Landing in Istanbul, you immediately feel the culture. And it is a feeling that is hard to express. On the one hand, coming from India and Dubai, it feels just like Europe. The architecture and fashion appear distinctly European, but the people and the customs feel more Arabic. And the landscape only reinforces the feeling: modern and classical European-style buildings stretch as far as the eye can see, except for the multitude of minarets littering the skyline. The blend of cultures was something I would like to have explored more, but I was hit hard by the flu just as I landed in this truly multi-cultural city.
After touchdown, I headed, along with the rest of the herd from my flight, straight to the visa line. There I discovered that the visa fee was fifteen euros. After confirming with some cheerful Australians (who maintained their cheer even after I mistook them for Kiwis), there were no ATM's and the visa officers only accepted cash. Luckily, I had a few euros stashed away for just such an occasion, and quickly dug them out of my bag. Had I checked my bag, I may have been forced to drop my hat, fashion a song and dance, and hope for some donations so I wasn't deported... glad I carried on. I headed into the city and into a new adventure: couch surfing. I had been emailing two hosts from Istanbul, and was about to meet the first. Bora was the name, and we met--after some slight confusion--at the Sultanahmet metro station on the European side of Istanbul. And what a great host he turned out to be. He lived on the Asian side of the city, so we took off for the ferry across the Bosphorus, a beautiful ride where both sides of Istanbul were in view and Bora showed me the main sights seen from the river: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, as well as the riverside attractions of Maiden's Tower and Dolmabache Palace and in the distance the Prince Islands. We headed to his place in Umraniye, grabbing a quick bite of authentic Turkish food on the way. Dolma, a set of small wraps, some beef stew and baklava for dessert. A nice first meal in Istanbul! Back at Bora's nice apartment, his friend Ozgur joined us for some brief conversation and a promise to join us on our Istanbul adventures before I had to crash after a long day traveling.
Sleep did not come easy, but the night passed and I woke up to an enthusiastic host hoping to show me around the city. I foolishly obliged and we set off for the day. We started with breakfast at a local eatery where we sampled borek, a tasty pastry filled with different accompaniments. I chose potato, and it was fantastic. The pastry has a light and flaky texture, similar to a croissant and the potato made for an excellent filling. Unfortunately, that was the peak of the day. From there we headed to see some amazing sights, none of which I could properly enjoy in my state. First, we took a bus back across the Bosphorus to the Besiktas neighborhood, home to the soccer club of the same name; one of Istanbul's three major rivals. Then, we took in the nearby Dolmabache Palace, former home to the Ottoman rulers and then the first Turkish president Ataturk. Dolmabache is one of the most well-preserved palaces I have ever been to. It is exquisite on the inside, and admission includes a tour guide with all of the answers to all of your questions. It was a beautiful place, but unfortunately I was not in the proper frame of mind. We started off for Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, but I was deteriorating quickly. So, we breezed through these two far too quickly, and before we could hit the Basilica Cistern, I could go no farther. So we headed back to the other side of the river, and back to Bora's place where I headed to bed after some brief chatting. An unfortunately disappointing day.
The next proved to be a bit better, however. I got a bit more sleep than the first night and awoke feeling as though the worst had passed. First, we met with Ozgur and went for more borek. Cheese was on the menu, and it was even better than the potato! The two considerate gentlemen, aware of my pain, helped relieve it with two aspirin dissolved in a can of coke, to be chugged I was informed. And, despite the odd mixture of ingredients, it definitely helped. So, off we headed back down to Sultanahmet to the see the eery, yet majestic Basilica Cistern, took a stroll through the bustling Grand Bazaar, where we had a cup of that tasty turkish coffee, and then went up the Galata Tower. The tower was my favorite attraction due to the fantastic views of the city which provided more examination of the fascinating mixture of cultures as expressed through the varied architectural styles and buildings. Finally, we headed to Taksim Square, the heart of Istanbul. Here we browsed the main street, including the shopping area, before going to a bar where Bora's English conversation group meets every week for a fine cup of tea. On the top floor of a building just down from Taksim, this place had another great view of the city, but predominantly the European side. After that, we headed back for some more rest and another early night.
The last day with Bora was fun. We met up with our old pal Ozgur again for some more sight seeing. After some breakfast, and a quick trip to procure me a bus ticket, we headed down to the Kadikoy area in Istanbul and walked along the Bosphorus admiring the view before we headed just up the hill for some Turkish tea and an even better view. On our way back we had a fantastic local kebab for lunch before I parted company my new friends and met with my second host, Ugur. Ugur was such an easy going fellow. After meeting in Kadikoy, we joined up with two of his friends for a drink at a nearby pub and spent the night chatting. However, I spent most of the night listening--secondhand through Ugur's interpretation--to their discussion on the current state of affairs in Turkey and specifically the unhappiness within the younger population. After the drink...or two...Ugur and I headed back to his place a few metro stops away to crash for the evening. HIs big, comfortable apartment was fantastic and homey. The most (or least, depending on your perspective) comforting part was knowing that Tyler Deurden and Che Guevara were watching over me while I slept.
The next morning we awoke lazily and had a traditional Turkish breakfast of peppers, tomato, cheese, bread and jam with some coffee and headed out for the day. Our first stop was the main shopping street on the Asian side of the Bosphorus en route to the waterfront. There we sat down for a while and read, people watched and lazed in the sun before an impromptu interview by one of the contestants on an upcoming cooking show. However, it was all in Turkish, so I just smiled and nodded. After a lazy afternoon in the park, we headed for some coffee and lounged around for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we headed to Taksim square for a few beers with his friends before going to a meet-up for the local couchsurfing community in Istanbul. There, I met people from all over the world including Iran, Sweden and a fellow from England who I spent a good deal of the evening discussing recent events and speculation within the English soccer community. We capped the night off with doner kebab on our way back to Ugur's.
Most of Sunday was pretty lazy. That is, until evening time. In the evening, we met up with Ugur's friends to watch Galatasaray face Fenebrache at Fenerbache's stadium; one of the fiercest rivalries in the intense world of Turkish soccer. And what a match it was! Galatasaray took the lead with a converted penalty as the result of a clear handball in the area committed by Fenerbache's defender. However, just after halftime, Fenerbache scored two goals to make the scoreline 2-1 to the home side. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort, and in spite of some ethically questionable actions by the home team, Galatasaray (the team which our entire group was supporting) was unable to recover and lost the match. The consolation was that Galatasaray, despite the scoreline, still won the entire league due to the mathematical impossibility of any other team scoring more points than them; and thus, the league championship was secured before the game was played. Although a disappointing match, it was fun to get immersed in another soccer culture and witness the passion of fans which is unlike any other sport in the world.
On Monday morning, I bid adieu to Ugur and headed for the bus station to catch the bus to my next destination: Sofia, Bulgaria en route to Budapest!
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