Istanbul is a fantastic city but is like a different country to the rest of Turkey we reckon (probably a bit like London is to the UK perhaps?). The prices are higher, the accommodation is of very varying standard and value and it is just downright touristy. Having said that, we got a really good deal on accommodation – a really huge room in a very popular area of town. The downside was that we got very little sleep over the two nights we were there and the security on the room was so dodgy that I wedged a chair behind the door while we were asleep.
The reason for the lack of sleep was that Turkey was playing Croatia in the European Football Championships and the whole street turned into one massive party before the game even started!
Everyone was SO hyped (and painted) up
and regardless of whether you’re into football or not, you couldn’t help but get swept into the massive streetparty that was going on right outside. When Croatia scored a goal making it 1-0, cups were smashed on the ground, people stormed off in fury and disappointment and it all got rather tense. The mood went from one extreme to the other when Turkey scored with 19 seconds to spare and people in the street went absolutely nuts and this continued until about 0400 in the morning.
Flares were let off (tip: don’t look at a flare if someone sets it off right next to you!!), fireworks were being set off very randomly (brought back memories of St Anton at NY where we’ve never seen such dodgy and at times downright dangerous handling of fireworks before).
We headed off (along with hoards of Americans) to the Topkapi Palace which was surprisingly quite interesting and had a great view down the Bosphorus from the hill top.
This is the Palace from the Bosphorus (the Palace Harem was almost as large as the Palace itself)
They had some great jewelled items there – gift boxed, swords, water jugs, thrones etc all encrusted with these incredibly large and bright emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Reminded me of a slightly rougher version (in that the jewels weren’t all polished up) of the jewels in the Tower of London. One of particular note was a diamond (86 carats and now surrounded by 49 other diamonds) that was found uncut in a pile of rubbish and swapped as a worthless piece of crystal in return for three silver spoons. Doh!!!
We got chatting to a couple of the many Americans in the Palace and it turned out that they were on a cruise ship that had docked. This ship had 3,200 passengers on it and the difference this influx of people made to the City and the popular sights was amazing. The ship sailed that evening and the next day the old City seemed half dead.
We jumped on a ferry and headed down the Bosphorus. You can see one of two massive bridges that connect Asia with Europe
and we passed some lovely ornate buildings on the way
We headed into the Grand Bazaar which, again I’m sorry to say, has changed incredibly over the past few years. It is just so touristy and has lost most of its charm. There are coffee shops and cafes everywhere, the stalls are all slick and polished and the prices reflect this. You can, however, still barter up a storm in the traditional fashion which was great to see and the theatrics that accompany the bartering have not been lost,
We visited the Spice Bazaar (which has gone the same way as the Grand Bazaar), we snacked on a popular meal - a Mackerel sandwich. Half a Mackerel is quick-fried on a skillet, then dumped in fresh white loaf with some raw onion, lettuce and tomato. You can debone if you wish (some folk just crunched their way on through) and add lemon juice, salt and pepper. This, for me, beat the kebabs hands down! Oh, the cherries also deserve a mention. They’re almost like plums and if you’re a cherry fan, you’d be in 7th heaven.
This was a very relaxing bar underneath the Galata Bridge. The water was just there so it was like a sea-front view
I think this lady was minding someone elses rod
In Selçuk we passed a butcher where a chap outside had a huge tub of intestines and had arranged it like you might a length of rope or a skein of wool. Once it was hanging to about a metre in length, he started to wind the rest of the intestine around it, tying knots in it at every turn so it held firm. It looked pretty revolting and ended out just like a big sausage of intestine. He didn’t speak English so I was finding it difficult to find out how they cooked/ate it. In Istanbul, I found the answers to my questions. It was being slow cooked, then removed and finely chopped (presumably it was quite chewy). I didn’t buy any and (somewhat surprisingly as he eats/tries almost everything) neither did Euan
On the streets of Istanbul we bumped into some of the chaps who were on the boat with us and spent the evening and next day in their company. We were lucky enough to have a meal at what is said to be the best fish restaurant in Istanbul, thanks to the generousity of one of the chaps who was on the boat with us and who was back in Istanbul on business.
This was out last day in the Middle East and I have to say I was quite sad to leave. We were on a plane to Madrid that afternoon so were getting prepared for a huge culture change. On our way to the airport, we were amazed at the number of boats anchored up, waiting to head up the Bosphorus. It is an incredibly busy stretch of water and very challenging to sail up apparently given the boat traffic and really strong currents. Its not a verye good picture (they never are when taken from a moving van!) but it gives an indication
The reason for the lack of sleep was that Turkey was playing Croatia in the European Football Championships and the whole street turned into one massive party before the game even started!
