffee which is truly thick with grounds.  It looks like and has the consistency of mud.  Pinky's up!

Our next stop was the Beylerbeyi palace located on the Asian side of the Bosporus.  This imperial Ottoman summer palace was built in the 1860's.  Sadly, no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the palace, so its splendor (which is remarkable) will require you to visit yourself.  We did manage to take a few pictures of the gardens outside.

 

 Our final stop on the boat before heading back was the Rumeli Fortress (which ended up being immediately next to the restaurant we met Seda and Berkay at for dinner the previous day).  Though the fort was closed for the day, we were able to get a few outstanding pictures from outside.

Istanbul - Day 1

We arrived in Istanbul and, after sleeping in; we tried to go to the Dolmabahce Palace in the afternoon.  Walking along the Bosporus strait we finally arrived at the palace to discover a long line for tickets.  After waiting for about an hour, Chris went up to the front and found that the palace fills up and when it does they shut down the ticket office.  Realizing that there was very little chance of getting in to see the palace, we decided to come back another day and try again.  Instead we went and grabbed a Turkish coffee and a sandwich.

The very long line to get into the palace.

Walking around the palace, we discovered a side gate, which was guarded by soldiers in boxes!  Not understanding the point of this, we took a picture and then moved on.

We walked around the city for many hours, but took very few pictures.  Eventually we went home and started preparing for dinner.  One of Chris’s friends and former coworkers from Dallas, Seda, lives in Istanbul with her husband Berkay and they had picked a seafood restaurant to meet at for dinner!

In the cab ride to the restaurant, we passed this old aqueduct which we managed to grab a photo of.

At the restaurant, Seda recommended we try the flounder as it’s a specialty of Istanbul.  It is not an attractive fish, but it sure is tasty.

It is so great to have wonderful friends living all over the planet.  Seeing familiar faces and the joy of catching up with old friends truly makes the world feel like home. 

We want to thank Seda and Berkay so much for taking the time to meet us for dinner (we were eating and chatting for hours).  The food was great and the company was even better.  It was a very special part of the whole trip for both of us.