Istanbul State of Mind

Istanbul's Blue Mosque

This city is amazing.  It just keeps on going and going, both in size and fun.  There are the two main parts of it, the Asian side on the East (duh) and the European side.  Most of the tourist attractions and historical sights are on the European side, and so I decided to get in with the locals and stay on the Asian side.  Much more my style, and after doing some research, I set my target on the neighborhood of Kadikoy, which is known to be more eclectic, full of cafes, shops, bars and lots of fun, plus it's right on the water.

Through couch surfing I found loads of connections in the city, and so far in these first few days, I've been more than welcomed and feel like a celebrity coming home.  Already I have a place to stay while I am here (right in the center of Kadikoy), and had a couple other offers.  It's been a great time bouncing around the city and meeting new people and feeling at home.  I've been taken to some of the better places to eat, and have been blown away by the food.  Delicious and everyone here seems to know the best place to eat and where I should look for cooking work.

On the weekend, I was taken all over with my friends and since then, I've spent the days exploring both Kadikoy (which truly is amazing, and will be a perfect place to live) and the European side.  Just wandering the streets and taking it all in is impressive, and so you need to stop off for some tea or a Turkish coffee.  People drink tea like it's going out of style.  You can't escape it here, with even vendors walking by every 3 minutes in the parks.  It is super strong and caffeinated like hell, so the people here are very awake and enjoy talking.  It's a good thing they speak good English and some German, because my Turkish is coming along super slow.  It's a crazy language that looks cool, and yet has so many tricks and setups that I get lost with even the simplest words.  In other words, I'm having fun!

More stories and pictures to come soon.

Corn and chestnuts, as well as bread, are sold everywhere all over the city

The Grand Bazaar

Full on embroidery going on in the Bazaar

Mosques everywhere