Istanbul

Friday, March 12th to Sunday, March 14th, 2021:

At 8.00 a.m., my dear host Ziya leaves the house. He entrusts me with the apartment and the key, telling me to make myself at home. After a coffee, I set out to explore Istanbul.

After a 15-minute walk, I reach the Dolmabahce Palace (translated as 'The Palace of Full Gardens'), which from 1856 served as the residence of the Ottoman sultans. It is located directly on the shore of the Bosphorus on the European side of Istanbul. I pass by it and a few hundred meters further, I find the ferry station from where I cross to Uskudar on the Asian side. The journey across the Bosphorus is beautiful. After a few minutes' walk along the waterfront, I reach the Leander Tower, formerly an 18th-century lighthouse. It is located 180 m away from the shore on a small island and is one of the city's landmarks.

I take the metro back to Europe after some time. One thing I really want to see is the huge underground old cistern. I find the entrance, but unfortunately, it has been closed for renovation work for a year. What a shame. Not far from there, I come to the famous Hagia Sophia Mosque and across from it, the Blue Mosque. Today is Friday, so a large crowd of people is gathered for prayers in front of the mosques. It is only an hour later that I can enter the Blue Mosque. With a head covering and no shoes, I later gain access to the Blue Mosque. In the meantime, I am looking for the 'Grand Bazaar'. As a blonde woman, I am immediately identified as a tourist and approached by a charming young Turkish man. We have a nice conversation, and he takes me straight to his uncle's shop, as his uncle speaks German well. I am served Chy, pomegranate Chy, very tasty. The uncle tells me that he is the supplier for Alfons Schuhbeck. He obtains his own composed spice blends from him. He is, so to speak, a famous man. It is fascinating how many stories from One Thousand and One Nights I have already heard from Turkish men here in Turkey.

After an extensive introduction to the world of spices, I am immediately entrusted to another young man who will present me with his kingdom of carpets. I soon put an end to this demonstration... just a few days ago, a nice gentleman informed me about it. As often happens, the young man finds me particularly nice and likable, and he wants to show me the rooftop terrace, where I will have a wonderful view and can take photos. Well, I think... and we climb the stairs up. A truly beautiful place. However, the young man, called Mehmet, is hoping for a date, so I decide to move on soon. Turkish men are very charming, but I usually have to firmly reject their advances.

After visiting the Blue Mosque, I take a ride on the tram. Public transport in a foreign city always has a special appeal for me, and I like to try them all if possible. After the tram ride, I get on a bus, which I leave after a few stops. Actually, the bus is just standing still because it is rush hour and the three-lane road is completely packed with cars.

I walk back to the apartment and soon I'm glad to be 'home' again.

On Saturday morning, Ziya reveals that he will be away for the entire weekend, but I can use his apartment with everything it has to offer. Not bad, I think. What trust the young man has in me.

I arrange to meet a young man I got in touch with a few days ago on a platform similar to Couchsurfing (Trustroots). He doesn't live far away, so we agree to meet at Taksim Square. That's perfect because I wanted to see this famous square.

When I arrive there, it proves difficult to meet the young man. After a few attempts, we finally find each other. Amjad is likable to me from the beginning. He is from Oman and speaks very good English and a little Turkish. He has been here in Istanbul for a few weeks already and knows his way around very well. We explore downtown, and I am fascinated by the atmosphere. The cafe where we have a drink has a cozy atmosphere. Later, we have Lahmacun at the best shop where the locals also queue up. We stroll through the famous pedestrian street Istiklal to the Galata Tower. We also visit the Grand Bazaar. It is crowded with people.

Soon we have had enough of these crowds, and we decide to enjoy a beer in the nearby Gulhane Park. That feels good.

For the next day, Amjad arranges a meeting with his landlord Sinam. Due to lockdown regulations, we meet at her apartment. It is a very nice gathering with cozy Chy drinking.

I am glad to have seen so much of Istanbul and I want to say a special thanks to Ziya and Amjad for allowing me to have such a wonderful time.