It was a long awaited holiday after one long year and absolutely worth the wait. This year i decided to visit Istanbul. As i stepped in the city, i could feel the culture and warmth of people. I knew i was in for a non verbal connect for next 7 days as i dint know Turkish, but something told me i will be fine. I started with figuring out my way with public transport as thats the key to any travel i do in key cities of Europe. It is through this connect that i get the real feel of people, culture and facilities in a city. I had booked a hotel in the center of the city, the famous Sultanehmet. The square which houses the hagia sophia, blue mosque and many other monuments which stand as a testimoney to harmony and strategic importance of the city which stands on two continents. Yes, this is the only city in the world to be located on two continents Europe and Asia and owns the shortest path which connects the two continents.
So, i figured out that trams and metros cover the city from all angles and also found that it is pretty much what i will need to cover my travel plan for the week. I bought the tokens and boarded the tram to my hotel. My hotel was pleasant and its being in the center helped as i could watch the beauty of the city till wee hours and could experience the tourist buzz and good food after long days of exploration. My day started with Hagia Sophia which stands splendid with its huge dome and some preserved wall and cut stone crafts. I moved on to see the topkapi palace which houses some of the rare jewels, islamic precious and thrones which i found particularly interesting. What i could not help noticing was the importance of stones, turquoise color, flower based carvings all over. This seemed to be key to turkish art and existence along with the honor of hosting one of the world's richest cuisine. The center of the city thrives on tourism with corn, local turkish bread, the doldurma( ice cream) man all running into their routine to greet and meet the strange new faces everyday. Interestingly, quite a few would not know english or any other language commonly used in europe, but this does not come in the way. My day ended with walking past a street where people will woo you to their restaurants by holding you on street and showing you the menu. Yes, the food business here is quite competitive. I finally managed to make a choice to try the mezze platter which sort of became staple for me in turkish food given that i am veg.
I went on to see blue mosque, experienced the bosophorous cruise both day and night time as i love water and sea over follwoing days. The coming days also saw me walking through the grand bazar and spice bazar which host the colorful and vibrant turkish porcelain art. It happnes to be the world's oldest shopping mall with 200 + shops. What you will find in abundance in turkey is fruits and dry fruits, this shows how food endowed is the nation with thriving farming. Not only this, if you happen to cross galata bridge you will see trail of people fishing for the restaurants serving fish by the bosophorus. This happens to be one of the must eat and must try spots for fish lovers. I also happned to visit the prince's islands which is an hour's ferry ride from Istanbul. The island boasts of culture and beauty and probably a spot to spend some time peacefully by some silent corner near the sea. This is the place where i made friends with a lady who happened to talk me through the transition of culture and modernity in turkish society, about how women here have made choices and are free to do so. This country definitely boasts or tolerance and growth in every way. May be the talk i had with this lady in island or my sign language talk with an old man by bosophorus, it all showed that poeple here have a heart larger than life and mind that looks forward. If you happen to change upon it, do not forget to taste Kampir, which is baked potato full of salad of your choice. Well, i dint know turkish, but that dint come my way.. We talked.. All my travels teach me one thing, there is something very local about every country and its people, but there is one thing which connects all, curiosity to know and find the human connect.. You will find this in abundance in Turkey.. It is absolutely lovely and one of its kind where modernity blends so well with culture.. :)
So, i figured out that trams and metros cover the city from all angles and also found that it is pretty much what i will need to cover my travel plan for the week. I bought the tokens and boarded the tram to my hotel. My hotel was pleasant and its being in the center helped as i could watch the beauty of the city till wee hours and could experience the tourist buzz and good food after long days of exploration. My day started with Hagia Sophia which stands splendid with its huge dome and some preserved wall and cut stone crafts. I moved on to see the topkapi palace which houses some of the rare jewels, islamic precious and thrones which i found particularly interesting. What i could not help noticing was the importance of stones, turquoise color, flower based carvings all over. This seemed to be key to turkish art and existence along with the honor of hosting one of the world's richest cuisine. The center of the city thrives on tourism with corn, local turkish bread, the doldurma( ice cream) man all running into their routine to greet and meet the strange new faces everyday. Interestingly, quite a few would not know english or any other language commonly used in europe, but this does not come in the way. My day ended with walking past a street where people will woo you to their restaurants by holding you on street and showing you the menu. Yes, the food business here is quite competitive. I finally managed to make a choice to try the mezze platter which sort of became staple for me in turkish food given that i am veg.
I went on to see blue mosque, experienced the bosophorous cruise both day and night time as i love water and sea over follwoing days. The coming days also saw me walking through the grand bazar and spice bazar which host the colorful and vibrant turkish porcelain art. It happnes to be the world's oldest shopping mall with 200 + shops. What you will find in abundance in turkey is fruits and dry fruits, this shows how food endowed is the nation with thriving farming. Not only this, if you happen to cross galata bridge you will see trail of people fishing for the restaurants serving fish by the bosophorus. This happens to be one of the must eat and must try spots for fish lovers. I also happned to visit the prince's islands which is an hour's ferry ride from Istanbul. The island boasts of culture and beauty and probably a spot to spend some time peacefully by some silent corner near the sea. This is the place where i made friends with a lady who happened to talk me through the transition of culture and modernity in turkish society, about how women here have made choices and are free to do so. This country definitely boasts or tolerance and growth in every way. May be the talk i had with this lady in island or my sign language talk with an old man by bosophorus, it all showed that poeple here have a heart larger than life and mind that looks forward. If you happen to change upon it, do not forget to taste Kampir, which is baked potato full of salad of your choice. Well, i dint know turkish, but that dint come my way.. We talked.. All my travels teach me one thing, there is something very local about every country and its people, but there is one thing which connects all, curiosity to know and find the human connect.. You will find this in abundance in Turkey.. It is absolutely lovely and one of its kind where modernity blends so well with culture.. :)
