SHEFIETHE ISTANBUL ISSUE

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Either I conquer Istanbul or Istanbul conquers me.– Fatih Sultan Mehmet

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he high rise buildings of the suburb stand tall against the plum coloured November sky as a yellow taxi passes

them by on its way to the city. A lonely plastic bag struggles to get free from a barbed wire fence. The stray dogs roam the boardwalk of the Marmara Sea and the middle aged fish-ermen are still occupying the Galata Bridge, even though it’s close to midnight.

First, you notice the neon signs. Eat here. Stay here. Come here. All of them desper-ately begging for your attention. The bright lights alight the umpteen different restau-rants, hotels and bars, stacked next to each other like cardboard boxes on the grey and gloomy sidewalks.

Then, as you think you almost can manage to distinguish the lit buildings on the other side of the strait, the speed of your taxi starts to decrease. Countless numbers of tail lights ap-pear in front of you, replacing the neon signs and the real life cardboard boxes. Welcome to

your first traffic jam of Istanbul. And I’ll tell you this right here and now (because I can’t see the reason to hide it) – the traffic over here is absolutely mad. Or “totally bonkers”, as Alice in Wonderland would have said to the Mad Hatter. There are vespas, cars and mini busses are all over the place, acceler-ating, honking and finally standing on their breaks. All day, all night. Just like a neverend-ing story.

And then, as the surrounding finally starts to sink in, you begin to notice them. The people. All the 13.9 million of them, to be exact. But just not all of them at the same time. There they are, the pedestrians zigzagging their way through the traffic, as the students are meet-ing up for a drink on the town. The sidewalks are bustling with people and the smaller the street, the bigger the crowd. I know it might feel a little bit intimidating at first, but just relax and enjoy it. You’ll get a grip of it soon. And I really hope you like it, because darling, welcome to Istanbul.

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along the Galata Bridge. The view is stunning and why not pay one of the many restaurants located un-derneath it a visit (or maybe two)?

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drink

some Turkish Coffee. And if you’re lucky, the coffee ground will help you see the future.

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he breakfast is a big deal in Turkey. It might even be the biggest deal of them all, now when I sit down and

think about it. So I would like you to do me a favour. Could you please try to picture a square dining table, covered with a beige and shiny table cloth? Do you see it? Good. Let’s move on. Now, I want you to picture at least ten small bowls made out of glass (none of them bigger than a beer mat) placed in the middle of that dining table. Fabulous. We’re getting somewhere. So, now I would love it if you could fill two of the bowls with roasted nuts. One should contain hazelnuts and the other one walnuts. Then, it would be a good idea if you’d fill the third bowl with slices of cucumber and tomato. The fourth and fifth one should contain jam (so I would be grate-ful if you could help me out with that too). Bowl number six contains honey. That kind of honey that is thick and sticky, and there-fore absolutely perfect to spread over your toast! Then, I would be oh so very grateful if you’d manage to fill bowl number seven

with yellow and black olives, and bowl num-ber eight and nine with two different types of cheese. Easy as a pie, isn’t it? So why not fill the last bowl with that oily sesame and herb dip made for savoury pastry? I mean, it would be a shame if we didn’t have any dip for those pastries, wouldn’t it?

ongratulations (and celebrations!), you have just made your first Turk-ish breakfast. How does it feel? I

know, it is kind of amazing. But just wait until you taste it. It literary feels like a little cele-bration have just entered your mouth and you start to wonder why on earth you have settled with milk and cereals for this long?

he Turkish breakfast is one of the biggest meals during a day. And no wonder, who needs to eat a big

lunch when you had all of that heavenly stuff for breakfast? Yeah, that’s what I mean. So for lunch, you’d probably just snack on some-thing small. Why don’t you grab a vegetarian

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(but oh so very tasty) dürüm? Or if you are more of a baked potato kind of gal/boy, you should really try to find a place where you can buy a kumpir. But I do admit that for a snack, it is kind of huge. So you’d better eat a late dinner.

