Istanbul!

Hey guys,

I know I have been inconsistent with my blogs in the past. And while it is called ‘An American’s life in London’, I feel I can also use it to be part travel blog (for you) part travel journal (for me). As such, I am going to try to do a better job of writing about the trips I have either taken or are planning to.

As such, I am going to talk about my recent trip to Turkey. I had a business trip out there, and I was able to extend it over the weekend to do a little exploring of the city. I guess to start things off, Istanbul is not what I originally pictured. People kept telling me it was an extremely cultural experience, and while it was, it felt more like another European city as opposed to somewhere in India (which is what I had been picturing for some reason).

I arrived and the people were extremely friendly, and many spoke English relatively well. The first night I stayed by my client, opting to move closer to the city for the weekend (right by Taskim square). Yes, of course I choose the week after the protests to visit the city, but I heard it was much safer at the time of my visit, so decided to move forward with it. I arrived at my hotel, with a reservation made through booking.com, only to find that they had cancelled my reservation (and did not tell me about it!)... I was then told they were fully booked, but I could use their internet to look for another accommodation. I was livid, and, after looking at the cost of on-the-day bookings, was growing concerned about the cost. I had found a deal on booking.com (which is probably why they were trying to weasel out of it).

Anyway, I decided to call the company to see what their policy was. After speaking to customer service, she told me she was going to call the hotel to discuss my situation. Moments later, the phone rang and the receptionist I was speaking at answered so I could overhear the conversation. Basically, if a reservation is cancelled and they do not let me know, then they have to re-book me somewhere and pay the difference. He then agreed and started to help me look for alternative locations. Surprisingly enough, we found a new hotel through booking.com, but from a search for reviews on it, found out it was also on air.bnb (one of my favourite sites to book accommodation while travelling). As such, I agreed, only if I could see the room first. They went with me, and when I entered, I was shown a 1-bedroom, with lounge, kitchen AND back patio. The stress went away and I was happy again (despite the fact the whole situation took 3 hours out of my day).

The first night I settled in, went out to grab some dinner and a couple drinks at the local Turkish bars, and then made my way back home. While out, I met some really nice locals, who told me about a boat cruise/BBQ down the Bosporus that was occurring on Saturday. As I heard the boat cruise was something you had to do, I jumped at the opportunity and bought a ticket. I got an early start the next morning and started the day with a visit to a Hamam, a turkey bath. It was a really, I guess you would say, interesting experience. You enter this old historical building, receive a towel, and then proceed to experience a long standing tradition of steam and wash. It was just the relaxation I need to start my day after the stressful day before. I then made my way to some of the sites in the old town, including:


1. The Blue Mosque – The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is an historic mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I.

2. Topkapi Palace - is a large palace in Istanbul, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people.

3. Basilica Cistern - is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.

4. Hagia Sophia - is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul. From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

5. Grand Bazaar - The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. The construction of the future Grand Bazaar's core started during the winter of 1455/56, shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.


The great thing about getting around is they have a great tram network (highly recommended for visitors). It only costs 3 Lira, and is typically faster than the cabs because it avoids the traffic. If you happen to travel to Turkey, a couple tips the client told me about that are extremely common:

1. Had the cabbie a 20 note, and he will turn around and said you only handed him a fiver. As such, be clear the amount you are handing over before they take it from you.

2. Make sure they turn on the meter when you get in, and watch for the starting amount. Either leaving the meter off or having started it before you get in are also common.

Feeling shattered from such a long day in, I decided to call it a night and head home for an early Friday night (I tried to go out for a couple drinks, but at the first bar when I started yawning, I realised I would be much happier if I started the next day fresh ). It turned out that was a good idea, because I woke up and realised I had no idea where everyone was meeting (I assumed it would say on the ticket). And since it was a cruise for locals, not one of the tourist ones, there was limited information available on the Internet. I first went to the bar where I bought the ticket, no luck. I then decided just to head to the docks and hope I could find it there. Luckily I found it and boarded. I was a bit nervous because it was a 6-hour cruise, and not a tourist one, so upon boarding, I realised that many people knew each other, and I was the ONLY non Turkish person. Immediately, I had an English speaking Turkish couple approach me and introduce themselves. They took me under their wing and introduced me to their friends. It was a great trip, with the boat stopping for about 3 hours in the Black Sea to let us go swimming for a bit.

It was a great trip, and I was happy that so many places were so close because I was able to see so much in my short time there.

Well, on a plane right now flying back to London, so about to get some shut eye.

Talk soon,

Belton