On travelling with friends, stray cats and mezze platters
an Istanbul photo album
I popped this post into drafts six months ago, and here it is finally seeing the light of day. Sometimes life happens and the best-laid plans fall by the wayside. However, I have so many posts in my head that I’m ready to share with you, more on that next week.
This was our second trip booked to Istanbul. The first was for July 2020, and I don’t think I need to share here why that one never happened.
The second came about over dinner with our longtime friends, Beth and Simon. We were chatting about travel, and Simon happened to mention that the only place on his bucket list was Istanbul.
My first thought was, ‘only one place on a bucket list?! How can this be?’ My second was, ‘then we have to make this happen’. And so, over a bottle or two of red wine, plans were hatched for the four of us to take a trip to Istanbul.
I booked the flights, our first time flying with Turkish Airlines (amazing by the way) and in late July 2023, off we went.
I’m not sure what we expected from Istanbul, but this lively, buzzing city really got under our skin. Here’s why, in pictures.
I originally booked us a hotel over in the historic district of Istanbul, but changed my mind reasonably last minute and moved us over to this Airbnb in Galata, across the bridge and very near the tower. This was the right decision. We loved Galata! The vibe was European and buzzy, the coffee shops and eateries were plentiful and the streets were tight and steep. It was a district that proved challenging for our morning runs, but once we’d headed down to river level we found plenty of flat pavements to shuffle along early in the hot July mornings. We soon found this coffee shop was open early enough for a flat white on our way back to the flat.
Perhaps it’s a travel cliche, but Istanbul is such a vibrant mix of ancient and modern. Walking across the bridge towards the old city, we watched the fishermen catch their fish, the ferries moving their passengers from Asia to Europe and back again, with a backdrop of historic buildings and ancient mosques. We were right to stay in Galata, we were told by one of our guides that the old city shuts up shop in the early evening, where Galata buzzes until gone midnight.
The Grand Bazaar is of course a must-see, and we headed there on our first full day. It’s not at all what I expected, more sprawling for sure, but also cleaner and more modern in places. We found a coffee shop on a busy corner and snacked on Turkish coffee and baklava, sitting quite happily watching both the tourists browsing and the locals selling.
The Suleymaniye Mosque was built in the 16th Century for Suleiman the Magnificent. For 462 years it was the biggest mosque in Istanbul with incredible views over the Bosphorous, but it has recently been beaten in size by the enormous and brand new Çamlıca Mosque which you can see in the distance over on the Asian side of the city.
Each mosque has its own unique beauty, but my favourite was the Suleymaniye, perhaps just because it was the first we visited. Sit down on the carpet, and look up at the ceiling, and I don’t think you can but marvel at the art and architecture here.
If you’ve been following us for a while, then you’ll know already that we love a food tour and this one is possibly my favourite ever! We booked this street food tour of Istanbul, and Erol took us out for an evening of incredible mezze, raki and so much more. We returned twice to Asmali Bahce in Kadikoy for the incredible mezze and without question the best warm hummus I have ever tasted.
Istanbul sunsets are a treat but the queue at sunset for climbing the Galata Tower is not - we didn’t bother, and found many other gorgeous spots to sit back and enjoy the sunset including this rather expensive rooftop bar.
One of the highlights of our visit to Istanbul was the Basilica Cistern, in the old city and very close to Ayia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. This ancient water storage facility was built by the Romans over 2,000 years ago and is now home to 336 columns and a display of incredible artwork and sculpture, all atmospherically lit. Be warned, the entrance is a little tricky to find, and there are many steps down into the incredibly humid underground cathedral but it’s well worth a visit.
Whilst the ancient sites of Istanbul are incredible, what struck me most was the food. The sheer breadth of restaurants and cafes was superb and the food delicious. We discovered this little place in Galata that offered a Turkish village mezze breakfast for either two or four people and it was so fresh and glorious. It makes me hungry just thinking about it.
There are estimated to be over 125,000 cats in Istanbul, and that’s not including those that live there as house pets. Istanbul is also an Instagrammers dream, with every corner opening up another great picture.
The rooftops below the Suleymaniye Mosque are literally dripping with rooftop bars overlooking the Bosphorus and the Galata Tower. It was hot though in July and whilst they did provide plenty of shade, goodness it was warm up there. The best time to visit Istanbul is generally springtime, April to May, or Autumn, September to October, when the temperature is pleasant and mild, rather than scorching hot.
Istanbul in Summer was hot, dusty and noisy, but we loved the vibe over in Galata and down by the chic restaurants along the Bosphorus itself. But often no matter the beauty of the location, what makes the trip memorable is the people that you take it with, and this trip was no exception to that.
We laughed over bottles of delicious Turkish red wine, set the world to rights over mezze platters, and then planned our next trip together over too many rakis (to Vienna, in September 2024).
Here’s to good food, good wine and good friends!
x
