jules4je7

Bermudacalling -- Most people in the US know little about Turkey...it is very misunderstood. I was there with my husband in 2003 -- we were in Izmir, Turkey (less touristy) and Istanbul...Istanbul is a huge (11 million) metropolitan city with people from every place on earth. You see the Asian influence in the language and in the faces of some of the people, as well as the more Baltic regions as well as Middle Eastern. There are a lot of lighter haired people as well.

School girls wear short uniforms just like they do in the states, and only a small percentage of women wear the scarves over their heads. The burka stuff (head-to-toe coverings) is NOWHERE to be found in Western Turkey.

The only place I was stared at was in Izmir, which is less touristy. They don't see Americans much so I was stared at a lot -- but even then it was in a positive way -- they went out of their way to talk to us and try to learn about us.

In Istanbul, a woman came out of her restaurant and asked if she could help us find something, since we were on her corner looking lost. She chatted with us, helped us find the laundromat and thanked us profusely for coming to Istanbul, because tourism has been hurt by the war -- which is on the complete opposite side of the country -- in Iraq, not even in Turkey. The Turks are on our side -- they're a member of NATO and looking for entrance to the EU if they haven't gotten it already.

The Turks are some of the most fun, friendly, welcoming people I've ever met. I cannot encourage you enough to go and see it...it will change your life, and then you'll be writing long posts like this encouraging others to go too.

Happy travels,

Jules

ThinGorjus

Turkish women don't wear the burka. You will see many women wearing a headscarf and long skirt, however the majority of Istanbul women wear normal American-style clothing. What is strange is that you will see young women walking down the street arm-in-arm, one dressed conservatively with a headscarf, one in a mini-skirt. You will see many women around the Blue Mosque dressed in burkas, but these women are Arab tourists. Moslems from all over the world come to Istanbul to visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. We met a female Moslem shopkeeper from Azerbijan with blonde hair and blue eyes. She could have been mistaken for Jessica Simpson.

ThinGorjus

PS I will start working on my trip report for Buyukada tonight.

Turkeytravelexpert

Thank you for your wonderful and interesting account of Istanbul experience. I don't know if you have visited Cappadocia yet. If not it is totaly a different experience to get to know real rural Turkey and real Turkish hospitality.

With all good wishes.

Selahattin Tümer

ShaSha32

Thin,

I am a little sad to hear how touristy Sultanahmet area is - we are staying at the Mavi Ev based on the suggestions of other posts. Oh well!

Do you have any suggestions about nightlife? Is it safe for 3 American girls to wonder about at night? Any suggestions for gifts?

Also, did you travel around anywhere else? We are going to Cappadoccia and Kusadasi. If you (or anyone) have any suggestions of where (or not) to go, eat, do, I would love to hear them!

Byrd

I have just moved Istanbul WAY up on my list of absolutely-must-go-to places!

Byrd

discoverturkiye

Turkey is a great place to go.You can take all family members to Turkey.There are great facilities for everyone.Just Istanbul from Turkey is one of the best city in the world.It is the city where Europe and Asia kisses each other.Turkey,ancient Asia Minor ,cradle of civilizations,is definitely worth to go.

ThinGorjus

We ate at Rami, which is next to Mavi Ev. It looks like a nice hotel. Bring earplugs because it is right across the street from the Blue Mosque. You will hear the call to prayers at sunrise.

Get out of Sultanahmet for nightlife. Go to ORTAKOY or Beyoglu at night. Cabs are cheap. Some clubs in Ortakoy are: Sortie, Tampa Ist, Mori, and Reina.

discoverturkiye

Istanbul… The main reason of Istanbul’s being a very popular city for which wars are made, lives are lost is its geographical location…
Let’s review this location first: In its south stretches Marmara Sea and in its north is Black Sea. Its west part is in Europe and east part is in Asia. The important waterline dividing Istanbul into two is the Bosphorus… The only alternative to reach the Aegean Sea and the Meditteranean Sea, therefore to open sea is to use Istanbul and the the Bosphorus…
Istanbul is both the nearest Asian city to Europe and the nearest European city to Asia. What adds to Istanbul’s significance is its being a port city and all trade paths’ passing through the city for thousands of years…
Another important feature of Istanbul is that it has a highly sheltered structure. Especially the center which is presently called as the “historical peninsula”, which was made capital city by both Byzantine and Ottoman Empires and its being located on a hill surrounded by three seas made it almost impossible to be conquered… Indeed, Haliç had the quality of being an unparalleled harbour sheltering navy fleets.
Land of the blinds

