The Best Nights of Istanbul
What had started out as a couchsurfing nightmare (not having our host show up then having to scramble for a backup plan) lead to a couchsurfing dream…as so often happens as negatives quickly transform into positives. Soner was our knight in shining armor. I contact him through the Couchsurfing Istanbul group entitled “Emergency Couches in Istanbul” on the morning we needed to find a place to stay as we couldn’t afford the last minute ARIT digs we’d crashed at for a second night. I sent out a plea and Soner was the first, and only, response we got that day (we did get many responses in days to follow but we needed somewhere STAT!). Soner provided us his phone number, we called him and set up a meeting time at 6:00 which meant we got to take the ferry across the bay and see a beautiful sunset. When we got off the ferry and Soner was there waiting for us we couldn’t have been more relieved!
The three of us walked to Soner’s apartment which was close to the ferry dock, dropped our stuff off and went out together for a great local meal of Turkish doner kabob. We had some great conversation and we were going from laughing at stories to having interesting political conversations to exchanging viewpoints on world issues. We stopped off at a convenience store and bought some beer which we took back to his apartment and continued on with our conversation. One of the beers we picked up was a combination of beer and coffee and it was delicious (if not a bit dangerous at 6% alcohol)! Soon, Soner’s flatmates came home and the five of us were exchanging stories, translating between Turkish and English for each other, enjoying the company and finding lots of common interests. We stayed up late into the night talking and laughing and once we found out there were many musicians in the room, we planned for a music session the next night and went to bed happy.
The next morning we took a ferry ride back across to the main center of Istanbul. The ferries are wonderful for people watching and also because they serve you little tiny cups of very strong tea in a cute gold rimmed glass with a tiny tiny spoon. Very civilized.
This day, our last full day in Istanbul, was slated for some serious touristing. There were mosques and temples and monuments and winding alleyways and towering pyres all to be seen and taken in and photographed. Istanbul is a fascinating city that we really enjoyed walking through. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is the largest city of Turkey, second largest city in Europe ranking behind Moscow, and the third largest city in the world. The city covers 27 districts and has about 14 million people.
On this map we were traveling from Kadikoy to Sultanahmet, the latter being the main hub of Istanbul.
Istanbul is chock full of people and history and there is no loss of things to be fascinated by.
We visited the Sultan Ahmet Camii (called the Blue Mosque for it’s interior design). Construction on the mosque began in 1609 and took seven years but, unfortunately, Sultan Ahmet died only a year after the completion of his masterpiece at the age of 27. He is buried just outside the mosque with his wife and three sons.
We went on to the Grand Bazaar and then to the Spice Market. We’d rushed through the previous day but wanted to go back to linger a bit and take in more sights and sounds.
We had some time to kill before we met up with Soner back at his apartment and so we stopped at a small out-of-the-way shop for a Nargile (Turkish water pipe). We opted for Strawberry tobacco, and we relaxed for a while after a busy day of running around the city.
That evening was the highly anticipated music jam we grabbed a quick bite to eat before leaving. We headed over to a friend’s house and grabbed different instruments, experimenting with new sounds and hand drums we’d never used before. We had a wonderful time hanging around and playing music while sipping wine and nibbling on cheese with our new friends. We’d never felt so at home as we did that evening and we were so grateful. And with talent in the room on the bass, guitar and hand drums we ended up making some great music!
We were reluctant to leave but we had no choice – we had to catch a plane! Soner drove us home, helped with last minute hummus preparations while Jon packed us up and before we knew it we were being loaded on the bus and were off to the airport. Meeting Soner and his friends, now our friends too, was a wonderful blessing and an invaluable enhancement to an already beautiful city. We’re so grateful to have made such a real personal connection and look forward to returning soon for another visit!
Tags: Oct 2008, What's New, Tag Index
seeingspain
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Christine my love! thank you so much for reminding me to comment on your posts. I always read but i’m never sure what to say. I miss you so much, and I’m so excited about yours and johns travels. I cant believe the places your seeing. And you look so beautiful (I love the new hair) I wish I was closer to you so I could experience your awesome vibes. I’m going to Portland for Halloween and it wont be the same with out your love there. Stay safe and have an amazing rest of your time love.
I miss you so much gorgeous
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