Alone in Istanbul
The feeling of freedom blows the roof off. Completely. It would seem that six months ago, a trip to Odessa was a success. But a small blue book with blank pages and biometric data beckoned to expand horizons. Urgently. And away we go - Georgia, Side (don't laugh - while everyone is going to Europe, I open boring resorts to everyone - it happened). In Side, we were offered excursions to Jerusalem and Istanbul (with the careless ease inherent in Turkish guides: “departure at night, excursions, flight back”). They didn't risk it. Came back home. But the thought of Istanbul's accessibility itched intrusively. And on TV - "The Magnificent Century" with Sultan's passions in luxurious interiors. The last straw was the freshly bought book "History of Byzantium". The roof was blown off...
The degree of adventurism of the trip is low. I just went alone, to an unfamiliar city of twelve million, to a foreign country, without knowing English and Turkish. I didn’t want to go with a group of tourists, I got used to coming up with routes myself. She left her mother at home - to rest from me.
The organization of the tour was entrusted by TUI. The travel agency worked well - air tickets, transfer to the hotel, hotel reservation - flawlessly. Flight from UIA is on schedule. The hotel didn't even ask for a voucher. On the eve of departure, they did not leave me information about the transfer time to the airport. I called the "hot line" of the TUI on the Kyivstar number, and three minutes later a Turkish mourner called me back to my hotel room with apologies and information.
On the TUI website, I found a good hotel in the very center of the historical part of Istanbul, a step away from the main goals of my future trip. Celal Sultan turned out to be an atmospheric family boutique hotel on a quiet cobbled street next to the Basilica Cistern (and, in fact, standing on this unique Byzantine reservoir). On the roof of the hotel there is a terrace traditional for Istanbul, overlooking the Hagia Sophia, which can be reached on foot in three minutes. Comfortable conditions, modern elevator, delicious breakfast, friendly staff and cleanliness - you can't imagine better.
Mini-trip for the weekend - from Friday to Monday. The plane from Odessa took off at 11.45, from Istanbul at 14.15, so it turned out to be almost three full days of walking around the city. Reviews and recommendations on Turpravda and Otzovik, the Afisha guidebook, Wikimapia and Google map with street view helped a lot in preparation.
It’s generally easy for me to navigate in an unfamiliar place if before that I saw a map - a born scoutJ. And yet, in the cunningly twisted streets of Istanbul, which can change their name three times along one street, an offline map with geolocation downloaded in advance was saved.
The playmarket phrasebooks helped: English and Turkish (Turks are thrilled by the tourist's attempt to speak Turkish). Although... English at school and university was still taught to us for good reason. In a stressful situation, the forgotten layers of classical education suddenly emerge. Five times she even served as an interpreter between desperate post-Soviet aunts and sellers who were blown away by their pressure.
Life hacks of experienced stambulites helped a lot on the spot. Bought directly from Hagia Sophia, "MUSEUM PASS" for 85 Turkish Lira really saves time and money. You can proudly bypass the huge queue, casually waving your card. At the same time, the MUSEUM PASS advertisement looks directly at the queue. The total cost of all my museum trips with separately purchased tickets would cost me about 150 lira. At the same time, in the Archaeological Museum, I was only interested in a fragment of the Babylonian Ishtar Gate, and I ran into the Mosaic Museum just for 10 minutes.
There is a nuance. The card is valid for 5 days. On the second day, I decided to "finish off" the study of Topkapi and... received a thrashing from a girl standing near the turnstile - "only one visit". They attacked the wrong one - I went to the ticket office, got a “free entrance” and a stern guard let me into the sultan’s monastery. The second time I repeated this feint in St. Sophia - I wanted to take another look at this harsh beauty.
The second convenient thing is "Istanbulkart", a single card for travel by tram, metro, funicular and boats. Single ticket - 5 lira. Travel on Istanbulkarta - from 1.25 to 1.85 lira. At first, I didn’t find the card, I bought a single ticket, while the impudent machine shamelessly gobbled up the first five lira without issuing a ticket. Then he did this trick with the next victim (sorry, I saw it already from the tram, otherwise I would have warned). Then I bought a card at a kiosk for 8 lira and topped up for the whole time by a total of 25 lira. I rode, as they say in Ukraine, “I’ll finish it. ”
About urban transport. Taxi - did not use. Subway is not needed. But the author of the T1 tram route is a genius! A sparkling four-car tram with huge windows, along a dedicated line, without traffic jams, enters directly into the breach of the Theodosius fortress, goes past the Laleli and Bayazid mosques, past the Grand Bazaar, the Column of Constantine (Chamberlitash) and the Nurosmaniye mosque, the Egyptian obelisk at the Hippodrome and the palace of Ibrahim Pasha , Blue Mosque and Sultanahmet Square, Hurrem Sultan Hammam, Hagia Sophia and the Archaeological Museum, Basilica Cistern, walls and pavilions of Topkapi and Gulhane Park, Sikerdzhi Station ("Orient Express"), New Mosque with Egyptian Market, Suleymaniye Mosque, Pier Eminonu, straight across the Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn Bay to the Kabatas stop (Dolmabahce Palace). Uh, everything. Welcome to Istanbul Tram Tour! Recommended!
