With a population of over 13 million people, Istanbul is by far Turkey's biggest city. Immediately upon arriving in Istanbul, Simone, Nina and I were overwhelmed at both the sheer size of the city and the masses of people within it.
After finding Simone at the airport we hailed a cab to take us to the hostel. We were then lucky enough to be introduced to the Turkish way of driving: the sort of ride that makes one hold on for dear life and even consider the possibility of making an escape out of the moving vehicle.
After checking in to our hostel which was located in the heart of Saltanahmet, we headed in to the cold evening in search of something to eat.
We came across a great place where we enjoyed some soup and a mezze platter with seats perfectly positioned by the fire. It was during this meal that I realised two things: Firstly, Turkey was a lot colder than the forecast had predicted and that I had subsequently expected, and also that the Turkish people were perhaps some of the friendliest I'd met on my entire journey across the world.
The following morning we were introduced to the typical Turkish breakfast consisting of a hard-boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, dried olives, feta cheese and bread. Initially I found the flavours a bit strong for so early in the day, however after leaving Turkey I found myself missing the strong salty taste of the olives and the uniqueness of the meal.
After breakfast we headed to one of Istanbul's most iconic destinations, the Grand Bazaar. It was an enormous complex filled with rows upon rows of stalls selling everything from leather goods to jewelry and carpets. For the entire duration of our visit to the market we were not only repetitively hassled about buying these things, but were also subject to many offers to become the girlfriends of the different shop owners.
As we were in Turkey we felt it necessary to taste some real Turkish delight, so we found a cute little cafe where we were greeted with 'Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi' and got a variety of sweets to share. Accompanied by a cup of apple tea, we had some delicious Turkish delicacies including some authentic baklava. On our way out of the shop the owner convinced us to go behind the counter and have photos taken with the staff, arming us with different kitchen utensils. Once the moment was captured on all three cameras we headed to the spice bazaar.
Spices, nuts, dried fruits, fresh tea varieties and Turkish sweets are displayed in every shop inside the Spice Bazaar. Upon entering one is met with an aroma of different spices and teas mixing together to create a strong scent that dominates the air.
Excited by the range of fresh teas available we each purchased a few varieties, I settled on some real Turkish apple tea, some 'love' tea, green tea and tea designed to boost the immune system. During the half hour we were inside we experienced a number of unusual incidents including a blackout, leaving the entire hall in total darkness, and further claims that we were a certain gentleman's wives.
For the afternoon we had a look inside the New and the Old Mosques, both located on the edge of the river and frequented daily by many Muslims. One thing I learnt (that I guess is not overly unusual considering it is a Muslim country) was that inside the Mosque women are separated from the men and are confined to smaller sections located in the back.
After a small dinner we made some final plans for our five-day trip which was to begin the following day and which was designed to explore some of the Turkish countryside.
Taksim is a district of Istanbul with it's famous 'Independence Avenue'. Considered to be the most European street in the whole city, it is a long stretch of the typical clothing chains and fast food restaurants. It was the smaller lanes off the main drag that were most fascinating...authentic Turkish restaurants and great little stalls selling pomegranate juice. Perhaps the reason this part of the city has developed into being more European is the fact that it is on the other side of the river that divides Istanbul and is much higher with great views of the city below.
We wandered down from Taksim through a great old part of the city with old record shops and men selling fresh tobacco in big bags. Crossing the bridge it was a great day to observe the hundreds of fisherman lined along the bridge, all seemingly lucky with securing a catch.
That afternoon we got on an overnight bus which would take us to Goreme, a very small village located in Cappadocia.
After finding Simone at the airport we hailed a cab to take us to the hostel. We were then lucky enough to be introduced to the Turkish way of driving: the sort of ride that makes one hold on for dear life and even consider the possibility of making an escape out of the moving vehicle.
After checking in to our hostel which was located in the heart of Saltanahmet, we headed in to the cold evening in search of something to eat.
We came across a great place where we enjoyed some soup and a mezze platter with seats perfectly positioned by the fire. It was during this meal that I realised two things: Firstly, Turkey was a lot colder than the forecast had predicted and that I had subsequently expected, and also that the Turkish people were perhaps some of the friendliest I'd met on my entire journey across the world.
The following morning we were introduced to the typical Turkish breakfast consisting of a hard-boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, dried olives, feta cheese and bread. Initially I found the flavours a bit strong for so early in the day, however after leaving Turkey I found myself missing the strong salty taste of the olives and the uniqueness of the meal.
After breakfast we headed to one of Istanbul's most iconic destinations, the Grand Bazaar. It was an enormous complex filled with rows upon rows of stalls selling everything from leather goods to jewelry and carpets. For the entire duration of our visit to the market we were not only repetitively hassled about buying these things, but were also subject to many offers to become the girlfriends of the different shop owners.
As we were in Turkey we felt it necessary to taste some real Turkish delight, so we found a cute little cafe where we were greeted with 'Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi' and got a variety of sweets to share. Accompanied by a cup of apple tea, we had some delicious Turkish delicacies including some authentic baklava. On our way out of the shop the owner convinced us to go behind the counter and have photos taken with the staff, arming us with different kitchen utensils. Once the moment was captured on all three cameras we headed to the spice bazaar.
Spices, nuts, dried fruits, fresh tea varieties and Turkish sweets are displayed in every shop inside the Spice Bazaar. Upon entering one is met with an aroma of different spices and teas mixing together to create a strong scent that dominates the air.
Excited by the range of fresh teas available we each purchased a few varieties, I settled on some real Turkish apple tea, some 'love' tea, green tea and tea designed to boost the immune system. During the half hour we were inside we experienced a number of unusual incidents including a blackout, leaving the entire hall in total darkness, and further claims that we were a certain gentleman's wives.
For the afternoon we had a look inside the New and the Old Mosques, both located on the edge of the river and frequented daily by many Muslims. One thing I learnt (that I guess is not overly unusual considering it is a Muslim country) was that inside the Mosque women are separated from the men and are confined to smaller sections located in the back.
After a small dinner we made some final plans for our five-day trip which was to begin the following day and which was designed to explore some of the Turkish countryside.
Taksim is a district of Istanbul with it's famous 'Independence Avenue'. Considered to be the most European street in the whole city, it is a long stretch of the typical clothing chains and fast food restaurants. It was the smaller lanes off the main drag that were most fascinating...authentic Turkish restaurants and great little stalls selling pomegranate juice. Perhaps the reason this part of the city has developed into being more European is the fact that it is on the other side of the river that divides Istanbul and is much higher with great views of the city below.
We wandered down from Taksim through a great old part of the city with old record shops and men selling fresh tobacco in big bags. Crossing the bridge it was a great day to observe the hundreds of fisherman lined along the bridge, all seemingly lucky with securing a catch.
That afternoon we got on an overnight bus which would take us to Goreme, a very small village located in Cappadocia.
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