So, to get into Turkey I learnt a few things:
1. Turkey isn't in the EU and I needed to buy a visa ($20 or 15 GBP)
2. That means they also don't use the Euro, but use the Turkish Lira, so I had to find somewhere to get my money changed
3. No one speaks English!
For going into the country for a few hours I felt like I had to do a hell of a lot of things but it was really worth it in the end.
After I figured out how to use the metro, change money and get a visa, I made my way to the city centre. At the airport I had bought a book on Istanbul and was hurriedly flicking through it on the metro ride, trying to learn anything I can about Turkey (I realise I knew almost nothing before).
One of my first observations was that Turkish men were one of the most attractive men I'd ever seen. Dark, chiselled features and some had light blue or green eyes. I couldn't believe that I'd never heard this from anyone before.
When I got off the metro I looked on the metro map. It looked like I had to get on another line to get to the city centre. When I left the metro building, I looked for this illustrious other line and couldn't find it anywhere.
It was at about this time that I realised how hungry I was, so I looked for somewhere to eat.
I went into a kebap shop and was handed a picture-menu. The waiter didn't speak any English and after a few minutes of gesticulating we understood one another and I had ordered some meat-based dish.
When the kebap sticks finally arrived, they were served with salad and a pomegranate salad dressing that I'd never seen or tasted before. The dressing complimented the salad and kebap well. Apparently the kebap is the traditional Turkish meal.
After I'd finished eating, the waiter timidly handed me a post-it note. On it, in beautiful cursive writing he'd written: Beautiful dishes? :)
I smiled from ear to ear. I think he went to the trouble of looking up the translation on his iPhone then, unsure of pronunciation, thought it was best to write it down.
1. Turkey isn't in the EU and I needed to buy a visa ($20 or 15 GBP)
2. That means they also don't use the Euro, but use the Turkish Lira, so I had to find somewhere to get my money changed
3. No one speaks English!
For going into the country for a few hours I felt like I had to do a hell of a lot of things but it was really worth it in the end.
After I figured out how to use the metro, change money and get a visa, I made my way to the city centre. At the airport I had bought a book on Istanbul and was hurriedly flicking through it on the metro ride, trying to learn anything I can about Turkey (I realise I knew almost nothing before).
One of my first observations was that Turkish men were one of the most attractive men I'd ever seen. Dark, chiselled features and some had light blue or green eyes. I couldn't believe that I'd never heard this from anyone before.
When I got off the metro I looked on the metro map. It looked like I had to get on another line to get to the city centre. When I left the metro building, I looked for this illustrious other line and couldn't find it anywhere.
It was at about this time that I realised how hungry I was, so I looked for somewhere to eat.
I went into a kebap shop and was handed a picture-menu. The waiter didn't speak any English and after a few minutes of gesticulating we understood one another and I had ordered some meat-based dish.
When the kebap sticks finally arrived, they were served with salad and a pomegranate salad dressing that I'd never seen or tasted before. The dressing complimented the salad and kebap well. Apparently the kebap is the traditional Turkish meal.
After I'd finished eating, the waiter timidly handed me a post-it note. On it, in beautiful cursive writing he'd written: Beautiful dishes? :)
I smiled from ear to ear. I think he went to the trouble of looking up the translation on his iPhone then, unsure of pronunciation, thought it was best to write it down.
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