istanbul is immense and serves as the final climax to the Turkish adventure that began in Cappadocia and passed through the turquoise coast. Not even from the sky can you see the end of the city.
With more than 15 million inhabitants, this particular enclave with part in Europe and part in Asia is a vibrant and modern place in which the desire for renewal coexists with the most staunch tradition.
DAY 1
Our hotel is in Pera, a very European neighborhood full of specialty restaurants and cafes. perfect for spending the afternoon and calm compared to the rest of the prevailing chaos. In its streets is the Pear Palace, one of the most important hotels in the city which houses the first elevator in Turkey and in which the spy Matahari was staying when she traveled to the country.
If you walk from there with the intention of cross the Golden Horn (as the oldest part of Istanbul is called) you will eventually arrive at the tower of Galata. This construction dating from the year 548, but renovated by the Genoese in 1348, is one of the most famous symbols of the great city, and around it there are shops and restaurants in a very pleasant little square to take a break.
We crossed the Galata Bridge, full of fishermen, impossible to know which professionals and which amateurs, who crowd together to Try mackerel fishing in the Bosphorus. If you feel like trying it, nothing better than going down to the restaurants on the lower part of the bridge to eat a sandwich for three euros.
From that same bridge it is possible to see its skyline: you will have the feeling that the mosques float above the buildings crowning the city.
The tower and the Galata neighborhood.
On the other side of the bridge, chaos begins: the bustle of the Spice Bazaar surrounds us and we are practically not able to choose the streets we cross. It is the crowd that takes us between the stalls turmeric, curry and saffron. To the sides they pile up shops with shiny pans, wedding dresses and a corner where they grind your coffee and put it in a bag. Can you think of anything else to buy?
Spice Bazaar.
We continue climbing through the narrow streets until we reach one of the avenues that leads to the park of Sultan Mahmet that separates the two most impressive buildings in the city: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Both boast, one in front of the other, as in an eternal competition, of their beauty and uniqueness. Tourists crowd to get the best perspective of the photo but nothing compares to seeing it in person.
Before the sun goes down we set course for the next destination. We decided to have dinner at Room Mezze 360, a restaurant located on a rooftop with privileged views of the city. We arrived just at the time of the call to prayer at the moment in which the sun had already hidden on the horizon. The lights of the buildings were turned on announcing a long (albeit restricted) night.
DAY 2
To get around Istanbul if you are a beginner, The best thing you can do to start is to book a place on a free tour. Most leave from the front gardens of the Hagia Sophia, so there is no loss.
We start the morning ready to navigate the streets of a historic city in which there are remains of so many civilizations that it is impossible to stay with one. Desired by many and conquered only by the most strategic, we walk along its sidewalks hand in hand with our guide who is annoyed with the latest decisions of the Turkish government about the jewel in the crown: Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia has been a mosque for a few months and all the Christian mosaics have been covered with white curtains. After multiple protests from tourism entities and historians, they have managed to uncover some, but not all. So yes, entering the building now involves access a mosque with bare feet and women, of course, with a veil that covers their hair.
A giant jade green carpet covers the entire floor and the faithful pray intermingled with tourists that we gaze in wonder at the grandeur of the building with the second largest dome in the world. The interior mosaics remain covered and allow maximum visibility to six medallions inscribed in Arabic with the names of Allah, Muhammad and the four caliphs. The hanging lamps are a thousand years old.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
We enter the hour before the most important prayer of the week: the one at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The mosque begins to fill up as our guide points us to a corner on the ground: "The Byzantines considered that the center of the world was in Hagia Sophia and they crowned emperors here."
The building in which we walk, commissioned by Justinian I, was erected in the year 532. Everyone in Turkey knows it as 'Hagia Sophia' meaning 'holy wisdom'.
We left stunned by its beauty, we pass through the Topkapi Palace, administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and visit the remains of the Istanbul Hippodrome, place that Constantine decorated with Greek and even Egyptian works of art.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
The heat forces us to make a strategic stop for food in the surroundings and we are left wanting to visit the Blue Mosque, whose ceilings and walls are completely covered by restoration works.
We had the afternoon clear and it is that you can't leave Istanbul without getting lost in the grand bazaar. It does not matter what you try and, of course, do not pretend to use a map. With the intention of wandering, we entered the corridors between pottery shops, rugs, colorful lamps and the famous fakes.
The shops, many with the appearance of being recently renovated, contrast with the peeling of the walls and the cables that decorate the columns. It's completely part of the charm. If you find a little stall where you can drink tea and baklava, do it.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
Already tired –and having fallen into the purchase of ceramics– we headed looking for a place to have a drink while doing nothing, which is in itself a good plan when you are traveling. We went to monkey, recommended by local friends, and we discovered that it was, again, a rooftop.
There we drank cocktails and for one day we did not have a kebab for dinner. The silhouette of ancient Constantinople caressed us and we left.
DAY 3
That we had monuments left to visit was almost part of the plan because from the first moment we knew that we would want to return, so We decided to investigate the Galata neighborhood well and dedicate ourselves to wandering aimlessly except to eat.
In the surroundings of the Tower, the streets with souvenir shops alternate with a movement of establishments of local designers and artisans. The most vibrant and demanding Istanbul reveals its personality in small spaces where you can buy decoration, t-shirts or prints.
We loved it Aponia, a project by the artist Faith Dagli who since 2009 designs and produces in the city and it also provides a space for other artists to sell their prints there. It is perfect to take a different memory. Bookstores and music stores are also amazing and well worth an investigation.
Aponia Store.
For food we follow the faithful recommendation of a Turkish friend. She tipped us off about a place that she says has "the best meat in Istanbul." They prepare it on the grill in front of you, it is a small and familiar space and far from the traditional tourist circuits... So we headed there in a walk of almost 50 minutes passing through Taksim square.
Adana Ocakbaši It has been around since 1978 and, indeed, it has some of the best kebabs we tried on the entire trip. English little but enough to order us different types of meat and set up a wonderful farewell banquet.
The sea, the great ally of Istanbul.
We walked down to the neighborhood again to get closer to the Bosphorus... The chaos of the fishermen, the cameras, the tourists eating mackerel sandwiches and the most well-groomed groups of young people ready to burn Saturday scamper around us. What is Istanbul? One thing and the other. A mix. A mix of the best.
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