At any given moment in time, it could all be taken away.
Out of four previous trips to Turkey, I had not stayed in Istanbul once. Not once. I’ve layed over there and flown through, but I had never actually stayed in Istanbul and seen the city.
This trip around, my fifth trip to Turkey, I finally stayed an extra three days there. And leave it to me to pick a weird of weird times to stay there! It was the sacrifice holiday there, so imagine a city of 15 million people, and half of them are gone to spend the holiday with their families. Add back in another 3 million tourists from England, Saudi Arabia, and all over Europe, combined with the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar being closed, and it really was a surreal trip. With only three days, we chose not to have an itinerary and just take in the city as it comes. The mosques, temples, and museums were all open, so we took in the major sights.
If you go, you definitely have to do the Bosphorus Boat Tour, it’s a great way to see the city by sea.
Taksim is the downtown area, and that’s where you’ll find the two Starbucks, a Shake Shack, and other American influences on the city!
It’s amazing that all the stuff that I would have only read out of a textbook, I was seeing right before my eyes. The museums and temples had remnants there from 3000 BC! All of my highschool history books were coming to life before my eyes!
The shopping was also pretty crazy especially if you’re into Turkish towels and textiles. The deals were great and the dollar conversion is pretty favorable.
The food is always good, no matter where you go. Most everything is prepared fresh and the fish and meat are all insanely good.
All in all, I had a great time, but then again, Turkey has always treated me good. I have a good feeling I’ll be back again, but who knows for how much longer??
And remember, It’s Istanbul, not Constantinople!
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