23 Years Later, Part 1: Back in Istanbul

“You can never visit the same place twice, for it’s not the same place, and you are not the same traveler.” – River Phoenix

Greetings from the beautiful and vibrant city of Istanbul, Turkey! 🇹🇷

Hagia Sofia Mosque

It’s been almost 23 years since I was last in Istanbul. I was a young college student studying in Prague in 2002 and traveled here with two other American students. I remember arriving and feeling like I had entered another world. It felt so exotic and magical and alive! to me. The Turkish culture, food, and architecture was so different from middle America where I was raised. It was also the first predominantly Muslim country I ever visited. I instantly fell in love with this city and the people. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to return.

I’m going to split this first blog into multiple posts because it has so much information.

Many things have stayed the same of course but so much has changed. For starters, the money has less zeros on it (they reset the currency) and the cost of goods/living has skyrocketed due to inflation – making it extremely challenging for the locals and one of the most expensive cities in Europe according to the locals (Turkey is located on two continents – Europe and Asia and is divided by the Bosphorus Strait which runs through Istanbul). I think when we were here last, a nice local meal cost around $3-$5. Now a basic meal is easily $15-$20…and thanks to the US’s contribution they have McDonald’s, Burger King, and Starbucks. 🙄 Sadly, Istanbul has become very commercialized but the hidden gems are still wonderful when you find them.

Unlike my first visit when we were some of the few Westerners walking around, Istanbul has become a hotbed for international tourism ranking as the #1 city in the world visited in 2023 and dropping only to #2 in 2024 behind Bangkok. Funny enough, a guy I know from Australia is here at the same time as me.

I started my first morning in the city with (my favorite) a Guru Walking Tour. Our guide, Emre was awesome. He is incredibly knowledgeable and gave us a phenomenal tour. He also has a website full of priceless information that is a perfect resource for anyone planning a trip to Istanbul. You can also hire him to be your guide. Check out the attached link.

Our group met at the Egyptian Obelisk to kick off the tour. My travels are coming full circle as this Obelisk is from Karnak Temple in Egypt where I recently visited in December. The Egyptians are very good gift-givers. Isn’t it beautiful?

Our next stop is one of the most visited sites in Istanbul, the Sultan Ahmet, The Blue Mosque. We didn’t go inside on the tour but I went back on my own. This mosque is free for tourists to visit. It was built under the rule of Ahmed I between 1609-1617 featuring Ottoman architecture. According to Emre, an unique feature about the building is that it has six minarets (towers) which is what the Masjid al-Haram Mosque (The Sacred Mosque) in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) had until this one was built. The mosque in Mecca is never to be outdone so Ahmed paid for an additional minaret to be added to the Masjid al-Haram giving it seven minarets. The Blue Mosque is stunning both inside and out. Visitors from all over the world come here to pray. I said a prayer or two myself while inside.

And if you remember from one of my previous posts, Turkey donated money to build a replica Blue Mosque in Tirana, Albania. Again, full circle.

Just across the park from The Blue Mosque is the beautiful and very old Hagia Sofia Grand Mosque. Built in 537 CE by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sofia was originally a Greek Orthodox cathedral. In 1453 it was converted into a mosque by Sultan Mehmed II after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

Again, we didn’t go inside so I went back on my own. It is massive and beautiful inside. So much history and detail within each area of the building. Definitely purchase the audio guide if you go.

A big change at this historical site from when I was here last time is the price of admission. It was free up until a couple of years ago. Now it cost €25.

Only those of the Muslim faith are allowed to visit both the first (for worship) and second floors. Tourists are to stay on the second floor only out of respect.

The other extremely noticeable thing that has changed (or at least I noticed) is that Istanbul is now one of the top places in the world to get a hair transplant or a nose job…or both! (I think this might explain the jump in tourism.) I saw so many men (I didn’t see any women) walking around the city with red surgical dots on their heads and black headbands holding bandages in place from their recent procedure (which looked very painful – I’ll let you Google the images yourself). I saw many more women than men with bandages on their noses from their recent surgeries (ouch as well).

Shockingly last year over one million people visited Turkey for a hair procedure and over 150,000 people on average came for Rhinoplasty surgery. Click the links for more info on getting a hair transplant or Rhinoplasty if you are interested.

Medical tourism (including dental services) is a rapidly growing industry in Turkey…definitely do your research first but most of the people I spoke with (you know I had to ask – it’s research for the blog!) said they were happy with the results…and that it was, in fact, as painful as it looked.

More to come from Istanbul. 🇹🇷

Good Things List

Returning to a place that opened my mind to an entirely new culture.

Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏

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I arrived at night and the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are gorgeous when they are lit up.