Oud sellers and tea gardens in Istanbul

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HE SAID...
We left Goreme at 7.15pm. The sun was setting over the surreal landscape and the temperature was 29 degrees. It was a beautiful evening, and we had a long haul bus trip ahead of us – Istanbul was 12 hours away. We stopped at a roadside food hall for dinner at 10.30pm. We shared a doner kebap – it was basic but OK – and hydrated on ayran (yogurt drink), cay (Turkish tea) and mineral water.

We stopped again at 2.30am for a 30 minute toilet break. I had a hot cay, which was perfect for the early morning. We jumped back on the bus, got as comfortable as we possibly could and embarked on the final leg of our return trip to Istanbul. I woke at 5am and was mesmerised by the sprawling mass of Istanbul’s outer suburbs. We arrived at Istanbul’s major bus station at 6.30am, and I couldn’t believe the scale and magnitude of the place. There were buses, mini buses and people everywhere, and people seemed to be shouting unnecessarily (or maybe I was just very tired). We got off the bus, walked a few metres and jumped into a minibus that took us into the heart of the city. We arrived at our hotel (Constantine Boutique Hotel) around 7.30am. It was too early to check in, so we dropped our packs, walked to the Best Town Palace, picked up the clothes we’d left there two weeks earlier and showered in a day room organised by Intrepid Travel. We headed out for breakfast at 9am and then made our way back to our hotel. It was still too early to check in, so we jumped on a tram and headed over the Galata Bridge to the various music stores we’d visited a few weeks earlier in Karakoy. I’d been impressed with an oud in Cankaya Muzikevi (a tiny music shop in Galip Dede Caddesi), and this was the one I ended up buying. I’ve wanted an oud for quite some time, and it was a great feeling buying one in Istanbul. All I need to do is learn how to play it. We also picked up a few gifts while browsing the fabulously bohemian music streets of Karakoy.

With oud in hand, we jumped on a tram and headed back to the hotel. We checked in, left the oud in our room and headed back out to buy some Turkish Delight gifts and some drinks for the afternoon. We settled into the room and caught up on sleep and our trip notes. At 5pm we walked to the Spice Bazaar, and on the way we dropped into Yeni Mosque. We’d walked past this mosque many times since being in Istanbul, but we hadn’t been in. The atmosphere was incredibly communal and very similar to the mosque we visited in Bursa. Children played while parents prayed, and tourists were accepted as spectators in this place of worship. As I sat on the vibrantly coloured carpet, I recalled the following inclusive words of Mevlana Rumi (founder of the Sufi order) that I’d read in Konya:
Either exist as you are,
Or be as you look.

We left Yeni Mosque, crossed Eminonu Square and wandered through the entertaining madness of Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar. We navigated our way through small cobblestone streets until we found Cag Kebap. This had been one of our first dining experiences in this remarkable city, and definitely one of the best. We decided our last meal in Istanbul should be here, so we ordered kebap skewers, flat bread, ezme (chilli and tomato dip), onions and buffalo yoghurt. It was sensational – again! We finished with kadayif dolmasi (shredded wheat pastry in syrup) and cay. A young couple from Istanbul was eating at the table next to us, and we struck up a conversation at the end of our meal. He had recently completed his five months compulsory military service. As a hospitality management graduate, his military commitment had been reduced considerably, yet he didn’t seem to mind the time he’d spent away from Istanbul. This really is one of the friendliest and most vibrant of cities, and I would have to place it in my top three (alongside Rome and Granada).

We finished our meal and made our way to Gulhane Park, a fantastic communal gathering place for locals and tourists alike. Families were sitting, eating, playing and talking, while young couples were favouring the more secluded seats along the topside of the park. We walked to the cafe overlooking the Bosphorus and shared a pot of cay as dusk fell around us. The Bosphorus Bridge put on its gaudy lightshow in the distance, bringing a huge smile to our faces. We relaxed in the cool night breeze – what a fantastic end to a fantastic holiday.

