​A Week in Istanbul

There was a time when Brits took their summer holidays in the beach towns of Weymouth, Brighton and – of course – Blackpool. More adventurous families might go hiking in the Peak or Lake district, or camping on the plains of Dartmoor and Exmoor. It was only the few who could afford a boat or plane out to somewhere exotic like France.

Time, as they do, have changed. And in our present era of the budget airline and the package holiday, people are often able to ‘pop off’ to places as far-flung as the Caribbean Islands or Africa for ‘a weekend away’. Most still choose the safer choices of Mediterranean beaches or French villages, of course. Spain is by quite a margin the most popular destination, and its extensive coast and constant sun have quite probably got a great deal to do with that.

But now, even the central European states are starting to feel like familiar territory for British holiday goers. Cities and regions go in and out of fashion like hairstyles. Prague – a truly marvellous city – had its turn; now Budapest – possibly even more unspeakably lovely – is in the spotlight. Well, I have a suggestion of my own: why not wade right out to the Asian border, as it were, and visit Istanbul?

It is a city that has been called the world’s largest village. And in a sense it is: for the most populous urban conglomeration in Europe (if one can disregard the fact that half of the city is actually in Asia), it is a remarkably homely, ‘local’ place. People will tell you excitedly about their ‘regional’ way of making kebaps (the Turkish spelling) and urge you to try their own favourite dish. It is indeed a city with the heart of a village.

That is not to say that there isn’t a buzzing metropolitan feel to the place. The popular Taksim area has become notorious of late for the anti-government protests which were held there, but now it is back to normal and its thousands of cafés and bars are heaving. There are a host of shops to buy your children pyjamas and your neighbours Turkish Delight and there is always music to be heard (not always terribly good) and plenty of ‘local’ dishes to try.

Most visitors also regard a wander around the old quarter – Sultanahmet – as a necessity. It is here that the famous Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque stare each other down across a plaza: the former Orthodox Christian, the latter Islamic. (Now, of course, you could very well argue that Islam has won: the Hagia Sofia has become a museum).

And when you have been thoroughly stuffed full of the delicious local cuisine and walked your heels to dust, there is always the outright joy of taking a ferry across the Bosphorus to ‘Asia’. For less than a pound sterling you can get the ferry there, drink a cup of tea and then take the ferry back again. It is a spectacular journey.

After all, in how many other cities can you spend the morning on one continent and the afternoon in another?