Return to Istanbul: The City of Everything

This post will not be long enough. Not because I don't have enough to talk about, but because this city is, in every way, too expansive to describe in a single blog post. Istanbul is a city unlike any other; a truly unique crossroads of cultures which straddles two continents and draws from histories of empire and conquest, blended with surprisingly stout progressive ideals which seem to crop up where one least expects. It is a kaleidoscope of seeming contradictions which almost miraculously create a harmonious whole.

The first time I came to Istanbul, I found it all very...well, foreign. I had not travelled abroad much before, aside from my doleful romance of a year in Japan as an undergraduate. Throwing caution to the wind as the COVID pandemic yet persisted, I made my way to Turkey to see my girlfriend. I would have told you after the first trip that I liked Istanbul, but the truth is that I was yet uninitiated. And who can blame me. A week or so in a city like this is just enough to discover the cover art of this story.

That's why I chose to talk about returning for this post. I believe one trip to Istanbul, whether good or bad, will only give you a small sampling of what this city has to offer. Come back a second time, and you will have some idea of the things you want to see more of - be it food or history or religion. Take that second trip and you will find that whatever path you choose, it's seemingly endless as well.

It goes without saying that in a city of 10 million people you can party all night if you wish. But what is more remarkable is that you can also find places of solace within the hustle and bustle. Sparsely populated city parks and counterintuitively spacious cafes abound, providing easy retreats from the chaos. And if city chaos is what you crave, they have that in spades too.

It might sound like this city is having an identity crisis, but I assure you that is not the case. It is cosmopolitan, but undeniably Turkish. Tea flows more often than water, and doner kebabs are on every menu. There are revered photographs of Ataturk - Turkey's founder - over nearly every business establishment's front desk. On your first trip, this might irk you like it did me; why can't I find more non-Turkish food? Why isn't there more variety in the grocery stores?

But on your second trip you might also begin to see that this faithful adherence to Turkish norms is a boon and not a detriment. It is, after all, the reason that even Starbucks in Turkey has a multitude of delicious pastries to choose from that would put an American branch to shame with their brownies and cake pops. Bread/pastries are essential for the Turk's development and wellbeing, so bakeries stay open at night and this emphasis on bread affects even the American brands there.

Sure, you can find them in Istanbul. But you might be better served looking for the things you can't find elsewhere. Find yourself, or get lost. Be swept out to sea and find yourself hiking a mountain top to an ancient church like I did in Istanbul's Princess Islands. Or sit and percolate at trendy coffee shops and watch the world from your own. Either way it won't be long before the thin handleless teacups which should be Turkey's national symbol find their way into your vision in a circle of comrades on the side of every road, or another "hos geldiniz" from a too-dapper store owner shakes your mind back to reality. This is Istanbul. This city is its own, but it has a great many friends and lovers of which you might also join the number.

And that is really, actually, just the beginning of the beginning.