Turkish delight
| Published date | 27 March 2024 |
| Publication title | Loughborough Echo |
As you'd expect in a city that spans two continents, it's a massive, sprawling mecca of architecture, eating and other treasures - all washed down by a Turkish coffee.
It's huge, so you're going to need a little help with it...
Visit the place on all the T-shirts The Hagia Sophia dominates Istanbul. That's not surprising considering it's 180ft tall, but I don't just mean physically. The current structure was finished in 537 AD and the vast mosque is the symbol of the city - a "must-see" building when in Istanbul.
It's so important that there are various copies/homages to it across the city and some, like the Blue Mosque, are equally as impressive.
But the Hagia is the number one for a reason. You don't need tickets, just follow the queue.
Remember to take your shoes off before entering the main hall with its truly impressive dome and plentiful mosaics. Apparently it's a museum now but I didn't really see much evidence on that front.
It's all about the sheer jaw-dropping scale of the place. Once you see it, you need somewhere to reflect on it.
Eat, drink and watch the world go by There are so many restaurants in the European side of the city that even walking down an alleyway becomes akin to running the gauntlet.
There was even one man who watched us eat a full meal, only for him to jump out and offer us another one as soon as we got up.
Beer is readily available but sometimes restaurants need to bring it in from nearby bars and it's not cheap, with the average pint costing around £5. Hookah joints are common and many locals sit back with a coffee and watch the world scurry by.
Of course, the most popular meal is kebabs and kofte meatballs, with sweet, filled 'borek' pastries to finish.
Specials include testi kebab - a dish from the Cappadocia region in which meat and vegetables are cooked in a clay pot that's cracked open in front of you in a sea of fire. Perfect if you're looking for some tableside drama.
Take a cruise through history Although its importance as a trade route is now diminished somewhat, the Bosphorus is still the main artery in this part of the world.
A huge number of ships pass by under the impressive array of...
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