We have found another hidden gem. Istanbul. We are staying at the greatest hostel ever, with the nicest owners. They greeted us the night we got here by name, took our bags from us, chatted with us, and made us feel right at home. We got the grand tour, which included the fourth floor lounge with a wood burning fireplace, couches, and a bar, with an amazing view of the Hagia Sophia. They also upgraded us to a two person room with a double bed (which they never have in hostels), free of charge. It was a great warm welcome to this beautiful country. We then proceeded to hunt down dinner, which we figured would be kebabs. We ended up getting Chicken Shish and a Spicy Kebab, which surprisingly was not that great. We figured it was our poor choice of restaurant, because we had heard the food here was amazing.
The next morning the hostel owner came in to make breakfast for us and his friend. These people are seriously going over and above what we expected. It was a typical Turkish breakfast so there were olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, bread, and simit, all which was amazing. Then we were telling them how we were going to go to the Grand Bazaar (one of the biggest markets in the world with 5,000 shops) for the day, and we threw out the invite for them to come with us if they had nothing to do, not actually thinking they'd come because they probably get invites all the time from travelers. Well, Onur (the owner of the hostel) actually took us up on the offer. At first we regretted extended the invitation, but Onur ended up being the best tour guide ever. He was able to bartar for us in the Grand Bazaar so we didn't get ripped off with anything, and he walked around with us for hours, even while we tried on traditional Turkish outfits! He couldn't stop laughing at us, especially when we proceeded to buy them... He also bought us roasted Chestnuts and took us to this local Sheesha bar. He ordered us some classic Turkish teas and we hung out there for like two hours. It was such a great time, we felt very much a part of the culture. See below.
Basically we had a fantastic day, which was only made better by Onur making us dinner back at the hostel! Seriously, you might wonder if this guy has ulterior motives, but we happily found out early in the afternoon that he is gay! Yes, this is cause for celebration. We knew nothing was up, because our creeper radar is always up in full force and we were sensing nothing. He is just a genuinely nice guy, wanting to show us a good time in Istanbul. Which he proceeded to do after dinner by driving us to Taksim Square in his BMW; turns out the hostel business is booming. He showed us around, and then left us to explore on our own. We found Maraş icecream, which is this like stretchy ice cream that we were told we had to try, so of course I had to do it. I love ice cream but I did not love this. It was like stretchy and stringy, really weird. We love trying the local things though, so it was well worth my current stomach ache.
The next morning the hostel owner came in to make breakfast for us and his friend. These people are seriously going over and above what we expected. It was a typical Turkish breakfast so there were olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, bread, and simit, all which was amazing. Then we were telling them how we were going to go to the Grand Bazaar (one of the biggest markets in the world with 5,000 shops) for the day, and we threw out the invite for them to come with us if they had nothing to do, not actually thinking they'd come because they probably get invites all the time from travelers. Well, Onur (the owner of the hostel) actually took us up on the offer. At first we regretted extended the invitation, but Onur ended up being the best tour guide ever. He was able to bartar for us in the Grand Bazaar so we didn't get ripped off with anything, and he walked around with us for hours, even while we tried on traditional Turkish outfits! He couldn't stop laughing at us, especially when we proceeded to buy them... He also bought us roasted Chestnuts and took us to this local Sheesha bar. He ordered us some classic Turkish teas and we hung out there for like two hours. It was such a great time, we felt very much a part of the culture. See below.
Grand Bazaar
Don't we look Turkish?
The Grand Bazaar.
Sheesha.
Sheesha.
Tea time!
All of our fabulous drinks.
Beautiful mosque, of which there are approximately 2900 in Istanbul.
Our hostel.
Istiklal Street.
Maraş icecream
Our time here has already been wonderful, and we are only one day in. Stay tuned for our next two days of Turkish adventures!!
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