What I Talk about When I Talk about Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the great cities of the world, no doubt about it.  I was awestruck by the city’s beauty from the moment the plane made its initial approach to Ataturk Airport.  It was dusk, and the last remnants of the sun were flickering across the Bosphorus, as well as casting shadows of the great mosques all over the city.  Aside from its breathtaking beauty, it had easily navigable public transportation, and the people were all incredibly friendly.  But since returning from that trip and starting this blog, I have not felt extremely compelled to write about my time there.  I have sat down time and time again to try and write a story about my experiences in Istanbul, but have been left bereft of words.

While Istanbul was breathtaking, and I relished being surrounded by all of the history of the place, I was not particularly inspired by it.

The same could be said for my time in a number of great cities around the world.  I lived in Kyoto for over a year, but never fell in love with the place.  When I visited Rome, I had itchy feet the entire time, anxious to return to a less touristed place.

I think it would be too easy to say that I wasn’t smitten with Istanbul because of the tourists – though, to be sure, there were hordes of tourists there.  We visited in December, low season for tourism in the Mediterranean, and were still overwhelmed by the throngs of people nearly everywhere we went.  But that said, we did our best to hit the lesser traveled parts of the city.  And there were parts I liked – the Greek Quarter, on the southern side of the Golden Horn before reaching Eminönü, was particularly nice, and I am pretty sure I could live in Ortaköy.  But none of them struck that chord in my heart to make me want to return immediately – not like Tbilisi, Ulaanbaatar, or even Phnom Penh have in previous trips.

I took a lot of great photos in Istanbul.  We had a delightful airBNB there (a former mistress apartment) a stone’s throw from Galata Tower.  I drank pomegranate juice and ate fresh doner kebab every day without gaining an ounce thanks to the amount of walking we did.  But when it came time to leave, I wasn’t heartbroken – I was more anxious to get on with the more adventurous part of our trip in the South Caucasian nations of Georgia and Armenia.

And, truth be told, when people ask us about that trip, invariably we talk about the tremendous highs we had in Georgia, and the various tribulations we experienced in Armenia.  Our travels in Istanbul, while lovely, remains relatively back of mind.

It makes me think about having expectations set for you before you embark on an adventure.  I had so many people scream Istanbul’s praises before we left, perhaps it would have been impossible to meet my lofty expectations. 

 

I wonder, would the same thing happen to me if I were to give up this off the beaten path travel racket and start going to the world’s great cities – the Paris’, London’s, and Prague’s – rather than its proverbial red headed stepchildren – the Riga’s, Almaty’s, and Chefchaouen’s?

Then again, if you meet my partner, you’d know I have a thing for gingers – so I don’t think my off the beaten path travel habits are going to change any time soon.  I certainly wouldn’t scoff at a trip to a place like Firenze that could be considered a more conventional travel destination, but I also won’t be go out of my way to visit one in the near future. 

And as for Istanbul, I’m sure I’ll return one day when I am better able to appreciate its charms.  For now, though, I’ll continue fixating on my upcoming trip to the Baltics, and those adventures further afield.

Have you ever had a trip not meet prior expectations?  Do you think I’m crazy for not loving Istanbul?