Jump to page: << 1 2 3 >>

Istanbul, Turkey (15 - 18 October 2010)

Istanbul, Turkey. Where east meets west, or something like that (more on that later). Kristina, having just finished a three-week stint of travelling through Italy, Athens, and the Greek Islands with her mom (of which I joined them for a bit in Lake Como and the Cinque Terre), was heading to Istanbul for a bit where I said I'd meet her for the weekend before we head back to Paris together. My time in the UK is running out (I'm leaving when my visa expires next August rather than renewing it) so of the places I have still to see in and around Europe I'm having to prioritise them somewhat. Turkey has always been somewhere on the to-do list, but given the situation, Istanbul is going to be the best I can hope to see of it, at least for now.

I flew out from London on the Friday night (cheaper than going from Paris), as you could probably tell already just from the sky.		A few hours later I touched down in the supposed European capital of culture.		Upon landing I quickly realised I hadn't remembered to learn a single Turkish word hahaha! Even 'hello' and 'thank you' are better than nothing at all but oh well - there's always the good old hand gestures to fall back on ;) As it turned out, most folk spoke at least some English.

Sleeping in Istanbul: if you get really stuck for accommodation, there are always the toilets.		Confrontations in Istanbul: if you get really stuck for a good argument or come back, pull out your gun - they're readily available.		Outrunning the police in Istanbul: it's not too difficult.

Taxi's in Istanbul: let's be honest, if you were asked to spell "Taxi" for the very first time, you'd spell it like this.		Employment in Istanbul: it's stressful.		Driving while on the phone in Istanbul: the bus drivers do it - mustn't be that dangerous.

Beer in Istanbul: a large one will cost you 5 Turkish Lira (about £2, €2.20, or US$3) - not bad!

I arrived at about 11:30pm, and after negotiating the friendly man at the airport (who supposedly just wanted to help me with whatever I needed, though any half-seasoned traveller knows better), the metro system, and the tram system, I made it to my accommodation to meet a patiently-waiting Kristina about 1am. Left is Aya Sofia, right is the Blue Mosque - more on them in a bit.				We were staying in the Sultanahmet district - the heart of historic old Istanbul. This is a brilliant spot to stay as most of the major attractions are within walking distance of here, and it's a nice area I thought.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616, it's just one of a multitude of mosques throughout the city but has become really popular with tourists.		It's a nice spot out the front to chill out, sell crap to tourists, or be a pigeon.		Holy shit, it's Turkish Santa!

We decided to check out this thing called Islam and find out some more about this chap they call Allah, so we ventured in. Note the speakers everywhere. Five times a day from about 6am all the mosques around the city partake in a five-minute prayer which gets blasted out for all to hear. There's some information about it here, but rather than attempt to describe it I've put a video up instead, taken at bloody 6am hehe - here it is.

The courtyard inside the Blue Mosque. As it was currently prayer time (midday'ish) we weren't allowed to go in and so we came back again on Monday instead.		Translation anyone?		Blokes are required to wear trousers in the mosques, and chicks are required to have their shoulders and knees covered and should wear a scarf over their head. Apparently Allah is offended by shoulders, knees, and the tops of people's heads.

We really couldn't figure this one out, but out the front was a row of people washing their feet I think. Apparently Allah is also offended by smelly feet.		Across the street from the Blue Mosque is Aya Sofia - once a basilica, then a mosque, and now a museum. Our hotel was just around the corner from these two and so at 6am we would be woken by the morning prayer I mentioned above, bellowing out from both of these like they were having a sound off. Very cool I'll admit, but to be woken by that at 6am every friggin' morning I think I'd have to move.		Oh score! Good to see the mosques keeping up with the times. Apparently Allah likes the Internet (it's a good way for his followers to learn about bomb-making).

Another cool spot to chillax in front of Aya Sofia, or sell more crap to tourists that they really don't need...		...or be a sparrow.		The Blue Mosque as seen from Aya Sofia.

Jump to page: << 1 2 3 >>

Page Comments