My Vacation to Istanbul, Türkiye

Merhaba, Selam, Günaydın( greetings in Turkish)

I went to Istanbul Turkiye for about a week for sumer vacation!

Few words to describe Turkiye: vibrant, colorful, historic, relaxed, memorable. Turkiye really gave me Aladdin vibes and I’ll tell you why. There are a multitude of shops with TEA-SETS, the most beautiful I’d ever seen. And tea is a big deal over there! There are intricately designed CARPETS, pottery, and paintings. There are also NUMEROUS shops/markets selling different fruits, teas, coffees, spices, nuts, and Turkish delights/delicacies. I mean, cue Aladdin’s A Whole New World, because that is how I was feeling.

My family and I stayed in an airbnb near Taksim Square, a major city area, so we were surrounded by many restaurants, boutique shops, grocery shops, hotels, businesses and much more. Our Airbnb was also about a 5 minute walk from Istiklal Street: a major shopping area where there were MORE restaurants, shops, clubs, street food, historic buildings, and you name it. There were many cute side streets with hidden gems. It was so easy to get lost in all of the shops, as there were so many options. So you can definitely say, money was spent, and we got our steps in.

Me walking on Istiklal Street in the evening (you could also hear the call to prayer in the background)

The city definitely comes alive at night/ early morning. Yes, even on week days. Istiklal street is usually flooded with people. I remember looking out the window around 3 a.m. and there were people casually strolling the streets, people sitting at restaurants enjoying hookah, and people riding their mopeds. You would think it was 3 p.m. the way everyone was so relaxed and not in a hurry to go home.

Of course, when walking by the many restaurants, there are hosts waiting outside, trying to convince you to eat at their spot. I found them to be very funny, and they WILL remember you, especially if you are walking around a lot. So don’t make any false promises (HAHA), but they’re a good time. If you get the chance to support, please do, as this is how a lot of people there make their money.

Turkish people are very friendly and hospitable. We were treated very nicely EVERYWHERE we ate and shopped. The people were my favorite part of the trip. If they could speak English (which most of them did), they would make conversation with us, help us, and had this sense of humor. I just recall feeling very comfortable and welcome, while there, and that is one thing I get anxious about when going to different countries. So it was quite pleasurable to have had that experience.

What I love about eating at the restaurants is they do not rush you. They want you to relax, eat, and enjoy your time. After eating a meal, you will be offered tea and baklava: it’s customary/ how they show hospitality. I mean it doesn’t get better than that.

NOW, let’s keep it real. The people are also very clever. They want to sell in order to make their money. So if they know you’re a tourist ( I mean we were obviously tourists), they will help you with your needs, but don’t be surprised if they walk you to their shop afterwards, LOL. Because of how hilarious/welcoming the people were, we didn’t mind buying from some of their shops, but do not feel pressured to do so. As always, be mindful of people’s motives.

Another sad reality: a lot of people there are struggling. We were approached by many women, some with children, asking for money on the street. We’ve seen very little children selling water or roses just to make a couple of dollars, CHILDREN! $1 US Dollar is currently worth 47.51 Turkish Lira, so whatever they’re making, wouldn’t even be much. So we did not mind, helping some of these people out.

Turkiye is a predominantly Muslim country, so there are many mosques. The Taksim Mosque was nearest to our air bnb, so we could hear their calls to prayer on a speaker several times throughout the day, which was so cool. When traveling around Istanbul, you will see many more mosques and hear calls of prayer anywhere you go.

There are cats EVERYWHERE. I’ve never seen so many stray cats in my life. One jumped on my mom’s chair while eating at a restaurant(haha). There was one on a seat in the tram. They’re in front of stores, just chilling. You may even see them sitting at seats in restaurants (big LOL) But the people take care of them, which is really neat.