We don't usually go on an organised trip, but on this occasion as our friend had damaged her knee, she didn't fancy travelling around Turkey by bus, spending valuable walking energy getting to and from the bus station. We dropped by at a tourist office…Read More

We don't usually go on an organised trip, but on this occasion as our friend had damaged her knee, she didn't fancy travelling around Turkey by bus, spending valuable walking energy getting to and from the bus station.

We dropped by at a tourist office and found they were offering bus tours by Four Seasons to visit Perge, Side and Aspendos which would give a flavour of a lot of the Greek and Roman remains in the region. We are lousy at haggling so got our seats for about £40; this included entrance fees of approximately £15 and a free lunch, so I guess it wasn't too horrendous.

I'm not a good organised trip traveller as I hate being herded around and waiting for other people, so I was quite pleased that our trip was via minibus and that there were 16 passengers on board on total. The seating on the bus was a little cosy but we all managed as the longest part of the journey too just 40 minutes without a break. The bus was pretty new and felt safe and serviceable with seat belts and the like.

The tour company agreed to pick us up at our hotel, but they arrived a little late. At least they had the sense to tell our hotel who kindly brought us in from the street and told us we could have a quick breakfast while we waited.

The guide had reasonable but not excellent English which meant that the information they imparted about the various destinations was adequate but not particularly expansive. I liked that the tour company had a tour for English speakers which meant the guide didn't have to go through the same thing in three languages. On our trip there were some people using English as a second language – folks came from Dubai, Thailand, China as well as the UK and USA.

The tour overall was nicely pitched with a reasonable stop in each of the towns with the exception of Side. This trip simply took us on a 30 minute walk through the town and then 15 minutes to the rerrected temple to Apollo on the sea front only. Most of the interesting stuff in Side is dotted around the city, but we didn't have opportunity to see it on this trip.

One nice aspect was that we were not herded through the towns with a man waving an umbrella in front of us. It must be 2 decades or so since I have submitted myself to the humiliation of such a tour. In this case, the style was for the guide to offer us more of an introductory talk and then a certain amount of time to wander through it at our own pace. I found this system much preferable and it gave us some space and a little individuality. Our party were very good at being punctual and no one was late once.

Our included lunch to be fair was very good considering I was dreading it, although the charge for drinks was quite frankly ridiculous 39 lire (£15.80 for 3 glasses of orange juice and 3 coffees. I would anticipate this to be £8 or so at the very most.

To sum up, while I'm not a convert to the organised tour concept, the one offered by four seasons around Antalya was fairly relaxed and gave us some space. It was also reasonable value overall and we managed to fit quite a lot in during a one day trip.
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Istanbul is one of the world’s biggest cities but for most visitors, the things they want to see are very close together and it’s easy to forget that 13.4 million people call this city their home. It’s a big city that feels – from the…Read More

Istanbul is one of the world’s biggest cities but for most visitors, the things they want to see are very close together and it’s easy to forget that 13.4 million people call this city their home. It’s a big city that feels – from the tourist point of view – like a very manageable small town. Many people who take a holiday in Istanbul book a hotel in the Old City and spend their time within a mile or so of that hotel, rarely if ever heading away from the small peninsular that’s home to the giant attractions of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace. There’s so much to see in the old city that it’s tempting to just stay put and not explore further afield and that’s pretty much what my husband and I did on our first visit about 8 years ago. This time round we were feeling a little more adventurous and excited by a new tram system which we didn’t recall being there last time we were in the city. We also had my mother with us and she’s not so good on her feet if faced with hills. Istanbul is a city of hills and being able to hop on the tram meant we could avoid putting her through too many climbs.

Istanbul has an amazing public transport system which integrates trams, buses, underground railways and even water buses but on this visit we were mostly interested in the trams. I have a soft spot for tram travel and if I can actually work out HOW to use a tram, I will usually try to. The super-sleek Istanbul trams do look a little out of place in such an historic city but I can overlook that discordance in return for the benefits of cheap, frequent, clean travel.

