Observations from a first-time visitor to Istanbul

In all of my travels, I've never been lucky enough to have a full time travel partner.  Meet Alex, my partner in crime for the next five months.  From time to time, Alex gets excited about something and starts writing.  Today, it was Istanbul.

My thoughts are on the way!

Guest post – Observations from a first-time visitor to Istanbul

This was my first visit to Istanbul, so I am 100 percent certain that you can find someone more knowledgeable out there from whom to get advice.  However, I am pretty sure I am smarter today than I was a week ago, so here are a few thoughts, first impressions, and things that I think would be helpful to someone who is planning a trip.

1)    Istanbul has an awesome public transportation system, and for visitors staying in Beyoglu or Sultanhmet the metro will get you from the airport to your destination for 6 TL (a little over $3.30) and with only one line change.  Sure you will be one of the few visitors on the metro, and it can get a little crowded, but it is much cheaper than hiring a cab every time you want to move around the city and often easier than explaining where you want to go.  Just make sure to look at a street map and know where your destination is once you hop off the train!  We spent our first two hours in Beyoglu scouring a three-block area for our apartment, only to eventually learn we were 100 meters away the whole time.  On the bright side, the local drinkers in the surrounding bars were more than happy to point the foolish and lost Americans in the right direction.

2)    The Sultanhmet area is beautiful, especially at night, and you would be remiss if you visited Istanbul for the first time and skipped the postcard-worthy sites like the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, but I could not get out of there fast enough after ticking the boxes.  Admittedly I have a limited attention span for historical sites, but I was surprised by the negative reaction I had to this place.  The buildings are spectacular, but the area has a bit of Bourbon Street Syndrome – Mardi Gras all year round because that’s what the tourists expect.  You will be constantly approached by salesmen pushing generically Middle Eastern souvenirs and Bosphorus cruise tickets, and you can even get your picture taken inside the Basilica Cistern wearing a sultan hat for 5 TL.  My gripe probably has more to do with major historical attractions in general than with Istanbul specifically, but you see my point.

3)    There is good food everywhere in Istanbul and really fantastic sweets in the bakeries that seem to be everywhere in the city. The picture below came from a little bakery somewhere in Beyoglu. For lack of a better word we have been calling it a “chocolate boat”.  It is chocolate cake and white chocolate ganache sealed inside a hard chocolate shell.  I could probably never find the bakery again, and I am not sure what this confection is called, but I know it is incredible.  This brings me to my next point.

4) Google maps on your iphone will get you lost. We ended up at the bakery discussed above by following my iphone directions to “grand bazaar”.  Needless to say the Grand Bazaar was not there.  For any gentlemen who rely on the iphone to lead you and your significant other to dinner: do not do this in Istanbul!  It will lead you astray.  You will be lost, and she will be irritated.  On the other hand, it could also lead you to chocolate boats, so maybe this is not all bad.

5)    Learn a few words of Turkish ahead of time and then get really comfortable having a hard time communicating.  Many but by no means all Turks speak English, and no matter what Lonely Planet tells you, the Turkish language is really hard to pick up.  Anyway, I like to think that people appreciate the effort when you can at least say “hello” and “thank you” in their language.  If nothing else, the children will get a kick out of your terrible accent.

6)    I have not had a single really bad meal in Istanbul, but I have had a few meals were a bit too expensive and just okay.  The best food has been in restaurants where I had to choose between making my best guess at Turkish pronunciation and just pointing at what I wanted.  Either way you will not feel suave, but the outcome is totally worth thirty seconds of feeling awkward.  The tastiness of the food is definitely not correlated with the price.

7)    Eat lots of street food.  Maybe spend a few hours walking around and snacking.  Not all of it is delicious, but it is a lot of fun. Boiled corn on the cob served from the street carts is nowhere near as good as I hoped, probably because it is out of season.  Icli Kufte on Istikal Caddesi, on the other hand, is fantastic.  It is a spicy ground meat mixture inside a cornmeal crust, fried in a pointy oblong shape, and it is somewhere between an empanada and a tamale – greasy, unhealthy, and amazing.  I haven’t tried the street mussels yet, but those look tasty, and they are next on the list.

8)    Take the ferry across the Bosphorus and spend some time on the Asian side. There is more good food on the other side, and ferry rides are great in their own right.

9)    The Spice Bazaar is great.  You can taste the spices, and if you like you can bring massive quantities home with you vacuum packed. It is also a pretty good place to pick up fresh fruit and tea for breakfast. 

 That’s all for now.  Like I said, we only spent five days in Istanbul so far.  The city is huge, and we have only seen a small slice.  With any luck I will be able to write a better informed follow-up this summer when we pass through again!