Istanbul - Between Orient and Occident

Istanbul is a city that couldn't be more different. On the one hand it has the charm of the Orient with everything that goes with it, the spices, the wake-up calls of the muezzin, the incredible food and the hospitality, on the other hand it has the western atmosphere, the modernity that we also know here in our latitudes and the same lifestyle of the Occidents that many do not want to miss.

This year my trip took me to the city, which finds its name in countless oriental songs. As I am not a travel blogger and have paid for everything out of my own pocket, I cannot give any exact numbers, prices or reviews here, but I can give you my impressions.

To be clear, this trip was actually not planned due to childhood memories that I had with me since I was 3 years old. Back then, as an Iranian refugee child, Ankara hadn't exactly shown me its sunny side.

Since my best friend is half Turkish and countless friends, acquaintances and relatives raved about Istanbul, there was no way around it but to get a picture of it for myself.

With this trip we had clearly hit the mark, because the city was deserted. It was said that Istanbul has never been so empty since almost everyone had been for the sacrificial to south to the sea. In the bazaar you could move about freely, the queues at the sights weren't worth mentioning and we always found a place in the tram and the restaurants.

The first day in Istanbul started with a breakfast that took my breath away. The whole table was covered with fruits, olives, different starter plates, egg dish with Turkish sausage (sucuk), freshly squeezed juices, different types of cheese, black tea (chai) and reminded me of a breakfast table for 10 people.

Our hotel wasn't exactly in the cleanest area, but the view from the roof terrace directly over the Galatower and the silent location made up for it and gave us a decent clue as to what makes the city tick. A plus was clearly that all of the sights were away from the hotel Walton Hotel to reach easily.

If we had known what day to expect, we would probably not have struck at breakfast. So the culinary trip continued with some great restaurants that I would like to share with you.

A little out of the way on the Black Sea, but a small oase of silence and peace, that was achievable by car was the Menekşe Bahçesi Restaurant . At least one Chai and some cigarrebörek had to be eaten, to taste the promised idyll on their Instagram page.

Our next stop was one of the oldest and most famous Manti restaurants (mini dumplings in yoghurt sauce) in Istanbul - The Emek Manti in Yenikoy. A look at the QR code menu also shows a list of different Böreks that women or men should not miss.

Not very much further, the next awesome thing came in Bebek - Yummie for our Tummy. Surrounded by exclusive hotels, the harbor with the most ostentatious yachts, this is inviting Baylan with a delicious ice cream, tart or something we absolutely had to try: a fat ice cream sundae. This consisted of these ingredients (from top to bottom): caramel, pistachio, vanilla ice cream, caramel, crocant and caramel ice cream. I'm not a chocolate caramel person, but I still dream of this mug today.

By now it should be clear that we could no longer move because of gluttony. But a short walk at the harbor should all be included if you are already in the area. And, if you're lucky, you might run into one or the other celebrity or some braggart with their fat, loud toy cars.

Fortunately just a delicious meal was missing at night as a great ending of the day, an Islak Wet Burger and an Ayran to wash it down. The fattest are best found in Taksim am Hauptplatz. What's so special about it? The burger is soaked in tomato sauce and then placed in a glass jar, where it stews in its own heat. That makes the burger soft and juicy.

To top it off with something sweet, Maras ice should not be missing - you get that extra with one „Wo ist das Eis, na wo ist das Eis?“ Trick show everywhere in Istiklal in Istanbul.

All in all, the first day in Istanbul was just our Food Daythat you shouldn't miss. In terms of price? Istanbul is one of the cheapest cities in terms of good food I've ever been to. I just think Medellin's center was roughly priced about that. With only 10 Euros you get an incredibly great multi-course menu there and can share the whole thing with 3 other people.

A little tip on the side: The fishing season only starts in autumn and the fishthat you get beforehand is either frozen or the fish of the day from a few fishermen. So I would say that you should rather enjoy seafood and fish specialties from autumn onwards. The best thing to do is to buy it on the edge of the Gala Bridge. In the evenings there are fish wrapped in bread, straight from the boat restaurant.

One more thing is to keep your hands off the chicken unless you know the restaurant well.

The second day was dedicated to sightseeing, armed with only a small snack in the morning, from our favorite bakery right next to our hotel.

Then we were up to go to the Hagia Sophia. The Sophiechurch is a former built between 532 and 537 AD byzantine church. From 1453 to 1935 - and again since 2020 - it is used as a mosque. From 1935 to 2020 she served as museum. Because you are not allowed to charge entry in a mosque, these costs were saved for us. You should only carry a scarf with you. Not only for Hagia Sophia, but in general to visit the many mosques or churches without queuing and waiting.

This time the blue mosque was unfortunately only to be seen in disguise, because it was under construction work , but also here you can feel an incredible calm and the force of billions of wishes and prayers.