The line which we used is the one which runs from Bagcilar in the west of the city to Kabatas on the European coast of the Bosphorus. Our most distant stop in one direction was Kabatas where the line ends which is handy for the inexpensive boats going out to the Princes Islands and is just a couple of minutes walk from the Dolmabahce Palace. In the other direction we went no further than the Beyazit stop which was just past our hotel and handy for the Grand Bazaar and the Suleymaniye Mosque.

The challenge which often puts people off using trams is working out how to buy a ticket. I recall in my student Inter-railing days that I went to Budapest and spent 3 days bouncing around the city on the trams without ever buying a ticket. It wasn’t that I wanted to break the law, it was simply that I couldn’t figure out HOW to buy a ticket. And since the tickets were a few pence and the fine less than two pounds, I just took my chances. These days I’m perhaps more worried about fines so we set out to find out how to work the system properly.

First the good news – tickets are a bargain at just 2 TL for each trip. With 2.8 TL to the pound that’s about 70 pence. That’s the great thing about public transport – it’s always priced to the local pocket and in a city that tends to price everything else to the tourist wallet, it’s nice to feel like you’re getting a good deal. Payment is made using ‘jetons’ – or tokens – and these can be bought from machines at each stop. The machines have instructions in several languages including English and take both coins and notes. They may take cards as well but I’m not sure so you’ll need to check. If you are entering coins, the machine assumes that you want the number of coins equivalent to the money you’ve entered whereas if you use a note, the machine will check how many jetons you want before dispensing the tokens and any change.
To get to the trams you pass through a barrier where you put in the tokens and then step onto the platform. It would be very easy to abuse the system since you could just as easily walk up the road and step onto the platform without paying but we didn’t see anyone doing this. Some stations have security but others don’t – it’s nice to see that people just behave themselves and pay. Once you have paid, there’s no ticket or anything to prove that you did.

The trams run every few minutes and I don’t think we ever waited more than 5 minutes for one to appear. They can become very crowded especially early in the morning and in the early evening so you may find yourself ‘nose-to-armpit’ with other people. There are no announcements or signs warning against pick pockets but it’s just common sense to keep a close eye (or hand) on your valuable in any crowded transportation. We also observed that on all but the most crowded of trams, men of all ages leap to their feet to offer their seats to women, again, regardless of age.

We used the trams to travel from the fish market on the waterfront in Galata, over the bridge and back up the hill and into the centre of Sultanahmet after going for a Bosphorus Cruise. The next day my husband and I went all the way to the end of the line to see the Dolmabahche palace and then took the tram all the way back to the nearest stop for the Suleymaniye Mosque. On all but one occasion we had plenty of space and I managed to get a seat. If you’ve just arrived in the city, it’s not a bad idea to hop on a tram and just see where it takes you so you can get a ‘feel’ for the place and for 2 TL it won’t break the bank. I certainly feel we were encouraged to go further by not having to walk or take our chances with a potentially expensive taxi.

It’s not all perfect though. The trams run on tracks in the street and in the Sultanahmet area the roads are not so wide. Our journey to Kabatas was delayed several times by trucks making deliveries and blocking the tracks. But on the whole, this is probably the quickest way to get around. The extent of the line is not great and it will only take you around the European side. To get to Asia you’ll need the water buses which are another bargain at just 2 TL per ride again.
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During our trip to Istanbul we had a lot of good meals but you don't always want the bother of finding a restaurant, sitting down and having a proper meal. Sometimes you just want something to 'grab and go' and my top recommendation for cheap,…Read More

During our trip to Istanbul we had a lot of good meals but you don't always want the bother of finding a restaurant, sitting down and having a proper meal. Sometimes you just want something to 'grab and go' and my top recommendation for cheap, quick, food is to head to the south western side of the Galata Bridge in Eminomu and check out the boats selling 'Fish Bread' or Balik Ekmek.

The lower level of the bridge is lined with bars and restaurants and throngs with locals, attracted to the bustle and the better prices than in the more touristic areas. We were there at about six o'clock in the evening after taking a cruise on the river and the place was very lively. On the river bank we found a set of food stalls and the 'fish boats'. Each boat is moored on the water with a land based a seating area. Food is served straight to the customer from the floating kitchen. The kitchen boats are decked out in an oriental style that seems to be at odds with both their setting and their fare.

