Istanbul - The Envy of Empires

Every Empire of the ancient world wanted to rule Constantinople, now, Istanbul and as you might have already guessed it, I wanted to rule experience it too. It was just a random plan that came up while discussing Easter plans and the next thing I know, I was on a plane to this land where continents collide.

The Plan

There was none! This was the very first time I had left a trip to itself, completely disorganised, letting every moment to be a surprise. Heck, I was even about to miss my bus to the airport. But I loved it, excited about who I would meet next, what history my foot would step upon next and what food my taste buds will feast upon.

My stay for the holidays

When solo tripping, it is quite natural to keep your budget low and choose the cheapest hostel out there. I am glad I never thought about it that way. Istanbul is tricky with accomodation. Not every hostel is the way it seems on the photos nor are the hotels with fancy names. This is the sole reason I went with a trusted name. Cheers Hostel has amazing reviews on Hostelworld. And I realised all of them are true when I arrived in Istanbul. They are at an amazing location, serve fulfilling breakfasts to start the day, the rooms are big, toilets are clean, the staff would do everything to make you feel at home and surprise they have a bar above overlooking Hagia Sophia! What else would anyone want ? By the way, this is not a sponsorship, but I think they deserve it.

Day 1

Well, I arrived in Istanbul at the evening, so I could not visit any of the historical places, but on the plus side I had all evening to enjoy the nightlife. But I was hungry and I was in Istanbul. That deadly combination calls for some delicious dinner. I headed straight to Karaköy and got myself a mouth watering Balik Ekmek on the banks of Bosphorous. Then I had to have some desserts. Some desserts ended up me ordering a Bakhlava tasting tray with Turkish tea. Well what could I do ? 🤷‍♂️ I just could not make up my mind. And as you could have imagined, I could not finish it all. I was full and tired and sleepy. So, took the tram back to hostel to get a good night's sleep.

Day 2

I was staying in the Sultanahmet area, where all the history lies (well most of it), so it was quite easy to take a walk and explore the following nearby:

1. Hagia Sophia - Built as a beautiful church some 1500 years, then converted to a mosque, then a museum and then a mosque again. Talk of a roller-coaster history ? Here it is!
2. Blue Mosque - Built atop the ruins of the Grand Palace of Constantinople, directly infront of Hagia Sophia. I bet one gaze at it isn't enough to see this wonder.
3. Topkapi Palace and the Harem - This is a massive complex and served as the palace of the Sultan. When you visit I recommend having atleast 3 hours to explore all of it.
4. Hagia Irene - Situated in a courtyard of Topkapi Palace ( there are 4 courtyards ), this was built as a church before Hagia Sophia, and then was converted into an arsenal under the Ottomans and now stands as a museum.
5. Istanbul Archaeological Museum - There are some cool stuff here from Assyrian to Greek to Roman era and is really for a history enthusiast like me.

Then I went to a restaurant in Sirkeci specialising in Konya cuisine to have Pide, which is kind of a Turkish Pizza, a mouth-watering lamb shank and a glass of Ayran. The shank did not have as much spice as I expected but it was exceptionally tender. Then I found a hidden gem in the streets of Eminönü Market which made class Knafeh, a mildly sweet cheese pastry and Turkish tea, where I met fellow travellers from Austria, Argentina, Canada and Ireland.

After a nice chat, I headed to watch the mesmerising and magical Whirling Dervishes. It was an out of the world experience.

Then, I headed on to explore Taksim. But, Google Maps had a different route plan for me. It took me through sketchy streets and I had to climb atleast 700 steep stairs for absolutely no reason.🤦‍♂️ But the delicious Tantuni that I ate after that made all the pain go away. Wait, the struggle did not end there. I had heard of this amazing Içli Köfte dish served at one restaurant in İstiklal Street, but the owner definitely did not want anyone to find that. After 5 flight of stairs, it did not turn out to be worth it all, but, hey, I got to try a new dish though, right ?

Had enough of climbing stairs for the day, so headed back home, extremely tired and very happy with the food tripping.

