I’m going to Istanbul by mistake and I’m terrified

[Mrs Miggins]

I was there a few years ago. It's nice enough, but I wasn't as excited about it as I thought I'd be. But at that time I was travelling a lot and was starting to become bored with endless hotels etc.

I should go back for a proper look.

Oh I know what you mean and it's awful really. The amount of friends who have said to me "have a trip somewhere before you come back" but I'm done with lone travelling. I want a settled life. But the wanderlust will soon take me. There is a hell of a lot of Europe I have not yet seen....

 

[Boudicca]

Me and the boy will be sharing a romantic double bed together, which means I'm gonna get his sweaty teenage feet by my head all night instead of the strong arms of my lover. Price you pay etc

Contact the hotel and see if you can swap for a twin room. If it's a fairly big hotel, they may be able to do this.

 

[Idaho]

Contact the hotel and see if you can swap for a twin room. If it's a fairly big hotel, they may be able to do this.

Or they can add an extra bed.

 

[twentythreedom]

A really good post. Countries aren’t just about hotels and swimming pools and other things for Westerners to enjoy.
Thanks for sharing, dialectician

I was going to say he could've just pmed it to you but didn't

Enjoy your holiday, Edie

 

[bimble]

.

 

[Edie]

Omg we’re here! It’s totally amazing. Little alleys with lots of restaurants, cats, guys on segways, music.

Went to a restaurant. The restaurant was bonkers. Everyone is so expressive, loud, smoking like bloody chimneys. When the band played a Turkish banger, they all started clapping, pushing their chairs back to dance at the table, waiter slapping two menus together

Boy is a bit overwhelmed. Makes you realise how quiet we are. You don’t get that in Leeds. Table next to us just pulled their chairs round and started talking in Turkish despite us having no idea what they were saying, then offered the boy a tab.

Night!

 

[joustmaster]

Omg we’re here! It’s totally amazing. Little alleys with lots of restaurants, cats, guys on segways, music.

Went to a restaurant. The restaurant was bonkers. Everyone is so expressive, loud, smoking like bloody chimneys. When the band played a Turkish banger, they all started clapping, pushing their chairs back to dance at the table, waiter slapping two menus together

Boy is a bit overwhelmed. Makes you realise how quiet we are. You don’t get that in Leeds. Table next to us just pulled their chairs round and started talking in Turkish despite us having no idea what they were saying, then offered the boy a tab.

Night!

Haha! Ace.
I love it when you try to have a chat with people when there is no common language. Just keep talking and nodding and making up the narrative in your head. Probably close enough.

 

[Sweet FA]

Thanks Edie; best post I've read for ages x

 

[Mrs Miggins]

"You don't get that in Leeds"

 

[Edie]

This is the view from our window, and that tower thing turns out to have megaphones on. Call to prayer at just past 5am was clear, and very beautiful, and made me grab the boy it was so loud. Community alarm clock

 

[dessiato]

Be careful. You'll get bitten by the travel bug, and that's very addictive.

 

[danny la rouge]

You don’t get that in Leeds

Please make this your new profile tag line.

 

[planetgeli]

This is the view from our window, and that tower thing turns out to have megaphones on. Call to prayer at just past 5am was clear, and very beautiful, and made me grab the boy it was so loud. Community alarm clock

I have no faith in religion (see what I did there) but the muezzin's are trained brilliantly and that call to prayer is other worldly. Can be a pain at 5am on holiday every day mind.

 

[joustmaster]

I'm not sure about that. I've heard some terribly sung ones in Turkey

 

[Edie]

This morning we took a ferry to the other side, and saw jellyfish and gulls. Istanbul is enormous and stunning! We walked to the Grand Bazaar, which is so beautiful and people and life and goods all piled up under domed roofs.

The jewellery, and carpets, and tea, scarfs, leather, antiques. The men all wanted you to come in, and then they taught you about everything. About hand knotted carpets worth a thousand pounds. And scarfs made of cashmere and silk.

I bought a scarf. I wasn’t going to, as I knew and I told the man I didn’t have the money to buy such a quality thing. But we talked and in the end I bought it with twenty quid and fifty lira. It’s definitely the most beautiful thing I own. It’s light as gossamer, so intricately made, unbelievably soft. It’s made of goat beard!

Then we learnt about lamps, with a young man who had travelled all over the world. And he told us about brass v copper bases, how to tell the difference between Turkish and Chinese glass (and made George stand on a lamp to prove how strong it was). I showed him my scarf and he said I had a very lucky price, and we both agreed the guy must have liked me. I’d have bought a lamp, but at 125 lira I didn’t have enough. He gave us apple tea and invited us for coffee once he’d finished work in the early evening. He’s famous for reading the future in coffee grounds.

He told us we must go to Cemberlitas hamami, not the posher more tourist one. George had one, and I sat and looked at the atrium.

We walked back via the spice market. A ferry with the gulls, and now having a rest and looking at my scarf and thinking I might cry with how beautiful it is, and the city has been, and how lucky I am!

