DAY 1: Travel & Exploring
We left Cape Town in the afternoon for an evening flight. It was a red eye, arriving at 6am the following day in Istanbul. Once we landed, we headed to our Airbnb and were able to check in early. We were staying in an area called Kadikoy, the once-sleepy Asian side of Istanbul, now home to lively cafes, galleries, bars, shops, and restaurants. The central parts of the Kadikoy district are the hub of all this activity with densely packed markets, relaxed tree-lined streets, and eye-catching walls filled with murals and graffiti.
I'm not sure if it was the red eye or the time difference, but Alex and I spent most of the day sleeping. We ended up heading for a late lunch and ordered a giant Turkish breakfast. We walked around for a bit, petting every single cat we met, before heading home for another nap. We got ready for dinner in the area, where we got to have some traditional mezze plates and try Raki. I realized that I had actually tried this drink before, in Greece while I was studying abroad, and for better or for worse, I immediately despised it and could not drink any more of it.
DAY 2: Old Town & Hammam
We took the scenic ferry ride to the old town and found a place for breakfast near our tour meet-up. There, Alex made a friend who surprisingly was not interested in our food, but was just very interested in Alex. We met up with our tour guide who took us on an informative walking tour of the entire old town area. The tour started at the iconic Hagia Sophia, a 6th-century Byzantine cathedral that was later converted into a mosque=. We marveled at the impressive architecture and learned about the city's religious and cultural heritage. We were guided through the winding streets of the Sultanahmet neighborhood, where we admired the stunning Ottoman-era buildings and learned about the city's role as a center of trade and commerce. Along the way, our guide shared interesting facts and stories about Istanbul's past, including its importance as a hub of the Silk Road and its role in shaping the course of world history.
After the tour, we found an incredible lunch spot that was basically "mom's kitchen", where a bunch of women were cooking traditional Turkish fare, they would slop your plate and you put your head down to eat, and left. It was incredible.
Then, we headed back to the Hagia Sophia so we could get in line to go inside. Stepping inside the Hagia Sophia is like entering a world of awe-inspiring beauty and historical significance. The interior is filled with intricate mosaics, marble columns, and domes. The walls are adorned with intricate calligraphy and other decorative elements that reflect the building's long and storied history of being both a church and a mosque.
We explored a few other areas of the old town, including experiencing prayer time at the market. It was completely wild to me that the entire market - owners and visitors alike - stopped their day for prayer. It blocked areas of the market, so we could not even walk down a few corridors. I did want to be rude and stare too much, but I did snag a photo to recall the memory.
Our final activity for the day was visiting a historical Turkish bath that has been around for more than 500 years. Entering the bath was seriously insane. I had to duck my head a few times through doors, and the stone was domed in a charming but spooky way - I felt like I had stepped back in time. In the women's section, I undressed in a private room, then headed to the sauna. After a few minutes, a woman who worked there came into the sauna, pointed at me and said: "lady", and gestured to follow her. So I followed, laid on the stone in the center of the giant bath area, and she scrubbed me aggressively. This is what Turkish baths are known for. I showered, then got scrubbed again, showered again, and headed to the cold dip bath. It was COLD, but the dome room it was in was eerily beautiful, with plants growing from cracks in the windows. I headed back to the sauna to warm up, and then ended my experience by going back to the changing room.
Afterwards, our host took us to a local kebab shop, where we got to enjoy five different kebabs, 6 different salads, and a traditional drink that is made of yogurt, water and salt (I loved it!). After the meal, we got to try a local Turkish dessert, kunefe, and coffee. Our hosts were so sweet and we talked about everything from relationships, to politics, travel and more. We returned to our Airbnb (not without having trouble getting a metro ticket) and, despite having had coffee so late in the evening, fell straight asleep.
DAY 3: Turkish Coffee & Uskudar
We took a very long walk (and met many cats along the way) to an area called Uskudar. It was such a cute spot, and we enjoyed the opportunity to be a little active. We got breakfast on the go from one of the bakeries we passed by. We were headed to Uskudar for another Airbnb experience: Turkish coffee making and fortune telling. We learned all about the history of Turkish coffee and what makes it special, how it's made, and when it's made. An interesting fact that we learned was when men are getting married, their soon-to-be wives will make them Turkish coffee with salt. The groom will need to drink the coffee without making a face, and he must drink it all, to signify that he will be a good husband, through all the sweet and salty parts of marriage. We also learned about the culture of "fortune-telling", and using coffee grounds to tell your coffee companion something important, or an unpopular opinion. It was a lot of fun!
After coffee, we had a late lunch, and tried the Turkish pizza, then headed for a walk along the coastline. We saw a few unique mosques, and visited a local park before it began to rain. We made our way home to avoid the rain before heading to dinner at Ciya (featured on a Netflix show) and drinks in our neighborhood.
DAY 4: Cat Hunting & Departure
We demolished a delicious Turkish breakfast at Naga and cat-hunted along the promenade for a while. I coaxed a cat out of a tree for pets, and I also got scratched a few times by some cats with too much energy. Even wounded, it was nice to stretch our legs before our journey to Croatia.
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