Istanbul, Turkey

Coming from Jordan, anything was bound to be a disappointment. But somehow, Istanbul managed to impress me. All said and done, I think it is a city to experience more than a city to see. Not to depreciate the buildings and history there, which are quite good, but Istanbul, being the literal and symbolic bridge between Europe and Asia, has a mix of cultures to match and an infectious vibrancy to it. And of course, it helps that I met loads of amazing people to experience it with me. I was there for almost a week and it was one of the few places that was hard to leave and I probably wouldn't have at all but everyone I met was leaving on the same day, one of whom decided to come with me to Greece. My hostel had a rooftop bar great for meeting people and hanging out. On a few memorable nights, we all headed out to Taksim Square, the central area for nightlife in the city. The first night, we sat down at a bar with streetside tables where a live Turkish band was playing to locals dancing and singing between the tables in the little street. My diet consisted of at least one kebab a day, which, for those who don't know is a Arabic/Mediterranean pita wrap, filled with meat sliced off a giant skewer roasting as it turns and usually some veggies as well. This was supplemented, of course, by ice cream. But not just any ice cream; Turkey has a special "sticky" ice cream that tastes more or less like most ice cream but as you eat it, it will stretch like carmels will if you pull them into two pieces. The Turkish Delight is a big deal as well. It is a gelatinous cube dusted in powdered sugar and flavored with some form of peculiar flavoring. The kind I tried was rose water, which was... interesting; not bad but I didn't buy any more of it either. The sights I did see really were quite impressive as well as unique from my prior experiences, though ongoing construction work did dampen their effect. Since the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent was almost completely closed off, the only mosque I actually felt I experienced was the Blue Mosque, conveniently located two blocks from my hostel. It is massive and the inside is covered in the blue tiles that give it its name as they stretch along domes, pillars, and writings. At night, flocks and flocks of gulls would circle the place, giving it an eerie feel, especially during the call to prayer.

Across the street is the Hagia Sophia, once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum (but retaining much of its Muslim influence in the decor inside). It was once the largest dome in the world, which was under renovation with a large scaffold stretching up to the roof. It's impressive for the decorations and scope of the place, provided you can ignore the work being done on it.

Just across the street from the Hagia Sophia is the Underground Cistern, an ancient water reservoir made for times of siege. It's damp and ancient, with lighting adding an eerie effect to the pillars supporting the weight of the city above and, randomly, some Medusa head carvings tilted upside down and sideways.

Tokapi Palace, one of the much toted sights in the city came as great disappointment. It was packed with tourists and not that impressive, though the artifact museum was cool; some people did really enjoy it, though, so perhaps just not my taste. Much of the fun I had in Istanbul came from just walking around the city, along the waterfronts or taking ferries across to the Asian side (though stepping foot on the Asian continent wasn't quite as novel a thing for me). The Grand Bazar, Istanbul's giant indoor market is not at all what I expected but quite cool nonetheless. Though it has gotten quite touristy, it's a small wonder to walk through, even if only tourist shops now populate it.

As you may have guessed by now, tourism has really taken off here and I feel like I'm now really on the tourist track. When I said as much, one of our group announced, "Welcome to the fish bowl!" Here are a few more photos, left is a view of the New Mosque and the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, right is, in order from left to right, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and Tokapi Palace viewed from the ferry to the Asian Side:

Beer of Turkey: Turkey has a few really good beers, sold at decent prices, which is unusual for majority-Muslim countries ($3/YTL5 at most bars). But then again, Turkey is unusual for a Muslim country. Vole is its classic lager, a smooth, refreshing beer and Turk Tuborg is its pale ale (which is different from Danish Tuborg, but owned by the same company). They are sold everywhere in Istanbul and are better than anything I've had since Beerlao. Grade: B+.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details:

I flew in to Istanbul's Ataturk Airport from Amman on Royal Jordanian ($273, departing 11:20, 3 hours). There is a metro station at the airport that will take you into town ($1/YTL1.50). To get to the center of the old city, take the subway to Aksaray. Get out here and when you leave the station, ask someone to point you towards the tram. For me, it was about a block's walk to the right on a pedestrian path. You'll see an overpass and at the top, buy the tram ticket, then head down to go towards the Sultanahmet stop and get off here. It will leave you about a block from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. The hostel I stayed at was Bahaus Guesthouse, which was brilliant and probably one of the best hostels in the world ($18/€13). To get there, continue on Sultanahmet St downhill and look to your right for a little park/plaza. Pass through it and walk past the Blue Mosque, with it on your right, and you will see the Blue Hotel on the corner, turn right. Then take your first left, then your first left again, then your first right and you will see Bahuas Guesthouse. Getting around and to the sights is pretty obvious, so I won't detail it here. But to get great views of the Blue Mosque, ask to go to the restaurant on the top floor of the Blue Hotel I mentioned earlier. The views of the Blue Mosque are unrivaled (morning or midday best). From here you can also see the Hagia Sophia, but it is obstructed by another restaurant, so I just did the same thing there (anytime of day fine). Don't bother with the Mosque of Sulieman the Magnificent until it is no longer under construction (free). The entrance fees to the Hagia Sophia and Tokapi Palace are both $13/YTL20. Admission to the Blue Mosque is free. The Underground Cistern is $7/YTL10.