A famous myth explains very precisely the unmatched location of Istanbul :
Commander Byzas, who gave his name to the empire to be later called as Byzantine, sets off to sail to build a new colony from where Greece is located today. During the long voyage and his searches, he goes to an oracle for advice. The oracle makes this prediction: “You are going to build your city right opposite of the land of the blinds!” Continuing his voyage, Byzas reaches to the banks of Sarayburnu, the Istanbul of today. When he sees this protected peninsula, he thinks that it is just the place that he was looking for; meanwhile he notices the area of residence on the opposite side (Kadýköy at present). Byzas decides that the people who, given the excellent area of residence right before them, do not prefer to reside there are blind. And since it also coincides with the prediction, he builds his colony on this land without hesitation…


Istanbul, still geographically perfect!

Although thousands of years have passed, Istanbul still maintains its geographical importance. Today Istanbul is a huge metropolis connecting continents, cultures, religions and being home to eleven million people; and one of the greatest business and cultural center of the region…

discoverturkiye

Interesting facts about Turkey
-The famous Trojan Wars took place in Western Turkey, around the site where the Trojan horse rests today.
-The first church built by man (St. Peter’s Church) is in Antioch (Antakya), Turkey.
-The oldest known human settlement is in Catalhoyuk, Turkey (7th Millenium B.C.)
-Ephesus and Halicarnasus (the place for the two of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world) are in Turkey.
-St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born in Demre, on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast.
-Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkey.
-The last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding of sweet and sour taste (asure), is still served throughout Turkey.
-Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
-Turks gave the Dutch their famous tulips.
-Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents.
-Tradition in Turkey says that a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered "God’s guest" for at least three days.
-Turkey is noted for having one of the three most famous and distinctive traditional cuisines in the world.
-The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkey.
-Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tablets in the ruins of Assyrian Karum (Merchant Colony) date back to 1950 B.C.
-The oldest tin mine was found in Göltepe, 60 miles south of Tarsus.
-The first Neolithic paintings found on man-made walls are in Catalhöyük, Turkey.
-Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Homer (the poet), King Midas, Herodotus (the father of history), and St. Paul the Apostle.
-Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, "Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)" in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
-Female goddesses like Cybele dominated the Central Anatolian pantheon for thousands of years before these supernatural powers were transformed to male gods.
-The Hittites sold Abraham the cave where he buried his wife Sarah, when the Israelites came to Palestine.
-The first church dedicated to Virgin Mary is in Ephesus.
-Cherry was first introduced to Europe from Giresun (Northern Turkey)
-Turkey has hundreds of beaches and marinas which have the "Blue Flag" (an European award for the best clean water) on the Mediterranean and Aegean.
-The first recorded international treaty in the world was the Treaty of Kadesh between the Hittite and Egyptian Empires, Hattusilis III and Ramses II, in c.1275 BC.
-The oldest known shipwreck on Earth was found and excavated in Uluburun near Kas, in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.
-In 640 BC, for the first time in history, coins made of electrum were used by the Lydian king Croesus in Sardis, in Aegean region of Turkey.
-King Midas lived in Gordion, capital of Phrigia.
-Alexander the Great cut the Gordian knot near Ankara. The double knotting technique used in Turkish rugs is also called as Gordian Knot.
-The Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis was said to be watered by a river which separated into four streams as it left the garden; two of them the Tigris (Dicle) and Euphrates (Firat) rise from the mountains of Eastern Turkey.
-Early Christians escaping from Roman persecutions found shelter in Cappadocia.
-The Seven Churches of Apocalypse are all situated in the Aegean region of Anatolia; Ephesus, Smyrna (Izmir), Pergamum, Thyatira (Nazilli), Sardis, Philadelphia (Alasehir) and Laodicea.
-Sultan Beyazit II dispatched the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jewish people who were expelled from Spain in 1492 and they were brought safely to the Ottoman lands.
-Istanbul has the historical building of Sirkeci Train Station. This was the last stop of the Simplon-Orient Express - "kings of trains and train of kings" - between Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul) from 1883 to 1977. Agatha Christie was one of the passengers of this famous train.
-The number of species of flowers in Turkey is approximately 9,000, of which 3,000 are endemic. In Europe for instance there are 11,500 species. This shows the richness of flora and fauna in Anatolia.

discoverturkiye

If you ever fly to this part of the world ,I recommend you all to try the flight connections from ISTANBUL-TURKEY.There are lots of daily flights from Istanbul to all countries&cities.Also every big flight company has connections through ISTANBUL.Stopover holidays in Istanbul?Why not?

