Fatih is both the tourist center and tons live there, so it’s not surprising if it’s busy 24/7.
Fatih district, along with Esenyurt, were the 2 districts they first banned for foreign residency applications because they were getting too overcrowded.
Street view from a nearby pidecisi
But the pide was worth it
50 tl incl coke. Gave them a bit extra. Feel bad that they’re smothered by these stores that open directly in front of them.
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Despite what might sound like minor complaining, my overall impression of Istanbul is pretty good. Most of the gripes are really just me being out of my comfort zone travel wise for the first time in a while. Walking through the streets of Fatih kinda harkens back to me making my way through some streets in China where gas mopeds and massive amounts of people share what is not supposed to be a road with each other. Being put in that head space has definitely changed my behavior when working my way through crowds and around traffic.
I have also found most people to be quite cordial and friendly. I went to grab some toiletries at a nearby convenience store and a father was having his teenage son ringing up the items. He starts to say the total in Turkish before his father says something to him. His son then says the number in English. I offer a fist bump and say a few words about my time in Istanbul so far to his dad.
It’s been one day and somebody at a convenience store said something nice to me. I’ve been in Prague for almost 3 years and cashiers have said nothing more than dobry den and na shledanou in that time.
As for the cracks about the population, this is what I was referring to:
The street next to the pidecisi I ate at
The street my flat is on
For all I know, I accidentally flipped them. I honestly can’t tell the difference between most side streets in my neighborhood. Praise Allah for Google Maps!
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I looked this up because I hadn’t heard about the Mediterranean being so salty, and I was skepitcal, given that ocean water can flow right into it.
Grams salt per kg water, Pacific or any other ocean: 36
Mediterranean sea: 38
Great Salt Lake: 142
Dead Sea: 337
It may be the saltiest body of water that ocean water can flow into, but it’s not the least bit surprising you can’t tell the difference.
Incredibly, Orbitz called me a few hours before their 48 hours was up and have booked us on a new flight from Geneva to London. Still British Airways so I’m bracing myself for more issues at some point, but crisis at least temporarily averted.
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So, uh, if you’re ever in South Africa and get your shitty economy vehicle stuck in sand while going birding in a remote area, Down South Towing is fantastic! So a friend tells me…
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If you’re in Europe, kebab is basically the same everywhere you go. That led me to believe that Turkey, the originator of the dish, would be exactly the same in this area.
Except it’s not at all. Been to two kebab places comparing it here to Europe is like comparing a hero sandwich to Subway. The ingredients as a whole here are just better. In Europe, I see the meat glistening with grease from a distance as a guy shaves it like he’s giving a buzz cut. Here, that’s not the case.
In Europe, it absolutely is. And no doubt some sandwich artist wannabe takes your doner kebab and double fists some cheap ass lettuce on top of the meat that’s already soaking through and pours on the mystery red sauce that you can only describe as vaguely spicy.
Here, no sauce. The flavor of the meat shines through. The sandwiches tend to be smaller but are made of better ingredients. There are fewer vegetables (the norm is tomato and peppers) but are crisp and fresh.
Paid 40 TL for mine (less than $2.50). Honestly, I feel so bad given how fucked the economy is here that I’ve been tipping with a more American approach. Every time I talk to someone here, the inflation rate is up another 50%. The official number is about 80% but I’ve heard the unofficial number is as high as 1000% (“Bottled water was 0.5 TL and now it’s 5. So 1000%” were his words).
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I keep seeing this but it’s not really what happens most of the time in practice. Usually if points are offered, it’s in addition to rebooking the passenger on another flight, not as a reimbursement for a cancelled itinerary. Airlines definitely WILL try to get you to accept a credit instead of a refund IF you don’t want to be rebooked, but I’ve never seen them offer just some handful of points to completely resolve a cancelled flight.
ETA: this is just my experience with the US majors, I don’t know if spirit or frontier or whatever try shady shit like this
I recently had Breeze cancel a flight and the email said “click to rebook,” with no refund option. Had to do some digging to figure out how to request a refund. A little sleazy but they did ultimately pay.
Not all kebabs are alike. This is iskender kebab. Lamb on top of pita bread covered in tomato sauce, lamb butter with yogurt and vegetables (as always tomato and hot pepper) on the side. It was originally invented in Bursa (3 hours south of Istanbul) but this place serves this dish and only this dish. They’re damn good at it. Touristy prices but I think it’s worth it
And when you’re ignorant enough to think that beer is haram, you find out that not only does Istanbul have its fair share of bars but even its own brewery!
They call this pilsner though. As a resident of Czech Republic, I call bulllllshit!
It’s appropriate for a hot summer day. Not if you want to really taste your beer.
Note: Trying to upload pic but can’t for some reason
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Iskendar kabob is my favorite. Please keep posting pics.
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I ordered this by accident once at a Turkish restaurant. Might not have been my favorite kabob but it was still damn good.
One thing Turkey also crushes it in is ice cream. I didn’t have a picture because I ate it pretty quick but here’s an Insider video on it if you’re curious.
It is notoriously resistant to melting but contrary to belief it does indeed melt. Just very slowly. I recommend getting any fruit flavor of it because it really stands out. It’s obviously sugary but the fruit is legit.
I was on my way home past midnight and noticed some bakeries were still open. So I grabbed a cake as I walked back to my AirBnB. Got jossled a bit in the box but I took a tiny bite and damn is it good!
Why do so many Turkish people open kebap shops when they make cakes this good?
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Did you find this guy?
No.
What about just getting a big memory foam pad for your seat, backrest and neck? Is that enough to make economy survivable for someone average height? I packed that stuff last time but ended up giving it to the kid while i suffered in agony. when i was younger, i could do 24 hour flights standing on my head with no issue.
Today is a national holiday in Turkey (and other Islamic countries) called Eid al-Adha. Lots of places are closed such as the museums I planned to go to today. It celebrates the story of Ibrahim being willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael in submission to Allah’s command (Christians: Think Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Same exact story). Of course, he didn’t and he provided him with a lamb to slaughter instead. A way this holiday is celebrated is through animal sacrifice.
I saw this in action today. It was done in some garage-like area with a crowd of 2 dozen men looking on. Felt bad for the 4 cows awaiting their fate because it was pretty awful to watch. Not that the cows would know because for a slaughter to be halal, living animals are not allowed to watch the slaughtering of other animals. So, they are isolated from the butchering room. Wouldn’t want to psychologically traumatize animals before killing them I guess.
Naively, I was expecting a stone table, a long prayer ritual or something like that. You know, some kind of flair or pageantry. But nope. Just some butchers killing cows in a garage while people look on.
As for what happens to the meat? One third is kept and consumed by the family. A third is given to relatives and friends while the remainder is given to the poor and needy in the area. So at least the needy are getting a bit of a feast.
I have not flown internationally since I was 10. How early am I supposed to go to the airport? And we’re talking LAX here.