The principle is simple. Fishermen have been landing their catch at the bridge for many years. There's a fish market to the north-east side of the bridge and on the south west rn side, some entrepreneurial fishermen decided to convert their boats, cook the fish and sell it directly to the public. You can't get fresher and you can't get a simpler choice – it's easy 'Fish Bread' or 'Balik Ekmek' – they're exactly the same thing. And a fish bread will set you back 5 Turkish Lira (currently 2.8 TL to the Pound).

It's a very simple 'dish' – well it's not a 'dish' at all, it's a sandwich wrapped in paper. The men on the kitchen boats – and they are all men – must have cast iron stomachs to stand the constant bobbing and rocking of the boats and the overwhelming smell of grilling fish. The fish is out of the water, onto the catch boat and onto the grills in the kitchen boats without any hanging around, storage, or any chance to lose any of its freshness.

The fish boats really messed up our eating plans. We'd had lunch at about 3 o'clock and were planning for dinner around 7 in the evening. The worst possible preparation for that was going to be a massive fish bread at 6 o'clock but the food smelt so good and was so cheap that we had to experiment. My sister shot off through the crowds and returned with her fish bread which comprised of a massive chunk of soft bread stick (I would say baguette style but not baguette because it's soft and has no crispy crust) with a couple of mackerel-like fillets stuffed inside with a bit of lettuce. It really was that simple. We all picked at Aileen's roll and then my husband went and got one for the two of us.

It's the kind of fish you'd not normally imagine putting in a sandwich – strong, oily fish that's almost guaranteed to repeat on you for hours afterwards. The perfect accompaniment would have been a large, cold beer but these places don't serve alcohol. You'll need to go to one of the bars on the bridge to get that. Apparently you're supposed to drink 'pickle juice' with your fish bread and that explains why there were carts selling pickles in juice beside the fish bread seating areas. My sister bought a portion not knowing what it was and thinking it might be fruit salad. It was really unpleasant. You can of course get fish bread AND beer if you eat in one of the bars but somehow that's just not right. You really SHOULD eat off the fish boats and not from a bar.

The men working in this area dress in oddly pantomime-like clothes – bright colours, lots of gold braid and crazy style. It's a place of noise, colour, strong fishy smells, smoke and high energy. Even if you don't want to eat fish bread, it's still worth a visit to see what's happening, the take photos of the Suleymaniye Mosque on the hillside, to watch the sun go down (if you get the timing right) and to have a beer with the locals. Take a walk across the bridge and have a look at the fish market on the north side and then if you're full of beer and bread and can't face the walk back to your hotel, there's a tram stop on the line that runs up the coast towards Dolmabahce Palace or up the hill back to Sultanahmet. Close

We’re acquainted with a Turkish family in the neighbourhood (in Germany) and followed the elder daughter’s way from getting to know a young man up to the wedding. It’s not enough to describe only the wedding ceremony, the steps before must also be mentioned as…Read More

We’re acquainted with a Turkish family in the neighbourhood (in Germany) and followed the elder daughter’s way from getting to know a young man up to the wedding. It’s not enough to describe only the wedding ceremony, the steps before must also be mentioned as they differ from our customs. They whole procedure lasted a bit more than a year.

The two young people, let’s call them Sema and Mustafa, are second generation immigrants, both their families come from the same small town in Anatolia and know each other well because they frequent the same mosque. Sema and Mustafa were schoolmates but had lost sight of each other. When they were 21 (she) and 22 (he) they met again and liked each other. Not even two months passed and Mustafa proposed. Many Turks marry young as for the strict ones there is no other way to go beyond holding hands.

Sema agreed and they told their parents. The six people met at Sema’s house to discuss details. There were no objections, so not long afterwards the community at the mosque was officially informed that they were engaged or rather kind of. This event can be called a pre-engagement. The Imam delivered a speech, then an uncle came with two rings connected by a red ribbon. When the rings were on Sema’s and Mustafa’s fingers, he cut the ribbon and everyone was clapping, congratulating them and taking pictures.

