Istanbul: Beauty in Places, Food, & People

Outside of Topkapi

Well, I am only 14 days behind, so here goes nothing:
Istanbul Day 3 & 4.

We woke up early this morning knowing that it was going to be a pretty long day. We had plans to meet up with Sam's professor for lunch but wanted to squeeze in seeing the Topkapi Palace in before doing so. The palace is my favorite thing that we did in Istanbul. I think because I didn't really know much about it before & there was so much to see in there!

We got to the palace a little bit past 9 am when it first opens. I highly recommend doing this! It wasn't too crowded due to the early time. You could tell the difference in the amount of people that were there when it came time to leave (much more). Moral of the story: get there early!

Anyways, back to the palace. Topkapi palace is a MASSIVE place, well it is actually served as the residence of all the Ottoman sultans for about 400 years. The palace itself is gorgeous. The architecture is stunning and there are so many beautiful mosaics, fabrics, paintings, etc. Besides all of that there were also some important religious relics on display. Some of the more notable ones were strands of Muhammad's beard and Moses' staff. We really took our time at the palace exploring all of the quarters and learning about the palace itself. The one thing we did skip on was seeing the Sultan's private quarters because of course they make you pay extra.

Once you make your way to the end of the palace there is a gorgeous overlook of the Bosphorus. Sam and I took our time to re hydrate, enjoy the view, and take pictures. Sam likes to joke that we were "sipping drinks on the sultan's terrance" making us sound incredibly classy. When in reality we were drinking our 1 TL water bottles and just trying to stretch our legs on the white marble steps.


Eventually it was time to leave to go meet Sam's professor. Honestly, I probably could have stayed a lot longer because I enjoyed it so much. Overall we spent around 4 hours there which to me felt like it flew by (Like I said, we like to take our time).

We met Sam's professor close by the Aya Sophia (given it is an easy landmark to spot) and went to a restaurant that claims to have the best Kofte (Turkish meatballs) in Istanbul. We also tried Ayran which is a salty yogurt drink. Kofte = delicious, Ayran... well the Turks love it but I must say I think it is an acquired taste. Unfortunatly no pictures to share of this dining experience.

After lunch we wandered around chatting away the rest of the day. We found ourselves at the Grand Bazaar and decided to have a look around. While there we stopped in a small cafe to try some Turkish Coffee and have some Turkish delights. Turkish coffee is served in a very tiny cup and is very thick and bitter. Sam wasn't a fan but I certainly was. I actually just learned today that Turkish women will sit around after drinking their Turkish coffee and read their fortunes from the left over coffee grounds. The next time I get Turkish coffee I am going to have to give this a try :)

Grand Bazaar

After the coffee we parted ways and Sam and I decided to keep poking around the bazaar. My god this place is massive! We asked around to gauge the prices of most things knowing that when we go back to Istanbul that is when we will actually buy all of our gifts.

After getting back to the house we were exhausted and were about ready to call it a night. Sam was half asleep when I received a message from a friend of a friend named Besir who is living in Istanbul saying that he is in Taksim square and wondering if we would like to meet up. Sam decided to stay back but I went out to meet him. It was a very Trurkish encounter, urgent (lets meet now!), friendly, & hospitable.

Best Baklava!

 I had heard about this place in Istanbul that was near Taksim which is known to have the best baklava in the city. Luckily, Besir knew where this place was and decided to take me there! The place is called Gullngolu Baklava and I thought I saw it in Taksim square so I was surprised when we started walking in the opposite direction. It turns out that the one I saw was just a replica and we were going to the original. It was a bit of a taxing walk (30 minutes on steep roads) but it was completely worth it. The fact that Besir was willing to take me so far was a true testament to his character / reflection again of the kind spirit of Turkish people.

Finally we arrived to a crowded shop which I learned is open most days until 2 am given its popularity with the locals. Let me just say, the hype was real. The baklava there... the only way to describe it is heaven. By far the best baklava I have had in Turkey and I will attempt to find this place again before leaving.

Galata Tower

After our baklava stop Besir took me to his university which is close to Galata Tower. From the top we had an overlook of the Bosphorus. Seriously an incredible site. On the way back he gave me insights on what it is was like growing up in a Kurdish town and having to leave his village at a young age. I was surprised by his honesty and openness to share the intimacies of his life.

The next day was our last (for now) so we didn't want to pack our day to full so I decided to bring Sam to the Galata Tower. Of course we were too cheap to go inside but it still provided a nice view. We walked all the way down to the bottom of the steep street and found ourselves at a ferry port to cross the Bosphorus. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to hop on a ferry, but it is definitely on our to do list once we get back into Istanbul.

After our short outing it was time to pack up and find the Otogar (bus station) to catch our overnight bus into Goreme to see Cappadocia. We decided to leave at 6 pm for our 10 pm bus departure given we weren't exactly sure on how to get their. Thank god we left that early because we spent the next 3 1/2 hours basically in every corner on the European side of Istanbul pretty much everywhere but the Otogar. Alas, we found the bus, purchased our tickets, and got ready for the next exciting part of our journey.

Next stop: Cappadocia!

xoxo, Becca