Read “Exploring Istanbul Part 1: Taksim Mis-Adventures” here.
When I woke up the next morning I almost forgot where we were. Then it all came flooding back – the barking dog, the shady, dark neighborhood, Nicoleport Hotel and oh, being lost for an hour in the backstreets of a foreign city in the dead of night. How can I ever forget that?
Refreshed with sleep and in a slightly better mood, we make our way down to the lobby around noon ready to start exploring our first day in Istanbul. Unsure if we would change hotels at this point, we decide to ask Maria a few questions. “How far is Istiklal from here?” “Where is the closest restaurant for breakfast?” and “How far is the Metro from here?”
As helpful as she could be, she showed us on a map, but also kindly offered to walk us up to the main street. Instead of the 1 hour long walk up hill we were expecting, Maria showed us a shortcut that took us only 10 minutes to walk to Istiklal. It would have been nice to know that last night!!
Along the way, we start chatting with her and we find out she’s actually not from Turkey, but from Iran, studying the Turkish language for a few months and her favourite Indian author is Jhumpa Lahiri. Annoyed as I was the night before, I couldn’t help but smile. One of my favourite parts of travel are the conversations I have with new people I’ve never met before.
Over the next week, we decided to stay put at our hotel. In the days that followed we became more and more comfortable with our neighbourhood. Sometimes all you need is to take off the blinders and look with your eyes wide open.
Top 5 Things I Loved About Our Neighborhood
1. Local
Local feel with no wandering tourists except for the few people in our hotel….just what I wanted. Before leaving on our trip, I imagined us staying at small family owned hotel in a local neighbourhood. It only took me a couple of days to really see the beauty this neighbourhood had to offer.
2. Safe
My gut feeling told me we were fine wandering back to our hotel in the dark. Sometimes you may get a feeling that something is not right. Well, here I didn’t get that feeling. The locals never bugged us and the area didn’t feel seedy. Sure, somewhat run down with dilapidated buildings, but I didn’t feel afraid of being mugged. I felt safe and got the feeling that the neighbours help each other out.
3. Neighborhood Connections
While up on our hotel’s 5th floor roof top terrace (incredible views by the way), I noticed these two neighbours on their balconies swinging jars of food and other items to each other with a rope and a basket. I loved this! Seeing them gave me a warm fuzzy feeling of a nostalgic era gone by. Even in a bustling metropolis like Istanbul, neighbourhood connections and traditions still exist.
4. Sunday Market: For the Locals, By the Locals
The best surprises come when you least expect it. On Sunday morning, we step out of our hotel amazed to find a large public outdoor market right in front of our door step. Rows and rows of vendors sell vegetables, fruits, home supplies, clothing, and knick knacks. This isn’t a quiet market either. The vendors holler for the shoppers’ attention and the whole neighborhood is abuzz with locals picking up fresh produce or browsing for their next purchase. The market is on all day and into the evening. The vendors pack up and the streets are cleaned of any debris or leftover produce by the next morning.
Another reason why I loved this market – it wasn’t set up for tourists with vendors selling overpriced souvenirs or “I Love Istanbul” shirts. This market was created by the locals for the locals… with local pricing of course.
5. Amazing Views
After walking through the Sunday Market (before breakfast) we somehow managed to become lost in our neighborhood unable to find the short cut we used to walk up to Istiklal.
What I hated: walking up steep hills for an hour in the heat on an empty stomach.
What I loved: the spontaneity of exploring undiscovered areas, the local children coming up to us asking where we’re from, Turkish women with traditional headscarves drying laundry on their balconies and of course….the amazing view of the city that welcomed us at the top of a hill.
One of my favorite things about Istanbul: there are so many amazing views of the city…as long as you’re willing to hike and work for it!
Have you travelled somewhere that surprised you or at first maybe you were unsure of and gradually grew to love it? Share your story below in the comments!
