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I could tell from the moment I landed that Istanbul was most likely going to be awesome.
I took a last cold, rainy jog around Munich before grabbing a 3-hour flight to Istanbul. The flight itself was awful - one of the most turbulent 3-hour flights I've ever taken, with a screaming baby behind me and three siblings fighting to my right. I landed and took a very orderly metro into the center of the city and to my hostel, which is in a fantastic location right in the heart of Sultanahmet. Istanbul is hot- I passed by a sign on my way to the hostel that read 40-degrees Celsius, which is 104 fahrenheit. I walked and sweated around the city for about an hour before deciding to wait until past dusk for more touring. The city is amazing and hard to describe, but its such an interesting mix of Oriental influences, ancient architecture, Islamic traditions, and modern Western culture.
Turkey is known as relatively safe for female tourists, but men can be a little aggressive towards women on the streets. This is more an annoyance than a real threat, but given this reputation and my first encounters, I decided that after dark it would be best if I stayed in the immediate area of my hostel. My hostel is on a small block, with a few cafes and other hostels as its neighbors. I grabbed dinner at a cafe across the street from my hostel, but was disappointed by my eggplant, and then spent the evening reading and admiring the views from my hostel's rooftop.
I've got a full 6 days in Istanbul, so I'm looking to take things a bit slower, but the wedding should be a ton of fun.
Shots of Istanbul:
Looks fascinating! Glad you are being careful!
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