Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

A city where continents and cultures collide

A trip to Istanbul has been on the back burner for two years. Yesterday, well. actually today it became reality. My friend Mahmoud from Tehran met me at the Istanbul airport at 1H00 and we made the trek into the city by bus. We’re staying in a small apartment in Beyoglu about a 10 minute walk from Taksim Square. That’s 10 minutes if you know where you’re going. Thankfully, Mahmood did. We managed to sleep for a few hours and then went out to begin the adventure of exploring this amazing city. Today was a bit of an overview just to get my bearings!

Istanbul is a city built on seven hills. It straddles two continents: Europe and Asia and the citizens of the country are currently grappling with the shock of four recent earthquakes. It’s a city of many languages; Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, English and the list goes on. Istklal Street teased my desire to shop and that continued throughout the day.

Despite being a predominantly Muslim country, there was a functioning Catholic Church along our route followed by a short walk to Galata Tower.

We walked across a bridge to the European side as far as the Spice Market and the Hagia Sophia. Luckily for me, Mahmood has been here before and has a keen sense of direction and where things are located. The Sultanamet Mosque is closed for renovations and repairs and the line up for the Haiga Sophia was insanely long. So, we toured the park where once stood the Hippodrome that held over 100,000 spectators for chariot races. A few remnants of the obelisks that once decorated the spina of the race course are all that remains.

At this point in the day, after experiencing the sales pitches of a few very pushy, insistent carpet salesmen in the park, our feet told us it was time to head back to the apartment for tea and sustenance. And a nap!

The day ended with dinner at Galataport where all the cruise ships dock. So ends my first day in Istanbul, Turkey. Jackson didn’t make this part of the trip. He’s happily installed at a Dog Spa in Pechao not far from Estoi.