I can't help the song echoing in my head every time I say the name of the city: Istanbul! I had a rough time getting there the first time. I took the bus company Metro, which turned out to be a terrible decision. We got to the otogar (bus station) just fine, but that is nowhere near the area you actually want to be. There are shuttles from the otogar to various parts of the city, but nothing resembling a schedule or a map.
Nobody speaks English, so I ended up having to rely on this super-sketchy guy to tell me which shuttle to get on (
not difficult, people--Sultanahmet is the same in any language!) And yet I still got dropped off a good 50 minute walk from where I wanted to be. From there I got vague directions from a cabbie trying to sell me a ride (in Istanbul, everyone's trying to sell you something.) And finally good directions from a university student (I love students.)
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| Chestnut vendor! Roasted chestnuts are delicious, but you have to make sure you're not getting ripped off. 100 grams can cost you 3.50 lira, 4 lira, or 4.50 lira, depending on which man you talk to. One lira is worth about $0.50, so that's an important $0.25 difference! |
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| Pomegranates on display. They look really cool, but as I discovered, the juice is too sour for me. |
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| Simit salesman. These guys can be found all over Istanbul, hawking their pastries for a reliable 1 lira. |
The Bosphorus Bridge, the gateway between the European side and the Asian side of Istanbul. Aaand I have now visited Asia! *check*
Lots of stray cats around the city, all of whom seem to be fat and furry. It was not uncommon to see someone throwing meat to random homeless felines.
I was walking along the shore with a friend from the hostel when we reached the ferry port and began to be bombarded by offers for river cruises. We decided to bow to the inevitable and hop on a boat.
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| See the fishing poles on the right as we crossed the bridge at dusk... |
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| ...and some of the same fishermen as we returned at night. |
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| The only thing better than baklava in Istanbul is free baklava in Istanbul ;) This is what happens when you sit in a cafe for an hour after you've finished your food: they try to bribe you to leave. |
I can't help the song echoing in my head every time I say the name of the city: Istanbul! I had a rough time getting there the first time. I took the bus company Metro, which turned out to be a terrible decision. We got to the otogar (bus station) just fine, but that is nowhere near the area you actually want to be. There are shuttles from the otogar to various parts of the city, but nothing resembling a schedule or a map. Nobody speaks English, so I ended up having to rely on this super-sketchy guy to tell me which shuttle to get on (not difficult, people--Sultanahmet is the same in any language!) And yet I still got dropped off a good 50 minute walk from where I wanted to be. From there I got vague directions from a cabbie trying to sell me a ride (in Istanbul, everyone's trying to sell you something.) And finally good directions from a university student (I love students.) 
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