ISTANBUL, Turkey — Despite the New Year’s Eve terror attack, in which a gunman dressed as Santa Claus shot and killed at least 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub, terrorism and fear are not the dominant themes in this city of 14 million people.
Especially when cold weather comes to Kyiv, a short trip to the generally warmer Istanbul is a good way to escape. Turkey is Ukraine’s Black Sea neighbor, so the flight lasts only 90 minutes. Even though Ankara is the capital of Turkey, Istanbul remains the most important city in the country.
The first and important place to get in Istanbul is Sultanahmet Square. There are two main sites — Blue Mosque (Sultanahment Mosque) and Ayasofiya. These are tremendous mosques located opposite each other. The Blue Mosque as a great masterpiece of world architecture. Even the most spoiled tourist will be astonished with the beauty of Blue Mosque inside. It combines two styles – classic Osman and Byzantine. Sultanahmet Mosque can accommodate 10,000 people inside at once.
A popular tourist site, the Sultanahmed Mosque continues to function as a mosque today. Photo by Alyona Nevmerzhytska
The most popular figure in Turkey is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He was founder of the Republic of Turkey after World War I. Ataturk reformed Turkey in a more European country. His portrait is on every street; each lane has his statue, bust or flag. His portrait is on Turkish money (lira). Turkish people respect him and all tourists can notice him everywhere – they name airports, universities and streets in honor of Ataturk.
But what about the food? The city’s cuisine is diverse and delicious. Locals take their eating and drinking seriously – the restaurants here are the best in the country. You can eat aromatic Asian dishes or Italian classics if you so choose, but most visitors prefer to sample the succulent kebabs, tasty mezes and freshly caught fish that are the city’s signature dishes.
Istanbul is full of street food; there are lots of points with fried chestnuts, corn and mussels with rice seasoned with lemon, bakery with sesame, delicious pomegranate fresh juice.
Fresh fruit is always in abundance in Turkey because of the country’s diverse geography. Photo by Alyona Nevmerzhytska
The Egyptian Bazaar is the most famous one in terms of buying Turkish sweets and spices, sellers have very good sales skills here, even if you do not plan to buy things, they are masters in talking tourists in, usually one can not resist and buy sweets or spices, or both. Locum is the most famous Turkish delight, but hot cheese sweet kunefe is worth trying, you will not find in on the market, you should order it in cafe.
Lokum is usually served with Turkish Coffee, but it is mostly bought as a gift to represent Turkish culture. Photo by Alyona Nevmerzhytska
Istanbul is beautiful night and day, it is great place for shopping and refreshing yourself from routine. The city inspires with its power and friendly emotional people. Usually cities can be remembered as pictures in your head, when you close your eyes you feel its smell, taste and good or bad emotions, but only Istanbul has its voice.
Why will you love this city? Let me count the ways. You will love the locals, who have an endless supply of hospitality and good humour at their disposal. The fact that when you walk down a city street, layers of history unfold before you. You will love listening to the sound of the müezzins dueling from their minarets and seeing the sun set over the world’s most beautiful skyline. But most of all, you will feel that in İstanbul, an extraordinary cultural experience lies around every corner.
Handcrafted mosaic lamps will be a nice souvenir from Turkey. Photo by Alyona Nevmerzhytska
Costs:
Turkish Airlines ticket (Wingo offer) – $159.
Hotel – $75 per night
Istanbul card needed to use public transport
