Istanbul, Turkey
"If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."
I have been to a lot of places during the last years, but I have to admit that Istanbul was the city that left me most impressed.
I have Albanian origins, and my country has been under the Turkish empire for some centuries. So, of course our culture has been highly influenced by them, and for me going to Istanbul was a little bit like going back home.
But this amazing city is a lot more than this. It is a melting-pot of different cultures, different ethnic groups and religions. You can find people coming from every country in the world, being around at every hour of the day.
I was really mesmerized by the colors and the smells that distinguish this city from every other that I have ever seen.
I went there for five days with two friends of mine. Being a tourist in a city like this can be a quite challenging experience sometimes, since if you are not careful you can be fooled. In particular, we had two "strange" experience:
- the first taxi that we took from the airport to our hotel, charged us 25 euros, which for us didn't seem so much since it's a normal price at least in Italy. But when we arrived at the hotel, we discovered that the taxi driver had asked us at least 15 euros more than the normal price š ;
- always the first day we went to a local restaurant to eat dinner. We order some meat, but when our waiter came to bring the food, he placed on our table 11 appetizer which we obviously didn't order. When we asked him an explanation, he started making gestures (I am not so sure that he didn't speak English). At the end we paid also for the appetizers.
Luckily for us, the next day, we encountered this local girl and two friends of here, which showed us around the city. Of course, visiting a city that you do not know on your own or with someone that is local, is a completely different experience.
Local dances under the Galata Tower
Internal views of the Blue Mosque
A suggestive view of the Bosphorus, as seen from a local rooftop bar
As I said before, Istanbul (up to now) has been the most beautiful city I have ever visited.
Do you agree with me?
What other city in Europe do you think that is more beautiful than Istanbul?
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