Liko`s Worldnet

The visitor freezes in awe at the sight of turmoil of cars that whiz over the crossroads. Cars turn round the bend right in front of your feet, falling only inches short of crushing your toes. The bustling streets are found around Taksim square, the frantically beating heart of Istanbul. The city that magically manages the perfect split between two continents, two religions, two cultural hemispheres and a mind blowing multitude of mentalities and characters. 

20 million people squeeze themselves in the remaining space between bazaars, shopping streets, mosques and greasy spoons. If it wouldn't be for hamburgers and hot dogs, you would think Turkey had invented fast food and not the States. The choice of fresh delicacies ranges from simit rings and menemen in the morning,  over fresh grilled and fried fish for lunch, to delicate dürüm kebab in the evening. Latest during the night, when you stumble out of your last bar and let your teeth sink into a juicy, wet hamburger – sounds weird but tastes great, well then you understand that good fast food originated in Turkey.

Usually people find fast food to be a delicacy, when their senses are blurred by unhealthy amounts of alcohol. Like any true metropolis, Istanbul offers party for any taste of music, from live acts to world famous DJ sets, electronic or handmade. In the alleyways leading away from the central shopping street Istiklal, Balkan beats are hammering into the night. The pumping rhythms fire endorphins into the veins of dancers and drive their neurons into a stomping stampede of flickering lights that render their awareness into a state of half conscious ecstasy. In these moments the city's pent-up energies burst their way into the night sky.

Occasionally, it is a good idea to hold still, let your mind rest and your eyes sweep over the roof tops of Istanbul that was build on seven hills, just like Rome. The skyline along the Bosporus is of a chin dropping beauty, where hundreds of minarets pierce the sky. The streets are surprisingly clean, just as the inhabitants are of an immensely helpful and friendly character. Istanbul is truly welcoming and seducing its guests in many ways, which might explain why you can meet so many soldiers of fortune here. They pour in the city from all over the world.

However, there are also negative aspects to this buzzing bee's nest. The sheer number of inhabitants produces stress by itself and renders the city inaccessible to people that can't stand crowded places or find themselves in the occasional need of a calm place. It is not everyone's dream to get a taste of arm pit on close range in a crammed tram or the regular need to elbow your way through hordes of shoppers, only to cross the street. Shoppers that suddenly freeze, because they spotted a pair of sexy high heels across the street, make you remember those steel lampposts you ran into when a hot girl passed your way.

Nevertheless, Istanbul is the perfect city for one or two weeks of shopping, sightseeing and healthy cultural shocks for prejudice laden European mind sets. Find the author's picks and suggestions in the next entry on Liko's Worldnet.