We have just wrapped up almost a full week in Istanbul — we stayed longer than expected, partially because we enjoyed the city so much. A few of the most memorable moments:
Hosts. We stayed with two different hosts in Istanbul: a couple from the U.S., Dawn and Heesoo, and a cyclist from Istanbul, Kemal. Both were fantastic, and allowed us many days to get our bearing (and lent us their metro cards). Dawn and Heesoo told us what it’s like to be an American living in Istanbul, and Kemal helped us with our Turkish and played folk music for us.
City Layout. Istanbul is partially in Europe and partially in Asia, separated by the Bosphorus, a waterway connecting the Black Sea and Mediterranean. The city’s center is on the European side, including the old city, but we did cross over to Asia to visit a bike shop and the Turkish Water Institute. Also, Istanbul is huge: more than 15 million people live here.
Traffic (on streets and sidewalks). There is a lot of it. And right of way is determined by whoever gets in front first. We are getting better at this, both on the road with our bikes, and on the sidewalk.
Our Turkish. It is improving. We can now count to five, say hello, thank you, how much, and a few other necessities. It is challenging, though, when something costs six Turkish Lira, and we’re still struggling to hear the difference between o and รถ.
Turkish Water Institute. We visited the Turkish Water Institute, a government-sponsored think tank, and interviewed a few of their employees and their president. Stay tuned for a blog entry on Turkey’s water situation!
Energy in Turkey. We also visited the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, where we talked with someone who is promoting investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. More soon on Turkey’s energy situation (short story: the economy is growing quickly, and so is demand for energy).
History. Istanbul was the capital of two empires — the Byzantine and the Ottoman — and we see why both empires chose this spot. Istanbul sits on a hill (technically, 7 hills – what is it with great cities being on 7 hills?), almost entirely surrounded by water, overlooking the narrow strait that connects the Black Sea and Mediterranean. In our week, we found some time to be tourists: We biked by city walls more than a millennium old, visited the palace of Sultans, took a cruise on the Bosphorous, and walked inside Aya Sophia, which was the world’s largest church for nearly a thousand years, and was then converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered the city.
Protests. See the next blog entry… or look at the photos in the previous.
What’s Next. We are now biking to Ankara. We’ll probably be offline much of the next week!
Good times!