nd exactly what is for dinner then, you might ask (and all rightfully so). Well. It all really depends on what you like,

doesn’t it? But since you’re in the land of kebaps, then why not try a kebap? And yes, it is spelled exactly like that. Kebap with a ‘p’ and not a ‘b’, can you imagine? What a shock. And since we’re still on the subject of shocking kebaps, I’d like to tell you another thing about it – the kebaps here are not like the ones “back home”. I mean there are so many more options than that sliced meat they but on a plate next to some fires or a watery salad and then drench. in sauce. And thank God for that, because why settle for mediocre when you can have the best? So, I would advice you to go for kebap. Two of my

favourites are the köfte kebap and the beyti kebab. Both served with that heavenly rice (cooked in butter) that I adore so much. But maybe that day will come when you feel like being a bit adventurous and try something different? Then I’d say go for dolma and samra every day of the week (or at least one). The name dolma comes from the Turkish verb dolmak and means ‘to be stuffed’, so I guess you can figure out what kind of meal this is? Correct! It is a stuffed one. And it really doesn’t matter if it is a stuffed eggplant or a stuffed squid, as long as it’s stuffed, it is called dolma. And when it comes to the samra you could say that this dish is one where the wrapping of vine leaves or cabbage leaves around a certain filling is used. And when it comes to the beloved filling of ours, it is most often rice or minced meat mixed with onion, spices and fresh herbs like dill, mint or parsley. Super tasty! Well, I guess I could go on and on about this whole food thingie for quite a while, because believe me, the Turkish cuisine is truly a magical world of wonders. I

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eatwhatever you find, really. But make sure you try these two gorgeous meals: kumpir and beyti kebap.

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drink a cup of çay. And remember, if it’s too bitter for you, just add some sugar. Or why not something sweet?

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mean, if this trip won’t tickle your pallet, I re-ally don’t know what will. But if the breakfast is great, the lunch is exciting and the dinner fabulous, then what’s left for dessert? A won-derland, my dear. A wonderland. Because you didn’t think for real that the Turkish nation would leave you hanging when it came to the desserts? Oh, not at all. I bet it’s quite on the contrary, with all it’s different kind of sweets. And if you are a fan of pistachios, you’ll definitely be in for a treat.

aklava. Does that name sound famil-iar to you? Yes, it is that dessert that’s the sweetest of the sweetest. And how

about a little thing called Turkish Delight? Yeah, I knew you would recognise that too.That’s good. You really do know a thing or two about the Turkish desserts! But unfor-tunately there’s about three million to go, so I’ve come up with an idea. Why don’t you go out there, on your own little voyage of dis-covery, in a day or two instead of me giving you a dozen more names neither of us can

pronounce? I mean, it’s not that I’m lazy. No, not at all. It’s just that I rather spend the rest of this page telling you what to drink (and maybe even what not to drink).

ay. You drink it. End of story. Maybe you weren’t a tea lover back home, but you will be one here. I mean, it’s a part of the culture. Çay, nargile and

a friendly game of Tavla is just another day with the boys (or girls, to be political correct). Visit any coffee shop and you will see. There they are, the people who enjoy hanging out with their best friends, as they drink tea and smoke waterpipe while playing Backgammon.

he Turkish coffee is not like any other. It would be an absolute insult to com-pare it with the watery americano and

totally wrong to claim the taste is similar to espresso. This coffee is strong and rich (and probably the most tasty with a spoon of sug-ar). Some people even believe that the coffe ground can foresee your future. Would you

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give yourself time to just get lost in the crowd. Wander the streets of the old city and you might find so many places that are absolutely spectacu-lar. C’mon, give it a go!

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like me to tell you how? Well, I was supposed to do it anyway, so here we go:

Enjoy your cup of coffee until there’s nothing left but that sticky, muddy look-ing, coffee ground.

Take your plate and place it upside down on top of the cup, making sure that they are well sealed.

Lift the cup and the plate with both your hands and then quickly turn them upside down, towards you.

Wait for five minutes until some of the coffee ground have fallen to the plate so, you can pick up the cup and then read your future of whatever coffee ground is left in there.

nd didn’t I promise to tell you what not to drink while visiting Turkey? Yes, I certainly did (and you will definite-

ly thank me for it later). So, what I hereby advice you to not spend your money on, is a drink called ayran. It is somewhat of a nation-al drink and is served chilled as an accompa-niment to grilled meet or rice. The Turks love it and I don’t. And I guess the main reason for that is because it tastes like seawater. But no wonder when it is a yoghurt drink mixed with salt... And it’s not like I’m telling you what to like and what not to like, by the way. It is more of a friendly advice, really. I mean, I don’t want you to end up as confused and slightly unsatisfied as I did.

ut there’s a hell a lot more to Istan-bul than their salty drinks and sweet sweets. There’s all of this sight seeing

stuff too! So would you mind terribly if I told you a little bit about them, now when we’re on the subject? My plan is to tell you about three specific areas and what one can find there. Kind of like a travellers guide for dum-mies. Is that OK? OK, here we go!

