This was a nice little weekend away in the winter sun of Istanbul (October 2012). Never been there before, but came very highly recommended from a friend as a very beautiful, pleasant and friendly place to visit. We duly departed Heathrow on TK1980 at 11.25am on a very cold October morning. After getting on the plane alive and not suffering crush injuries in the stampede to get onboard, we settled down to a very pleasant flight with plentiful delightful Turkish red wine called Ancyra (a Cab Sauv). We landed at 17.15 local. No one mentioned that we needed to purchase a border visa for 10 English Pounds before making our way to passport control. Queued for that, handed over my tenner, and queued again for passport. Our limousine was awaiting.
Got to our well appointed ‘special class’ hotel Hotel Mina in Sultanahmet Old Town unpacked and went out for a beer. Found a really nice bar called Cozy on Divan Yolu Cad. No: 66 Sultanahmet . This street was a hive of activity day and night. It has the famous spice market on, both big mosques are off this street and the tram goes all the way to the ferry terminal for the Asian side of Istanbul.
Temperature during daylight was low to mid twenties and night was mid teens. There was absolutely zero threat of trouble or no beggars. There were a lot of shoe shine people, who to be fair, are doing their bit by providing a service and not just blatant begging. I wore green shoes in a purely tactical move. No-one had green polish! Taxi’s and trams are 100% trustworthy and do not overcharge or take you for a ride you didn’t want.
Asian side of Istanbul is very different to the European side. Mainly because there is no alcohol to be found anywhere. The crossing by ferry only takes approx 10 minutes and is as cheap as chips with some stunning views along the way. On return, the dock area of Istanbul is very colourful and interesting. Some of your more unusual shops, where shopkeepers wonder why you cannlt take a 45 metre hand woven carpet on a plane as hand luggage! The trick as to not get pestered by shopkeepers is: don’t carry a bag with shopping in it, if you’ve been had once, you are considered fair game!
The food is out of this world, if you like spicy meat. Kebabs or Kebaps as they are called, are nothing like what you get at home. Spicy meatballs are delicious and if you are a vegetarian you can have hummus (serves yourself right!) Yes there is an Irish bar there, 2 actually.
The views at night are amazing, all restaurants and bars have a rooftop terrace where the Blue mosque can be seen in all its glory. Inside the Blue Mosque you are requested not to wear shoes or short trousers. Some of my fellow compatriots thought it very big and clever to deny them of this simple request and even saw people in there with a bottle of beer for God’s sake.
In summary: Definitely well worth a visit and stay in the Sultanahmet area of the city. We were there for 4 days, 5 or 6 would have been nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment