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Double pair travel, all smooth
I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul in a super unusual mode for me; it was a double trip. My first time in Turkey was a long weekend (4 days) in Istanbul alone, in July 2009.
I never had very long stories, I had few companies who liked to travel, and so never had the chance to go away as a couple and with another couple as well. It was a basketball colleague of mine and his wife, with whom in those years it happened very often to end up at a pizza place after a game, but we had never gone anywhere else together.
My partner Cecilia and I had already planned, decided and booked everything, when in a very discreet way the other two asked us to tag along. They found both seats in our flights and in our hotel, without having anything to say either about his schedule or about the not very comfortable tour (stopover in Germany) to save some money. The novelty of this experience was that there were no anecdotes or inconveniences!
Traveling as a double couple makes it easier to separate and possibly do something different. For example, one afternoon the girls went for a Turkish bath and we stayed on the magnificent terrace of the bnb overlooking the Bosphorus chatting and drinking Turkish coffee; you may or may not like this, it is certainly special and worth trying. I remember reflecting that,had I remained engaged, I would have risked losing my anecdotes; however, the following year I became single again.
Visiting Istanbul
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Istanbul and convinced myself that I would go back. Of the capitals I have seen, it is certainly one of the richest and most distinctive. But I also have the awareness that such a city is too different from the rest of the country, so I will also have to make a trip where I discover more.
In visiting Istanbul you can see for yourself the geography and easily relive certain historical events that took place. In particular, I think of the ‘ siege by the Ottomans that later ended the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium. The defenders had placed a giant chain to prevent the crossing of the Golden Horn (the estuary dividing Istanbul). Looking across the Bosporus (the channel that reaches into the Black Sea and passes in front of Istanbul), it is easy to imagine the Ottoman fleet besieging bombarding the mighty walls of Istanbul.
Another aspect I like is the fact that part of the city is geographically in Europe (practically the only one in the whole country) and part in Asia. Beyond these I fixate on history and geography precisely, the unique location on the sea and canals and modern bridges gives magnificent views.
Places not to be missed
Obviously spectacular are the vestiges of the ancient past, and thus the great buildings, of what was Constantinople also Byzantium:
- Hagia Sophia (on the model of which San Vitale in Ravenna was also built)
- Blue Mosque
- Topkapi Palace
- Basilica Cistern (a basilica transformed into a water reservoir)
- Suleiman Mosque
- Galata Tower
All unmissable places and to discover the interior as well; therefore, it takes time to visit it well. Separate chapter deserves the Grand Bazaar, absolutely unmissable even for those like me who are not too fond of shopping.
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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