It had been almost one year to the day since I last took an international flight, and needless to say, I was excited.
As soon as I left my front door, I spent the best part of an evening bouncing between train, coach and train, but eventually, I arrived at London Stansted Airport. I sat in the departure lounge with my standard pre-flight coffee, eagerly waiting to board the Pegasus Airlines plane that would transport me to Istanbul, where Europe meets Asia.
Departure was at 00:05, and it was fast approaching. I was hoping for at least a few hours of sleep, so that I could make the most of my three-day weekend in the 13th largest city in the world, and the 61st country I have visited, Turkey.
Touchdown in Turkey
At 5:35am our plane landed in Turkey, it was an easy flight. While we were in the air, I amused myself with reruns of my favourite shows, but didn’t get any sleep. At this point, I was approaching 24 hours and in dire need of some shut eye. I cleared passport control, found myself walking towards a coach with the driver shouting `Taksim`and thought “that’ll do me”. I hopped on, paid the 28 Lira and arrived there about an hour later.
I had a quick caffeine hit in the well-placed Cafe Nero, followed by an omelette (and another coffee) in the next convenient place I could find when I arrived in Karakoy. This turned out to be the By Murat Royal Hotel Galata. Despite having requested an early check in, this was not to be. I spent the next few hours roaming the streets and drinking in my surroundings; I found time to grab a kebab lunch and tried my best to stay awake.
At 13:15, there was a breakthrough – the breakthrough I had been waiting for! My room was ready. I practically stumbled into the room, freshened up, and then slept for a solid four hours. Now, I was ready to explore.
Karakoy: The ‘new’ place to be
I had chosen the ‘new’ place to be in Istanbul, Karakoy. It was a short 20 – minute walk from the tourist area and an even shorter walk than that to the ferry dock. It was perfectly placed. I spent what was left of the afternoon wandering around the place I’d call home for the next couple of days; during which time I stopped off at the Galata Tower and Karakoy`s main streets. I finished the evening in a restaurant I found at a crossroads in the area’s vibrant nightlife district. I enjoyed a beautiful dish of sizzling lamb, bread, and cup of tea, before returning to the hotel and some thoroughly overdue rest.
Sultanahmet and breakfast kebabs
On my first full day in Istanbul, I woke up refreshed and ready to hit the sights. My main area of interest was the district of Sultanahmet, where you can find all of the main sights of the city. En route to the bridge which crosses the river, I stopped off by a small kebab shop where I’d promised one of the waiters I met the previous night that I’d stop off for brunch in the morning. One of the things I love about Istanbul is that it’s perfectly acceptable – and indeed, the norm – to eat a chicken doner platter at 11am! It was cheap, tasty and was washed down with a Turkish coffee.
Initially, my plan was to visit Topkapi Palace first. However, upon arrival, the queues were absolutely horrendous and as I didn’t want to waste money paying a guide to accompany me and `skip` the queue, I swiftly moved on. Within a few minutes walk, I found myself at the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia; these are some of the iconic photographs you will see of Istanbul. I stepped inside the Hagia Sophia and took in the exterior glory of the Blue Mosque, as it wasn’t due to open again until 14:30. For me, Istanbul had been a long time ‘must visit’ and it was a dream to finally see and experience the city.
A little impromptu window shopping…
I continued my personal walking tour until, as expected, I found myself being issued a request to go and look in a carpet shop. I politely accepted, but made sure to advise the person in question that I would not be making any purchases. I was met with the usual response of “well, it’s free to look”. A short while later, I found myself very much enjoying a Turkish tea but having to reject several offerings of carpet – beautiful though they were. The merchants made a few more hard-line attempts at getting me to buy something, at which point, I thanked them for their time and left.
I continued to head towards Basilica Cistern via Little Hagia Sophia and passed by a few other smaller points of interest – I did stop for a brief soup and tea – but then swiftly moved on. Much to my disappointment the Basilica was closed for refurbishment, but I took it in my stride and made my way towards the bazaars of Istanbul. Personally, I’m not much of a shopper. I tend to visit these places as they’re a hub where things come to life and you can see the hustle and bustle, chaos and authenticity of a place in full swing. However, I will say that if you’re the kind of person who’s in the market for mesmerizingly fragrant exotic spices, cheap souvenirs, textiles, or all manner of unusual animal produce – you may end up spending some money here.
I made my way back toward the ferry terminals and jumped on the next Eminonu – Kadikoy departure, to visit the Asian side of the city and a recommended Turkish restaurant called Ciya Sofrasi. I’d read about this restaurant online. They serve Turkish cuisine from some of the South East regions, and as visiting that area had been my original plan for this trip, it seemed only right – and from my perspective, a consolation – to pay them a visit. I can’t stress this enough but the food was absolutely epic, especially the giant pepper! My evening ended with a ferry ride back and a walk along the riverfront, back to my hotel.
Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park
For my last day in Istanbul I attended the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park, which would amount to the second Grand Prix I had ever attended. Prior to this, I have been to the glitz and glamour of the Singapore GP. It was going to be a packed day as I was flying that same night to Tbilisi, Georgia. I packed up my travel backpack and stopped off at my new Karakoy kebab establishment for a quick lunch, and then took the ferry terminal to Uskudar. From there, I took a simple 25 – minute subway ride, where I rode one of the regular buses that can take you to Istanbul Park.
As we drew closer to the track, the traffic started to accumulate around us, and eventually the bus stopped. After about 15 minutes the doors opened and everyone got off the bus. We started walking down the road – as I got further through the traffic – I could see people parking on the hard shoulder, and abandoning their vehicles. Little did I know that this would turn into a 3km stampede to the track, because everyone, even what you might call “fly by night” fans, were rushing to make sure they were for the start of the race. It was like something out of a post-apocalyptic disaster film – it was complete madness!!!
As I approached the circuit, the carnage reached a whole new level. Everyone was arriving at the same time trying to barge their way through to the security point, and gain entry. My seats were in Silver Six on the corners of nine and 10. This warranted yet another bus ride and by this point, it was clear I was not going to make the start. I accepted my fate and got to my seat as quickly as I could. I was consoled by the fact that the view was nothing short of perfect, plus there was a huge TV screen in front of the grandstand,which allowed me to watch all of the action unfold.
The seats were absolutely fantastic – and though there was a slight drizzle of rain – it was a nail-biting race. A food stand around the back offered mid-race kebabs, so of course, I ordered a sandwich with a coffee to warm up. The laps flew by and as much as I had hoped for a Max win, I was ecstatic to see both Red Bull drivers on the podium. It was a perfect finish to the race and the day.
After the trophy presentations, I scrambled through the crowds and jumped on the first bus that had space. It was a slow departure, but eventually we got moving. Once we were back on the outskirts of the city, I changed to a train and arrived at the airport to clear security – and hopefully relax – before my midnight flight to Tbilisi. I set up camp in Starbucks and waited to board.
The perfect reintroduction to travel
Istanbul was a perfect way to reintroduce myself to travel and was just the first part of this 16-day adventure. It’s a city overflowing with history, architecture and fantastic food. I’d recommend it as a definite ‘must see’ place.
