Turkey - Istanbul

Why is Imran visiting Istanbul?


Istanbul is the only city in the world physically located on two continents.  Since I was obsessed with hitting up 6 continents on my round the world trip, I had to think strategically in order to achieve my goal.  I chose Istanbul as my first destination to kick start my world trip and cross off two continents of my list while only visiting one city.  I also had my mother join me for my trip in Turkey.  She flew in from India 3 days after I had been in Istanbul.

This was my first stop in my Round The World trip in 39 days.

What I did?


Things to do in Istanbul


Hagia Sophia


Hagia Sophia is a museum located in Sultanahmet.  It was originally built as a Church but after being conquered by the Ottoman empire it was later converted into a mosque.  The church when completed, stood as the largest cathedral in the world for a thousand years.  The Hagia Sophia church after the Ottoman conquest was then turned into the Aya Sofya mosque.  In order to convert the church into a mosque, Islamic architecture was added to the current structure with the most prominent being the four supporting minarets (pillars) on the outside of the church.  The structure currently serves as a museum and praying is prohibited at the museum.  There is a $15 or so entry fee which is well worth the admission price to step back in history and experience the grandeur of the Church/Mosque firsthand.

The Magnificent Dome.

Mom in Aya Sofya.

Acting sophisticated.

The dome is huge you can't actually see the size in the pictures.

180 view of Aya Sofya.

360 view of Aya Sofya.

Guard Cat.

This is for good luck, you put your thumb in it and rotate your fingers all around.

Supporting a mega structure.

Aya Sofya is huge the second floor is probably at a height of 6 floors.

Place for making wudu (ablution).

Knock Knock.

Basilica Cistern


Basilica Cistern (water storing tank) is the biggest and the most famous of the storage tanks located in Istanbul.  It is located in the Sultanahmet district close to Aya Sofya and provided water to the Great Palace of Constantinople and then to the Topokapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest.  From the outside the cistern looks very small and it is hard to believe that such a huge system can exist beneath such a small edifice.  It is very possible that you miss the Basilica Cistern all together completely.  There is a $5 or so entry fee to get into the Basilica Cistern.

Me with Mom.

Mom checking out the fishes.

Head of Medusa.

My obsession with jumping over fences continues. 

Mom feeding the fishes.

All of Basilica Cistern is located within that building.

Hodjapasha

Hodjapasha is a Turkish Dance and Cultural Center located in the Sultanahmet district.  The center hosts many Turkish dance and cultural events at night throughout the week.  I opted to go for the Turkish folk dance show on Saturday night which showcases the various dance styles from all across Turkey.  My favorite was the Turkish belly dance, which is probably the best routine of the whole show.  For around $25 you get a lot for your money including drinks and snacks which are served during the intermission.

Belly Dancing.

Blue Mosque


The Sultan Ahmed Mosque more commonly referred to as the Blue Mosque is the most symbolic icon of Istanbul.  The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is what the Statue of Liberty is to New York.  It is one of the very few mosques to have 6 Minarets (Pillars).  There is no entry fee to enter the mosque and it has very beautiful Islamic architecture.  I personally felt the mosque is smaller on the inside than what it looks from the outside.  The mosque is almost 500 years old and still looks amazing, as if it was built only a year ago.  The Blue Mosque is a must visit place for anyone visiting Istanbul.

With some Moroccan friends I made.

There is a street named after me outside the Blue Mosque.

Mom in the Blue Mosque.

180 view of the dome.

Pictures don't do justice to the magnificence of the dome.

This is another mosque, not sure of the name though.

Bosphorus Cruise


The Bosphorus strait is a water body located in Istanbul separating the two continents of Europe and Asia.  There are many cruises available through tours which charge you an insane amount of money for something that can be done in a fraction of the cost of these tours.  Just to give you an example I inquired about a tour which was charging me $85 to take me on a cruise of the Bosphorus, I instead opted for using the public ferries to cruise up and down the Bosphorus going from Europe to Asia for about $10 not a bad deal right.  TT: Instead of taking an expensive guided cruise tour opt for using the excellent public ferries to cruise up and down the Bosphorus going from Europe to Asia.  The public transport will not have snacks but with the money you save you can treat yourself for a Steak dinner.  The public cruise lasts around 2 hours.

I was surprised at the awesome color of the radishes.

Mosque viewed from the cruise.

Gorgeous view from the cruise.

Mommy chilling on the cruise.

Mosque skyline.