The cost of double-decker red tourist buses "Big Bus Tours Istanbul" with approximately the same route and parking in Istanbul traffic jams is 33 euros. I chose the tram. One evening, tired, I just swept to Kabatash and back. And so - she reached the desired point and went on her own excursion.
An obligatory part of the programs - a walk along the Bosphorus, was a multi-component. From the Eminenu pier I went by boat to the Asian side of Istanbul - Uksudar (views from the boat to Topkapi, Galata, Dolmabahce). Near the Uksyudar pier is the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque designed by the architect Sinan. Then - by boat to Besiktas (view of the Fatih Bridge) - this is the northern European part of Istanbul. From there - to Asia to Kadikoy and back to Europe to Eminenu. It was still possible to travel all over the Bosphorus to the Black Sea or the Princes' Islands, but there was sorely not enough time for everything.
About daily bread. More precisely - about bagels. Which are sold everywhere and which are eaten by everyone - both locals and tourists. 1.25 lira - and you had a good lunch. As an alternative - boiled corn (the usual aroma of the Black Sea beaches! ) And baked corn, delicious ice cream, freshly squeezed orange and pomegranate juices and tempting slices of watermelon are snacks for tourists. The symbol of Galata is "balik ekmek" - a branded Istanbul hot dog with the freshest fish. And also - endless cafes and restaurants with miniature tables, stunning showcases of pastry shops with baklava and Turkish delight. And everywhere you can buy bottles of drinking water for 1-2 lira, even at the tram stop there are vending machines.
About gifts. I bought freshly ground coffee from the respected Mehmet Efendi (the corner of the Egyptian market, you won’t miss it, there is always a queue, and the store is marked on Wikimapia). Halva - "Koska", very tasty, shops all over the city. And, of course, Turkish scarves.
I made a strategic mistake by buying a UIA return ticket "only with hand luggage. " The vile thought about the allowable 7 kg of the notorious "luggage" did not allow me to thoroughly empty the shelves of the Egyptian market - spices, pistachios, olives, tea, cheese, dried apricots. I twirled a heavy cezve the size of a bucket in my hands and realized that I couldn’t buy it. I looked at brass trays with chasing... It's still a pity. But she organized a virtual tour for her mother, fiercely bargaining for books about Topkapi, Dolmabahce and Istanbul. Also, by the way, very weighty
I will not talk about Istanbul sights - go and see. Exactly - you won't regret it. I completed the planned program almost completely. All of the above have been reviewed. I didn’t have enough strength to find tickets for whirling dervishes. True, on Sunday I simplified my task, agreed with a local tour operator and connected for half a day to a mini-group of Russian-speaking tourists on the tour "Suleimaniye - Sheyzade Mosque - Dolmabahce Palace - Basilica Cistern". There was simply no strength to stomp up the hill to Suleymaniye. And so - and the goal is achieved, and the guide tells interesting things, not from the guidebook.
Everything is interesting in Istanbul. Endless queue at passport control at Ataturk Airport. A tangerine tree in a cozy courtyard of a mini-hotel with a phenomenal view of the Blue Mosque. Spice vendors at the Egyptian Bazaar. Fantastic view of the city from Suleymaniye. Clumsy tourist police car. A working semaphore for ships on the Fatih Bridge. A crowd of fishermen on the Galata Bridge.
Istanbul is generous with impressions. You can not describe the delight of the pure beauty of the Dolmabahce sea gate after the pompous golden halls with crystal stairs, fireplaces and candelabra. You can’t explain the absurd desire to cross yourself at the entrance to the Sheikhzade mosque (so bright and spiritual atmosphere there). And don't forget the feeling of realizing the end of the adventure over tea with a view of Hagia Sophia.
It was only four days. In Istanbul.
