Istanbul was the first stop on my three week long adventure across Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Turkey had never been on my travel radar and I had about a hundred other places on my travel bucket list that I wanted to visit first. The second the trip was booked, I fell into a Turkey researching frenzy and never once regretted the decision to go there.
I read all about the beautiful mosques and Islamic culture, whirling dervishes (which weren’t as prevalent as I had hoped), and ancient history of the former Constantinople and fell in love before ever stepping foot in the country. It’s a much different experience than other European destinations that I’d gone to, I think mainly due to the religion and culture. It just seemed more foreign and exotic and exciting.
I had a quick two days in Istanbul before setting off for a new Turkish locale and jet lag and being awake for 36 hours (I can never sleep on planes, ever.) was setting in but it wasn’t going to stop me from experiencing all things Istanbul. Here is a list of unexpected things you’ll experience if ever you find yourself wandering the streets of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Dogs, Dogs, and more Dogs
Y’all, there are stray dogs EVERYWHERE, like thousands of them. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for precious pups. I had no idea that there would be dogs roaming around with no one paying them any attention. Apparently the dogs are ear tagged, vaccinated, fixed, and released back into the streets. I love the idea that they are not just euthanized like they are here in the States. I’m not sure what kind of problems they cause just roaming about, but the general population that I saw didn’t seem too bothered by their presence. I will admit it got a little distracting at times because I could’t resist giving them lots of love during tours around the city.
Call to Prayer
Waking up at 3:50 am to the sound of someone chanting over the minarets is much less of a nuisance than you might think. It was a pretty neat experience knowing that muslims all over the city were hearing that call so early in the morning and making their way to the mosques to pray. Islam is such a fascinating religion and has such devoted followers that absolute love their religion and want to share it with you.
Being in two places at once. Kind of.
As a lover of all things Nicholas Sparks I couldn’t help but replay the scene in my head from A Walk to Remember when Landon took Jamie to straddle the state line, fulfilling one of Jamie’s dying wishes to be in two places at once. Swoon. Istanbul is located in both Europe and Asia, separated by the Bosphorus Strait. So while you’re technically not standing one foot in Asia and one in Europe, taking a cruise down the Bosphorus is pretty dang close.
Haggling with Merchants
A classic Istanbul experience, haggling with the vendors. Whether it’s while you’re strolling around the Grand Bazaar or wandering through the many smells of the Spice Market, there is a constant bombardment of pick up lines and gimmicks to get you into a merchant’s booth. A couple of my favorites were “let me help you spend all of your money” and “you dropped something…my heart.” Sorry fellas, I don’t get swayed that easily. I did make friends with a certain vendor who loved the fact that I was from Texas, “you’re from Texas?? Hell no!” We became BFFs and I bought some turkish delight from him.
Unidentifiable Food
While there is a lot of delicious food in Istanbul, especially street food, there were the occasional times of WTF am I eating. I don’t think of myself as a particularly picky eater and am pretty adventurous about trying out new things, but I struggled in Turkey. A lot of things would look familiar but come in a brightly colored sauce that would not taste as pretty as it looked. So if ever you’re at a buffet style dinner in Turkey and are thinking to yourself “this all looks beautiful,” proceed with caution.
Raki
The national alcoholic beverage of Turkey is an experience in and of itself. It is a must try but probably won’t try again sort of a situation. It tasted very much of licorice and is very strong alcohol wise. You definitely need to have a taste for this or it’ll be a struggle to finish the glass. I think I’ll stick with wine, thanks.