Turkey: Prelude

It’s like a dream.

Among a thousand footsteps. By the Bhosphorus. Byzantium. Constantinople. Romans. Ottomans. Sea as clear as sky; bluest of them all. Caves to live, Căy to sip, Simit to have. Red fez bent in prayer. The blue mosque.

Tracing along where Europe meets Asia. East meets West. Old meets new.

I am off to Turkey.

Whetting the appetite

Top 5 I plan to do in Istanbul

Eat (On top of my list, and why not?)
- Turkish coffee/ çay (tea): Me the caffeine addict
- Asure: Central sweetmeat in The Bastard of Istanbul
- Raki: Turkey's national drink, obviously I should try it
- Baklava: Don’t you know why?
- Turkish delight (Lokum): It’s called the ‘Turkish Viagra’ wink ;)

Do
- Taksim and Isitklal Street: The party and food scene
- Boat cruise on the Bosphorus: Ah! romance
- Hamam: Public bath, who would have thought?
- Biking in Prince’s island
- The Grand Bazaar: Shopping orgy happening

See
- Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace: Best skyline on earth
- Cisterns
- Whirling Dervishes: Ever since Jodha Akbar and Monsier Ibrahim
- Ottoman style houses
- Galata Bridge: It's apparently in the top 10 most beautiful bridges (There is a top 10 for everything!)

What I have read as part of my Istanbul prep: The Lonely Planet, My name is Red, The Bastard of Istanbul, Birds without Wings. What I dearly want to read, but am finding hard to lay my hands on is Portrait of a Turkish Family. Maybe I shall buy it in Turkey.

Countdown to Turkey

It is a countdown to my Turkey trip.

I have not read a guide book yet. It’s just the internet. So, roughly here is my plan.
20-22nd in Ephesus/ Selçuk/ Pamukkale/ Sirince
23rd-24th in Ürgüp/ Cappadocia
25th-28th in Istanbul

Of course, being me, I have added a lot more detail to each day and activity.

Turkey must be the epitome of East meets West – and that really excites me. How much Europeanism is really in them? Are women even a bit liberalized? Are there cobbled streets and lamp posts? And then the glorious food, shopping, hamams, dervishes.

I wonder, is it unsafe for women travelers? Being a Muslim country and all. That worries me a bit. Also, the weather, which in March is said to have a mind of it own – sometimes rainy, sometimes sunny, always cloudy.

Visas are being done. So, fingers crossed still. Till then lists being made.