Istanbul Recap

Things I dislike about Istanbul: taxi drivers and rude service workers

Things I like about Istanbul: hills, trees, and greenery, oh my! the mixing of old and new architecture, the street vendors, the laid back attitude

My trip to Istanbul began with a short flight and layover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That was...an experience. I knew that Saudi Arabia was much more conservative than the UAE, so I made sure to wear long, loose fitting pants, and a t-shirt, and cover my hair. Even still, I felt almost immediately out of place. It was the first time that I really felt like the only foreigner, I was the only person on my flight not wearing an abaya. It was also the middle of Ramadan when I traveled, so even though food was made available on the plane, not many people ate it, but the flight attendants did give everyone a small box of food (to take away) to break their fast after the sun set. Another thing that was new for me was that before takeoff there was a recorded prayer that was played on each flight to bless the plane and our journey.

When I arrived in Istanbul it was almost 9pm but the sun hadn't set yet, which was really confusing and disorienting to me. It was nice, though, because I could still see some of the city as the taxi took me to my hotel. All I could think of was how different it looked from Abu Dhabi. The amount of hills and valleys and different terrain was really different from the flatness of home. My hotel happened to be at the top of a big hill that I was afraid the little taxi wouldn't make it up. Here's the view from my hotel room:

night

day

Istanbul is a city with a lot of history. It was so interesting to walk around certain places and think of how they were around and used by people hundreds of years ago. My hotel offered a shuttle to Taksim Square, which is like the center of the city where they have lots of hotels, restaurants, and vendors on the street selling food, knick knacks, and clothes, so I took it one morning to go sightseeing.

Taksim Square from the street

Taksim Square from a smoke deck

From Taksim Square I took one of those Big Bus Tours that goes around the city picking up and dropping off people at different tourist spots. It was a nice way to see the city and take a break from all that walking.

look at all those trees!

The bus took me to Sultanahmet Square which is where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace are. I couldn't go to Hagia Sophia because it's closed on Mondays, but I got to see the Blue Mosque and also walked through the Arasta Bazaar. I really enjoyed the bazaar and since I went early in the day there weren't too many people there, so I could take my time and browse, but that also meant that the store owners could really focus on trying to get me into their stores. 

small park in front of the Blue Mosque

I don't know why there are never any female store owners or workers. I think I'd like that a lot better. Most store owners, if they pay you any attention, start off by asking where you're from, and I hate it because if you say America they tend to assume that you have a lot of money and will try to get you to buy the most expensive thing in their store. In my travels I have noticed the difference in treatment of people with American passports and people from other places. It is definitely advantageous to be an American but I don't like to put it on display, so I try to speak very little. I think on future trips I will say I'm Canadian. 

Arasta Bazaar

Walking through the bazaar I noticed a lot of fabric stores that had beautifully made tapestries and clothes and such. I wandered into one that had a kitty resting on the pillows for sale outside. Cats are everywhere in Istanbul, they kind of just roam freely and people in the neighborhoods take care of them. So I was talking to this kitty and rubbing its tummy when the owner came out and offered to buy me a cup of tea at the restaurant next to his store. It was very hot outside but he assured me that hot tea would be a good idea. He was kind of right. It was good tea.

this little restaurant was built into hollowed walls and was so charming

the view from the back garden terrace of the restaurant, that's the Blue Mosque in back

So I wound up buying some pillow covers from him with the promise that I would come back later and buy him some tea because he gave me a deal. I didn't. I also bought some perfume and paintings from other shops in the bazaar. On my way back to the main square another (persistent) shop owner invited me into his store to look at his jewelry designs and have some Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is delicious and I love it! I started talking with the store owner and learned that he had lived in Kuwait for a while, so we exchanged numbers because I like having a local person that I can ask questions of if I need to.

After touring Sultanahmet Square for a while I hopped back on the Big Bus to finish the tour and got to see some of the Asian side of Istanbul. Although I didn't see much it seemed like the Asian side was much more laid back and quiet than the European side.

Asia in front of me, Europe behind me

The next day I had an adventure trying to get to the aquarium. It's pretty well publicized that Turkey is home to the 2nd largest aquarium in the world, but its less publicized that there are actually two aquariums in Istanbul. So when I got in the taxi and told him to take me to the aquarium, I naturally assumed he would take me to the 2nd largest aquarium in the world. He didn't. That's when the store owner with local knowledge came in handy for telling the taxi driver who didn't speak english that he took me to the wrong place. Sixty lira and a long ride later I was at the right aquarium, located conveniently inside a huge mall with a Lego Land and Ikea attached. 

lego giraffe 

say cheese!

I loved the aquarium and the 83 meter long tunnel that was home to sting rays, sharks, and other fish. I think this sting ray took a liking to me because it followed me around as I walked through its' home.

I spent my last day in Istanbul having traditional Turkish food for lunch and lots of baklava, and then went to have a Turkish bath at Aga Hamami before my flight home. Aga Hamami was constructed in 1454 and has been open to the public since 1923. I had one in Abu Dhabi before that was decent, but I wanted to have the real experience and Aga Hamami did not disappoint. 

After walking in what seemed like a huge circle up and then down a big hill, I finally found the place and was given a towel and shower shoes to change into and told to put my swimsuit on. One of the workers then showed me into a marble room with a large marble slab in the middle that was warmed from below so that you can relax on it before your bath. The room is a common room, so there are other people there but everyone pretty much keeps to themselves. There are two sinks on each wall that you use to douse yourself with water before your bath. I was a little confused about how to do it and get the water temperature right, and apparently I wasn't moving fast enough because the guy filled up a pan with water and splashed it on me. Then, once you're good and wet, you go into the steam room to wait for your turn to be bathed. The whole place is heated by wood fires that burn hotter than gas, but even though it is hot it is still very relaxing. When it's your turn, a nice older lady calls you into a private room to be scrubbed with a loofah and bathed with black soap. After all my spa experiences in Abu Dhabi I've gotten more comfortable with being naked around strangers, and this woman was apparently super comfortable because all she had on were some bikini bottoms. All I could say was, "do you, boo". The last step of the experience is being wrapped in a soft towel and taken to the waiting area to drink apple tea at your leisure. I had paid extra for an oil massage, so I did that as well. The Turkish bath was by far one of my most favorite experiences and I definitely plan to do it again since I have a 5 hour layover on my flight back home to Abu Dhabi.