We walked back to the Constantine Boutique Hotel through Gulhane Park, and we did so with a hint of sadness – we were leaving Istanbul the next day. We had a 4am start, so we organised our packs, caught up on our trip notes and eventually crashed at midnight. It had been a long, long day.



SHE SAID...
We caught a 12 hour overnight bus from Goreme to Istanbul. The bus was clean and comfortable, but there wasn’t a toilet on board so we had two toilet stops. I wrote and read for the first two hours of the trip, and was awake-ish for the first rest stop at 10.30pm. Andrew and I shared a doner kebap (the first average kebap we’ve had) and rehydrated with ayran (yoghurt drink), mineral water and a glass of cay (Turkish tea). I slept soundly until the second multistorey rest stop, which was like something out of the twilight zone. It was far too busy and bombastic for a 2.30am stop! I managed to drag myself to the bathroom and then sat zombie like while Andrew had a cay amidst the loud bedlam of masses of buses coming and going. It was more like a market than a rest stop. However, as usual, I was out like a light for the rest of the trip so I have no more to add to this bus journey. 😊

Andrew woke me up at about 5am, by which time we had driven into Istanbul and were on the Asian side looking across the Bosphorus at the gorgeous mosque domes and minarets in Sultanahmet. I was very excited to be back in Istanbul. We drove on and pulled into a massive multilevel bus station at about 6am, and we were dragged from complete peace and quiet into a nerve centre of utter chaos and madness. We were dropped off in the middle of the parking lot and had to get our luggage out of the bus while dozens of other buses were attempting to reverse park into us or drive around us. It was very unnerving. We were finally shepherded into a waiting minibus to Sultanahmet. What an assault on the senses!

The trip ended at the Best Town Palace where Intrepid Travel had booked us a day room until 12noon, so we freshened up and regrouped for our last group breakfast. Lak Lak Restaurant in Sirkeci probably wasn’t the best pick for this breakfast, as the meals were very slow and eventually just trickled out one at a time. It was slightly frustrating, as we were all tired and just wanted to get on with our day.

This was to be our last full day in Istanbul and Turkey, so we had a few ‘favourite things’ we wanted to enjoy again. We walked back to the Constantine Boutique Hotel to check in, where we were welcomed like long lost friends – it was so lovely. We caught the tram across the Galata Bridge to once again check out the music shops in Karakoy. We retraced our steps up the very steep Yuksey Kaldirim Caddesi, and then turned into Galip Dede Caddesi. There were two shops we had shortlisted from our last trip here – so we made a beeline for them. The first was busy with another customer and barely glanced in our direction, and when help was offered it was very cursory. So we left. The second shop – Cankaya Muzikevi – was smaller and more intimate and the assistance we got was immediate and spot on. And thus Andrew bought a beautiful mahogany backed classical Turkish oud in Istanbul. This was a belated birthday present (from May), and we named him Oliver. We carried him back to the hotel and then made a quick return to the streets of Eminonu in search of Turkish Delight. We found the famed Hafiz Mustafa shop, and then began the hard decisions of which ones we liked the most and which would make the best presents for our niece and nephew. So of course we had to try the different samples one more time, just to be sure. We left smelling like a sweet shop! I hope we can get these past the noses of the quarantine officials at the airport. 😊

We retired to our hotel room to reorganise our packs and get ready for our flight to London. The overnight bus trip was starting to catch up with me, so I napped while Andrew enjoyed his last few Efes beers and wrote up his notes. I woke to a beautiful tune being extracted from the oud, and I have christened this melody of Andrew’s ‘Istanbul Blues’.

