While I was in Cairo, I kept thinking the Egyptians should check out Istanbul. Both are megacities with over 10 million people. Both come from a poor and chaotic recent history. While Cairo struggles, Istanbul is zooming ahead. Just driving into town from the airport, I noticed landscaping along the highway (with fences to keep people out of the new gardens) and a clear delineation between people and traffic zones. While the architecture was still ramshackle/charming, there was almost no litter. It felt like northern Europe from a tidy point of view.
Comments
I absolutely LOVED my week in Istanbul!! No doubt, it is an amazing city. One thing about this post does irk me: this need you have, Rick, to legitimize by way of comparison. Istanbul stands alone in it’s greatness, it doesn’t need to be ‘almost Parisian’ or to remind us of Scandinavia, whatever. It’s charm is all it’s own–anyone who has ever visited there can attest to that.
It is the most amazing and unusual city. We loved our time there about 6 years ago! Sure would love to go back!
I didn’t have a clear idea of what to expect when I went to Istanbul a few months ago. The drive from the airport to the hotel was enough to wipe away any preconceptions I had. I arrived at night and sat right in front to the fountain pictured above. It was at that point that I knew I loved the city.
On my recent trip to Istanbul I found the delights of Turkish coffee and a pastry called “chocolate bread.” Chocolate bread is a horseshoe shaped pastry, with an outer layer of a white pastry and an inner dough that is richly chocolate flavored. Very chocolaty, but not to sweet. An evening dessert consisted of finding a small cafe and ordering a Turkish coffee along with their chocolate bread. Yummy!