Bosphorus bridge connecting the European side with the Asian side of Istanbul.

Enjoying the cruise with my mom.

Bosphorus Bridge at night.

On the Asian side of Istanbul.

Going from Asia to Europe within a matter of minutes.

On the Bosphorus Bridge at night.

Grand Bazaar


The Grand Bazaar is the oldest and largest covered bazaar in the world.  You can find all sorts of things in the bazaar from gold, clothes, carpets, leather goods to even furniture.  It seems like not much has changed in the bazaar from the way trade was done, except for the addition of credit card machines used by vendors to accept payments, everything else has probably remained the same.  The Grand Bazaar is a great place to buy souvenirs.

The blue eye is believed to save you from an evil eye.

Lamps.

Taksim Square


Taksim Square is what Times Square is to New York, it is the central shopping and tourist destination of Istanbul.  Taksim has a lot of Hotels, Restaurants and Malls.  Taksim square is always crowded and is also a good place to relax and people watch.

Birdman -What happened to that boy?

My Mom managed to find her favorite perfume store Sephora in Taksim.

Sheeps head.

Tram that runs in Taksim.

Taksim at night.

Miscellaneous Stuff


People I met


Turkey is a very friendly beautiful country with very friendly people.  There was a lot of people that I met and many random people that wanted to be in pictures.

Random Dude.

While coming from the airport to Sultanahmet district I met two Moroccan girls Maryam and Khadijah on the train.  Their hotel was located very close to mine so we managed to hang out and explore a little bit of Istanbul together.

With Maryam.

With Khadijah.

Dogan was the owner of the Hotel in which Maryam and Khadijah were staying.  We happened to hang out with Dogan for a bit as well.

With Dogan.

Random Dude.

Jummah in Istanbul


I had the opportunity to pray Jummah (Friday prayers) in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.  The mosque was packed for Jummah.  The Khutbah (sermon) was in Turkish.

Jummah in the Blue Mosque.

With the host of Man V/S Food.

What I ate?


Things to eat in Istanbul


Initially I wasn't sure Istanbul would have good tasty food but boy was I proven wrong.  I was under the impression that most of the food would just be kebabs and rice with not much else nor did I think there would be good street food.  At one of the restaurants in Sultanahmet (touristy district) I ordered the traditional Iskinder Kebab which consists of shaved lamb meat over pita bread topped with tomato sauce, yogurt and sheep butter. At first it might look like there is a lot of things going on with the dish but all the ingredients combine together perfectly to give you a taste of a kebab that you have probably never tasted before (i.e. if you haven't had Iskinder Kebab). It is a very filling meal and best eaten on an empty stomach.  As an appetizer you could probably try the sigara boregi which is a cigar shaped pasry made with phyllo dough stuffed with feta cheese.  Sigara boregi is also eaten at breakfast.

Iskinder Kebab and Sigara Boregi.

Okay now if you are travelling you should always try to savor the local flavors as opposed to something you can probably try at home.  I am not the type of guy to eat at establishments which I can easily try elsewhere, but in this instance I was with friends that were pretty adamant of eating at Mcdonalds so I obliged.  I must admit though the Double KofteBurger which is the Turkish version of the Double Quarter Pounder tasted pretty good.  It is not the usual burger you get at Mcds in the states, the meat was probably from only 1 cow and the bread was topped with herbs a far cry from the Double 1/4 Pounder you get in the states.

Turkish Double 1/4 Pounder.

Ezo Gelin Corbasi is a Turkish Lentil soup made up of Lentil, Bulgur and mint.  The soup is pretty heavy and filling and could be eaten as a dinner replacement on one of those days where you aren't as hungry.  The soup is flavorful and depending on your spice tolerance made spicy to suit your convenience/inconvenience level.

Ezo Gelin Corbasi.

Lahmacun is another traditional Turkish local favorite dish.  It is a very thin crust pizza usually topped with minced meat and vegetables which can be rolled into a roll to be eaten conveniently.  The traditional lahmachun doesn't contain cheese nor is it sliced into pieces like a pizza.  You can find lahmachun with othere toppings as well but I would stick to the original with minced meat, onion, parsley and lemon juice.

Lahmachun.

