wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[lobelia321]

We are going on holiday to Turkey in two weeks. We'll be c.1 week in Istanbul and 1 week elsewhere (seaside).

Does anyone on my wise and wonderful flist have ideas where to go on the coast? What to do? We'd love a combination of swimming and lying around (just me; t'family is bored by the activity of 'lying around') and looking at architecture/art (t'h and me) and outdoor activities (t'boys).

And if you know an apartment to rent in Istanbul for 4 or 8, all the better... *g*

Thank you!

Comments

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

istanbul!!! have you been before?

:D

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Never! Have you?

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

yup!

you must go here and sample the delicious desserts, esp. the keshkul, omg:
http://saraymuhallebicisi.com/english/

you must also...

- climb galata tower (scary narrow platform, great views)
- see the whirling dervishes at melevi monastery
- go to the basilica cistern
- go to kariye muzesi (the most beautiful mosaics, you will go mad for these)
- give the grand bazaar a miss (rubbish tourist trap) and go to the spice bazaar instead
- eat a hot fish sandwich by the waterfront
- buy umpteen paper bagfuls of the most glorious figs and peaches
- take the ferry over to the “asian” side, preferably as the sun is setting.

and then there's the obvious (but still cool) stuff like hagia sophia and the palace and the blue mosque and whatnot.

i loved it, it’s sufficiently alien to be exciting, but without being too much like hard work. birdboy got hassled, but i was totally incognito in a headscarf :D

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Birdboy got hassled??? Why?

So would you recommend me taking a scarf of some sort to cover up? What type? A shawl-like thing? Or a silky thing? And how did you wear yours? And should I take tank tops or is this too revealing, ditto shorts?

I am very excited about the Kariye Cami because I did Christian Archaeology at uni in Heidelberg and this was one of the key monuments we studied.

Thanks for all these tips, esp. re tourist trap bazaar!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

P.S. Should I pack a swimming costume?

wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

you *definitely* need a scarf. you will feel more comfortable with your shoulders covered. i took a big silky thing that i wore muslim-style in the mosques (just because i'd been shown how to drape and pin it by some muslim girls i'd been working with), but you just have to cover your head, really.

birdboy got hassled with offers of taxis/drugs/tourist tat.

can't answer the qu about the cozzy. take it anyway?

have a super time!

wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

i didn't wear shorts, no. maybe you will see other tourists in shorts but i didn't - i wouldn't - wear them in istanbul. i mainly wore linen pants with tunic dresses, what i'd wear in india (ie. conservative). note that the area near the kariye feels more muslim than the main tourist drag.

Re: wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I happen to have purchased two linen trousers recently, anyway, but own no tunic dresses... If I wear T-shirts/tank tops plus a long-sleeved blouse/jacket/shawl, would that work? Or would I feel uncomfortable in anything body-fitting?

Re: wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

you're probably there now...obviously there will be loads of western tourists with little mind to who they might be offending, so i'd say just keep it loose and shoulders/chest/legs covered. i'm maybe over-sensitive to cultural sensibilities from going round india, which is waaay more conservative, and where you're way more likely to get hassle for Doing It Wrong.

i could show you how i was shown to pin a scarf, but not describe it :P there are different ways. you can just use regular pins, or pearl-headed ones.

hope you're having a nice time. :D i'm jealous, i'd love to go there again.

Re: wise flist: where to go in turkey?

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

How do you drape the shawl?? Is there a website with a diagram? A youtube clip? What pin did you use?

Gosh, I grew up in a Muslim country but life was secular in the sixties!

[vasiliki.livejournal.com]

Wherever you go on the Asia Minor coast, there are many interesting Greek temples and antiquities - visiting them should satisfy the entire family (parents learn; boys explore and run around).

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Sounds great.