About two months later, the engagement was celebrated officially with about 350 guests. Not only the families and the friends from the mosque were there but more neighbours and also colleagues from work. It also took place in the community room of a mosque. The guests were dressed up, there was music, dancing and the handing over of presents. I’m going to describe this in detail when we come to the wedding ceremony because this was repeated then, only on a bigger scale.

Some months passed and then the couple went to the registrar’s office accompanied only by immediate family members. For a pious Muslim the civil ceremony means nothing. My husband wanted to say something to Sema’s father and began with the words, "Now that your daughter is married…", but was interrupted. "Sema isn’t married", there wasn’t even the word ‘yet’. Only after the Imam has given his blessings, a pious Muslim feels properly married. For Sema and Mustafa this still meant only holding hands. No living together yet in the completely furnished and equipped flat they had rented, both were still staying with their parents. I asked another Muslim woman if she considered people as properly married after going to the registrar’s office, and she said, "Of course". Bad luck for Sema and Mustafa to have such strict parents.

Interestingly, Sema doesn’t wear a headscarf although all her female relatives including her 12-year-old little sister and also the female relatives of her husband wear one. But she isn’t adverse to doing so one day, maybe when the first child is born. Mustafa would like this. We tease her, especially when she comes back from the hairdresser’s and proudly shows a new hairstyle, but we have no illusion that we can win again a whole headscarved clan.

So Sema and Mustafa were married and not married, a strange situation for non-Muslim onlookers. But the big day of the ‘real’ wedding was getting nearer and nearer and we followed the preparations in awe and disbelief. 1000 guests were invited (10 non-Turks among them), not surprising for a Turkish wedding. A cousin of Sema’s had had 1500 guests a short time before. Who were all these people? Besides the ‘usual suspects’ there were now also relatives from Turkey, relatives who have emigrated to other European countries, not only close friends and neighbours but also old schoolmates and neighbours from places where they used to live years ago. 500 guests per head, Sema told us that they couldn’t possibly invite fewer, there just were so many. As we had only 30 guests at our wedding, I was dumbfounded.

Two weeks before Day X the Henna night took place. It’s a women’s only affair. I wasn’t invited because it’s only for close relatives and friends. What happens there? Sad songs are sung, the bride weeps and then they all dance. The songs deal with departure and loss and the bride weeps because there’s no way back now, she knows that she’ll leave her parents’ house for good.

In the afternoon of the wedding party the couple was at last married Muslim style by the Imam. The ceremony took place in the living-room of Sema’s parents’ flat with only the closest family members present. The street in front of the house was full with friends all already dressed in festive clothes. A cage with two white doves was given to the couple who set them free. Then they climbed into a car and drove off with the cars of Mustafa’s friends following who were all honking like mad. The brides’ friends didn’t participate, Sema was now a member of her husband’s family. This noisy car tour through the town went on until seven o’clock when the party was due to begin.

Special halls have been built in Germany by Turks for Turks and their festivities. Unfortunately they were all full at the date Sema and Mustafa had decided on, so they moved to one of the town’s event halls which once was a hangar for helicopters. This is important to know because the doors of the building can be opened wide and so the black Hummer the couple had rented for the occasion could be driven directly into the hall. Showing off is a vital part of a Turkish wedding, it seems to me that the lower social strata are better at doing this than the middle class.

The Hummer stopped under an enormous Turkish flag friends were holding up. All the while the Turkish band which would entertain us for the rest of the evening from a stage beside the throne was creating a pandemonium of noise with shrill shawm-like wind instruments and loud drums. The couple got out, Sema in a flouncy white dress with a red sash around her hips, a tiara in her hair, a small white veil fixed to it and a larger red one covering the whole head. Mustafa lifted the red veil and kissed Sema on the forehead.

The couple danced together for a while, then Sema danced in the centre of a circle of women, Mustafa in the centre of a circle of men. After this general dancing commenced, and general means here that every possible combination of dancers could be seen. Men with women, women with women, men with men, grandmothers with grandmothers, a group of old men hand in hand, men alone, women alone, children alone, young couples with newborn babies on their arms. The last constellation makes it understandable that all Turks present could dance without ever having ‘learnt’ it, they obviously internalise the rhythm, the steps, the movement of hips and shoulders in their earliest childhood days. Without anyone announcing anything the dancers occasionally formed long lines and did round dancing, opening and closing this way and that way. It was a worthwhile spectacle but the music is an acquired taste. This was Türk müzik, gürültülü Türk müzik to be precise, loud (read: ear splitting) Turkish music. I put some tissue in my ears.

