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I was back in the city that put me on edge just a couple of
weeks before and within twenty minutes I was already on edge again. When we
checked into our hotel, the manager was going on about how we can save money if
he calls the administrative company who we booked through and says the credit
card was a fake, so the booking would be cancelled and we could each keep the
10% admin fee if we pay cash. Then, going out to buy a bottle of water the
clerk short changed me. Jesus.
We went to collect Jac from the airport, and grew
increasingly concerned as an hour and a half after his flight landed he had not
yet come through into the arrivals hall. Finally, he came out, looking a little
wired from the flight and the fact he couldn’t find his luggage until the lost
property attendant was taking it off an empty carousel. But he was here, in
Istanbul! One hell of a city for Jac to begin his travels. While its quiet
westernised and developed, the mosque dominated skyline, the muslim majority,
and the general chaos on the streets make it an interesting and possibly
confronting place to start. Erin, Jac and I had a week together here, and I
think it’s safe to say the city that I had gone through so much in just weeks
before put on their best manners for the new arrivals and succeeded in blowing
their minds. 
It is officially, politically and geographically, the place
where East (meaning middle east) meets West, the binary separated by the
massive river ‘Bosphorus’ which runs through the middle of the city, speckled
with ferrys, tankers and military ships. There’s heaps to see here, and we
covered it all;
The Mosques; epic and alien, spread throughout the whole
city, Asian and European side.
The Grand Bazarr; big old market place selling everything
from turkish carpets to lamps and decorative plates.
The aqueduct; Old roman structure to store water for the
cities occupants
The Spice Market; herbs, spices and Turkish delight.
Taksim Square; the people squares – cleaned up and back in
the hands of the authorities.
Galata Tower; view over the entire city, and the great
Bosphorus that runs through it.
The Grand Palace; beautiful old rooms and some historical
artefacts. I was especially impressed by Mohammad’s sword and Moses’ staff.
Yep, that’s right, the Moses from the Bible (and Koran).
(Sidenote: I also did a trip up to the Black Sea last time I was in
town. Although I didn’t get to see the fabled vampyr mermaid.)
One day we did a tour down to Gallipoli. I wasn’t overly
keen, with the nationalism and those southern cross tattoos that a lot of
(simple) young people are identifying with these days, I didn’t feel
particularly obliged to make the pilgrimage down to Anzac Cove. But I’m glad I
did, because it was surprisingly interesting and a very informative day. I
learnt more about the Anzacs in one day than I did in high school (helps being
at the site where it all happened I guess), and even got a glimpse into the
Turkish perspective of it all. Highlights included Anzac cove (seeing the huge
hill they had to climb to fight the enemy), the Beach Grave and Lone Pine
(where the important battle took place).
During our time in the city we ate well. Very well. Even Jac
tried a few new things. this place below was a favourite of mine when I was here alone a few weeks ago. It was cheap, good, and it was just poor local men who ate there - in other words it was real. Erin and Jac referred to it as the 'soup kitchen' and they wouldn't go back.
Kebap, Lamachan, Shish, Iskender, Baclava…
Sadly, one night after a great meal, the bill came out and
it was very different to what we were expecting. Beyond double, in fact. We
went down swinging and took some arriving tourists with us.It was touristy, we should have known better. It’s just a shame
you let your guard down for one meal and you get ripped off.
My personal highlight of the city is the Galata Bridge. It’s
a small bridge that crosses the inlet of water known as the Golden Horn. It is
two levelled; below is restaurants and bars, and above is the road, tramway,
and locals fishing off the bridge. Lots of them. To me it was the perfect
symbol of the city; you’ve got a huge influence of the upmarket west, but above
that there remains the local man doing the same thing his grandfather was doing
60 years ago. It was daggy clothes and hungry belly’s directly just above
expensive jewellery and nightly feasts (I liked that it was above). And to me, that
sort of diversity and contradiction in a town that is the meeting point of East
and West is its defining characteristic.
Having Jac and Rin with me was a highlight of my year. I
felt happier than I have in all my travels. We had a great week together and it
was sad to see Jac off at the airport. But he had places to be and so did we…
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