Day 3

It was Grand Bazaar day today. Built some 500 years ago, this is widely regarded as world's first shopping mall! It is massive and I could spend the whole day in there, but I do not really have the kind of patience required to go through all the streets within Grand Bazaar. Its really quite easy to get lost within it. It was time for another round of delicious Baklavas with some Ottoman Coffee and Lokumu. 🤤 Till now I was on European side, but the locals stay in Asia, so I took a ferry from Eminönü and sailed off to Kadıköy. The weather was not great but that was not going to stop me from finding the 19th century invention, İskender kebap. If you ask me what to try in Istanbul, this sits right at the top of the list. Then it was time for exploring the streets of Kadıköy. It was quiet nice actually. You get that homely vibe since most of it are residential areas. It has some cool eating joints too. I tried the very famous dish Midye Dolma, which are mussels stuffed with spiced rice! That sounds weird I know, but it is very delicious and you should definitely try it when in Istanbul. While buying some nuts, I found a cozy restaurant selling Lahmacun, a flatbread topped with minced meat, herbs, vegetables, etc. And no true foodie can ignore Lahmacun. I had to try it. Trust me, it was so so worth it.

Finished off my trip to Kadıköy with the metro line that travels under the Bosphorous, yes, a metro line that connects two continents, and travels under the sea!! Humans have come a long way indeed.

It was time to go up in life. And Google Maps again misdirected me (so much so for all the AI/ML hype), making me climb a steep street to reach the Galata Tower. Thank God I did not have to queue up like others and could take the lift up. Genoese did not even had that opportunity. The had to climb up to admire the walls of Constantinople on one side and the Ottoman Empire on the other. Anyways, back to present day, this tower still stands high, and from here, during sunset, you can fully admire what a beauty Istanbul is.

After all the walking and climbing I had used up almost all off my energy and I needed some carbs. I took a walk to Taksim to find Kumpir. It really looks like jacket potatoes, but I was blown away by the endless amount of toppings you can stuff into your potatoes. There was cheese, sausages, sweetcorn, spicy sauces and what not.

And that was it, end of the day.

Day 4

It was the last day. And what do we keep for the last day ? Gift shopping! And where do I buy gifts for my friends ? I headed straight to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar in Eminönü after my hearty breakfast. Irrespective of its name, and history (was built in 1600s), they have got all kinds of sellers there, not only spices. But, to my disappointment, the prices seemed too expensive. So, I got Pashminas for my friends from elsewhere in Eminönü market at a pretty good deal and Turkish delights from Hafiz Mustafa.

With gift rituals done, I headed to Dolmabahçe Palace on Karaköy side. Topkapi Palace was medieval by 1800s and it could not match other European palaces in style or comfort. So, the Sultan ordered development of a new Palace. And Dolmabahçe Palace leaves no stone unturned. Its the true embodiment of both European and Turkish style, lavish, stylish, comfortable and literally touches the Bosphorous. Sea-side view in true sense!

Then I took a furnicular to Taksim and the next minute found myself devouring the delicious wood fired Adanan Kebap, kind of ground lamb kebap, which had a nice smokey flavour. If you have been following me till now, you would have been wondering why I have not tried the very famous Doner kebap yet. Well, next, I took a walk to the Taksim Square after having my lunch and grabbed a delicious Chicken Doner Durum. It was so different from the ones we get at Turkish doner shops littered across Ireland and so much more delicious too.

Strolling across the Taksim and İstiklal street I found this family run restaurant at the very end of Istiklal street which is famous for Kokoreç. I will not describe it further here and will just say, its definitely not for everyone!

To end my trip with a relaxing tone, before going back to bed, I experienced the Hamam. This was no less of a royal experience and if in Istanbul, you should try not to skip it.

Day 5

I had my return flight at the afternoon, so had loads of time in hand. Got up early in the morning to get some Baklavas packed for friends back in Ireland. I wish I could have brought a lot more. 🙈

Istanbul left me mesmerised with its magic and it will leave you too.

But there are a few catches. Using Google Maps can get you in trouble. Not every restaurant you pass by is worth it. Everyone sells everything, but where to shop to not get duped ? There are thousands of itineraries online, but can you have one customised just to your needs ? Should you get a SIM card ? and what about currency exchange ?

There are a lot of questions while traveling to a new place. Its natural. But in a place like Istanbul where even the value of the currency fluctuates every day, there are 1000s of unknowns.