Istanbul tag-along-tag-on trip (Part 1): The mystical escape edition

After tagging along on Steve’s business trip to Delft, we tagged on a trip to Istanbul before returning home. So, this is a tag-along-tag-on trip recap.  First, our high level review:

Dates: December 15 – 22 (2014)

Weather: A lovely 10-14 degrees Celsius. A few sunny days, several cloudy days, one rainy day.

Language: A fair amount of English spoken, even in less touristy spots.

Tag on trip rating: 5 out of 5. There is a ton of things to do, see, and experience. Istanbul is a beautiful city with amazing architecture and culture.

On to the highlights:

The perfect Christmas escape

It may be controversial to admit, but Steve and I dislike the North American Christmas season. We hate the forced, hyped “happiest time of year” vibe and as introverts, the back-to-back holiday parties and family dinners leave us drained and grumpy.

This year, we decided to do something about it. When we learned Steve had business in Delft, Netherlands in mid December, we looked at where we could travel the week following to avoid the pre-Christmas madness. We decided on Istanbul. Great idea! There were a couple of places we spotted a Christmas decoration or two, but for the most part, we were protected. No cheesy Santa Clauses, hyped advertising, or Mariah Carey belting out, “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Perfect.

Call to prayer

We arrived in Istanbul at around 11:00 p.m. Sunday night. After we met our Airbnb host and got the orientation to our lovely little apartment in the Galata district, we ventured out to find something to eat. Being near the always-awake Taksim Square, we were easily able to find a döner place that was open. Tired from a day of travel, we hiked back to our place and up six (yes six) flights of stairs to collapse into bed.

Before the sun even crept over the horizon, I woke up to the ethereal sound of the call to prayer. Of course, I knew I’d experience the Muslim call to prayer five times a day in Istanbul, but in my twilight stage sleep, I thought I was dreaming. The first time you hear it echoing from the city’s minarets, it’s truly mystical.

Walk, don’t run

Okay, you know my mantra – go for a run when you travel, you’ll see more, feel better etc. We had every intention of running while in Istanbul, but the circumstances of where we stayed (near Galata Tower) made running very challenging. Streets are narrow, have very steep inclines and are teeming with people. Did we want to get up at 6 a.m. when streets were less crowded? Umm … no, this was supposed to be a vacation week. So, we walked—about 4-6 hours a day. It’s amazing how long you can walk when there are so many fascinating things to see.

Fish restaurant in Kuruçeşme with local hosts

The neighbourhood of Kuruçeşme along the Bosporus is lined with restaurants and clubs. Two of the Scrum.org trainers from Istanbul that were in Delft with Steve the previous week, generously offered to take us to dinner at the stylishly sophisticated Marina Balik seafood restaurant. The view is spectacular with the lights from the city, bridges and boats providing a visual feast that holds its own to the food.

Our meal started with Raki, a traditional anise-flavoured Turkish drink with high alcohol content. It’s usually mixed with water (prudent). Our hosts explained that tradition dictates that the youngest pours the Raki. When toasting, it’s a show of respect to hold the glass lower than the person you are toasting and at the end of the toast, drinkers tap their glasses on the table in honour of someone you wish were with you.

From there the food just kept coming. We started with a meze (small plates) course, which consists of various hot and cold appetizers. The tasty items I recall were preparations of various cheeses, eggplant, olives, stuffed vine leaves, fresh fruits and various sauces. We had a main course of delicately flavoured bluefish. Waiters changed our plates several times and were extremely attentive. This was an exceptional evening out. Our hosts picked up the tab for the evening despite our protests. We were told emphatically that Turkish tradition would not tolerate foreign guests paying. So, all we were able to do is insist our hosts visit Winnipeg so we could return the favour. I know, kind of lame.

Alcohol in a Muslim city

Most fine restaurants serve alcohol, but traditional, smaller places do not. Istanbul is a tea culture. We saw many outdoor patios teeming with people sipping tea or coffee late into the evening.

Liquor stores are hard to come by, but we did find a few near Galata Tower and in the Taksim neighbourhood. Selection is limited and if you prefer spirits prepare to pay. A litre of rum, for example, is about $35 CAD. Wine was a bit better at about $16 CAD a bottle. One nice bonus is that the shopkeep offered to uncork the bottle we bought, as we could not recall if the apartment we rented had provided one.

Liquor availability might be different in other neighbourhoods, our experience was limited to the old town.

The fishers on Galata Bridge

On one of our many walks, we passed the hundreds of fishers casting a line into the Golden Horn. This is a must-see in Istanbul. There are hundreds of them, all chatting and jockeying for position.

So much to see in a week! Look for part 2 of this post next week.

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to Tag Along Travel? Twice a month, you’ll receive an email with links to recent posts.