Last Scenes From Istanbul: The Galata Tower

Ahhh...here we are at the last of my Istanbul cruise recaps. I feel like it's been such a long journey, getting to the end of this part of our trip. Hard to believe we only spent a mere 36 hours there. We stuffed in quite a bit in those hours, totally scratching my Istanbul itch. Our last stop before returning to the ship to set sail for Ephesus that afternoon was the Galata Tower. The views from the top of this tower were awesome! Jaw-dropping, even. The photos you're about to see are some of the most fascinating scenes of Istanbul that we viewed, in my opinion. It's no surprise that Istanbul is far from being a quaint and quiet place to vacation. Every square inch of the European side of the city was covered by homes, businesses  mosques, restaurants, and historic tourist attractions. It literally looks like buildings were built on top of other buildings here. Hardly any wiggle room. In fact, while we were wandering around the Hippodrome the day before, we witnessed tons of people smushed into each individual car on the city tram. I'm talking faces smashed against the windows, doors barely closing behind them kind of crowded tram cars. Made me happy we had a private tour bus to ride around in! With over 13.9 million people crammed into its city limits, Istanbul ranks as the second largest city in the world by population. Although from the looks of it, I'd chance it to say that most of the population resides in the European side of the city. When we drove over for a quick view of the Asia side of Istanbul (just across the Bosphorus bridge), the landscape was much different. More trees and lush green space...less crowded and urban-looking.

Come to find out (as billboards all over the city advertised), Istanbul has a bid in for the 2020 Summer Olympics. D and I kind of laugh because there's no way in heck they'll get it...and not just because of the recent riots and political unrest the city experienced a mere 3 weeks after we left (scary, huh?). Where in the world would Istanbul even begin to build stadiums for the games? Not to mention the influx of tourism that would surely happen...where would all these people and new structures go? Unless they build everything on the Asia side of the city, Istanbul might be wasting their bid money on an impossible venture.

Either way, D and I throughly enjoyed our 36 hour whirlwind visit to Istanbul. Would we ever visit there again? Ehhhh. I feel like we got the gist. The crowdedness of the city is what deters me most. Getting stuck on Galata Bridge in an hour and a half worth of traffic after touring on day 1 almost did me in, but Istanbul is definitely worth seeing if you ever have the chance. Bring your camera...and lots of patience!

You could see the beautiful Celebrity Reflection (our cruise ship) in the smoggy distance from the top of the Galata Tower. It practically swallows that smaller cruise ship whole! Gosh, I miss that sailing vessel. Below are photos from our drive across the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asia side of Istanbul. Quite a bit less dense in population than the European side, but still pretty darn crowded.

Well, there you have it, folks. Istanbul in a nutshell! Onward to recaps of our port in Kusadasi, Turkey with scenes from ancient Ephesus! Happy Tuesday!

Linking up with Bonnie & Belinda for Travel Tuesday.

Out on the Town: Istanbul Style

I absolutely ADORE this photo I took of D. Not only is he one good lookin' hunka hunka burnin' love, but that glowing mosque backdrop? I die!

One of the great things about our Mediterranean cruise was that we had an overnight in Istanbul. This meant that we stayed docked at our port near Old Town and could hop off the boat at any time of the night to go out and continue exploring Istanbul. Instead of eating on the ship in the dining room for yet another night, we opted to take full advantage of the extra time in this incredible city. A big group of us, who I met through the Cruise Critic forums, decided to venture out to a restaurant that was recommend on one of our tours. It was just around the corner from where our ship was docked, so it made getting there a super easy task. After a busy day of touring, this place was just what we needed to unwind.

