trip to turkey

[philosophe]

What are your favorite places in Turkey? I am thinking about visiting and would like some recommendations.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by philosophe

What are your favorite places in Turkey? I am thinking about visiting and would like some recommendations.

what are you l;ooking for? city, archeology, beach?

 

[LSeca]

I lived in Izmir for a few years, beautiful city. It is located south of Istanbul, on the western coast. Although the city has alot of western influence, it is within driving distance of the ruins of Ephesis, and some great beaches of Kushadasi.

 

[Kent Wang]

I believe LabelKing will tell you, Constantinople.

 

[philosophe]

I will be in Istanbul for the first part of the trip. I'm thinking about heading to the Aegean or the Mediterranean coast for the rest of the trip. I wish had time for both but think that I will have to choose.

 

[JetBlast]

Many parts of Istanbul are nice, especially around the Hagia Sofia and stuff like that. I've heard good things about their beaches too.

If you need help setting up your flight let me know, I'd be happy to help.

JB

 

[LabelKing]

The city of Constantinople has numerous palaces--along the Bosphorus--which are interesting to visit. The city, like Cairo, also has a fair amount of European styled architecture, somewhat incongruous Art Nouveau, etc. edifices.

And of course, what trip would be complete without a trip to St.Sophia?

 

[tonylumpkin]

I believe Augusto86 can recommend cafe where you can meet friendly local businessmen!

Originally Posted by philosophe

An "Adventure" I had in Istanbul - how should I have handled this?!

I headed down to the Istiklal Cadesi, the sort of Newbury St. or 5th Ave. of Istanbul, where all the young and hip people hang out. It was pretty neat, a very lively, happening street vibe. Unfortunately, it was also the site of one of our more alarming experiences so far.

Our first stop was a bazaar/cafe where we drank tea and Joe had the local Turkish beer, Efes. This young, sharply-dressed and hair-slicked guy in a seersucker blazer sat down next to us and started speaking Turkish to me. When I explained to him I wasn't Turkish, he switched into English and we started chatting. His "Iranian" friend joined us at the table - which didn't seem weird, since it was the only space in the cafe. They said they had an import-export business and told some jokes, which was kind of fun. Then they asked if we had tried raki, the traditional Turkish beverage. When we said no, they offered to show us a bar which had been recommended to them.

Thinking why not, we followed them to a place a few blocks away. We sat down in this bar with a dance floor and a lot of sketchy-looking mafioso types sitting around. They brought us raki, and then, as soon as they had, these four Russian hookers showed up, with a couple more on the dance floor. At this point we were getting nervous, and we started trying to bail out. Finally, we managed to get them to stop putting more liquor in our glasses and get the check - which was over $1300!

Obviously, we were being scammed. If they couldn't get us to go with the whores they were just going to try and rob us outright. We began arguing and they started to get angry after we accused them of being scammers. The boss was a good 6 ft. and 250 pounds of muscle and fat. He could have grabbed each of us in a ham-like fist. Our "comrades" kept insisting that we just "play it fair" and pay 1/4(although they were going to use credit). Obviously they were the two lead men of the con.

After some spirited argument we convinced them we only had 70 bucks. The boss shouted, threatened to search us, shoved my friend, ripped his jacket and then they threw us out, shouting at us to never come back again. Not bloody likely, but at least we're fore-warned now. Turns out this is a pretty common scam in Turkey and the Balkans, and we were lucky to only ge taken for that much. All things considered, we handled it pretty well - but the guys who tricked us in the first place were Grade-A operators. We had no idea we were being conned until we walked into the bar, at which point it was just a matter of trying to weasel our way out fast enough. And since we had around $200 apiece, getting out for $70 could have been worse.

The real icing was that the money I handed the guy was about $80 lira and a fistful of US $1 bills. He actually SHOVED THE $1s back into my pocket with a contemptous "THIS IS TIP??!"

That's the end of the story.
.

 

[Augusto86]

I came here to say that and this: GO ANYWAYS...

It really is a beautiful city, you just have to stay on your toes. For nightlife, the Istiklal Cadesi and its surrounding streets are pretty cool. Probably the best nightlife outside of Beirut(and maybe Dubai) in the region. Although there are some nice low-key bars in Sultanahmet. You should sleep in that district - near the sights, peaceful, lovely, European and safe.

Don't see too many mosques - the Blue Mosque is a must, one of the wonders of the world(and much better than the Aya Sofia which you must of course also visit - I dare you to prove me wrong LabelKing), and the Sultanahmiya is worth a trip.

Visit the Asia side, but bring your Turkish phrasebook. No English!

Take a Bosphorus cruise, but bargain hard at the docks. Don't pay more than 10 lira/person.

Women are liberal but play it safe - Turkish men are possessive in the extreme.

Efes is supposed to be one of the greatest sites for antiquities, and some friends came back raving from Cappadocia. Also, if you want a kick-back and relax vacation, you can't do better than the cities around Izmir, particularly Kusadasi.

Eat Baclava every day - the bakery in Sultanahmet right off the tramline stop is ASTOUNDINGLY good, as is the AUM Cafe & Pasta in Kadikoy.

Don't speak greek.

Drink lots of Efes beer - it's quite good.

Check out the Grand Bazaar but, if you buy anything, bargain hard and walk away as much as necessary.

Wear comfy shoes - the cobblestones are a *****.

Don't bother visiting Dolmahbahce and Topkapi palaces - they're basically the same thing, and the 2nd is cooler.

For a total mindfuck, go to the Istanbul military museum, to see "Cyprus Peace Operation" and "Armenian Issue" rooms that totally revise Turkish military atrocities.

 

[LabelKing]

The St.Sophia isn't strictly a mosque so there!

 

[LSeca]

Originally Posted by Augusto86

Drink lots of Efes beer - it's quite good.


Efes is kinda light, I prefered Tuborg.

I agree with everything else you said. The best time in my life thus far was living in Izmir.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The St.Sophia isn't strictly a mosque so there!

No, Ataturk saved it from that. A good decision by the way; for all of his flaws, I rank Kemal as one of the Top 10 statesman of the previous century.

I just meant the architecure, although it's hardly fair, as the Aya Sofia predates the Blue Mosque by almost a milennia!! Although Justinian did jack their pillars from the even cooler temple at Baalbeck...grrr....

Are you Greek Orthodox or just snarky?

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Augusto86

No, Ataturk saved it from that. A good decision by the way; for all of his flaws, I rank Kemal as one of the Top 10 statesman of the previous century.

I just meant the architecure, although it's hardly fair, as the Aya Sofia predates the Blue Mosque by almost a milennia!! Although Justinian did jack their pillars from the even cooler temple at Baalbeck...grrr....

Are you Greek Orthodox or just snarky?

I'm just snarky.

 

[dkzzzz]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The St.Sophia isn't strictly a mosque so there!

It is not a mosk period. Any islamic services were stoped there long time ago.

 

[johnapril]

I thought it was an overgrown meditation hut until the guards tossed me out.