Hi again,
oh the non-touristy things. I think this is difficult to visit the "real" shows in Istanbul, unless you know someone local. Such a big city, and difficult to find your way to where the "local" stuff is. There are some websites with suggestions but to me it seemed more geared towards tourists.
We did some random walks, in Beyoglou, and in the market outside the Grand Bazaar, which is where there are a myriad of shops selling everything from buttons to curtains and pots and pans. We also visited the last suburb on the Golden Horn cruise which is a holy place for muslims, there are a number of important people buried here, of religious significance, a friend of Muhammed for example. There were lots of "locals" there, definitely not touristy and interesting. Nice square and pedestrian area, with cafes and restaurants.
Izmir is nice in the sense that it is not all touristy, and you can "blend" in with the locals. My impression was that the Alcancak (?) area is where most of the action is in the evening, but we didn't go to anything special, just dinner, sweets and coffeee.
All the hotels we have visited serve Turkish breakfast (feta, olives, aubergine, pies etc), and most of the restaurants serve the Turkish food (mostly kebab in cheaper or more to very expensive versions) even in the tourist areas. If you go outside Sultanahmet it is all local. Be aware though that it can be very expensive, especially fish. I guess you mean raki, which is an ouzo-like drink. It is served in many places, but supposedly there are some alleys off Istiklal in Beyoglou where there are many of these places for drinking. In general where we have been alcohol has been served in restaurants, though there are some simpler places which don't, one waiter in such a place said it was because it was next to a mosque. Obviously in other parts of the country things can be very different.
I am sure you will like it - Turkey is a great country to visit. There is a good website with basic information if you want to travel outside istanbul, called turkeytravelplanner. Very helpful. Check it out!
PS From Izmir centre you go to the Otogar which is outside town and take a minibus to Selcuk, then either walk for about 40 minutes or take a taxi to Ephesus, we liked the walk but took a taxi back, completely exhausted. There are audioguides available. To Bergama, again minibus from Otogar, then you have to take a taxi, we hooked up with another couple of tourists and hired a taxi to take us to the Acropolis, the Asklipeion and the Serapion. It is too far to walk from the Otogar, and not very interesting, as well as between the different sites. I haven't been to Aphrodisias, and there are many more archaelogical sites on the west coast, Miletus, Halicarnassus (the Mausoleum) etc.
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