Ever thought of heading for the furthest edge of Europe on your next city break? I was soaking up the early spring sun of Istanbul practically in the shadow of a huge mosque, enjoying another small glass of tea, gazing across the Bosphorus to Asia and contemplating my days ahead in this sprawling, lively and highly fascinating, truly Eurasian, city.
Inevitably my exploration starts in Sultanahmet, the home of most of the huge mind-boggling old landmarks and also accommodation for a variety of budgets. As always I am at the lower budget end, finding my place among the cheapest hostels, but there are also superb old-style luxury options in this part of town. The Blue Mosque with six minarets towering towards the heavens would dominate just about every other ancient city centre in the world, but here there are several that compete. This is my first destination, but I arrive at prayer time: "Sorry, come back later".
Well there is a lot more to be seen, like the Ayasofya - the church turned mosque - known as the Hagia Sophia in Greek, the cathedral-like Yerebatab Saray Cistern with walkways above underground watercaverns illuminated in various colours, and Topkapi Palace. The latter holds such wonders as a tour of the Sultan's harem - no longer inhabited in case you wondered - and vast museums and treasure chambers filled with delights like daggers set in emeralds or parts of the beard of the Prophet Mohammed.
Emerging from the extensive gardens of Topkapi, I go for a very affordable extensive sit-down kebab meal, displaying a far more diverse cuisine than you might know from your local kebab take-away elsewhere in the world. The meal is so good that the call to the evening prayer reverberates across town as we leave the restaurant - missed the Blue Mosque again! En route it takes a bit of effort avoiding the smooth-talking carpet or leather shop touts: "Hi, where are you from?" "You look just like a friend of mine", "Do you want to come in for some apple tea?" and many more carpet pick-up lines.
If you have come for shopping or for just marvelling at others who do so, the Covered Market is one place to start. You will get lost, but who cares. I spend half a day roaming in and out of the more tourist-orientated parts - jewellery, carpets and clothing and the completely forgotten sections of just about anything else European and distinctly Asian. Finally, the splendour of the Blue Mosque interior rounds off a superb day, this time before prayer time. You could, of course, also relax in a hamam - Turkish Bath - to wind down from the sightseeing stress.
One visit is hardly enough, so back I come at the height of summer in August to go beyond the obvious, meet up with some Turkish friends and explore one step beyond. This is the wrong season to watch a football game with the fanatical fans of Galatasaray, but to see some Turks at play it's the right season to take a ferry to the beaches on the Princes Islands. This is very much out of town, with Istanbul residents packing the beaches but there are real escape options in the quiet traffic-free back streets of wooden houses.
The evening continues in the modern centre of Taksim - a symbol for secular Turkey with money, modernity and nightlife - meeting up with my Turkish friends. This is the area where tourists and the fashionable Turkish youth congregate at night in restaurants, bars and clubs. But the very next day exploring not far from here, shows again the historical wealth of this varied city, be it down the slopes to the water (Golden Horn) finding forgotten synagogues or Armenian, Orthodox and other churches. And then I crossed to another continent, with Asian Istanbul showing more neighbourhoods of everyday Istanbul - truly the edge of Europe.
For shorter city breaks that ensure you do not miss anything essential try the easy to follow, well-illustrated Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guide to Istanbul or if you believe in carrying only a smaller practical book with all the essential basics there is the Istanbul Insight Pocket Guide. The Time Out guide to Istanbul is aimed at the younger city hopper but carries a wealth of information on all aspects.
The 1:7,500 GeoCenter map of Istanbul is a superb easy-to-read choice if you want to venture further into the suburbs.
Author: Gerhard Buttner
Date: 1 January 2002
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