The dancing was interrupted by a dance of the couple under an umbrella from which baby clothes were hanging, later several women dancing around the bride shaking a large egg in which sweets were rattling, a meal for all the 1000 guests and the handing over of presents. First it was the turn of the closest family members, they gave the same they had already given at the engangement party, namely gold in the shape of necklaces and bracelets. When this was over a long queue formed, the guests came with banknotes in their hands. A man with a microphone asked them their names and then announced for the whole hall to hear which family had given how much! Without talking about it beforehand the non-Turkish guests had put the money they wanted to give in an envelope and handed this over to the gift collector. The evening ended with the eating of the wedding-cake.

The whole wedding party, everything included cost 10.000 Euros. How can a qualified baker (Sema) and a track worker (Mustafa) with fathers who are unskilled factory workers and mothers who’re housewives pay such an amount of money? They don’t, the guests do. We’re not so intimate that we can ask them how much money they sacked, but we know that in the case of the aforementioned cousin with 1.500 guest it was 28.000 Euros.

When we went home at midnight, we knew that the saying ‘Other countries, other customs’ is spot on.
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We’d decided to try a different route into Side and instinctively managed to find our way down to the water’s edge and a recently built promenade. Although the main promenade is mainly the territory of restaurants there are three streets leading down to the prom…Read More

We’d decided to try a different route into Side and instinctively managed to find our way down to the water’s edge and a recently built promenade.

Although the main promenade is mainly the territory of restaurants there are three streets leading down to the prom and a couple of "small boulevards" where shops prevail. It’s a relatively new development pampering to the needs of tourists, but one of the waiters told us it had much improved the waterside experience giving a regular surface under-foot and controlled lighting throughout the length of the development (we suspect a torch would have been required before this was built).

Many of the restaurants seemed to be linked with hotels and are consequently much bigger than we like, but if you want to eat internationally then this is the place to be with Italian, Mexican, Indian and Chinese restaurants all closely to hand. Of course there are smaller Turkish dining establishments (see my review on Pegasis) and the views across the bay are stunning as sun set arrives.

Walking along this esplanade is a bit like "running the gauntlet" because these restaurateurs are hungry for business and ready to pounce on you no matter what time of day. The usual procedure seems to be the act of befriending with the hope, I guess, that you feel an obligation to eat in their restaurant. Needless to say we did not succumb to their "aggressive behaviour".

I advise that you shop with caution in this area as many of the shops which we "poked our heads into" seemed to be pricier than Side Main Street. Probably because there are a number of "up-market" hotels close by and the assumption that holidaymakers in these All Inclusive hotels will spend close to their base.
I was amazed at the number of hairdressers and tattoo parlours that were in evidence and needless to say with a "designer beard" (stubble according to my wife) I was frequently approached with offers of a shave. Not something that really appeals as I can’t say I’d feel too comfortable with some-one brandishing a "cut-throat" razor near to my jugular.

There was a small "cul-de-sac" just off the main promenade that housed a number of market type shops and stalls and their prices seemed to be right when compared with Side, although they were significantly higher than the two markets that we’d visited and they were less inclined to enter into significant bartering.

Overall I’d encourage you to take a walk along this promenade that takes you close to the Roman Amphitheatre and if you keep on walking past the Pegasis Restaurant you’ll find yourself in the harbour of Side. It’s a great walk if you can manage the friendly pestering of the shops and restaurants and superb if you’re out there when the sun is beginning to set over the water. The route is "littered with" fallen Roman columns and bits of antique carved stones, and flanked in part by sections of the old Roman wall.

