- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 1: Introduction
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 2: TPA-ORD on Ted
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 3: ORD-ZRH on Swiss
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 4: ZRH-LHR on Swiss and LHR-IST on Turkish
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 5: InterContinental Istanbul
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 6: Istanbul
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 7: IST-HKG on Turkish
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 8: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 9: InterContinental Hong Kong
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 10: Hong Kong
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 11: HKG-BKK-MUC on Thai
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 12: MUC-ZRH-JFK on Swiss
- Quest to Istanbul and Hong Kong, Part 13: JFK-TPA on Delta
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While we only had two days in Istanbul, I think we did a pretty good job maximizing our time. Overall I loved Istanbul and would like to return. Istanbul’s a unique city, given that it’s on two continents (Europe and Asia). It really is a crossroad as far as the people and cultures go. Walking near the Bosphorus on the side of the InterContinental has a very European feel to it, with street cafes, shops, and European architecture, while the other side of the Bosphorus has a much more Middle Eastern feel to it, with mosques and of course bazaars. The phrase I’ve heard most frequently about Istanbul — where the east meets the west — really is true.
The people were nice, at least the ones not trying to pull the shoe shine scam on us or trying to rip us off by rigging the taxi meter. It’s also worth noting that we didn’t have any communication issues. Almost everyone spoke at least a bit of English.
Getting around Istanbul was easy as well. The subway, while limited in terms of the destinations it serves, was clean and fast (and there was a station right near the InterContinental, which proved convenient). Otherwise we did a lot of walking. We also took one of the street cars and once made the mistake of taking a cab (where we got ripped off).
Near Taksim Square
Subway path
Istiklal Avenue
Beautiful waterfront
Mosque
This is why we only took a cab once
Grand Bazaar
Haga Sofia
Mosque
Fancy (random) stairs
Fishing from the bridge
Oh, and here’s a question for you folks. Every concession cart I saw had the same, round bread-with-a-hole looking thing. I mean, never before have I seen such consistency among concession carts. In New York you have hot dogs, pretzels, etc., but every cart seemed to have just these. What the heck are they?
So long story short I highly recommend Istanbul. I love the culture, the ease of getting around, and the beautiful landscape, along with the people and food.
beautiful pictures......I went to IST in 2007 on a DL award ticket......stayed adjacent to the blue mosque and I'll do it again if I can.....cuz I never missed one morning prayer while I was there hehehe....
great insight of this beautiful city , let me guess some of the places you went
Taksim,Eminonu...
Yep, they certainly seem familiar ;)
@Ed: LMAO, you beat me too it. I was thinking, damn those steps look familiar. Was it one of the previous photos?
And then i discovered that I actually identified them first the last time around... :D
Simits are not only tastier than bagels, but they can found throughout the Turkic world - I've seen them as far east as Qinghai, China!
ed: you are correct.
lucky: Those stairs linked two important streets back in the 1850s: Voyvoda St. and Banker st. They were designed in Art Nouveau style under the order of a famous/rich family called the Kamondo family (bankers). You can read more about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Camondo
There are actually 2 other stairs very similar to this one, hence the reason I asked :)
I didn't live in Istanbul for too long but I passed...
ed: you are correct.
lucky: Those stairs linked two important streets back in the 1850s: Voyvoda St. and Banker st. They were designed in Art Nouveau style under the order of a famous/rich family called the Kamondo family (bankers). You can read more about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Camondo
There are actually 2 other stairs very similar to this one, hence the reason I asked :)
I didn't live in Istanbul for too long but I passed through those stairs quite often when I was dating a teacher at the Austrian Lycee right by it. In fact, the legend goes that the family built these stairs to ease the uphill walk by students :)
Old photo by famous photographer Henri Cartier Bresson: http://www.artfacts.net/exhibpics/16896.jpg
And another one from the Ottoman Imperial Bank archive (owned by the same family who built it): http://www.obarsiv.com/images/etkinlikler/voyvoda2.jpg
Thanks for all the info, folks!
@ Basar -- Yes, I believe those steps were near the water as we were walking towards the Bosphorus. Are they anything special?
Those round things are called "Simit" in Turkish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simit
:)
By the way, were those stairs on your way walking down from IC to the Bosphorus? Right before you reach the avenue next to the water?
"Walking near the Bosphorus on the side of the InterContinental has a very European feel to it, with street cafes, shops, and European architecture, while the other side of the Bosphorus has a much more Middle Eastern feel to it, with mosques and of course bazaars."
What you're referring to "the other side of the Bosphorus" sounds more like Sultanahmet which is still on the European side, but on the other side of the Golden Horn from the Taksim Square area.
Excellent pictures.
Typo correction: "hole" not "whole". "crunchy" not "crunch."
The round breads with the whole can also be found on street carts in Athens. The dough on the inside is soft and on the outside brown and crunch. They are topped with sesame seeds. After 400 years of Ottoman occupation it is difficult to determine what we introduced to the Turks and vice versa. In Greek they are called "koulouria".
are those steps that were once features on this nice littel blog?
Mudba -- had precisely that experience in Dubai. Ear plugs next time!
One of my greatest Istanbul moments was my first wakeup. I was staying just a few blocks from the Blue Mosque when morning prayers started. I shot staight up in bed at 4:30.