Moving from a small town to a big city is daunting. Moving to one where you don’t speak the language is worse. There are new sights, smells, and interactions to get accustomed to- and you can barely figure out what’s going on!
When I began planning for this trip, I figured I would have to walk to and from everywhere. I knew Istanbul’s metro didn’t quite reach Ortaköy (the neighborhood I call home) or even Beşiktaş (school). However, I forgot that trains aren’t the only way to get around in a big city: Istanbul’s transportation network also includes buses, trams, trolleys, ferries, and funiculars.
It’s a very well-connected system that’s able to ship you to wherever you need to go within or outside Istanbul- though at the mercy of traffic conditions that change by the minute- and usually involves minimal walking and transfers. But how to figure out which buses go where? We were given a rundown of the important ones: DT2 gets us to school, DT1 gets us home again, and 30D goes to school, 2nd campus, and to the bottom of the historic district. But what about the others? 22, U1, 42T, and about seven more pass the stop in Ortaköy center alone.
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If there is one fault I can give Turkey above all else, it’s that it’s going to have serious health issues in the future.
Cigarettes are among the deadliest items one can legally buy. They cause all sorts of diseases- including lung cancer- and play a role in the development of countless others. The United States has figured this out, and while they’re not completely outlawed (hello, lobbyists and tax revenue), they’re incredibly expensive to buy and advertising is banned anywhere a kid could be influenced by it.
Turkey and the rest of Europe know the health risks and the statistics as well, but cigarettes are incredibly cheap here. Most cost just a few dollars per pack, and as a result the culture is ingrained with a smoking habit. More than half of Turks aged 18-49 smoke daily, and it’s noticeable while walking around Istanbul. The smell of cigarettes and secondhand smoke is everywhere.
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Foodies, listen up: if your list of “must-visit” places doesn’t include Istanbul, put it at the top immediately.
The American and Turkish diets vary greatly. The foods Americans are used to are largely absent from the standard Bosphorus café (except Starbucks and Burger King). I have to admit that the Turkish diet is much better than the USA’s love affair with fried and processed foods, and throughout the semester I will try to introduce many of my personal favorites to you.
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Observation of the day: the Istanbul traffic police do not screw around.
While I am unfamiliar about the details of their operations, they seem to drive around in gigantic rigs looking for cars parked illegally. When they find one, there may or may not be a ticket (I have yet to see one) but there’s definitely no boot on the wheel.
Instead, they stop next to the offending vehicle and haul it onto the rig using conveyor belts. Once it’s up, they’re gone. We must have seen two or three within a relatively short time span today (and this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed the police at work).
Tough luck for anyone who thought they found (or created) a perfect parking spot. That’s what you get when you break the rules in the crazy streets of Istanbul.
I don’t know a single American that is tired of the continuous stream of ads they see and hear in their day-to-day life. We get them all throughout shows, during the morning commute, and as pop-ups on our internet browsers. They appear on billboards, in newspapers, and well… everywhere.
But my fellow Americans, we could have it worse. Take a look at this beauty:
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Did you know you could weave your very own silk or wool carpet?
All it takes is decades of training, access to the right materials, and about 9 months of full-time labor.
The sheer amount of labor required to make a single carpet is the reason why hand-woven carpets are few in number and incredibly expensive to buy. A woman will sit at her loom every day and knot fibers from dawn to dusk. She will complete an average of two rows of knots per day until she is finished, as much as six years after she starts.
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Cappadocia is a truly magical place, and what makes it so is the natural beauty that surrounds you no matter where you look. There are always mountains in the distance, fairy chimneys up ahead, and a vast valley just over the nearby ridge. Compared to New York or Boston, it’s as if you are on an entirely different planet.
A very popular tourist attraction in this region is a hot air balloon ride, and that’s exactly what we woke up early for yesterday morning. If you ever have the chance to ride in one, take it. We arrived to the takeoff site with the balloons already inflated, and towering over the rest of the landscape. It’s not until you get in the basket and look up that you realize that you’re entirely in the mercy of physics. Aside from the balloon structure, there’s nothing overhead. You are being kept alive by a plastic sheet and four propane burners.
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I think I’m in heaven.
Ok, maybe not (there would be far more chocolate there). But the region in central Turkey known as “Cappadocia” counts as the most magical place I’ve ever seen.
Stepping off the airplane onto the middle of the tarmac, you’re greeted by three things. One, the chilly winter air. Two, the quiet that completely envelopes this rural region, instead of the 24/7 hustle and bustle of Istanbul. And third, a gigantic solitary snow-capped mountain rising gracefully in the distance. Awesome.
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Most Americans probably don’t consider Istanbul to be a big food destination. If you are in that category, boy, do I have news for you.
Istanbul streets are lined with cafes, restaurants, and bakeries with offerings that would make anyone’s mouth water. Streets are filled with scents of bread, meat, fish, turk khavesi, and whatever is fresh off the stove top. While I will undoubtedly have many posts about the food one is able to eat along the Bosphorus coast, I wanted to take today to focus on the overall dining experience.
No two restaurants are the exactly the same. Each offers a unique flavor, atmosphere, and clientele that make the experience its own. Just like you cannot generalize American eateries, the same can be said for the Turkish. However, a typical experience can be reduced to a few key differences between cafes in Istanbul and their counterparts across the pond.
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I still haven’t seen a single homeless person. I’m sure they are around- just not where I’m walking and living (a crowded market is really not a great place for sleeping). Many new migrants settled across the Bosphorus in Europe, which I haven’t been to yet.
What you do notice are a number of stray dogs and cats running around the streets and shops. They’re on every corner, and often multiple per block. They fit all the definitions of “homeless”, but in reality they’re far from it.
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