Then it went straight to Istanbul Topkapi palace which architecture was just breathtaking and the style reminded me very much of the Iranian royal palaces. If you want to get tickets here, you should line up skilfully and get the tickets from one of the vending machines, which are a few meters further back. (Price approx. 30 euros / p)

Since the heat hit us badly, we had to sit in a cafe after every second step. The best thing to do is just always take the home made lemonade and let the day end comfortably.

The highlight of this sight was by far the Harempalace. On one hand, it had a very depressing and dark vibe, as in history many Harem girls were slaves and the royal house was served by eunuchs , on the other hand you could feel a very strong historical tense here too, which in my opinion emanated mostly from the rooms of the Queen Mother. I probably watched too many oriental series there.

After this sightseeing marathon in over 40 degrees of heat, we arrived back at the hotel totally sweaty and at the end of our strength. Since we lived very centrally, there was actually only a restaurant nearby for dinner.

That brings us to the next top restaurant - the Limonbahce in Beyoglu. In a beautiful garden with swings that smells of jasmine, you get a really tasty and good meal. The price? Here, too, we only paid around 10-15 euros for drinks, a steak fillet, burger with fries and drinks.

On the third day of our trip to Istanbul was a bit quieter again. At first we started the day with Baklava and the best pistachio treats in the city's top baklava shop - Güllüoglu in Karakoy. Anyone looking for a good souvenir should take a box with various goodies home.

Then we took the ferry to Kadiköy - where I let a girl read from my coffee for fun. The whole thing was translated in german by my best friend Ms. Google. Unfortunately, I still don't know what this woman said till this day.

Last but not least, we took the ferry to the party side of town to Ortaköy - where the Kumpir (Baked potato) vendors are literally dragging you to their stands. Anyone who doesn't know Kumpir has already lost. These baked potatoes are filled with various ingredients ala Subway and they taste heavenly.

In order to end the evening comfortably, we then sat down in the House Cafe in Ortaköy, with an insanely beautiful view of the Bosphorus bridge at night. The food there was rather mediocre, but that DJ hung up extremely well and although it was very crowded, it had a nice atmosphere. What about carrot cake? Bingo - you should definitely order that and try it here!

To digest the whole thing, you only had to take a loooong walk across Istanbul, as there were no more taxis at this time and the buses were full. So we made our way home by walking - from Ortaköy to Beyoglu. This corresponded to a hike of about 60 minutes or about 6 km.

My tip at this point: You either live near Ortaköy or don't go home when it's already dark. The traffic says more than 1000 words there, including dancing, shouting, loud music, fireworks show and all of this in a traffic jam.

On the fourth day, we were supposed to fly south to Kas and had half the day to spare. To prepare ourselves for not having anything to eat until the evening, we tried our luck in Gümrük. They are well known for their breakfast but however, we got there far too late at noon. Instead, I had the best chicken soup since a long time and the spaghetti with mushrooms melted on the tongue.

What fears we had about the fires in Antalya and Bodrum reaching us too is a different story. I now fast forward to our penultimate day in Istanbul.

A few days earlier I had urged for tickets for the Derwisch ceremony of the mewlanas in Hodjapasha . In order to actually get tickets here on the desired date, you should reserve in good time.

There are a lot of Derwish shows in the area, but it was a really unique experience and a heartfelt wish for a long time.

If you are in this Istanbul area, you should definitely also see the train station . Why? Because here is the famous Orient Express which has a million stories to tell.

To get back to eating, there are numerous restaurants in the beautiful alleys around the train station, sweet coffeshops and the oldest restaurants that date back to the 19th century .

And what should not be missing as a conclusion to such an Istanbul trip? That Kebab of course!! We filled our stomachs with real skewer kebab in Lawash bread across from the famous Köftecisithat has been around since 1890. If you are not careful, you will have 10 skewers at the table with the serve, so that it is always nice and warm. Costs? about 5 euros for 2 people including water.

What else happened on our last day ? Our taxidriver fell asleep in the middle of the highway and we got away with a shock. But even this story will probably not mutate into the main story.

So a successful trip came to an end. Istanbul really has its own charme and the people there are usually very nice and accommodating. I was lucky that my best friend understood Turkish, because that's the best way to get into conversation with people, because they always ask where you come from, what you do there, they want to help you and often they just give you pastries , Food, drinks, because they want to express their hospitality.

I have to admit, I've been around a lot, but there isn't such a good atmosphere among people all over the world. I guess it's time to pay another trip to Iran. Will this be my next trip? We will see.

More travel tips will follow soon.

Mili

Videos of the trip are available on Instagram or Tiktok.

Instagram: @Milan_Amini

TikTok: MyLuencer