Grandma

What a wonderful report! Brings back lots ofmemories from our visit in '94.
Just curious, ThinGorjus.... we stayed at the Sheraton (later closed).. which was up a hill toward Taksim Square(Divan Hotel was at the bottom of the hill.) Is that by chance where the Ritz is located? ("Twas no Ritz when we were there.) Sheraton had a wonderful roof top bar and restaurant with great views.

hunnym

I really enjoyed your report. Thanks for posting!

ThinGorjus

Behind Hotel Divan is the Hyatt. Just across the street is the Inter-continental. If you go down that hill towards the Bosphorus--Dolmbahce Palas, that is where the Ritz is situated.

Just to let some of you know, my restaurant review of Istanbul is also posted on Fodors. Just click on my screen name and it will pop up.

AP6380

I was in Turkey in June and spent 5 nights at the Mavi Ev. Our first 3 nights we had a room facing the Blue Mosque. When I travel with my dad (which was the case) I sleep with headphones on, and have ocean waves playing on my ipod. This blocked out the call to prayer. There were a few instances where my waves stopped and the call occurred, I heard it, but it didn't completely wake me out of a sound sleep. My father, on the other hand, sometimes would get up and open the windows so he could hear it better!

I liked this hotel, the room size was what we are used to in Europe. The staff is nice and the location is covenient. Definitely touristy, but with the right techniques in giving carpet sellers, etc. the brush off, it's enjoyable.

ThinGorjus

BUYUKADA

We all left Istanbul for Buyukada, one of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Mamara. The taxi from the Ritz Hotel deposited us and our Louis Vuitton luggage at Kabatas for the seabus voyage to Buyukada. (Well, the Louis Vuitton is mine, inherited from my American grandmother. Muffy uses scuffed Mark Cross suitcases that her parents bought in 1961 for their honeymoon at Hotel du Cap in Cap d’ Antibes. It is held together with duct tape because Muffy’s parent’s almost-blind driver, Melman, once ran over it with the car. I once asked Muffy if this bothered her—to have luggage held together with duct tape. She replied that she never thought about it. “Does one think about such things? Is there a ‘think tank’ in Washington devoted to luggage? Who cares? I just want to know where the nearest bar is,” she said as she put her cigarette out in someone’s dinner.)

The ride from Kabatas to Buyukada on the seabus took about 35 minutes. We were left at the pier at the far end of the port, looking desperate as we tried to figure out how to get to our hotel, which we could see high up on a hill overlooking the island. Painted white, with red shutters and topped with two golden domes, it faced the world with a jaded eye. There are no cars on Buyukada. One must walk, ride a bike, or hire a “horse taxi,” called a phaeton. We found the taxi stand, only to be told that the hotel was only 200 meters away. We could walk. “Oh, no,” we replied, “we aren’t dragging all this luggage up the hill to the Splendid Palas Hotel.” So, we took a phaeton. (Muffy told the driver that he should take better care of his horse, that it looked like it was half-dead. He practically told her that she didn’t know what she was talking about. That is where he made his mistake, for Muffy grew up riding horses. In fact, as a child she read Misty of Chincoteague about 35 times and wore her jodhpurs to bed. She could outride Princess Anne. Muffy then tried to garrote the driver, but Keith grabbed her arms and my mother grabbed her legs, and she was pulled behind the gates of the hotel. I was left to pay the tab, about 5 lira.)

Safely behind the white gates of the hotel, we realized we had entered another world. Two marble Grecian ladies greeted us as we walked up the staircase to the main entrance to the Splendid Palas. On the veranda, older women wearing Rochas sunglasses and hair rinsed with henna sat and chatted or fanned themselves. (Later we would learn that these are the famous “gold ladies” of the Splendid Palas.) Upon entering the hotel, I felt as if I were a character out of an Agatha Christie mystery. The lobby was adorned with a pair of Jungenstil sofas. From the front desk, I spotted the gilded “birdcage” elevator and noticed a gaggle of other “gold ladies” playing bridge in a sitting room. All were dressed to the nines, manicured, beautifully coifed. You could smell the French perfume at 50 feet.

We were shown to our rooms—simple, unchanged in 30 years. No air-conditioning. If you want to be cool, you just have to open a window, or go down to the pool. After unpacking, we did just that. The pool area is very beautiful, surrounded by a garden. Some of the rooms around the pool area had little clotheslines strung across the windows, with clothespinned knickers blowing in the breeze. And this, my dear friends, is why we liked the Splendid Palas, for it was totally unpretentious. Some of the guests may have Cartier watches, or be as rich as Pippy Longstocking (Muffy), but they hung their rinsed out undies from the windowsills.

