Istanbul is called Constantinople in World History textbooks. The City has one of the most storied history over the past two thousand years. After reading the book on Istanbul: Memories and the City, I have hoped to visit the City one day. Yet, if someone said a few months ago that I would visit the City this year, I knew it would not happen. In May, I read Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World. Then I had one of my best times with my daughter in Istanbul.
My daughter just finished the third year in college, in a college town four and a half hours of direct flight from home. She decided to spend 2 weeks in Istanbul before her internship and I piggybacked her for a week.
There are quite a few things that reflect our different stages in life. I stayed in a 5-star hotel at over $100 per night, and she had an airbnb at less than $20 a night. I had little vacation days as an employee and with a husband and a son at home, I travelled for a week; she had more time in her summer months, and could stay double the time. I had my T-shirts and comfortable walking shoes, she had her blouse, skirts and high heel shoes. We made an interesting pair of Asians travelling in the City. Whenever we went, we attracted long stares and sometimes I “stared back the stare”.
Our Istanbul footprints saved on Google Map
Arriving at the City, I had my first of three experiences of crook taxi drivers. After I got home, I filed a formal complaint to one of the three taxi drivers. I am not keen to extend those bad memories but keen to share the lesson “DO NOT take taxi in Istanbul, take the public transportation”. Fortunately, that has been the only bad experience with the City.
Istanbul is one of the largest cities with over 14 millions people. We had jet lag and we went out on our first evening, and the city was so alive with so many people and traffic till midnight hours. In spite of the population and lots of dogs/cats, the City is very clean and relatively quiet. People do not talk to each other much in metro, in buses or on the street. People also do not look down on their cell phones as much as in Hong Kong. There are Ezan a few times a day, and their calling for worship, sung in a foreign language, has a surprising calming effect, and I respect that the locals are being reminded on important things.
The Mosque, the Palace and the waterfronts make Istanbul one of the most beautiful cities. The Blue Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Fatih Mosque are among the famous ones and we visited all of them. I remember Blue Mosque with the six Minarets, the Suleymaniye Mosque with the achievement and the romance of the Sultan, the Fatih Mosque with its being in the middle of busy markets. We visited the world famous Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace; and the Park was so full of tourists. Palaces and Museums are not always my things, they are filled with so many things on so many acres, it is hard to not remember them without also feeling a bit tired. Physical and mental fitness are prerequisites to thoroughly enjoy those places. The City is full of lovely waterfronts – the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We took ferry up the Bosphorus on a rainy day, we took ferry to go between Asia and Europe on a cloudy day, and we took ferry to experience the sea of Marmara on a sunny day. As the ferries left the piers, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Palaces impressed us again and again. It was just beautiful and I could enjoy them every single day. We did not get the perfect timing nor weather to catch a sunset over the beautiful coastline on a ferry from Asia to Europe, that could be a wonder by itself but I can live with that small imperfection.
The Turkish Bath, aka Hamam, has been an amazing experience. There was that bit of vulnerability to be bathed and scrubbed in a foreign country speaking a foreign language. I felt so clean, so relaxed, so rejuvenated and so refreshed after. It is no exaggeration that the body is never the same again.
We both like to experience a city beyond the tourist areas. We walked on alleys, we wandered in some local neighborhood for hours, and sat in cafes for hours. We had the joy of drinking Turkish coffee and tea together; and made impulsive decisions on what to do or where to eat. I remember these hours of wander, and sitting around with time on our side, very fondly.
I paid literally seven times more a day for the hotel stay than the airbnb my daughter stayed. We got the most out of the money. First, I got upgraded to an executive suite which gave me a nice sea view, a spacious living room in addition to the comfortable bedroom and the beautiful bathroom. We had free breakfast every morning together and we enjoyed free refreshment in the evening as our dinner. The health spa is so full of beautiful and new amenities, among them, is one of the most beautiful hotel indoor pool. It is among the best hotel experiences and we had such a delightful stay [ more in my tripadvisor review ]
Few things in life can exceed the joy of a mother-daughter travel, especially after the kids grow up and have their own life. If there is one thing to remember, I treasure our time together as travel companions in a new City of its own language, history and culture. I hope more women can experience that joy of reconnection and the luxury of quality time with each other.
Itinerary that does not tell the whole story:
| 5/3 | Arrived |
| 5/4 | Fatih, Balat, Fener |
| 5/5 | Sultanahmet |
| 5/6 | Beyoglu |
| 5/7 | Bosphorus Boat Cruise |
| 5/8 | Kadikoy – Asia |
| 5/9 | Prince Islands |
| 5/10 | Depart |
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[…] rich history including the Byzantines era and the Ottoman Era, has been underappreciated . I spent a week in Istanbul a few years ago and like the city a lot. I could take the ferry round, crossing Asia and Europe, […]