More than 13 million call Istanbul their home. The noisy streets are swarming with people, worn with character, dusty from its sheer antiquity and loaded with culture. For an old city, it moves pretty quickly. In fact, things happen so fast that if you blink, you may miss the monkey sitting comfortably on his master’s shoulder as he walks down a laneway or the man delivering Turkish coffees on an antique brass tray through the crowded streets. In between the sounds of traffic and the rumblings of hand deliveries are the ancient sounds of wailing. Periodically and throughout the day the calls-to-prayer are absolutely magical as they sweep you away to a distant time.
There is not a lot of English spoken in this old city even though they are tourist savvy. But ask and you’ll find there is just enough English when you need it. This makes your experience a truly foreign one when you have to find the person who speaks English before you can ask for help when you’re lost or want to go somewhere.
The ancient part of the city is swarming with charm. Between the Grand Bizarre and the Spice Market, there is a constant flow of shopping, eating and entertainment.
At the end of Eminonu Street on the Bosphorus Sea there is place to get really great fish sandwiches and pickle drinks. You can’t miss the restaurants that line the harbor and if you look a little closer you’ll notice that they have floating kitchens. These kitchens are large ornate fishing boats decorated in Moorish style and they bob up and down in the waters while the chefs on board fry the fish and make the fish sandwiches. Then, from the bobbing ships, they hand over fish sandwiches one at a time to the waiting service staff standing on dry land.
Service staff are there to take your money and hand over your sandwich. Then turn around and take a seat (if you can find one) at any of the miniature tables and chairs offering salt and a squirt of lemon for your sandwiches. Not sure why the tables and chairs are all miniature but it’s fun and it works.
A common breakfast is Suboregi. It’s a traditional pie made with phyllo pastry layered with a very soft and elegant cheese and dotted with parsley. After it’s baked, the top looks just like layers of white cabbage, soft and buttery. The flavour is of pasta with butter, it’s simply delightful and very filling.
For a sweet treat after breakfast, I ordered what I thought was a favourite pastry from Barcelona. I thought it was a roll of paper-thin cake filled with uber thick and seductively delicious Chantilly cream. Instead, it was a thick layer of cake with a layer of unsweetened whipped cream that encased a banana that ran through the middle. It was a delicious surprise.
My first impressions of Istanbul is of a very rustic city with unexpected moments of charm; the maze of streets hold enchanting surprises, the people are overwhelmingly hospitable and the city offers unanticipated splendor – and I’ve just started my week in Istanbul.