January 12, 2014
For 91 Days we lived in one of the world’s greatest cities, Istanbul. There is no way to learn everything about this city in just three months, but it sure was fun to try. Fascinating history, delicious food, boisterous markets, world-class museums, and some of the most friendly people we’ve ever met, made our Istanbul experience an unforgettable one. Hopefully our experiences can help enrich your own. Start at the beginning of our adventures, visit our comprehensive index to find something specific, or choose one of the articles selected at random, below:
One of the world’s most historic and fascinating cities, Istanbul was our home for three incredible months. We explored the city’s museums, neighborhoods, markets, and were introduced to a lot of wonderful culture, food and interesting history. Perhaps the world’s most diverse metropolis, Istanbul has it all, and we made a concentrated effort to see as much as possible.
Istanbul is most famous for ancient mosques and a starring role in world history, but there’s another side to it. One that most tourists never bother to see. It wasn’t until our last couple weeks in the city that we ventured into modern Istanbul. On the outskirts of the city center, new skyscrapers are springing up like weeds, and the focus is squarely on business.
Art can be found everywhere on the streets of Istanbul. I’m not just talking about graffiti, although there is a lot of that, but the art of architecture, movement, and humanity. Everyday scenes of the city, framed by a minaret or the Bosphorus, changed by the play of shadows, or lightened with a bit of urban humor. Istanbul can be both strikingly beautiful and thought-provoking, simultaneously… just like any great piece of art.
Stretching for six kilometers from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn, the Land Walls of Theodosius II protected Constantinople from invaders for over a thousand years… until the arrival of the Ottomans and their giant cannons in 1453. The walls have survived largely intact to the present day, and walking along them is an exciting way to see a different side of Istanbul.
Favored by the kings, statesmen and spies of Europe’s tumultuous 20th century, the Orient Express is almost definitely the most famous line in the history of trains. It linked the capitals of Western Europe to the Ottoman Empire, with a terminal stop in Istanbul’s magnificent Sirkeci Station.
Marbling, or ebru, is one of the most popular forms of Turkish art. We decided to introduce ourselves to the technique, and joined a workshop offered by Les Arts Turcs in Sultanahmet. By the end of the entertaining session, we had managed to create a few minor masterpieces.
They’re side-by-side on the European shore of the Bosphorus Strait, but the towns of Arnavutköy and Bebek couldn’t be further apart in spirit. One we loved, but the other we couldn’t get away from soon enough.
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