Istanbul, Turkey

The Blue Mosque

For the first stop of our journey through Asia we decided to visit Istanbul, a fitting choice since it's historically considered the gateway to the continent. Istanbul is an incredible city full of ancient historical sites, as it served as the capital of both the Byzantine Empire (known to the Romans as Constantinople) and later the Ottoman Empire. It's also a very cosmopolitan city with great food, culture and very friendly people.

The city straddles two continents and we stayed on both the Asian and European sides. Much of the Asian side has a more “authentic” feel from a tourist’s perspective and we felt like the only non-Turks there. The European side is far more developed (and expensive) with a more Westernized vibe and a famous pedestrian shopping strip (the Istiklal Caddesi) that felt like Broadway in Soho.

This was our first accommodation of the trip.  We stayed in Moda, a trendy, high-end area on the Asian side in Istanbul. The neighborhood was incredible – great bakeries, çay & tavla spots (tea and backgammon) and plenty of nightlife.

Turkish coffee

Simit! Our favorite breakfast food – we’d pick these up every morning for 1 lira. Sort of a cross between a Montreal and NYC bagel.

Backgammon and Nargileh.  We tried to play it cool and toss the dice aggressively like the locals, which worked pretty well until Ashley threw the dice across the room.  Everyone in Turkey appears to be a serious chain smoker.  The one night we spent inside at this place we probably took down two packs secondhand.

Spice Bazaar

Suleymaniye Mosque. Shoes off, headscarves on. Fortunately for Ashley she wasn't relegated to the tiny women's prayer area.

Fish sandwiches in Eminonu grilled on boats in the Bosphorous Strait.

Be sure to remove the bones first.

Since Joe was already missing the Russian and Turkish bath house on East 10th street we made a point to spend a day at a Hamam (Turkish bath). The real thing is far less luxurious than the East Village version. We were forced to separate into different buildings for women and men, where we soaked up a little heat in saunas and lying on hot marble slabs before being scrubbed down with a dirty glove. Not exactly a luxury spa, but the marble architecture was very impressive.

Aya Sofya – the first domed structure of its size wowed visitors during its heyday and was unrivaled in architecture for a thousand years. It served as the center of Christianity for the Byzantine Empire and therefore the entire Christian world. It was converted to a mosque when the Turks took over the city in 1453. Now it’s a museum with Islamic script next to baby Jesus - you don’t see that every day.

Inside the Aya Sofya

Aya Sofya

We got the low down on the double-knotted technique to make a high quality Turkish carpet. Since we don’t have a floor to put one on, we got out of the aggressive sales pitch without too much trouble.

How many Turkish men does it take to make string cheese?

Milk pudding covered with chocolate sauce. Tastes a lot better than it looks.

Cats are to Istanbul, as rats are to NYC. A much better arrangement for Turkey.

The Grand Bazaar.  Some say it's the largest bazaar in the world.

Fake chucks

The Cistern. An underground cavern where they stored fresh water for use in the event of a siege. Unfortunately we had the bad luck to show up right before a giant group of kids on a field trip and so were serenaded by children's shrieks echoing through the cavern.

Medusa head in the Cistern. We didn’t turn to stone.

KAY BAP! That’s what all the kebab owners scream as you walk by. It’s worth stopping. These things are so good.































In addition to these photos, you can see more in our complete Istanbul album.

We're now in Kizkalesi on the Mediterranean and we're a little behind on the blog, but more updates are coming soon.  If you sign up at the top of the blog, you'll get notifications every time we post a new entry.. next up, Cappadocia!