FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ISTANBUL

Hey everyone! This year I had to opportunity to enjoy an Erasmus scholarship in Birmingham (UK). It was an amazing experience but I'm not just writing this post to talk to you about this British city, but about Istanbul (Turkey). I was able to visit this historical city that I was interested in for years, and I would love to be able to share my first impressions of my trip with you.

Istanbul seemed to be a city which combines the crazy street chaos with some sort of order that only they know how to demonstrate. From the first minute that I found myself on the streets of this Turkish city, what I first recognised was the sensation of movement. The movements were fleeting as there were people walking everywhere at all times, and many others who were trying to sell you anything. Whatever shop I looked in seemed endless, and every seller assured me that I would find whatever I was looking for right there. It's incredible, honestly.

It had only been a few hours since my arrival in Istanbul, and my first impressions were very diverse. On one hand, it's a very lively city with people at every corner. There are thousands of activities developing all around you all at once. On the other hand, it's a city that leaves your mind completely blank when you think about the sudden chaos that you find yourself in, in front of an absolutely radiant mosque that will leave you speechless. In just one second you're in amongst buses and suddenly out of thin air, this appears:

Incredible, no? Istanbul hides both beauty and peace in amongst its chaos. The contrast is truly striking and awesome.

Now we'll go onto the topic of local people and the doubts and prejudices that we all have about cultural matters like how they dress in Istanbul. Or, how to behave ourselves in a place that has such a prevalent Muslim country. Well... I have to say when it comes to being a woman, as I am, there aren't restrictions in terms of how to dress in general. Apart from when you go inside the mosques as in there it's necessary to cover up. I'll show you some photos below, both of how I dressed in the mosques and normally. Also you can see how the local people dress, so you can see the comparison:

Here I am inside a mosque. I had to wear a special type of skirt and shawl.

That same day I walked through the streets dressed like this and no one blinked an eye at me.

If you look at the women's shorts (we were there in June and it was really hot), they're not the most typical thing you'll see. In fact, I would advice that you wear long trousers. In general, the Turks are tolerant people and I started to see girls in mini skirts or crop tops. No-one will say anything if you dress like that but... You can spare yourself indiscreet glances (and sometimes they can be a little bit uncomfortable) if you always cover your legs.

The culture in general is a lot more open than I expected it to be and I was delighted with the way the locals treated me. The majority of people were very friendly. As a conclusion, I would say that Istanbul welcomes you pretty well from the minute that you arrive. You just have to adapt a little bit to a new culture. But in general, my first impressions were quite positive.

Now, we'll move on to the second part of today's blog: what my visit to Istanbul consisted of.

1. The city: where to buy

Istanbul is a city where shopping seems to be a lifestyle. The vendors' capacity to negotiate is incredible.It's actually funny as they're trying to sell you something non-stop the whole time, shop after shop. After a day of shopping you'll end up being ridiculously tired, but with the feeling that you will have seen more things than you would have ever seen in your entire life so far. The best place to go shopping in Istanbul and an unmissable stop is:

The Grand Bazaar

It's a market-style place, enormous, huge. Inside it you can easily get lost as its aisles are innumerable and they all look the same. What makes them all look so similar is that there isn't any space between each stand, and there's no difference between each one either. It's a beautiful chaos. This is the entrance:

In the Gran Bazaar they sell everything; from lamps, Watches, Carpets, jewellery, even hookah pipes, clothes, and well... All types of accessories. But the Gran Bazaar doesn't only attract attention because of its countless shops. Its architecture and decoration is marvellous. Additionally, inside the building there are some cafes where you can stop and relax between shops. You can buy a very tasty tea or smoke a hookah pipe calmly. I'll leave you with some photos so that you can appreciate them yourselves:

As if all of this wasn't sufficient enough, around the market are hundreds of streets filled with even more shops that run into the bazaar where you can find all types of local food.

Delicacies. Turkish delicacies. There's no better way to say it. Personally, I was mesmerised by a specific kind of succulent and sugary nut.

As a reflection after my days of shopping, I would advise you to haggle. Haggle a lot because it really does lower the price of things in the majority of places. When it comes to shopping, there is also a city centre full of shops. But personally, I consider shopping in the Gran Bazaar and the surrounding streets to be the most beneficial. This is because they have the lowest prices and you can find more unique things.

2. Budget: money spent on the trip

Travelling to Istanbul isn't expensive because of the change in currency. In my case, from euros to lira (official Turkish currency), it was the Europeans who win in the face of this change. As it's approximately around 100 Turkish lira to around €40 (rates included). So, in this case, if you're students (like me) it's a very, very interesting destination. Eating was amazing because we allowed ourselves to go to more gourmet places than we would have normally gone to in any other location (even in Spain).

I hope that this post has served you well, and above all, that you've enjoyed it. Thanks so much for reading.

Speak soon,

Elena.

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