Nov 13, 2013
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Here at Innovation Simple we are trying to shake things up. We want our blog to be something you might actually share with someone else. For that reason this post will not address marketing or web design. We are going to talk about travel.
I love to travel. I have spent far too much money on travel in the past few years and have fed my wanderlust exorbitant amounts of frequent flier miles. In 2013 I have seen 10 countries. Of those 10 countries I have taken notes on individual cities that blew me away. I saw Tokyo, Jerusalem, Athens and more. But still the city that swept me off my feet was Istanbul.
Istanbul, Turkey.
I have seen a lot of things in my relatively short life. I have never seen a city like Istanbul. There are two cultures locked into this massive city. Let me sell Istanbul to you for a minute.
1. Two cultures one city. Istanbul is the perfect mix of Asia and Europe. There is a channel of water running through the city called the Bosphorus. On one side of the Bosphorus you’ll find the Asian side of Istanbul. On the other side lies the European part of the city. These two parts are distinct. The buildings and people are vastly different on each side. The truly amazing thing about this divide is the people live peacefully. They coexist. You get to take advantage of this as a tourist and see two cultures in one trip. As you walk across the bridge over the Bosphorus you’ll feel as though you’ve walked across a border into another country.
2. Baklava. Have you ever had baklava? If you just answered no to that question my recommendation is that you don’t. Don’t try it unless you know it’s going to be good. Baklava is among the most delicious of desserts and I would hate to have a poorly-made imitation ruin this delicacy for you. Istanbul is worth a trip if for nothing more than to try authentic baklava. Baklava is made from honey, nuts, and phyllo dough. It is flaky, moist, and absolutely divine.
3. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. These two building lie across a small park from each other. They are both massive and they are both beautiful. Both are worth a visit. The Hagia Sophia is now a museum of architecture and the Blue Mosque is a functioning mosque. You can go inside both and take pictures.
4. Donner Kebab. The food in Turkey is to die for. They have combined European, Mediterranean, and Arabic food and the outcome is fantastic.
5. The city is thriving. The people are on top of their industry and are happy. The city is well planned. There are parks and beautiful walks through the streets of the city. Taking a short walk through Istanbul will inevitably result in a discovery and a 2 hour excursion.
All in all I’d say Istanbul is one of the most culturally interesting cities in the world. I haven’t seen the whole world (yet) but of the places I have seen, Istanbul takes the cake! Do not miss Istanbul! To put it simply, if I were to drop off the map and live as a struggling artist or writer, I’d move to Istanbul.