Things I will not miss about Istanbul:
The traffic! The cobblestone streets of Sultanahmet (there is definitely some sort of law that the streets of European Old Towns must be paved in cobblestones) are often so clogged with diesel-spewing cars that it’s difficult to walk. Very narrow sidewalks (if any) and pedestrians 
definitely do NOT have the right of 
way!
The hills! Our lovely hotel is at the bottom of the Sultanahmet hill and it’s a good long walk up to the main street. Have been grateful that we (a) live on a hill in Santa Fe and (b) had come from 7,000 feet to sea level. Actually, the main thing I minded about the walk was the cars (see above!).
The vendors! Until you’re ready to do some real shopping, you can’t even make eye contact with anyone, let along stop to chat. Even answering a question (or, God forbid, asking one!) is likely to lead to sitting down and having a nice cup of tea while the merchant will continue to tell you that, even though you are not in the market for a carpet, you should see because $2000 is too good a deal to pass up. And how about this one? (Actually, that was fun, and to be fair, I believe that’s how it’s done in Istanbul. Buyers pretend to be not at all interested, merchants keep going--eventually they’ll realize that no, you mean it, you have absolutely NO intention of buying a $2000 carpet.) Sometimes, though, the constant haranguing: here, look at this, come in and eat this, come into my shop, you must be from Canada!, etc.) is a bit wearing. And the sales technique seems to be to never stop talking for a second. I’m a New Yorker, the "hard sell" thing backfires with me!
The bureaucracy! We only got to see that accidentally, but during that Kafkaesque day running between FedEx and the airport, several people confided that they wanted to live elsewhere in the world because, as one man who’d lived for awhile in the UK said, "I felt so free there."
The pickpocket who stole my camera. Grrrr.
Bitch bitch bitch. Probably a bad place to start. Here’s what I WILL miss about Istanbul:
The food! The hollow fluffy bread that blows steam the first time you break it. The shepherd’s salads that we had with almost every meal: cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh parsley in pomegranate sauce, with occasional additions of walnuts, cheese, and/or onions.
The friendliness of the people! "Hard sell" notwithstanding, most people we met were lovely and friendly and helpful. The guys who ran our hotel could not have been nicer. If you go to Istanbul, we totally recommend the Basileus Hotel. Newly renovated, clean, comfortable, convenient, good value, great location (except for the death-defying street outside the door!). And staff that will help in every way they can.
The cats! Hilarious that they are everywhere. I'm reading a novel by a local writer that recounts a story about the Prophet cutting off a piece of his robe rather than disturb a sleeping kitty. Perhaps that's the source of the well-tended and well-fed cats who seem to have free reign over the city.
The antiquity! I especially enjoyed walking down any old street with people’s laundry hanging out back and kids playing nearby, and across the street is some thousand-year-old building.
The sites! Did I mention antiquity? Mind-boggling how old some of these places are. Makes most of Europe look spanky new! (More on some of those places in next post.)To see more Istanbul photos, go here:
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