What I learned about Solo Travel in Istanbul

Solo Travel Surprises after 25 years


I accepted an offer to participate in tours offered by Walks of Turkey when they launched their new tour company this year.

I have traveled solo for years but nothing prepared me for the challenges of Istanbul.
I read the entire Lonely Planet book on Istanbul, had a map of Istanbul, arranged for a car to pick me up at the airport and selected a hotel centrally located that had a restaurant.  Everything was planned.

First surprise was the size of the Istanbul airport.  It is massive but easy to negotiate.
Next the car service driver: no sign with my my name on it.  There were hundreds of drivers and people waiting outside the arrivals exit.   Had always wanted to have a driver waiting for me at the airport.  Alas, no driver.  
The helpful information point staff, called my hotel to find out 'the driver is stuck in traffic'.  
So off to take a cab.

Negotiating the city:
The maps had NO street names other than the one or two main streets
The streets have no street signs and the one I did find did not match the map!

I was told later this is common in Istanbul.

Turkish is not a simple language and with only a few days before traveling to Istanbul I didn't even try to learn the typical:  can you tell me how to find........... or  which metro takes me to ...............where is the bathroom?...................and many other simple comments.

Surprise:  NO SIGNS IN ENGLISH
VERY FEW PEOPLE SPOKE ENGLISH OR ITALIAN, my only languages
I don't expect the world to speak English but I have found in 'tourist' areas there are usually a few signs in English to point me in the right direction.

Shoe shine vendors with an elaborate brass stand that folds up.

Never found the tourist office:  I didn't see a location at the airport so I thought I would start my quest when I arrived in town.   The one office I found was a kiosh that for 2 days pointed me to the river instead of the main square I was trying to find.   The last day I found the train station (which should have housed the tourist office) but it was too late to get detailed instructions on how to take the ferries.

So as I do in every city, I walked.  I walked across the bridge several times so I would not have to negotiate the subway.  Not the actual trains, but how to buy a ticket from a machine!   I walked up the vertical streets where the sidewalk was actually a staircase.  I walked. And the last afternoon I found the main street I had searched for!   Wow!  I think everyone under the age of 50 was walking this multi kilometer avenue:  shopping, eating, stopping to chat.   This is where I would have seen modern Istanbul

Safe:  For a few hours I wandered in the older parts of town nearer the monuments.  Again without a map I thought I would find the Bazaar again.   No luck but I did find streets where the locals shopped. I may have been starred at a few times (the only woman without a scarf) but NO one bothered me or even spoke to me.  Eventually I found the water front again.  My guide had told me all the roads go down hill, and this was a great tool for finding my way back to the bridge.

Cats:  There are many 'independent' cats in the city.   People leave food for them and they sit in the sun and nap.   While at the Blue Mosque my group commented on the large group of dogs that seemed to move as a family.  We were told they too were all over the city and usually caused no harm.


This trip was an excellent test for my fall adventure to China.    I was asked in Germany, if I had ever traveled alone before?  Guess I will have to sharpen my skills after all these years on the road solo.

Stumble Stones: Germany Off the Beaten Path

Stumble Stones 

On the cobbled stone streets in Europe, you often look down so you don’t trip on uneven stones.  This precaution has an added benefit that you may also spot stumble stones in quiet locations in towns you are visiting. 

 Stolpersteine, the German word for stumbling stones, are in many cities in Europe.  I had never heard of stumble stones but discovered from my contacts in each of the Off the Beaten Track towns I was visiting as the guest of the German tourist office, where I might find them.   And I continued to look for them during my trip.     It is 70 years since the end of WWII but the memorials are a small reminder of the horror of the Nazi extermination program.

                                                 Gunter Demnig, the artist.  Photo from his web site

A little research opened a wealth of information on this quiet testament to men, women and children who were deported by the Nazi during WWII.      The artist responsible for the creation of the Stumble Stones, Gunter Demnig, born in 1947, started this project in 1995 and continues today.  1

The stolperstein project started in the 1990 as an exhibit commemorating the deportation of gypsies in Cologne  and has grown into a movement to memorialize the people who lived and worked at the locations where the stones are placed.  Thanks to Ms Ederer, in charming Regensburg, I found my first stumble stone.

