Istanbul First Impressions

We originally planned to only spend a week in Istanbul but we QUICKLY fell in love with the city. One thing we prioritize when we can is having a balcony/terrace with a nice view. We will sacrifice price or even location to have a nice view of the city. We found an AirBnB that had an INCREDIBLE rooftop terrace with a view of the river and the city. While it was a hike in and out of the accommodation, we felt it was worth it. We were in a very local neighborhood and our AirBnB came equipped with a kitchen which really made us feel at home. We found another neighborhood that we loved and moved there a few days later. It’s called Cihangir and we would 10/10 recommend staying here. The neighborhood is filled with cute cafes and affordable restaurants and it’s a mix of locals and tourists but you will not be hassled here. Its about 5 minutes to Istikal street, 10 minutes to Taksim Square, 15 minutes to Galata Tower and 25 minutes (all walking) to The Grand Bazaar. Speaking of which- we do not recommend to stay in the area around the bazaar as prices are high and its overly touristy.

Honestly it was a combination of things that made us fall in love with Istanbul. We had just spent 4 months in South East Asia and while we loved our time there- think HOT and HUMID and noodles and rice for 120 straight days. To say that coming to Turkey was a breathe of fresh air is an understatement. The weather was 65 degrees farenhight the food is vegetable heavy and Turks generally leave tourists alone. Where were we??!!! This was such a huge change for us- not to mention the architecture. It really felt like we were in a whole other world. I remember thinking to myself “I never thought I would feel cool weather again” lol. I could go on and on but I’ll just give y’all a quick rundown.

• The turks eat cheese for breakfast

• Most meals include vegetables (easy for vegans/vegetarians to find food)

• Turkish coffee is actually tasty

• Turkish tea is basic but DELICIOUS and can be drank at all hours

• There are many stray cats and some dogs but they are well fed and taken care of by the locals

• The strays are generally friendly

• The stray dogs here are LARGE (think golden retriever)

• Everyone walks with their phone in their hand and will run you over if you don’t move

• Motion sensor lights are very common in homes and public spaces

• Older Turkish men will walk around with a giant wooden wheelbarrow type thing selling the MOST RANDOM stuff to other older Turkish men. Mirrors, worn out shoes, salt and pepper shakers and even a full size washing machine

• The Turkish Lira is down which is good for tourists but not great for the Turks. Thus we have noticed most restaurants have put stickers over the prices and adjusted them accordingly

• Turkish wine is fantastic and inexpensive! Or maybe my taste buds are dead from drinking crap wine in SE Asia for 4 months lol

• We didn’t get hassled at the Grand Bazaar, the worlds oldest shopping mall

• In order to be a tour guide in Turkey, you must have a license. It is illegal to operate a tour without it and the police will stop you and ask for it

• Istanbul never sleeps- you can literally eat dinner at midnight on a Monday and get a haircut at 1 am

• All of the shop workers on a street are friends- and they help each other out when needed

• Smoking culture is huge here- you either chain smoke or don’t smoke at all- there is no in-between lol

We loved our time spent in Istanbul and actually plan to come back here after we visit the rest of the spots on our list. We want to partake in a Turkish Bath, visit the Asian side and maybe even take a river cruise through the Bosporus River. If you have been to Turkey and have any recommendations please let us know! We would truly love to hear them!

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