 

[TruXta]

Yay!

 

[dessiato]

This morning we took a ferry to the other side, and saw jellyfish and gulls. Istanbul is enormous and stunning! We walked to the Grand Bazaar, which is so beautiful and people and life and goods all piled up under domed roofs.

The jewellery, and carpets, and tea, scarfs, leather, antiques. The men all wanted you to come in, and then they taught you about everything. About hand knotted carpets worth a thousand pounds. And scarfs made of cashmere and silk.

I bought a scarf. I wasn’t going to, as I knew and I told the man I didn’t have the money to buy such a quality thing. But we talked and in the end I bought it with twenty quid and fifty lira. It’s definitely the most beautiful thing I own. It’s light as gossamer, so intricately made, unbelievably soft. It’s made of goat beard!

Then we learnt about lamps, with a young man who had travelled all over the world. And he told us about brass v copper bases, how to tell the difference between Turkish and Chinese glass (and made George stand on a lamp to prove how strong it was). I showed him my scarf and he said I had a very lucky price, and we both agreed the guy must have liked me. I’d have bought a lamp, but at 125 lira I didn’t have enough. He gave us apple tea and invited us for coffee once he’d finished work in the early evening. He’s famous for reading the future in coffee grounds.

He told us we must go to Cemberlitas hamami, not the posher more tourist one. George had one, and I sat and looked at the atrium.

We walked back via the spice market. A ferry with the gulls, and now having a rest and looking at my scarf and thinking I might cry with how beautiful it is, and the city has been, and how lucky I am!

I'm in Torremolinos, you've got the better deal.

 

[Saffy]

How wonderful to read.

 

[Callie]

This is so lovely to read Edie, sounds like you are having a great time

How's your lad finding it?

 

[Edie]

This is so lovely to read Edie, sounds like you are having a great time

How's your lad finding it?

He’s loving it!

 

[Idaho]

Travel thread of the year

 

[moomoo]

Brilliant Edie!! So happy that you’re having such an amazing time!

 

[scifisam]

Omg we’re here! It’s totally amazing. Little alleys with lots of restaurants, cats, guys on segways, music.

Went to a restaurant. The restaurant was bonkers. Everyone is so expressive, loud, smoking like bloody chimneys. When the band played a Turkish banger, they all started clapping, pushing their chairs back to dance at the table, waiter slapping two menus together

Boy is a bit overwhelmed. Makes you realise how quiet we are. You don’t get that in Leeds. Table next to us just pulled their chairs round and started talking in Turkish despite us having no idea what they were saying, then offered the boy a tab.

Night!

I read that as cats on segways and thought woah! I want to see that!

Glad you and your lad are having a great time!

 

[Athos]

This thread makes me happy.

 

[Edie]

I read that as cats on segways and thought woah! I want to see that!

Glad you and your lad are having a great time!

 

[Maggot]

I read that as cats on segways and thought woah! I want to see that!

Next best thing:

 

[Poot]

This is a brilliant thread.

My mate is married to a Turkish man. At her wedding (in Turkey but not in Istanbul) her 87-year-old Nan was beside herself. She had never travelled abroad before and couldn't believe what she had missed. I believe that she travelled abroad after that a couple of times before she died. This made me very happy but also a bit sad that she waited 87 years to do so.*

I'm delighted that you've had a brilliant time. I've never been to Istanbul but I have travelled alone with my offspring and I think it's the best thing ever.

*I am not saying that you are 87. Or that you've never been abroad before but it just came to mind...

 

[Edie]

As for my fears, well the people are as TruXta says, hospitable and courteous. Of course, in the Grand Bazaar we were sold to. But always as one man said “step inside, let me do my job, you needn’t buy and to look and learn is free’. I never felt pressured or uncomfortable.

I was invited to go for ‘coffee later’ whilst shaking hands goodbye a couple of times, but just saying ‘very kind of you but I’m with my son’ was fine. No wedding ring necessary.

As for head scarfs, less than Leeds.

And at night, a lot less hard than Leeds. The lengthy amazing maze dinners, the easy and joyous atmosphere, the music.

Edit: I really don’t care one way or the other about hijab, my only concern was I’d be odd without one. Nonsense it turned out.

 

[Gromit]

As for my fears, well the people are as TruXta says, hospitable and courteous. Of course, in the Grand Bazaar we were sold to. But always as one man said “step inside, let me do my job, you needn’t buy and to look and learn is free’. I never felt pressured or uncomfortable.

I was invited to go for ‘coffee later’ whilst shaking hands goodbye a couple of times, but just saying ‘very kind of you but I’m with my son’ was fine. No wedding ring necessary.

As for head scarfs, less than Leeds.

And at night, a lot less hard than Leeds. The lengthy amazing maze dinners, the easy and joyous atmosphere, the music.

I’m a big fan of Turkey.

Glad you are enjoying it.

 

[Voley]

I've never been but would really like to now.