Fascinating and well worth the wander.
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The shops in the centre of Side are crammed into three main streets heading towards the harbour and if you give then even a cursory glance the vendors are out trying to get you into the shop. My wife finds this a little intimidating as…Read More

The shops in the centre of Side are crammed into three main streets heading towards the harbour and if you give then even a cursory glance the vendors are out trying to get you into the shop. My wife finds this a little intimidating as they don’t seem to understand the concept of "just looking", whereas I feel it’s a tad more than mildly annoying. If only they realised that many of us might actually visit their stores and make impulse purchases if they kept their heads down and smiled welcomingly at us once we’d crossed the threshold.
You’ll find all manner of shops in Side many of which you can guarantee you’ll see just around the next corner. So shops selling T-shirts, casual gents shirts, sportswear, shoes, and spices are plentiful and prices will all be about the same (depending on your bartering skills).

There are a couple of carpet shops and they are very clever at pulling you in to their shop. Mind you if you fancy a cup of refreshing apple tea or a Turkish coffee and a sit down in an air-conditioned environment then you might be tempted. We were on both occasions and I was surprised at how little pressure came from the salesman. Of course both of them tried to create an interest in a purchase of a rug but once they knew that we weren’t really interested they backed off and just had a general chat about Turkey, England and holidays. In fairness we had purchased on a previous holiday in both Turkey and India but I was a little surprised at how prices seem to have escalated over the last few years.

The other shops that are happy to talk with you are the ones selling leather jackets and coats. I was mildly interested in a leather jacket having bought one in Morocco a few years ago, so had a serious look at some of the shops. Once again I was surprised at the pricing as even after a gentle negotiation they were coming in at over £300. A bit of a jump from the £90 I paid in Morocco! Needless to say I didn’t bother and I was pleased that the salesmen were not pushy or too persistent. Although you do have to "weather the storm" when they recognise you on subsequent nights and try to entice you back into their shop.

There were spice shops in abundance. Most had very elaborate displays and no prices of the individual spices. We did like looking but always felt (rightly or wrongly) that it would be better buying in the market where the locals shop. That’s what we did, but judging by the number of spice shops in Side town many tourists must buy here.

One of the specialities of the town was, apparently, chess boards and backgammon sets. We didn’t see evidence of mass numbers of shops selling these items but the ones that did seemed to have quality produce. It was the same with items carved out of meerschaum – not mass produced and only a few specialist stalls selling the produce.

Even if you’re not buying from the shops in Side its worth strolling the streets to take in the atmosphere as there is a real bustle about the place and it is not at all intimidating.
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The port Kusadasi (pronounced Koo-she-da-see) is a fairly short drive away from the ancient Roman city of Ephesus (Eh-fe-soos) which was built and rebuilt 4 different times following the vital River front that connects to the Mediterranean Sea. The main sites of attraction are…Read More

The port Kusadasi (pronounced Koo-she-da-see) is a fairly short drive away from the ancient Roman city of Ephesus (Eh-fe-soos) which was built and rebuilt 4 different times following the vital River front that connects to the Mediterranean Sea. The main sites of attraction are the house where the Virgin Mary lived the rest of her natural life after Jesus died. This site is a very popular pilgrimage for many Christians especially Catholics. The ruins of what was left of the ancient city of Ephesus are fascinating in an archeological standpoint and a lot of the place (though in ruins) is impressive to see especially the facade of the Main Library. This is also one of the cities Mark Anthony and Cleopatra were known to have visited often.

For our tour, I chose to use Port Promotions on this destination because it was a bit cheaper and that I wanted to see if they indeed have smaller groups as oppose to the buses and buses of people from the Cruise ship. Well, it was all very easy. As my wife left the port terminal, right outside was a sign with my name on it as well as another couple who turned out to be some retired teachers from Toronto, Canada (Lou and Sharon).

Ilknur Keser (Nur for short) was our tour guide who worked for a company that hired her called Eurway. She spoke very good English as she learned English in London. I rated her one of the better guides in all my trip so I'm glad she was there. I hope Port Promotions keep using her.

The tour started us of towards the Virgin Mary’s house which was quite busy but a good experience. Many pilgrims as expected here. The remains of the Roman city of Ephesus were next and it was quite nice. Be prepared to wear comfortable shoes since you will walk through paths through the ruins itself and some of the footing can get quite tricky. Take the photo of the rebuilt façade of the Library of Ephesus which is the photo opportunity of the excursion.

