General Remarks
If you are planning to visit multiple palaces in Istanbul, consider ordering an ISIC Card online for 20 USD. This card provides discounts and is valid for entry to at least two of the palaces. It is a cost-effective option and worth using whenever possible. It also proved useful in other cities that I visited on this trip, saving me at least 100 USD.
While Istanbul is generally a safe city, be aware of pickpockets. Unfortunately, I experienced this firsthand when somebody stole my watch off my wrist in a bar. Those guys are good.
Food
| Dish | Pronunciation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Baklava | bahk-lah-vah | A rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. |
| Döner | doh-nair | A type of kebab, made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, typically served in a sandwich or wrap. |
| Kebap | keh-bahp | Grilled or skewered meat, often served with vegetables and rice or bread. |
| Kokoreç | koh-koh-rech | A dish made from lamb intestines, seasoned and grilled, often served in a sandwich. |
| Lahmacun | lah-mah-jun | A thin, crispy flatbread topped with minced meat, vegetables, and herbs, often referred to as Turkish pizza. |
| Künefe | koo-neh-feh | A dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry soaked in sweet syrup and layered with cheese. |
| Midye Dolma | mid-yeh dol-mah | Stuffed mussels filled with spiced rice, pine nuts, and currants. |
| Lokum | loh-koom | Also known as Turkish delight, a confection made from starch and sugar, often flavored with rosewater or lemon. |
| Çiğ Köfte | chee kof-teh | A raw meatball dish made with bulgur, finely ground meat, and a variety of spices. |
| Pide | pee-deh | A type of flatbread, often topped with cheese, meat, or vegetables, similar to a pizza. |
| Mantı | mahn-tee | Turkish dumplings filled with spiced meat, typically served with yogurt and garlic sauce. |
| İmam Bayıldı | ee-mahm bah-yil-dee | A stuffed eggplant dish, filled with onions, garlic, and tomatoes, and cooked in olive oil. |
| Börek | boh-rek | A savory pastry made of thin layers of dough, filled with cheese, spinach, or meat. |
| İskender | is-ken-der | A dish made of thinly sliced döner meat, served over pieces of pita bread, topped with tomato sauce and yogurt. |
| Börek | boh-rek | A savory pastry made of thin layers of dough, filled with cheese, spinach, or meat. |
| Su Böreği | soo boh-reh-ee | A type of börek made with layers of dough and cheese, often boiled before baking. |
Happenings
On the plane, I was sitting in front of these three Muslim brothers from Pakistan. We were getting along quite well. They were getting hammered off some Jack Daniels that one of them brought on their carryon, and they started pouring me shots. The flight attendants were very kind and didn’t say anything. They were going to Turkey for cosmetic surgery. One of them had no teeth. It was quite harrowing. When we were deboarding, one of them started aggressively making advances toward the flight attendant and when she rejected him because he was a drunk bastard with no teeth, he called her a whore and threated to report her. I gave her the business card he had handed me earlier so that she could file a report on him with Icelandair.
I ate at a really great local dining hall where they gave me a free piece of bread because I didn’t have 3L cash.
I met a bunch of people who came to Turkey for hair and teeth surgery. Take care of your gums!
I chatted with a Russian architect living in Moscow. He had a lot to say about the Istanbul subway system.
I visited Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahce Palace. I skipped the Hagia Sophia and the Galata Tower because they seemed like money grabs. In fact, the palaces at full price would not have been worth it.
The WiFi failed during my Duke interview, so I had to scrap the Central Asia trip. I was furious.
I went on a bar crawl, and somebody stole my watch off my wrist. This nearly triggered stoploss but Sid convinced me otherwise.
I took a ferry to the Princes’ Islands. The ferry ride and the islands were very beautiful.
I met an engineering student named Kaira on a ferry to the Asian side. We met up with his friend, and they showed me a popular chain eatery where we ate İskender. Afterwards, they treated me to tea. We chatted for three hours, discussing various topics including Islam and Trumpcoin.
I didn’t have enough cash to buy çiğ köfte after I already ordered it. The vendor accepted what I had (10% of the price) and gave it to me anyway.
While checking into my hotel, I had to wait outside because the check-in was delayed. A nice Kurdish man running the hotel next door let me sit in the lobby and use the WiFi. He claimed not to own the hotel but kept talking like he did. He was previously an English teacher and spoke five languages (English, Spanish, Kurdish, Russian, Turkish).