Impressions of Istanbul

Istanbul still feels a bit mysterious and exotic to me, even after my first visit. Yes, it is a large, bustling city, built on seven hills (very hilly and not a city easily traversed on foot), and connected by a series of bridges. The city is actually described as the European side and the Asian side. And those Sultans...such palaces, such wealth and opulence.

While it can feel a bit chaotic, I always felt safe (common question posed to the Hachie Gal). You just use need to use the same level of common sense you would use in any other large metropolitan city. Some of the taxi drivers try to pull one over on you (see the January 1st blog post), as long as you know what to look for, you are fine.

A couple of years ago, the Turks changed their money, so that has also helped in foreigners not being swindled. Most of the money in circulation is the new currency, although the old bills and coins will be in circulation for another year or so. For example: Today's 1 Turkish Lira bill (about US $1.40); the old currency equivalent: Turkish Lira 1,000,000. So, anyone could technically be as millionaire! Today, the new bills have dropped all the zeros, so now they read as "1". With all those zeros, people could get confused and be taken advantage of a bit.

Some Istanbul city landscapes and the Bosphorous Sea for your viewing pleasure.