8th September – 11th September 2012
The clatter, the clutter and the energy of Istanbul is inescapable, and only grows as you plunge deeper into the city. I have fallen in love! The highlight of our first full day for me was not actually the Topkapi Palace or the Mausoleums of Hagia Sofia, but rather sunset stretching over the water and the far houses from a large square near the spice market. The soundtrack to this was far from peaceful. In fact the air resonated with the voices of merchants, the flapping of sea gulls and the penetrating cries emanating from the many mosques, calling their people to prayer.
This is a city of incredible history but also one where the people live out their lives, all adding to the colour and the culture of the place. The streets are bustling with people, vendors roasting corn and chestnuts, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes pushing their luck with the pedestrians. The skyline is decorated with the domes and spires of countless mosques, and alleyways are lined with coffee and kebab houses, and windows full of Turkish Delight.
From my impressions of Istanbul, Turkey feels very Middle Eastern. Definitely more Asian that European. The cries from the mosques, the burka – clad women, the countless street cats, the chaotic traffic and the fact that you cannot drink the tap water have only served to counter my once held view of Turkey being virtually European. Istanbul has been described as the Paris of the East, and we certainly did see aspects of this in what was once the European Quarter, but from now, I shall start thinking of Turkey as a part of Asia.
Day 2 of our Istanbul experience satisfied my hankering for interesting alleyways. Walking through the neighbourhood of Beyoglu we were surrounded by side streets decorated with graffiti, cafe-going tea-drinkers spilling out onto the pavement, and an interesting variety of scavenging cats darting through obstacles. Perhaps my favourite scene of the day was a very happy cat lounging in the midst of a pile of books outside a shop. It was fazed by neither the click-clacking of the shop-owners playing backgammon next to it, nor the many snaps of our camera shutters.
Istanbul’s spice market provided an interesting insight into the Turkish food culture. Colourful mounds of spices mingled with the many varieties of teas. Next to these lay piles of Turkish Delight enticing passers-by with their wickedness. Silver fish glittered in the sunlight and chunks of cheese sat happily waiting for their debuts in some lucky persons breakfast. Scattered between the food stalls were all manner of shops selling anything from kitchen-ware to strange soft toys. The very deliberate food culture is something that I am loving about Turkey. They take their cuisine very seriously, and I have had some truly amazing food. I think my favourite thus far has been dried eggplants stuffed with rice and spices, but this is closely followed by a wonderful rooftop meal I had of Turkish ravioli and exotic lamb casserole…Basically, the Turks have it right when it comes to food!
I should also mention some of the major tourist sites we went to. The Basilica Cistern indulged my liking of caves. I took pleasure in imagining the many morbid medieval things that must have happened down there…The Hagia Sofia is an amazingly ornate piece of history dating back to around the 6th Century AD. It’s ceilings were beautiful, and I find it incredible that it has lasted this long and this well. I think my favourite though was The Blue Mosque. It is a stunning Mosque built around the 14th Century (I think), which is still in use today, in between the masses of tourists that flood through it’s gates during non-prayer times.
So Istanbul has some amazing sites, but what resonated for me was the energy, the people and the scenes of daily life playing out around us. I eagerly await our return!