First thing first, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey but Ankara. However, it does not make any difference to the wonder of the city. It is an amalgam of religions and cultures, east and west, old and new alike, that cannot possibly fail to surprise anybody. When I touched down at the Ataturk International Airport I felt almost light-headed with slight excitement. Soon to my horror, there was no clear direction to the custom and you just simply followed other tourists. In the end, I got out of the airport and headed for the metro. Metro was easy to find and the staff there were friendly and more than willing to assist you.
I was in a state of disbelief when I was on the train, that I was actually on a foreign land all by myself with a huge bag pack that drew the eyes of every single passengers in the train. I was looking out the window and trying to capture every single frame in my head. For a backpack beginner like me, I could not stop smiling to myself. It just felt wonderful to be on a foreign land, breathe foreign air, see foreign people, feel foreign culture and enjoy being a foreigner.
I got to Aksaray within an hour and headed to Taksim square to look for my host for the day, Daril, a German Erasmus medicine student. I also got to taste my first cup of Turkish Cay that I had been seeing on every book and blog about Turkey (with more emphasis on the amount of sugar accompanying it).
A small cafe just outside my host's place
I dropped my luggage at Daril’s place and head out to the famous Istiklal Cadessi (Avenue) and the street was alive with young people and street artistes. It was rather surprising to see not so many artistes that day because I had expected to see more.
The avenue was a one way but had many narrow passages alongside leading to hotels and restaurants. At first sight it would be rather confusing because there were so many names for each sokak (street). Do remember the address of your desired destination and you can ask for direction from the police posts along the avenue.
A church located on the Istiklal Avenue
The avenue linked all the way to The Taksim Square by the tram railway.
The famous Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who was the first president/founder of the Republic of Turkey. Most of people in Turkey deemed him as a great and unprecedented figure who was indispensable in the freeing of the country from the occupation by the European powers after World War One.
Ataturk leading the Turkish in countless battles against foreign invasions.
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