Suitably rested, we walked to the Spice Bazaar. On the way we passed the Yeni Mosque and decided to have a quick look inside. We were amazed at how beautifully open and welcoming it was, and it was made even more so by the very noticeable community spirit. Families were sitting together – some praying, some chatting, and all the kids running around and having fun. We sat on the carpet for a while, taking it all in. I was particularly mesmerised by a little boy who was hanging onto his praying father’s neck from behind (like being piggy backed), and every time his standing father bowed, the boy would nearly topple head first over his shoulder. This was obviously a ritual they undertook together and I found it very beautiful. We eventually left and walked through the madness that is the Spice Bazaar. I loved the more local parts of the market on the little side streets, where the market had spilled out from the main building. We got lost in the small cobblestone lanes, but just kept walking, and then like magic we found we were on the very lane we needed to be – Hocapasa Sokak.

We wanted our last dinner in Istanbul to be a celebratory affair, so we decided on dinner with ‘our cag man’ at Cag Kebap. We ordered two serves of kebap skewers with lavash bread, onions and ezme (chilli and tomato dip). It was even more delicious than we remembered, probably because we got brave and also ordered the guvecte manda yogurdu (buffalo yogurt) this time! We then had kadayif (shredded wheat pastry soaked in syrup) and cay. If we’d had the salad as we did last time we were here, we would have basically ordered the whole menu. It was a memorable last meal in Istanbul. I have to remember to email a big ‘thank you’ to the guys at Istanbul Eats for pointing us this way. We shared a table with a friendly young local who was eager to find out our thoughts on Istanbul and Turkey, including what we had liked and didn’t like. It turned out that he was in the hotel industry, so he was doing research! It was a lovely chat, even though I don’t think his date was very impressed that she was being ignored for two strangers.

Despite the quickly fading sunlight, the streets were bustling and crowded as always, full of loud touts, pushy shop-owners and wary tourist. We ignored the din and ambled towards the gates of Gulhane Park. Gulhane means Rose House and it’s one of the oldest parks in Istanbul (dating back to Byzantine times). It was a lovely oasis to counteract the madness of the city. The sun was just beginning to set and the evening light gave everything a golden hue. The park benches were full with locals – families playing around the fountains, groups of friends picnicking in small circles and couples embracing in the more secluded seats on the hill. We walked from the main entrance (near Topkapi Palace) right through the park in search of the famous Gulhane Park cay bahcesi (tea garden) I had heard about. We strolled to the far end and found it in a secluded corner of the park, perched on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus. I thought the terraced tea garden was quite ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

At first glance the tea looked very overpriced, but we forgave this because the view across to Asia and the comings and goings on the Bosphorus were so exquisite. We settled in on one of the many terraced levels and ordered a pot of cay. When it arrived we realised that it wasn’t overpriced at all - considering the oversized teapot it was served in.

As darkness began to fall, Istanbul’s skyline transformed into a kind of fairyland. On one side of the Bosphorus, the Bosphorus Bridge was blaringly rainbow neon coloured; on the other side in Asia, the mosque minarets and domes were lit up like giant space stations. The picture almost looked photo-shopped.

I can now see why people find this city so addictive. Not only is it fascinating in its exoticness, but it is also intoxicating with its fabulous food, breathtaking skylines and incredible sense of history. It is steeped in old culture and religion, yet busting at the seams to be modern.

Before coming here, I had only pictured the Istanbul of old with its harems and mosques and bazaars. And while the modern parts of town hold much intrigue for me, it is the Istanbul of old that will draw me back to this place. I’m glad we decided to stay on the old European side – there was nothing more exquisite than wandering down atmospherically lit old alleyways, hearing and feeling the evening prayers, and losing ourselves in a muddle of back streets at night.

Ah, as soon as we felt we were beginning to know this place, we had to leave. That’s travel, I suppose. An interesting side note – the local imam’s call to prayer (that was so effective as our morning alarm for the first two weeks in Turkey) now served more as a lullaby. This can only mean one of two things – we have become immune to the sound, or our levels of tiredness have increased dramatically. Either way, we had to rely on the loud church bell alarm on my iphone to wake us up for the early morning airport shuttle bus.

See you in London!

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