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pet

the stray dogs and cats at your own risk. It’s not like they’ll bite you or anything, it’s more that you might get attached and then be upset when they’re not allowed to take home.

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visit

Hagia Sophia. What once was a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica and later on an imperial mosque, is now one of the most well known museums in Istanbul. This is a must see.

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et’s start with the old city. It’s not at all difficult to get there, but a good guideline is to stand on the Galata

Bridge and look for the nearest mosque, and then just start to walk in that direction. When you’re finally there, on the other side of the bridge, you can very well chose to stay around the Rüstem Paşa Mosque and its surroundings, or to take the metro just a little bit further up the road. If you choose my second option, you will soon be in the heart of the old city with all its ancient architecture and street vendors selling everything from key chains to water pipes. In this part of town you will also find many of the well known tourist attractions and I would say that the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazar (it really is huge!) and the Blue Mosque are three of the must sees.

f you on the other hand choose to stay at the first mosque you came to when leaving the bridge, then that’s all fine by

me. I mean, that one is truly breath taking

too. Especially if you attend it on a Saturday around 11.30 am, just before the prayers start. And if you are a bit cheeky, you will try to sneak up on the left side of the mosque that looks like a small but very well deco-rated hallway. This part is not meant for tourists, but who can tell if you are there for prayers or not? Unfortunately it’s not as easy for women to do this shenanigan since they apparently have a separate room for prayers at the back of the mosque. Anyway, man or woman, just remember to take your shoes off and cover your body as you enter a mosque. This is how Muslims do it and this is how it should be done. And ladies, try to wear a scarf over your head, will you?

therwise, you can just hang out around the entrance of Rüstem Paşa while looking at its amazing architec-

ture. Or why not feed the pigeons outside of the mosque, close to the Spice Bazar? There’s a man there selling bird food, just so you can become their best buddy.

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the neighbour of Hagia Sophia; the Blue (Sultan Ahmed) Mosque. If you ever thought that churches could be impres-sive, then wait until you step inside of a mosque.

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eyoglu is the second place I want to tell you about. But to make it less confus-ing, let’s just call it “Taksim (and its

surroundings)”, because that is really what it’s all about. If you’re standing at the Burger King at Takism Square and then walk along Istiklal Avenue, you’ll see everything you need to see in that neighbourhood. Or at least I believe so.

stiklal is the biggest and most vibrant avenue in the whole of Istanbul and it therefore makes the best place for a good

night out. And with its many side streets, of-fering a huge vareity of bars and restaurants, it is close to impossible not to find something that suits you. Are you by any chance one of those people that appreciate to have your breath taken away? Then I would strongly recommend you a visit to Vida Pera. Take the elevator as high as you can (and then fi-nally the stairs up to the roof terrace) and be prepared to be blown away. That view is ab-solutely amazing and the music is good too!

But then again, loud music might not be for everyone. So if you want to appreciate a good view, without any music, then pay Galata Tower (and its 360 degrees view of Istanbul) a visit. Istiklal and “Taksim and its surround-ings” will also offer you a packed shopping bag (or maybe two if you’re in to that kind of amusement). But please do keep an eye on your bag and wallet, because if you manage lose them, then there goes a day. The police men of Istanbul are very good at walking around, looking “cool” while holding onto their machine guns, but they’re not as quick and efficient when it comes to paper work.

nd I guess I can’t let you leave for home without you ever visiting the Taksim Square. Because there he

stands, Atatürk, a man so loved by many, on the Republic Monument overlooking the city. And Atatürk, yeah you will hear a lot about him if you manage to start a conversation about Turkey. The Turks do love their “sav-iour”. Oh dear, there are so many things

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visit

my third choice of must sees. This is the Galata Tower, where the view is as amazing as at Vida Pera, just without the music.

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I would like to

tell you all about, but then I would go on forever and this

magazine would never end. So I guess I have to control myself now. But please, if

you do have the time, then take that moment and go to Beşiktaş’ harbour. Preferably during the early hours of the morning, when the sun is still rising and all the seagulls are flying over

the Marmara Sea in search for food. And I know this place isn’t touristy at all, but you should really give it a try, because

it truly offers one of the most magnificent views in the

city.

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