Istanbul, Turkey

We thought Istanbul would be a great place to spend Christmas in 2008. And, indeed it was. We planned to spend 7 days in Istanbul, discover the culture, the mystique, the history, in an exotic place we knew very little about. By the end of 7 days we thought we had pretty much exhausted ourselves discovering the Old City. If we did it all over again, we would spend 3 days discovering Istanbul and the rest out in the country meeting the people.

Istanbul is a huge city with a population somewhere between 14 and 16 million. In many ways its like any other big city, commercial, busy, greedy proprietors, forceful carpet salesmen, dirty streets, stray dogs, with its own idiosyncracies, ancient idiosynchrasies. Peel back the layers and you'll find friendly, interesting and very hospitable people, who enjoy life. Some believe Turkey to be the cradle of life – where humans were first created. While we were there, there was big news that they had discovered the oldest civilisation they had found yet, dating back to 6,000BC. Our hotel overlooked one of those sites and each morning would reveal something new the archaeologists had uncovered; graves, wells, foundation walls, etc.

We visited some of the most amazing ancient sites we have seen so far. It's a place that brings to life some of the tribes and civilisations mentioned in the bible; the Hittites, Persians, Romans...

The underground cistern, or Yerebatan Sarnici to the locals, or the Basilica Cistern in the Byzantine era, would be one of our favourite sites. First constructed between 306 and 337ac, it supplied water to the city in the event of a seige. It's an awe inspiring place and feels like a set out of Lord of the Rings. An interesting twist and still a mystery are the large stone images of the head of Medusa, one sitting upside down and the other on it's side. They are the foundation stones for two of the many columns which support the cavernous stone ceiling concealed in the darkness.

Other places we visited included the Hagia Sophia, one of the largest and oldest Christian cathedrals we've seen, first built in about 325AD during the reign of Constantine. Later besieged by the invading Islamic forces in the 15^th century and transformed into a mosque, today it is restored to its former Christian glory.

The Sultanahmet Mosque. An active mosque which invites visitors between prayer times. Large, warm, vast, and quite beautiful. The floor covered in rich red carpet with attractive designs on the walls and ceilings. Close by is the Hippodrome, although it has since been filled in, three original monuments sit on the site; the Egyptian obelisk or the obelisk of Theodosius, originally erected between 1500bc, Constantine's Column dated back to the 4^th century and the Serpent's Column, one of the oldest monuments in Istanbul. Originally it was in the shape of 3 intertwined serpents. It three heads are missing – two of them placed in museums and one lost.

We enjoyed the vast Grand Bazaar and lingered in the spice market sampling various exotic flavours. But we found two wonderful little places we kept coming back to. One was Hafiz Mustafa, a sweet (literally) little cafe specialising in over 40 flavours of Turkish Delight, and Maestro Cafe where they served the flaming pitcher kebab and kept serving us desserts on the house.

By this time we had become very wary of anyone approaching us to invite us to see their shop. Normally we would go with the flow. However, what we found was that the majority of these seemingly polite and hospitable men where really pushy, forceful carpet salesmen. We at first admired that they would go out of their way to entertain and serve us with Apple Tea. It is their way, as they would say, of doing business. The carpets were truly beautiful, but we were poor customers. I sometimes wonder if we missed out on anything special by refusing so many invites. So, having become tired of the city and it's myriad of carpet sellers, we set out to explore more of the country and to get to know the people.

We enjoyed a cruise up the Bosphorus the river that separates East and West Istanbul and Europe and Asia. Passing under the Bogazici and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges, we copped an eyeful of delights, three magnificent palaces, a couple of beautiful castles, colourful pavillions, and a very busy waterway. The cruise took us to the mouth of the Black Sea where we enjoyed a steep trek to to the ruins of an old castle with some magnificent views. We also enjoyed the easy hospitality of the locals so starkly different from the rush and harshness of the city.

One sojourn by train took us almost as far as Gebze, where we found a West Marine. Our purpose was to look for like minded cruises. We were sadly disappointed, but along the way were gifted a pashmina from a fellow passenger. It's these interactions with people that make travelling so enjoyable.

Turkey is one of the more culturally different countries we've visited. It's interesting, ancient, exotic, and with the call to pray resounding across the city, very different.

Yes, we'd go back, but not to the city. We'd go back to meet more of the wonderful people we merely glimpsed.

Maestro Cafe	Pitcher Kebab

Hafiz Mustafa	.