Afterwards, we went up the mountain a bit to a very nice restaurant (Artemis Restaurant) for some local Turkish cuisine consisting of some kabobs of chicken and lamb, various cold side dishes and a salad along with some wine. The area reminded me much like Napa Valley in California. Our final stop was the remains of St. John’s Basilica which was destroyed by a massive Earthquake and was long forgotten.
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As I had been in Turkey for almost five months, my mother decided that it was high time she came to visit and to lavish me with own particular brand of maternal over-protection. So, as any good son would, I went to meet her at…Read More

As I had been in Turkey for almost five months, my mother decided that it was high time she came to visit and to lavish me with own particular brand of maternal over-protection. So, as any good son would, I went to meet her at the airport. There are three main options for reaching Ataturk airport from central Istanbul: Taxi, the Metro system and the Havas bus service. Each of these have their own particular advantages and disadvantages.

I will start with the most direct option, taxi. In terms of speed and cost, the benefits of taking a taxi can vary dramatically. If your flight is on a weekday during the day or the early evening, taking a cab is probably the least viable option. Firstly, the traffic in the centre of the city - particularly in areas like Taksim and Sisli - can be horrendous. This means the journey can take well over an hour and can reach upwards of 50TL. If, on the other hand, your flight is late in the evening or on a Sunday, the traffic is likely to be much less congested and the journey will be shorter and cheaper - it can be as little as 30 minutes and 30TL.

The second option is by far the most popular for those living in central Istanbul, the Havas Bus. This is a private bus service that runs from the airport to various parts of the city. There are three services to the European side and one to Asia. The most popular route is to Takism Square, which is a very reasonable 10TL. I have taken the journey on two separate occasions - neither of them peak times. At 11pm on a Sunday evening, it took 35 minutes to reach Taksim from the airport. Even at such an unsociable hour, the bus was still full to bursting with some passengers even standing in the aisle. The second occasion was to drop my mother off for her flight home on a Sunday morning. On that occasion the bus was almost empty and it took 30 minutes. On busier days, the journey can take over an hour. During the day, Havas buses run every 15 minutes. Late at night, they are every 30 minutes.

The final option for getting to the airport is to use the city's public transport system. This is the cheapest, but also by far the most long-winded option. As I had plenty of time to spare and wanted to conserve cash, I chose this option when I went to collect my mother. I work in the Sisli area of the city. From there, it cost me 6TL to reach the airport. The journey took almost two hours, much of which was spent standing. To get there, I took the subway from Sisli to Taksim, then the Funikuler - a combination of subway and ski-lift - to Kabatas. From there, I took the tramway to Zeytinburnu, before grabbing the red metro line into the airport.

The above description certainly sounds exhausting, doesn't it? It was. And, I certainly would not recommend it for its practicality. However, even though the journey by public transport is by far the longest and most drawn out, it is also hands down the most scenic. The tramway leg of the journey starts by skirting the shores of the Bosphorous before arcing round and crossing the Golden Horn via Galata Bridge. This gives a great view of both Eminonou Mosque and Galata Tower. From there it winds its way towards Sultanahmet where it provides a glimpse of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. If you have plenty of time and are looking to save some cash, it is not a bad option.Close

It was a balmy Sunday evening and I was going to the airport to pick up my mother. As I had plenty of time and was keen on saving a few lira, I decided to use the city's transit system rather than splurge on a…Read More

It was a balmy Sunday evening and I was going to the airport to pick up my mother. As I had plenty of time and was keen on saving a few lira, I decided to use the city's transit system rather than splurge on a taxi or shuttle bus. However, aside from being frugal there was another reason I opted to take the long way round. That reason was the Funikuler, one of the quirkiest forms of mass transit I have encountered on my travels.

With such a dramatic introduction, I am sure you are wondering what exactly the Funikuker is, and why was I so excited about riding it? The short and unimaginative answer to this question is that it is a short link between the Taksim metro station and Kabatas, the start of the tramway that leads to the far shore of the Golden Horn and the districts beyond. This answer, though, fails to capture the excitement, wonder and sheer novelty of the Funikuler. Instead, I would rather describe it as a trip into the abyss that comes as a regular part of the commute to or from work.