Fasuli Restaurant came highly recommended because of its prime location and spectacular rooftop dining views. Once we found our spot on the roof, overlooking our ship, a fun strip of hookah bars, and a breathtaking mosque, we dove into our menus to try and decipher Turkish cuisine. Almost everyone in our party ordered the meat plate that included a grilled lamb shank, grilled chicken, and some out-of-this-world Turkish meatballs that had me drooling like a rabid animal. The delicious meat selections were also served with basmati rice and some kind of mashed parsnip and potato mixture with chili sauce, which was also pretty heavenly. In addition to our meat plates, we also ordered a wide array of side dishes. D and I had the pleasure of trying a Black Sea specialty called Mihlama (also known as Kuymak), a yummy concoction of corn flour, gobs of butter, and yellow sheep's cheese. It reminded me a lot of a polenta/fondue type thing. A Turkish polenta fondue, if you will. We were dipping our bread into it by the handfuls. We also tried a bit of their famous Fasuli Fasulye (beans in a rich red gravy). I researched them after we came home and it turns out, Fasuli's beans are among the top 5 beaneries in Istanbul! What luck we have! :) After dining on some of Istanbul's traditional dishes, we made our way back to the ship for a few night caps at the Sunset Bar. While the views atop the roof of Fasuli's were great, you can't beat a cocktail and the Istanbul skyline from a beauitful ship. Friends, if you ever find yourselves docked in Istanbul, make the short walk over to Fasuli's and prepare for a feast! Tell them Casey sent you!

Istanbul: Grand Bazaar & Spice Market

The next stop on our tour of Istanbul was the Grand Bazaar. I have to say, this was the part of the day I was least looking forward to. While researching Istanbul before our cruise, I stumbled across reviews of the Grand Bazaar and many of them warned us of pick-pockets, pushy salesmen, and vendors out to rip you off. Not the sort of thing you want to remember Istanbul by at all. So, we made mental note of the warnings and asked our tour guide to make a quick stop there anyway. When in Istanbul, right?

Upon arrival to one of the 18 different entrances to the bazaar, we could already tell this place was a total tourist trap. Hoards of people clambered around everywhere, pushing and shoving their way to the entrance (and to the teeny tiny bathroom just outside the gate). Once we were inside, the crowds spread out. With over 5,000 shops and 60 different streets to turn down, to say this place was large would be a complete understatement. It was MASSIVE. Not at all what we expected in terms of size. But it was quintessentially Turkish, like a scene out of a particular Disney movie. Ahem. I wholeheartedly expected to see Aladdin and Abu peek around the corner (I realize Aladdin might not be Turkish, but the bazaar totally had that Aladdin vibe). Anywho...the Grand Bazaar, while expansive and maze-like, left much to be desired where shopping is concerned. Even with 5,000 shops in house, many of them were the same as the next. Rows of carpet shops, chachki sellers, pashmina stores, jewelry huts, and tea houses...but very limited variety in each. After walking through multiple alleyways, we rarely saw anything unique. Just the same set of shops, one right after the other. Prices were quite expensive, too...especially for the kinds of things being sold. So, we bought a few postcards, tried some Turkish Delights (ehhh, so-so), and purchased an ornament for my travel Christmas tree, then made our way back outside (after begging for directions) to meet back up with our tour group. As part of our tour on Day 2 in Istanbul, we made a stop at the Spice Bazaar. 

More on that below...

The Spice Bazaar was very similar to the Grand Bazaar, but on a much smaller scale and included more tea, nut, and spice vendors than souvenir peddlers. D and I enjoyed the Spice Bazaar much more than the Grand Bazaar, partially because it was less crowded, but also because the vendors were friendlier and the prices were lower. You seemed to get more individualized treatment in the Spice Bazaar. D and I got to sample a wide variety of pistachios (I had no idea there were so many kinds!), traditional Turkish Apple Tea (brought a box of it home, too), and ate our weight in Turkish Delights made with real organic honey instead of sugar like the stuff sold in the Grand Bazaar. Much, much tastier! Don't get me wrong, the Grand Bazaar is still something to be experienced, but save your Lira and belly for the treasures of the Spice Bazaar. You can thank me later. ;)

Missed any of my recaps of Istanbul? No worries, you can catch up here!