Everyone was SO hyped (and painted) up
and regardless of whether you’re into football or not, you couldn’t help but get swept into the massive streetparty that was going on right outside. When Croatia scored a goal making it 1-0, cups were smashed on the ground, people stormed off in fury and disappointment and it all got rather tense. The mood went from one extreme to the other when Turkey scored with 19 seconds to spare and people in the street went absolutely nuts and this continued until about 0400 in the morning.
Flares were let off (tip: don’t look at a flare if someone sets it off right next to you!!), fireworks were being set off very randomly (brought back memories of St Anton at NY where we’ve never seen such dodgy and at times downright dangerous handling of fireworks before).
We headed off (along with hoards of Americans) to the Topkapi Palace which was surprisingly quite interesting and had a great view down the Bosphorus from the hill top.
This is the Palace from the Bosphorus (the Palace Harem was almost as large as the Palace itself)
They had some great jewelled items there – gift boxed, swords, water jugs, thrones etc all encrusted with these incredibly large and bright emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Reminded me of a slightly rougher version (in that the jewels weren’t all polished up) of the jewels in the Tower of London. One of particular note was a diamond (86 carats and now surrounded by 49 other diamonds) that was found uncut in a pile of rubbish and swapped as a worthless piece of crystal in return for three silver spoons. Doh!!!
We got chatting to a couple of the many Americans in the Palace and it turned out that they were on a cruise ship that had docked. This ship had 3,200 passengers on it and the difference this influx of people made to the City and the popular sights was amazing. The ship sailed that evening and the next day the old City seemed half dead.
We jumped on a ferry and headed down the Bosphorus. You can see one of two massive bridges that connect Asia with Europe
and we passed some lovely ornate buildings on the way
We headed into the Grand Bazaar which, again I’m sorry to say, has changed incredibly over the past few years. It is just so touristy and has lost most of its charm. There are coffee shops and cafes everywhere, the stalls are all slick and polished and the prices reflect this. You can, however, still barter up a storm in the traditional fashion which was great to see and the theatrics that accompany the bartering have not been lost,
We visited the Spice Bazaar (which has gone the same way as the Grand Bazaar), we snacked on a popular meal - a Mackerel sandwich. Half a Mackerel is quick-fried on a skillet, then dumped in fresh white loaf with some raw onion, lettuce and tomato. You can debone if you wish (some folk just crunched their way on through) and add lemon juice, salt and pepper. This, for me, beat the kebabs hands down! Oh, the cherries also deserve a mention. They’re almost like plums and if you’re a cherry fan, you’d be in 7th heaven.
This was a very relaxing bar underneath the Galata Bridge. The water was just there so it was like a sea-front view
I think this lady was minding someone elses rod
In Selçuk we passed a butcher where a chap outside had a huge tub of intestines and had arranged it like you might a length of rope or a skein of wool. Once it was hanging to about a metre in length, he started to wind the rest of the intestine around it, tying knots in it at every turn so it held firm. It looked pretty revolting and ended out just like a big sausage of intestine. He didn’t speak English so I was finding it difficult to find out how they cooked/ate it. In Istanbul, I found the answers to my questions. It was being slow cooked, then removed and finely chopped (presumably it was quite chewy). I didn’t buy any and (somewhat surprisingly as he eats/tries almost everything) neither did Euan
On the streets of Istanbul we bumped into some of the chaps who were on the boat with us and spent the evening and next day in their company. We were lucky enough to have a meal at what is said to be the best fish restaurant in Istanbul, thanks to the generousity of one of the chaps who was on the boat with us and who was back in Istanbul on business.
This was out last day in the Middle East and I have to say I was quite sad to leave. We were on a plane to Madrid that afternoon so were getting prepared for a huge culture change. On our way to the airport, we were amazed at the number of boats anchored up, waiting to head up the Bosphorus. It is an incredibly busy stretch of water and very challenging to sail up apparently given the boat traffic and really strong currents. Its not a verye good picture (they never are when taken from a moving van!) but it gives an indication
2 comments:
was that lady really "minding someone else's rod"??????
great picture anyhow:)
so it's sunday evening and I'm guessing you have just spent your week end with Katrina and Euan's Mum. Hope it was good and helped you adjust to the western culture.
x
Ladi
11 July
Have just read your account of Istanbul. Most interesting, and once again amazing photos. Turkey is a country I really want to visit. It's a shame Istanbul has become so commercialized. I guess it had to happen as it's such a popular tourist destination. Pisa was like that, I remember. Incredible to see the way those fire works were being flashed around. I liked the photo of the lady holding the fishing rod also.
Will read on ...... Margaret.
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