Taksim is one of Istanbul's busiest tourist and business hubs. It is also the end of the Green subway line which runs through the business districts of Sisli and Mecidekoy and out towards Levent. Kabatas, is a major ferry port for those commuting to and from the Asian side of the city and the end of the city's tramway system. Ordinarily, it would have seemed logical to have the subway and the tramway meet each other. However, this logic is undermined by the rather steep hill stretching from the banks of the Bosphorous up to Taksim. Therefore, the tramway is situated at the bottom of the hill, the subway at the top. To link these, in 2005, the government constructed the Funikuler. It is part subway, but also part ski-lift, powered by a giant winch in Taksim that drags the carriages up the hills.

From the outside, the carriages look just like those you would find on any regular subway line. However, when you step inside, you see that they are actually staggered. Each one is on three levels to ensure it can meet the angle of the track. When taking the journey from Taksim to Kabatas, I always love to take the lowest carriage and sit next to the front window. From there, I can gaze out into the blackness of the tunnel that extends below. As it sets off, a line of lights on the tunnel floor appear to boost the sci-fi theme. I may be taking a very childlike view of the whole thing, but it had the feel of being like a scene from Star Wars - which can never be a bad thing.

The Funikuler is by no means a tourist attraction in its own right, but I have traveled on very few pieces of public transport that were more interesting.

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I remember a couple of extremely hot summers spent in South Korea and China, through which the supply of air-conditioning was decidedly sparse. This was, predominantly, due to the rather frugal nature of my employers who did not want to eat into their profit margins…Read More

I remember a couple of extremely hot summers spent in South Korea and China, through which the supply of air-conditioning was decidedly sparse. This was, predominantly, due to the rather frugal nature of my employers who did not want to eat into their profit margins by having the air-con kick up their electricity bills. Moving to Turkey, I expected to encounter no such problems. After all,I was working for a major company in one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Sadly, I would be in for a shock and for plenty of sweating. Many westerners who visit Istanbul – or live there – comment that, for a city that can get so hot, the lack of ventilation and cooling is surprising and often a little unpleasant.

The Turkish reasons behind the paucity of cool air blowing over my freshly shaved head was not financial. Instead, it was motivated by health reasons. As an open-minded and well-educated individual, I can understand some of these concerns. Spending too much time in a climate controlled environment without fresh air cannot be 100% healthy. Similarly, poorly maintained air-con systems can cause bacterial problems. However, I worked in a modern office complex in the centre of Istanbul, which was well-maintained and opened out onto a very pleasant street. As a consequence, neither of the above concerns played too heavily on my mind.

Unfortunately, those concerns were not what worried my Turkish colleagues and most of Istanbul as a whole. Instead, they were concerned that air-conditioning itself was, by definition, harmful. They argued that the cold air it produces would have harmful effects on the body. I found this opinion a touch bewildering. Yet, my receptionist was able to reel of a list of ailments that were directly caused by cold air. These included: respiratory problems, muscle ache in the back, spinal pain, hot-flushes and blurred vision. This seemed a bizarre enough list. However, for good measure, she added, frozen ovaries. Whilst I – and much of medical science – did not agree with her initial list, the last one left me open-mouthed.

The consequences of Turkey's mindset on air-conditioning was that almost everyday I would arrive at the office to find it like a sauna. My first action when I arrived, before I even set down my laptop, would be to turn on the a/c. However, over the course of the day we would usually play a game of cat and mouse with the system being turned off by the Turkish staff at regular intervals and then turned back on by the English and Americans in the office who were going slightly red and sweating profusely.

The same situation is perpetuated across Istanbul. On days when the temperature is less than baking, many of the smaller cafés and restaurants in town will keep the air-con off until you specifically ask for them to turn it on. In some of the city's kebab restaurants, this can become hellish thanks to the heat generated by the ovens and the food on show. Even Cevahir – at one time the largest shopping mall in Europe – can be on the warm side on cloudy days when the management does not see the need to turn the system on.
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