There are some place names that conjure up an exotic, mystical picture. Timbuktu or Machu Picchu are such places, and also the not so distant Istanbul.
The spice market’s wide offerings, the song of the muezzin, the ships cruising up and down the Bosporus between Europe and Asia, they all lend a special vibe to the city which can be reached in a couple of hours from Budapest on a low cost airline. Istanbul is exciting and friendly – it’s an excellent choice even for a long weekend.
Stepping back in history
I read the Nobel Laureate, Orphan Pamuk’s book ‘The Museum of Innocence’ not long before my trip. The love story offers wonderful insights into Istanbul in the 1950s. The hero of the book obsessively collects every little thing that has any ties to his beloved and at the end of the story he establishes a museum based on these objects. You can visit this museum, as it was opened in real life. The small exhibition in the Cihangir district is a fantastic experience having read the book, but it’s worth visiting even for those who haven’t as the objects it contains give a fascinating impression of the era.
Besides small perfume bottles, saltshakers, hairclips carefully arranged by a man in love, you can also see old film posters and photos. The most powerful piece of art is the 4000 cigarette butts stuck on the wall with military precision. This museum showcasing the real, personal Istanbul was an even more profound experience than the truly beautiful mosques and palaces that attract millions of tourist to the city.
Where to find the real Istanbul?
One of my most pleasant afternoons was spent in a park on the Asian side. I came over on the ferry to see the little known but brilliant Rahmi M. Koϛ museum which has a great collection of old transport equipment. Besides the delightful old automobiles there are antique bicycles, tramcars and pushchairs in the collection, together with several dozen cute doll houses. It is an excellent place for kids, but also for adults young at heart.
In front of the ferry station there is the park where happy families were having picnics in the sunny afternoon and where I could experience what a weekend in Istanbul is like for the locals. The men were busy tending to the coal and the meat on the small barbeques, the teenage girls were playing ball, the women were offering pastries around, dads were pushing the swings for the little ones. There was a lovely idyllic mood in the air. Everyone was smiling at me, the lone tourist, and I was offered all kinds of tasty food.
I also found the everyday Istanbul in the Eyüp Mosque where not many tourists go even though it’s not that hard to get to. I arrived during prayer times and the mosque was so full that I couldn’t get in and was watching the colourful crowd from the courtyard. The men and women were praying in small separateareas, in pretty, orderly lines. The strange thing was how many of them were on their mobiles during service. They weren’t talking, but using the Internet and taking the occasional selfie!
The harem is a must
Istanbul was made most special to me through the experiences when I could watch quietly in the background how the residents go about their daily lives. It was noticeable how natural is to them to live amongst ancient buildings. In other cities churches, palaces that are hundreds of years old, have become museums and tourist attractions while here the historic city walls, fountains, mosques and baths are all seemingly part of everyday life.
I was faced with long queues at the Blue Mosque but luckily they moved fairly quickly. Inside it was magically lit thanks to the large number of windows. I learnt here that the best protection against spiders is an ostrich egg in which they make a tiny hole. The stinky odour coming through this hole is barely noticeable to people but keeps at bay the spiders that like to make home on the iron bars of the lamps.
There is also a huge crowd of tourists in Topkapi Palace but mainly in the courtyard and a few pavilions. Most groups skip the harem because entry here costs extra, but it’s definitely worth buying the extra ticket since the picturesque halls are far the most spectacular part of the complex and you can look around in peace.
Hagia Sophia is much darker and mystical than the Blue Mosque. Here not only the crowd was disturbing, but also the scaffolding as renovation was in full swing. I could not understand observing the tourists how obsessed they were taking their selfies. Visitors come in, arrange themselves for a picture, take a photo holding a selfie-stick and leave. They don’t look around the mosque in detail or enjoy its atmosphere.
There is a very special attraction near Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern or underground palace. It was built in 532 but forgotten for centuries, although people in the area sometimes talked about the oddity that if they cut a hole in the cellar floor they can scoop water from a large cavern. It was properly excavated only a few decades ago and was opened to the public in 1987.
Istanbul is home not only to centuries old mosques but remarkable modern art. On the other side of Galata Bridge, an old refurbished ship terminal gave space to Istanbul Modern, the city’s leading modern art museum with a contemporary collection that can hold its own in any city in the world.
You have to eat where the locals queue
To prepare for my journey, I went through travel guides, gastroblogs and Tripadvisor for recommended restaurant, but in Istanbul you need just one eating rule: follow the crowd. I enjoyed those restaurants the most that specialized in one single dish for decades and dozens of locals queue every day to eat there. Among these, my favourite was Sultanahmet Köftecisi where everyone ate kofte. The queue was snaking down the street. Being alone, I didn’t wait for a table to free up and quickly accepted an offer to join three girls at their table.
Foodies shouldn’t miss the market in Kadiköy on the Asian side where there is a huge selection of fruits, vegetables, spices and seafood. It is worth strolling along the neighbouring streets because of the area’s nice atmosphere. The numerous cafes, bookstores, tattoo parlours and small boutiques provide a real youthful, energetic vibe.
I found the tastiest pastries in Karaköy district. In the Karaköy Güllüoglu pastry shop most customers bought takeaway by weight but you can eat in as well. In this case you have to pay for a ‘porsiyon’ sweet at the cashier showing which one you’d like (you can also combine several, then you first show your choices at the counter and they give you a piece of paper with the price). The locals generally sip tea with their pastry so that’s what I did, too.
This is only a small taste of what the city can offer since there are so many places to discover in Istanbul. There is something interesting on every corner.