Before I left for Istanbul I had seen Anthony Bourdains No Reservations episode in which he visited Istanbul.  There were two places in the episode which he went to I felt had real good food and I was on a mission to find them.  The first place was Durumzade a wraps place which Tony had visited.  I had googled up Durumzade and found its location to be close to Taksim Square.  Armed with few Turkish phrases I managed to get to Durumzade by asking people "Nesil Gedler Durumzade" = Where is Drurumzade.  I finally got there and the place was small and at first I thought a celebrity chef like Tony would not visit there but I was proven wrong.  I got to Durumzade which is a three person operation and wasted no time once there.  I stepped in and immediately saw a newspaper clipping of Tony sitting on a chair outside Durumzade.  I ordered the Durumzade Beef special and it was OMG Amazing.  The beef was super tender, fresh and tasty.  I could very well have eaten 10 of those wraps/rolls.  Once I finished the beef wrap I ordered the lamb wrap which was also good but a little more chewier than the beef.  I preferred the beef over lamb.

Durumzade yo.

Talking with the chef and Tonys poster in the back.

Satisfaction.

Durumzade Beef Special roll.

In addition to having awesome meat dishes, Istanbul also has a great seafood scene.  There are a few boats outside the Spice bazaar close to the docks that serve fish sandwiches.  The boats rock violently back and forth as the guys on the boats make your fish sandwiches.  The sandwich costs about 5 Turkish Liras and makes for a good light tasty dinner.  I am not sure as to what fish is used but it is boneless and gives the Filet O Fish sandwich a run for its money.  The sandwich is made up of a lemon fish fillet topped with lettuce, onion served in a bun.  The fish is fresh flaky and flavorful. There is also a lemon sauce you can add to your sandwich to make it tangy.

Fish sandwich boat.

Fish samich.

My happy meal.

Close to the spice bazaar there is also a great doughnut stand which serves Turkish style doughnuts (Lokma) for 2 Turkish Liras.  They don't taste anything like your regular doughnuts found in the states as they are not chemically engineered in a lab but made in front of your eyes.  The doughnuts are super light, fluffy dusted with powdered pistachios and have the right amount of sweetness.  The doughnuts are a must try if you find yourself close to the Spice Bazaar.

Lokma (doughnuts) being fried.

I could probably eat all the doughnuts from his stand.

Lokmmmma.

Amazing doughnuts.

Turkish doughnut dudes.

In the spice bazaar you will find a lot of things to eat and drink but my favorite has to be the pomegranate juice.  There is no sort of additive to the pomegranate juice and is made up of nothing but fruits, no adding of water or sugar all 100 % natural.  Depending on the quality of pomegranate used the juice tends to be either sweet or tangy.

Pomegranate juice squeezing is a pretty laborious process - 1 glass has at least 2-4 pomegranates. 

DND while I drink my pomegranate juice.

The second place I wanted to visit where Tony had gone was a burger place.  I wasn't sure of the name of the place nor did I know about its location.  I just happened to stumble upon the burger place which serves the Turkish equivalent of sloppy joes.  The burger joint is located in Taksim square right next to the Burger King.  I am not sure why Burger King would open up next to this place as the burgers here were amazing and super cheap.  For 2 Turkish Liras you can get a small burger which although isn't filling but is very tasty.  The establishment Kizilkfiy Filfir serves burgers, doner sandwiches and different juices.  The doner sandwiches are also very tasty and are much more filling than a regular burger.  Although you must try their burgers which are absolutely mouth watering and have the perfect messy to tasty ratio.  My theory for burgers is the tastiness of a burger is a function of the messiness of a burger and after a certain amount of messiness the tastiness declines.  This graph will have messiness on the x axis with tastiness on the y axis and the graph looks like a camel hump with the Turkish burger right at top of the graph.  Hence the perfect messiness to tastiness ratio. Patent is still pending for my theory so don't go about stealing my hard work.  The burger is an absolute must eat if you happen to be in Taksim square.

Thumbs up for this joint.

Little pieces of mmmm - I could probably eat all of those.

You need to use a napkin in order to avoid the messiness.

Tony Dude knows his street food.

Conclusion:


Istanbul is an addictive city in the sense it is a place where you would like to go over and over again.  The people are very friendly and there is a lot of things to be seen, done and eaten.  The only city located on two different continents is very diverse and is the cultural capital of Europe.  No other city in the world has as much history and  has been ruled by so many different people and religions as has Istanbul.  The location of Istanbul (Constantinople) has a very strategic political location, no wonder it was preferred to be the capital of many empires that ruled it.  Istanbul is definitely a city filled with surprises and is a great place to visit.  In fact I wouldn't mind living in Istanbul if I had the chance to do so.