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Finally sorted through my plethora of photos and posted (in no particular order) the last blog entry from my Summer 2011 trip to Turkey. İstanbul was the final stop on my travels in Turkey. It is an amazing city.

Note: Turkish capital 'I' is dotted to distinguish it from the undotted capital 'I.' 'I' is pronounced like a schwa 'ə' while 'İ' is a long 'e.'

1 US$ ≈ 1.75 Turkish Lira (TL)

Accomodation and Food Booked 3 nights at AAE Aquarium Hotel through Hostelbookers for the price of 225TL/night which is the hotel's only attribute I can comment on because they were full when I arrived. No problem as they put me up right across the street at Albion Boutique Hotel which was very nice. Good Turkish breakfast, complimentary bottled water, air conditioning (surprisingly unnecessary), my own bathroom, internet access, and cable TV although I barely spent any time in the room with so much to see in the city. The location of either hotel on Alayköşkü Caddesi can not be beat: two blocks to Topkapı Palace, Sultanahmet, Blue Mosque,and Aya Sofya Mosque and ~10 minute walk to the Galata Bridge. Cross the bridge for Beyoğlu and Taksim.

On the way to the bridge stop at the unprepossessing restaurant on the opposite corner from the Sirkeci train station where balık ekmek (fish sandwich) goes for 3.50TL or grab a sandwich at one of the numerous stalls by the bridge for a bit more. For the bold and daring, the same restaurant also serves kokoreç. Closer to the hotels is a small restaurant serving şiş plates for 6TL. I was mildly shocked and chagrined that there were so many cheap places to eat in İstanbul and, unlike Eastern Turkey, it was not difficult to find Turkish coffee which is always best paired with a small plate of baklava.

Transport Arriving by bus to İstanbul can be a bit confusing for the uninitiated. I never did have any idea where the bus from Kuşadası finally stopped but it was definitely not the büyük otogar (main, very humungous bus station). I think it was the bus company office on the Anatolian side of İstanbul from where a servis shuttle took a few of us to Aksaray. Traffic was horrible so I hopped out along the tramway, bought a jeton (a token that is accepted by all manner of public transport but oddly not the one bus I boarded [hence, got on for free]) for 1.75TL, and alighted at Gülhane very close to the hotel. Getting to the airport for the trip home was much easier. There is an infrequent, private shuttle bus for 10TL or a convenient combination of tram and light rail for 2 jetonlar. The ride took ~1 hour total with no traffic inducing stress purported with the shuttle bus. As for getting around İstanbul itself, there isn't much need for any form of transport aside from the ferries as many of the sights are accesible by foot if you are staying around Sultanhamet.

Bosphorus Cruise Certainly a highlight of any trip to İstanbul. There are several options of varying durations and prices. I took the short cruise on the public ferry departing from Eminönü (but can also board on the other side of the water at Üsküdar) and continuing just past the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, still a ways from Karadeniz (the Black Sea). Round trip lasts a couple of hours and there is the option to disembark at the halfway point from where a bus can be taken back to the center. Cost was 10TL. Check www.sehirhatlari.com.tr for the schedule.

Golden Horn Heading in the opposite direction from İstanbul Boğazı (Bosphorus Straits, or more correctly Straits of Istanbul) is the Golden Horn, kind of an offshoot that doesn't connect to another body of water like the Bosphorus. The ride itself was uneventful and is more transport than cruise but at the end of the line at Eyüp was a park where thousands of people congregated with picnics where they would break the Ramdan fast. It was quite a scene. There is a moderate hill adjacent to the park affording fine views of the city. Ferry cost was 2TL or one jeton and the trip lasted ~45 minutes. Board at Eminönü west of the private ferry ticket booths and parking lot. Several departures per hour.

Aya Sofya Mosque Definitely a must see attraction. Former Byzantine church converted to a mosque in 1453 and now a museum. 20TL entry fee. For great sunset pictures of Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque I headed up to the rooftop (no bar) of the Armagrandi Hotel on Utangaç Sokak.

Topkapı Palace Not sure if this is a must see without the Harem Room. Entry fee is 20TL and I did not pay the extra 20TL to enter the Harem Room.

Süleymaniye and Blue Mosques Süleymaniye is bigger and more ornate but Blue Mosque definitely has the nicer setting in Sultanahmet park. No entry fee for either.

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