One of the many differences between the culture of Istanbul and the United States is the way people shop. In the United States, there are spacious stores lining the city streets, perfectly organized in a way to stand out from their neighbors and draw you in with their offerings.

               Istanbul is the polar opposite. Because space is limited, stores are crammed together and offer limited space to move around. Many sell the same wares as the next three stores, organized in a sort of district-like fashion. You pass the row of tech stores, then turn the corner and enter the antique area, and so on. If it’s a restaurant or café, the front is lined with tables, chairs, and (because it’s the winter) heat lamps. Consumer shops are usually a clutter of goods and a bright, animated LED sign.

 I’ve now been in Istanbul for 48 hours.

               It’s scary to say because it seems like it has been a month. I suppose it helps to add the 18 or so hours of travelling along with it. Big shout-out to Turkish Airlines for being incredible. Very comfortable plane with lots of leg room, really good service, and large tablet-like TV that I never used, though it included a USB charger which helped save my phone battery through the following day. I’ve also never seen alcohol given out for free on a flight before. While I did not partake, looking back it may have helped me sleep more than three hours.

               We made it through customs in one piece and found our driver and guide for the following week, Burak, who led us to the van for the trip to the hotel. The traffic hits you immediately- the sheer amount of cars on the road is unbelievable, and we had a taste of that in the pickup zone. Watching large buses and taxis maneuver and fight for the smallest possible spaces was a sight I haven’t seen before and a good indicator for the trip.