Istanbul is very different from any other European city we have ever visited, that's for sure. However, it still has many similarities to the other cities. We were also struck by how friendly everyone was (for the most part). It's definitely a popular tourist destination and all of the citizens seem to be comfortable with foreigners. Everyone we interacted with spoke at least basic English, which was nice. Many of them also speak a few words of other languages, as well. We would walk through the market, with the vendors trying to say hello to us in about 5 different languages. Sidenote: We get excited when Europeans mistake us for Germans or the French haha. Our hotel staff and our servers at restaurants were especially friendly. I would say that the people of Istanbul are more similar to the Italians in that they have a different idea of personal space than we do and that they tend to push and shove in crowded public places more so than we do. I don't think anyone is trying to be particularly rude, it's just in their nature to be more comfortable with getting closer to strangers haha. It wasn't a big deal, just something to note that is a bit different from Americans and Germans. Istanbul is a very busy city, due to the sheer size of the city -- It's Turkey's largest city with a population of 13.5 million. NYC has 8.2 million (for comparison). So yeah, it's huge. Also, there are stray cats everywhere. I used to think I hated pigeons in cities, until I tried to enjoy a meal outside with a stray cat at my feet begging for food. Definitely a different experience.
The city's natural setting is just stunning. It's set on the Bosphorus, which runs between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. It also is partly in Europe and partly in Asia, which is very interesting. We visited both the European side (the main tourist spot) and the Asian side, thus, being in Asia for the very first time! Very exciting.
Most European cities we have visited in the past are cities with an obviously Christian influence. There are churches everywhere, and they are usually very large and elaborate. Istanbul is very different, as there is a strong Muslim influence. There are mosques everywhere throughout the city. We visited three during our trip, including two of the most famous -- Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sofia is interesting because it was first built as a basilica and not a mosque. It's sheer size is just amazing.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or the Blue Mosque as it is also known, is also very impressive. This mosque is still used for worship today. It was built in the early 1600s. It has 6 minarets (the tall, skinny towers surrounding the dome), which caused some contention when it was being built as 4 minarets is the common maximum number. The mosque is tiled with beautiful hand-painted tiles inside.
Other interesting sites that we visited during our trip included the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, and the Basilica Cistern. The Grand Bazaar is a huge, indoor market where vendors set up "stalls" to sell various items, including pottery, scarves, bags, shoes, jewelry and more. It was huge inside, but not as crazy or crowded as we thought it was going to be. The Spice market is an indoor/outdoor market where vendors sell, you guessed it -- spices. It was pretty cool to see all kinds of different spices everywhere. They also sell various types of nuts, cheese, Turkish delight, baklava, and more. It's smaller than the Grand Bazaar, but still very cool. We bought some pistachios there.
Grand Bazaar
Spice Market
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century and is capable of holding approximately 2,800,000 cubic feet of water. The ceiling is supported by large marble columns. In one of the corners of the cistern, the bases of two columns are blocks carved as the head of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. One head is turned on its side and the other is upside down. Archaeologists believe that the placement is on purpose, but no one knows why. Pretty cool.
While all of these sites were very cool, our favorite was the Topkapi Palace. This palace was the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years, from 1465-1856. The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point, overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, with gorgeous views of the Bosphorus from many spots in the palace. While the palace is quite stunning in itself, it also houses many interesting historical artifacts, including jewels, art, clocks, and weaponry. We got to see an 86-carat diamond! There is also a room with relics that are believed to belong to many of the Islamic prophets, including Mohammed. It houses what are considered to be "the most sacred relics of the Muslim world": the cloak of Mohammed, two swords, a bow, one tooth, a hair of his beard, and an autographed letter and other relics which are known as the Sacred Trusts. Several other sacred objects are also on display, such as the swords of the first four Caliphs, The Staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph and a carpet of the daughter of Mohammed. It was really interesting to see some of these artifacts. We spent several hours here since there is so much to look at.
We also tried lots of Turkish food on our trip. We ate at two really great restaurants. Both had outdoor roof terraces and we had fantastic weather, so it was pretty amazing. The service was great, too. The food is similar to Greek food -- chicken, lamb, spinach, tomatoes, olives, etc. They also use a lot of spices, which isn't surprising considering the climate. One of our favorite parts of traveling is enjoying the local cuisine, and we were definitely able to do that on this trip. Drinking alcohol does not seem to be as popular as it is in most of the other European cities. Our best guess is that the strong Islamic influence is the main reason. Matt still found an opportunity to try the Turkish beer Efes (the only brew we saw offered anywhere in the city).
The weather was beautiful, the views were stunning, and the people were very helpful, so we really had a great time. Although the city was different than what we are used to, we really enjoyed experiencing a new culture, which really, is the whole point of traveling in the first place. It wasn't our favorite European city and we don't know if we'll make it back, but we're definitely glad we had the opportunity to see it. Here are just a few more photos.
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