Now or Never

There’s nothing like some big city chaos to jolt the senses. With its melting pot of different cultures and good eats, Istanbul reminded us a bit of a Star Wars cantina in city form. Our five days there was quite the whirlwind.

When thinking about how to summarize our experiences in this massive city of 14 million that straddles two continents, we thought it made sense to boil it down to these four highlights…

#1 City Life

Istanbul is absolutely massive and spread out, but a lot of the action for tourists is on the European side in the Sultanahmet and Karakoy/Galata neighborhoods which are split by the Golden Horn inlet that connects to the Bosphorus Strait. We stayed in Karakoy/Galata near the base of the famous Galata Tower. Initially built in the 14th century, the tower offers some nice 360 degree view points of the city, if you want to wait in line and pay $10 (not worth it in our opinion – there are plenty of free city vantage points). That being said, the neighborhood surrounding the tower is very charming and our Airbnb (basically a tiny hotel room) was in a prime location and walkable to virtually all the go-to spots.

Exploring the Grand Bazaar, getting caught in a human traffic jam, walking along Istiklal Avenue, and taking in the beautiful city views were a few of the many memorable experiences from just meandering around town. *Warning Istanbul is wayyy more hilly than we expected – good walking shoes are necessary.

#2 Exploring the Mosques

We were no stranger to mosques after two weeks in Turkey but those paled in comparison to the mosques of Istanbul. The city has roughly 3,000 mosques spread across the city with some of the most awe-inspiring including the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, and Suleymaniye Mosque, which were all incredibly beautiful, absolutely massive, and once inside, very peaceful. We highly recommend a visit to each. A dress code to attend these mosques is enforced, with specific instructions often posted outside the building. Women are asked to cover their knees, shoulders, and hair with loose fitting clothing while men needed to cover their knees and shoulders.

#3 The Food

Up until this point we had our fair share of Turkish food but Istanbul is the country’s culinary mecca. Kebabs, pide (Turkish Pizza), raki (Turkey’s national drink), and a shisha lounge were all on our list however we also wanted to venture out for some more daring local dishes.

Inspired by one of Ian’s favorite travel YouTubers (shoutout to The Wonton Don) we decided to embark on a self-guided weird food tour. For that, we had to go to the Asian side which is a short ferry ride across the Bosphorus. “Highlights” included širdan – boiled stuffed sheep stomach, and mumbar – stuffed sheep intestines. Was it unsettling? Kinda. Was it tasty? Not necessarily. Were we glad we tried it? Hell yeah!

#4 Turkish Bath

Our time in Turkey wouldn’t be complete without a naked scrub-down on a giant marble slab, so we signed up for a 45 minute Turkish bath at the top rated spot on TripAdvisor, Cağaloğlu Hamamı. Yes, men and women have separate sections. The routine was as follows…

1. 15 minutes in the sauna.
2. Lay out on a large warm marble slab next to other patrons getting their own massages.
3. Get drenched with warm water.
4. Therapist scrubs you head to toe with a glove made of a course material to remove dead skin.
5. Repeat warm water drenching.
6. Therapist dumbs clear, bag-like containers of bubbles over you then proceeds with a deep tissue foam massage with some hard slaps mixed in (the roughness level seems to be where the men and woman versions diverge a bit…).
7. Hair gets shampooed followed by another warm water drenching.
8. Wrap up with some complementary Turkish Tea and Turkish Delights while you dry off and relax.

Photos inside the baths weren’t allowed for obvious reasons but take it from us that it was well worth it. We left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for another travel day.

After an unforgettable time in Turkey we felt ready to switch it up. Onward to the country of Georgia!