Istanbul- safer than you think

It has been a while since my last update, and that is because I spent much of the month of September zooming across continents, from Ankara to Missouri to Florida and back again. But the first part of the journey was one long overdue- after living in Turkey for nearly a year, I finally visited Istanbul for the first time.

Former capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires- lots to see here, and it's still a bustling, vibrant city today.

How could it possibly have taken me so long to take such a glaringly obvious trip? Well, Istanbul is a good seven hour bus ride from Ankara and is so full of history and incredible sites that you need at least two days to explore. My schedule is such that I never have two consecutive days off, and occasionally no days off at all, which makes getting out of Ankara more complicated than it seems. But as my flight to the USA departed from Istanbul, and I was already taking ten days off of work, I thought, "What's another two days?" and spent a weekend in Istanbul before leaving.

Now the thought of me traveling alone in Istanbul sends my parents into paroxysms, and is something I, unable to completely rid myself of stereotypes, would never even have considered until just a few months ago. But I have learned a few things in my time here, one of which being that Turkey is generally a pretty safe place and that while Istanbul, as in any big city, has its share of pickpockets and psychopaths, it's not a den of America-haters waiting to pounce on any light-skinned Christian walking the streets.

It is, however, very densely packed, so hang on to your purse.

And my experience only served to further my positive impressions. Far more impressive than the architectural splendors of Istanbul's historical peninsula was the warmth its inhabitants displayed in welcoming me during my two day visit to their city.

The generosity began even before I arrived. Back in August I received a casual offer of a free place to stay in Istanbul from a friend-of-a-friend that I met at a dinner party. In the USA I would feel awkward calling such a person up a month later, but this being Turkey, the land of hospitality, my new friend (as I must now call her) was thrilled when I called to take her up on her offer.

And the people of Istanbul went far out of their way to make my life easier from the moment I stepped off the bus. In my first half hour in Istanbul, I was approached by a man who saw me struggling with the subway ticket machine and offered to help, a woman who pointed out to me that the wheelchair exit would be easier than lifting my 50-pound suitcase over the turnstile, and a man who accosted me at the top of a staircase and took my suitcase down the stairs despite my protests.

I should have known that an offer of a place to sleep would be more than a simple hello in the morning and good night in the evening. My host insisted on including me in her weekend plans, which meant two birthday parties, brunch on a pier overlooking the sea, an afternoon walking tour of the coast, and introducing me to most of her friends. Her marvelous idea was to give me a taste of Istanbul life beyond what most tourists see. So while I missed a few of the main touristic sites this go-around, I was most certainly introduced to the heart of the city and the people who live there.

Perfect spot for a relaxing walk with friends, no?

On Saturday my friend had to work, which was no problem for me as serendipitous city-crawling is one of my favorite pastimes, in cities and countries where I feel safe doing so. Istanbul is the perfect city for wandering with no agenda, no map, and no hurry. Turkish people are very sociable, and while window-shopping in the historical peninsula I discovered that it was not possible to simply browse and walk out without a chat and a cup of tea with the shop owner. I'm not naive- there are plenty of shrewd merchants looking to empty the pockets of foreign tourists who don't know better, but as in any tourist area, a foreigner able to hold her own in Turkish can avert some of the deviousness. Turks are hospitable by nature, and proud of their country, so they're extra welcoming to a guest who seems interested in learning about Turkey. By the end of the morning my notebook was full of scribbled travel advice from people I met along the way who recommended their favorite locations and were kind enough to give me directions.

Haggling is a must at the Grand Bazaar, although I discovered that prices tend to drop and shopkeepers become more chatty if you can speak a bit of Turkish.

Even on my last night in Istanbul, when a couple of my new acquaintances heard that I was planning to take the midnight shuttle bus to the airport and spend the night there, there was a cry of outrage at the thought of a guest stuck alone at the airport for six hours. They insisted on driving me to the airport at 3 am, and when we arrived they sat and kept me company for about an hour before finally deciding that it was time for me to go and check in for my flight. And so I departed in good company, a bit overwhelmed with gratitude, not only for their willingness to help me out, but also for their enthusiasm in doing so.

So yes, I will write more about the fantastic sights that Istanbul has to offer, but even with all the splendors of a city considered one of the most beautiful in the world, this was the main impression I took with me.