We arrived late in Istanbul already delayed because we had to check our bags (we had been getting away with them as carry ons but the plane was too small) and although we had booked an airport shuttle to our hotel there was no one that knew anything about this. It probably was too good to be true anyway, so we caught a different shuttle bus that left an hour later. This one did not even drive into the area we were staying so then we also had to taxi to our hotel, arriving past midnight.
We arrived at the hotel and my first impression was "oh God." I knew the reviews weren't great but try to imagine the dumpiest trashiest hotel in a street full of abandoned buildings, bars on every window and cats fighting everywhere. The idiot at the front hardly said a word to us but was very clear after I show him my booking and confirmation number that nope, they didn't get it and have no rooms. I am instantly so irritated by this teenaged man and worried because I tried to find a room before and everything was booked. He persisted to take us around to equally trashy hotels and eventually we did find a room that was adequate. I naturally assumed it was okay to stay the night and to figure out if we want to look for another hotel the next day or have the remainder of our stay there. Apparently not. The thugs demanded that we pay for all five nights up front or we could not stay that night. To make matters worse, they had our credit card information and threatened that they would simply book the five nights on there if we left. At this pointing I am irate...they don't have a room for us, they dump us in a hotel I didn't book in and threaten that we will have cancellation charges if we don't stay? Thank goodness for my super star mother who we called in a panic and was able to sort out the credit card issue for us (thanks Mom!). Welcome to Istanbul.
Since we were starving, we turned right out of our hotel and found this dive of a restaurant (open 24 hours apparently) to eat at. We were immediately put off by the weird drunk waiter who without asking, put stupid hats on our heads and wanted to take a picture with our camera. Needless to say, we weren't totally amused. Then he lied about not having any of the cheaper options on the menu and was clearly annoyed that we opted to share one of the pricier options. We ate the bad food with zombie like persistence and left as fast as possible. We have since learned only to turn left out of our hotel; to turn right is like walking into the abyss.
Although the area is a little sketchy to look at, we are located five minutes from all the main attractions like the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, etc. I am somewhat surprised and disappointed by the area of Sultanahmet which is the historic part of the city because it appears to be very run down and can be really exhausting to maneuver through. Some day when we come back I would choose a different area to stay. I hate the idea of being stuck in a tourist engine with endless touts, tourist prices, and crappy overpriced food and that is exactly what Sultanahmet is and it's not even pleasant to look at! Perhaps I am not really a big city girl at all.
We spent the first day getting our bearings of the area and recovering from the late night the day before. Our first attraction was the Blue Mosque which I have to say, is spectacular. Built in the 1600s, it is most famous for the blue tiles that line every part of the ceiling of the mosque and in every dome. The result of so many diversely blue tiles is really neat and we simply stood and looked around for an hour to soak it all in. I found it interesting that most tourist women once entering the mosque removed their head scarves that were required to enter. Apparently there is some controversy over having non-Muslim women cover their heads and whether it is appropriate to insist that they do it, but I wasn't sure so I kept mine on. My theory is to play by their rules if I am on their turf so I am not disrespectful.
Afterwards we decided not to do any more major sight seeing that day since we were a little tired, and we wound up in the Grand Bazaar. The word tired and Grand Bazaar should not go together in the same sentence because it can be a little chaotic. Most of the prices start ridiculously high compared to other areas of Turkey and some of the shop keepers are fairly aggressive:
Shopkeeper: *grabs vase off shelf* "yes or no, right now."
Me: "no thanks, I'm just looking".
Shopkeeper: "40 TL, yes or no right now. Right now, yes or no. Yes or no?!"
Me: "no, I don't even like that. I'm just looking."
Shopkeeper: "yes or no right now, 40 TL. Yes or no? Get out!"
Me: *leaving store disgusted*
Shopkeeper: "don't come back or it will be 55 TL!!"
I have heard you need to have a good sense of humor, but with our welcome to Istanbul the night before, I was not in a playful mood. Other shopkeepers were nice though and we tried to finish some of our last bits of shopping like getting some presents for people. The shopping in general is outrageous if you get out of the craziness. For example, I bought two t-shirts for 4 TL which is about $2!
The evening was very enjoyable as everyone was out and about for dinner and the mosques are lit up beautifully. There was a beautiful park to walk through between the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya which was really relaxing and fun. It was nice to see all the families out enjoying the square, running after the little kids and having ice cream.
Today we thought we would get out of our area and take a ferry across the Bosphorus strait. We arrived early to stake a claim to a good spot on the ferry and we had a spectacular view of both the Asian and European sides. It was enjoyable to see the city scape from the water littered with ottoman-like houses, mosques, bridges, and palaces! The ferry ride was over an hour and felt so relaxing with the salty air blowing around, the sun shining on my face, and no one trying to sell me anything.
Our ferry stopped in a quaint village called Anadolu Kavagi which has a spectacular view of the Black Sea if you climb up to the top. There was a castle in ruins there as well which was constantly being taken over by different groups of people because of its ideal location. The hike up felt nice (we have become accustomed to hiking every day!) and the views were worth the steep climb. It was the first time either of us had seen the Black Sea and it didn't disappoint.
In general, I am underwhelmed by Istanbul and am surprised that everywhere we were in Turkey, both Turkish people and tourists alike kept saying, "just wait for Istanbul" as if it would be the best part of our trip. Perhaps my expectations were too high but I am still waiting for the moment when I will start to think of Istanbul as magical. I had a really enjoyable day today however and am excited for tomorrow because we plan to see both the amazing Aya Sofya and and Topkapi Palace. Istanbul is rightly famous for its incredible sight seeing and I am intrigued what my thoughts will be after tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment