Global Wanderer

14/11/24 – 15/11/24

Unlike my experience last year, flying to Istanbul via KL, this particular journey went off without a hitch! We landed in Istanbul not long after 4pm (with my Dad in tow for another trip together!), and took the Havaist bus into the city. It was only going to be a short visit to Istanbul, a stopover on the way to Finland, but I figured it was a good chance to stay the night, stretch the legs, and walk around a city I’ve been lucky enough to have visited several times now. 

Arriving into one of Istanbul Airport’s many bus gates

We checked in at our accommodation for the night – Asur Hotel – located just near the Gülhane tram stop, and then headed out. Dad had never visited Istanbul before, so we walked down towards Galata Bridge to look out over the Golden Horn at night. It’s a fabulous spot, with the glow of lights across the far reaches of the city serving to highlight its immense size. The Yeni Cami mosque, lit up at night, was also rather impressive!

Yeni Cami Mosque at night

We decided to walk across the bridge, fascinated by the never-ending row of fishermen plying their trade (although most didn’t seem to be having much luck, catching mostly tiny fish. My theory is that the bigger fish have already been eaten by the enormous seagulls!). After a circuitous walk up the the tower and back across the opposite side of the bridge, we decided to see the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque at night. The entire Fatih area was strangely quiet, although I have a feeling that is a seasonal thing, given the previous times I’ve visited have been during summer. A chicken kebab at a small restaurant tucked away on a side street in Gülhane capped off a nice evening out in Istanbul (and the kebab was reasonably priced! I’d been told by some relatives who had been over recently that prices had increased exponentially – they weren’t kidding! Istanbul is not cheap now!)

The next morning, we woke up to a heavy, overcast sky and soon enough, it began to drizzle. Breakfast at Asur was fabulous, with a large array of salads, egg dishes, and cakes, keeping both of us happy. I felt like I almost broke a tooth biting into an unexpectedly crusty bread roll I’d tried to stuff with chips. Once we’d finished (read: stuffed our faces), we walked out back up to the Hagia Sofia, big coats in tow to save our clothes from the rain (and feeling frustratingly warm with them zipped up!). 

The overcast view from the room, and our massive breakfast spread!

The Hagia Sofia is a beautiful building in the daylight hours, where you can see the colour contrast on the additions and extensions that have been put onto it since it was first built however-many years ago. The Blue Mosque, perhaps the last remaining cultural site in Istanbul without an insane entrance fee, was unfortunately closed for repairs, and neither of us felt willing to pay the entry fee to the Hagia Sofia and visit again (which was FREE when I first visited in 2022, and remains free only for Turkish citizens wanting to go and pray – presumably other Muslims need to pay an entrance fee to pray?!), so we decided to continue on to the Grand Bazaar – which being undercover would provide some respite from the consistent drizzly rain. 

The Hagia Sofia, and a random, cool park we stumbled across

I have always found the Grand Bazaar to be a confusing labyrinth, difficult to get out once you’re in (somewhat like a Vegas casino 😂), but with the crowds severely thinned out in winter, navigating the place was a breeze this time around. With the 250 lira I had in my pocket (leftover from a previous visit) feeling rather pathetic thanks to the insane inflation rate, buying anything was off the cards, but it was still interesting to walk around! 

Conscious of the time, we walked back to the hotel, stopping off at the Cemberlitas Burnt Column and laughing at the ridiculous number of pigeons perched on the telephone wires. I like walking around the Fatih area – there’s a number of historical buildings in the neighbourhood, and there’s always people out and about doing things. It’s popular with tourists, but I suppose there’s often a reason why some places see a lot of tourists!

Rows of pigeons lined up outside the Burnt Column

After checking out, we took the tram back out to Aksaray, followed by the bus to the airport (it was easier when the bus terminated at Beyazit Meydani, a little further west, but at least you can jump the tram easily to Aksaray). Istanbul Airport, which I’ve flown out of, or transited through, a crazy number of times in the last three years, was always expensive – but it has now become comically unaffordable. A quarter pounder meal at McDonald’s was selling for $42 AUD, and a 330ml can of Coke at one of the cafe’s was going for €6. I’m surprised there was anybody eating and drinking ANYTHING! 

Whilst it was very much a whistle-stop stay in Istanbul, it was definitely worthwhile – it broke up the long journey from Australia, gave us a chance to stretch our legs, and see a few cool sites and landmarks in what is a pretty awesome city.

Next up, with my big coat at the ready – Helsinki here we come!