Look kids...Hagia Sophia...Blue Mosque...okay now how about a beer!
That was our Istanbul experience in a nutshell. ;-) We'll maybe it wasn't JUST like that...
Istanbul is truly a wonderful city, with literally history around every corner. For a travel novice like me, also a very easy city to start in. Staying within the Sultanahmet area one has all the major destinations within walking distance and it's very "english-friendly". So much so that there where times when sitting on a patio, enjoying an Efes, that I had to remind myself that we were in fact in Turkey. Of course, that was until I was awoken by the 5:30 am call-to-prayer.
(the Blue Mosque at night)
For all the time spent on the Sultan hostel patio, we got a lot accomplished and still managed to see a good deal of the major highlights. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia where spectacular as was the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. We also spent one mid-day walking to the Spice Bazaar and then getting "lost" in the labyrinth that was the Grand Bazaar - which got so discombobulated that we ended up seeing maybe a little more of the city than we originally planned.
(Sam & Michael in front of the Hagia Sophia - "Wanna buy a hat?")
The two things that just continue to stand out from Istanbul are truly world's apart!
The first was seeing a whirling dervish "performance". What I did not understand prior to attending was that this was a religious service, performed by monks of the Mevlevi Order. It was fascinating to watch!
(Dervishes - photos were allowed, but not flashes)
The second was part of our all-nighter (come on, why wouldn't we stay out past the morning's first call to prayer?). All we were looking for was a place where we could eat outside of the Sultanahmet area. The Lonely Planet book suggested the Beyoglu area, so why not give it a try. The book did nothing to prepare us for what we experienced. We got out of our cab and decided to go down the alley in front of us...and we emptied into a street that was literally wall-to-wall humanity. We had stumbled into the Nevizade Sokak, one of the most famous eating precincts in Istanbul. The street was heaving with people and it went on for well over a mile. I will never forget the look on Sam's face as we pressed forward, our senses literally assulted. It wasn't just the main street either as down every alley that fed from the street was packed with patio bars and restaurants. We eventually found a few places, caught our breath and had a beverage or two. As we made it back to the main street about 2 hours later, it wasn't nearly as busy but I will never forget that scene!
Baird, you should be ashamed. How you failed to incorporate a Strangers With Candy reference in this blog post is beyond me.
Posted by: Suneil Singh | October 12, 2008 at 06:36 PM