Turkey. Istanbul
Our introduction to Turkey began with its unofficial capital... Using couchsurfing, we stayed for three nights in the European part of the city, in its most religious district - Eyüp. Over three days, we visited four mosques, sampled sweets at the Egyptian Market, took a boat ride on the Bosphorus, tried the famous fish sandwich from the floating boats, visited Taksim Square, and enjoyed Turkish tea in a nice atmosphere on the Asian side of the city...
Since our home was in the Eyüp district, our introduction to the Muslim spirit of Turkey began with the main mosque of this area...
Before entering the mosque, devout Muslims wash their feet, hands, face, and beards...
Inside, it is very peaceful... The sense of tranquility is especially present in such mosques far from tourist spots...
Muslims are very friendly and sincere people... Upon exiting the mosque, a Muslim woman and a boy were handing out simits - traditional sesame-covered buns...
We continued our walk through the colorful streets towards the central part of the city, which was 7 kilometers from our home...
Essentially, all mosques are very similar to each other, differing only in the atmosphere created by the people...
From the Suleymaniye Mosque, there is a very beautiful view of the Bosphorus and other parts of the vast city...
Reaching the Egyptian Market, we didn't miss the opportunity to stroll along the rows of sweets and sample some Eastern treats... Some vendors, seeing the ukulele in my backpack, asked me to play something... So, once I gave a small performance for the local audience...
To take good photos of Istanbul's most popular mosques - Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, we climbed to the rooftop of the "Seven Hills" restaurant...
Well, it’s still just as beautiful, similar, and very crowded... More of a tourist place than a spiritual one...
During the day, we visited three mosques, the Egyptian Market, where we replenished our energy with sweets, and slowly returned home, where our very cool host - Haldun - was waiting for us...
Following the usual routine... Arrived, washed, entered...
In this mosque, we were most impressed by the carpet that covered the floor... It was incredibly pleasant to sit on... In every mosque, we would sit for a while...
Walking from Taksim Square, along the wide main street, past numerous shops and restaurants, we reached the district's main attraction - the Galata Tower...
Returning across the bridge to the European part, we went to the Eminönü pier to try the fried fish sandwiches from the floating boats...
They put a half-fried fillet of mackerel with vegetables in a bun, and this "dish" is called Balik Ekmek in Turkish...
We spent our last day in Istanbul just as leisurely as the previous ones... We had a night flight to Antalya, so we left our "Turkish home" after lunch... The main plan for the day was to take a boat ride along the Bosphorus. Reaching the pier in the Eminönü district, we bought tickets for a Bosphorus tour...
Returning to the pier from the strait tour, we boarded a boat that was not for tourists, but used as public transport... We left the European part heading towards the Asian side...
The Asian side is more vibrant, with many pubs and an unusual alcohol culture for a Muslim country... We fully experienced Turkish hospitality... In one café, we were treated to tea and fed with buns, even though we just wanted to use the Wi-Fi...
This is a simple sketch of our visit to Istanbul... Everyone has their own experience... The more open and straightforward you are, the more open and straightforward people will be with you... It turns out that drinking tea and tasting pastries in a simple and warm atmosphere is the most memorable... You can buy delicious food and a nice interior, but the atmosphere in which we live cannot be bought; it depends only on us...
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