So, that is how we spent most of our time on Buyukada—lounging by the pool. We also took walks around town, which didn’t last too long since you could walk through “downtown” Buyukada in 17 minutes. There are souvenir stands that sell the “evil eye” pendants. There are also a few banks, ice cream parlors, cafes, grocery stores, and even an antique store. Muffy’s favourite was a salon that did facials and manicures on the cheap. (We wondered how the “gold ladies” stayed looking so good.) She went and had the works. Thankfully, everyone in Turkey smokes, because Muffy didn’t raise a waxed eyebrow when she had a cigarette poking through her exfoliating facial mask.

Keith and I rented bicycles and went for a ride around the island. (Muffy and my mother abhor exercise.) Unfortunately, Keith caromed right into a family on their way to the beach. Their picnic basket rolled down the road like Humpty Dumpty. Like most Jewish males, he tried to buy his way out of it, offering the family money. “What good is money going to do them?” I yelled, “You can’t eat and drink money.” But, I guess they could because they took the money. And they were happy about it, too. After that incident, no more bicycles.

The following day, we all decided to take a phaeton ride around the island. We told our driver that we wanted the “big tour,” which was advertised on a chalkboard at the taxi stand in town as costing 30 lira. We took the tour. There was really not much to see, but everything went well until we finally reached the end of our trip back at the taxi stand. We gave the driver 40 lira. He said, “Thank you,” and put the money in his pocket. Muffy asked for the change—10 lira. He fished in his pocket and gave us 2 lira back. Muffy screamed like wild banshee that she wanted the rest of the change. “30 lira, 30 lira, you bastard,” she yelled. He wouldn’t give us anymore money. Well, Muffy refused to get out of the carriage. Other drivers on break, sitting under an awning came over to see what was wrong. Muffy screamed that he was robbing us. One of the other drivers gave us another 3 lira. “I want my 5 lira, you bastard,” Muffy screamed. My mother said to just let it go, that she would have given the driver a 5-lira tip anyway. But, Muffy stood her ground saying that no gypsy cabby was going to rob her. The head guy at the taxi stand came over and said that the “big tour” was 35 lira. But, the sign says 30 lira we explained. “Tax,” he retorted. I thought Muffy was going to have a stroke. She asked one of the shopkeepers where the police station was. Finally, my mother calmed her down. She didn’t want to cause trouble over 5 lira (about $3). She kept seeing scenes from Midnight Express running through he head. Thankfully, Muffy relented—after smoking a pack of Pall Mall. Moral of the story: always carry exact change with you when you take a taxi ride.

Muffy had a much better time that evening, chatting with a couple from Athens and playing backgammon with a pair of the “gold ladies.” One of the ladies admired her gold cigarette case, which I think Muffy’s Aunt Charlotte stole from Clare Booth Luce. Muffy offered the case as a prize in a game of poker, but the lady didn’t know how to play. Canasta and bridge were her forte. Muffy is a mean poker player. Keith just sat there looking stupid, whilst my mother told one octogenarian the ills of heroine abuse in Philadelphia.

We met some nice people at the hotel, including a Turkish-American family from Michigan. Muffy arm-wrestled the son and won. Muffy and Keith also ended up playing bridge with the “gold ladies,” even though Keith has no idea how to play. Muffy said that two of the ladies made obscene remarks about him in French. Mother and I abstained from bridge. We lounged by the pool and read. All in all it was a very nice holiday on Buyukada.

Restaurants:

Kalamari, on the waterfront. Seafood that was rather expensive. 80 lira for two.

Ali Baba, also on the waterfront. Better than Kalamari, but also expensive. 80 lira for two.

Seamus

Sounds like a re-creation of Atlantic City in the 60's, on a smaller scale and with better furnishings (except maybe for the Marlborough Blenheim). Definitely on my agenda for the next Turkish trek.
At least Muffy didn't try to liberate the local equine population!

LoveItaly

Well ThinGorjus, I have said before that occassionaly trip reports on Fodor's is better then any of the articles in travel magazines. And yours certainly is!! I had to read it twice to make sure it was as interesting and humorous as I thought. This report is a keeper. I am still laughing. You have quite a talent for writing as I am sure you know. And Muffy, oh my, your trip was never boring with her along was it, LOL. I wonder if Turkey has recovered.

I hope there is another installment in the making.

tondalaya

NOW this IS a fun report. I hope there are photos to follow?

discoverturkiye

Dear ThinGorjus,we are looking forward to read your great memories in lovely Turkey!This is really a great fun!!Thanks for these excellent trip reports.