Small, only 4 inches square, these small stones left a big impression on me.      Each stone is topped by a brass plaque engraved with the name, date of birth, date of deportation and if known the date and place of their death.    Stones are installed in the pavement in front of the buildings where the deported person lived or worked.

Everyone I met on this trip had an extensive knowledge of German history.  I was impressed with the endless details and facts each guide could share with me.   From the history of every church and monument to when the Roman Empire built the structures still standing today     I was concerned about any reaction I would receive if I spoke about WWII to the tour guides I met and the very helpful staff at the tourist offices in each city I visited.  WWII only came up when I was informed how the city was damaged or destroyed by the bombings during WWII.    Discovering the stumbling stones offered an opportunity to talk about WWII.    

The estimates are that more than 6 million Jews died from the Nazi insanity.  Dissidents, gypsies, homosexuals and ‘defectives’ were also targeted for elimination.   Of course every victim will not receive a stone.    Originally all the stones were created and placed at the designated location by the artist.  Now trained assistants help create the many stones requested each year.3    The artists’ web site lists the installations schedules for across Europe.  .   Each plaque costs about 120E and is paid for by a sponsor, relative or family member. 

According to the artist’s website, “As of August, 2014, there have been over 48,000 Stolpersteine (laid) in 18 countries in Europe, making the project the world’s largest memorial”.   Besides Germany, stones have been placed in Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Russia, Croatia, France, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Norway, Ukraine, Switzerland, Slovakia and Luxembourg.”  1

I have asked a number of well travels associates if they had heard of stumble stones and only one resident in Rome had read about them.      During my trip to Germany, I occasionally spotted one or more installed in front of a building.  They made me stop, read a few names but most important, think.       When you see crowds witness something ‘wrong’ and do nothing to stop it, there is a similarity to what might have happened in the 1930’s as neighbors watched the Gestapo and the SS systematically remove neighbors from their homes and send them ‘away’.   Fear is a powerful tool.  Fear that even a German gentile might also be selected for removal.   The stones bring the sheer massive numbers down to individual victims.

Jesuit church/monastery

                     Very faint and blending in with the pavement, but you can read each name and date of their deaths in the camps

                                         Memorial to the seven martyred priest in Trier

My last stop was Trier, Germany.  Here along with the impressive cathedral, Roman ruins, lively shopping streets my guide showed me the seven stumble stones in front of the Jesuit church.  These stones quietly memorialized seven priests who were sent to the camps and did not return.


   

Not every town or city is happy to have these memorials added to the public sidewalks.  Some towns have legislated to prevent installation, some stones have been removed or defaced and in some locations the local government has voted not to allow the installation of the stones on public walkways.   Lisa Lampert-Weissig gives an extensive account of the town of Villingen stalwart rejection of stumble stones.   4.     Two Villingen students with the help of their teacher, created virtual stolpersteine sites:  stickers with QR codes that can be read with a smart phone to obtain the same information that a stumble stone would offer.   According to Lampert-Weissig’s story, even these have been defaced.4


While in Lyon, France I found the Resistance and Deportation History Centre :   a museum devoted to the events in Lyon surrounding the occupation by the Nazis and the deportation of Jews and other groups.  This was an arresting exhibit of photos and videos.
 Centre d'Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation,Espace Berthelot
14 avenue Berthelot -
 69007 Lyon, France
Tel: +33 (0)4 78 72 23 11www.chrd.lyon.fr -

I was the guest of Historic Highlights of Germany for my tour but the opinions and reviews are my own.


References:

Ref:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_country_that_have_stolpersteine   a Wikipedia list of countries where stumble stones can been found.

1.       http://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/home/  Main web site for the artist 

2.       www.tabletmag.com/jewish-new-and-politics/101167/vanished-stumbling-stones/?print=1

3.       http://www.peoplesworld.org/stumble-stones-are-for-german-hearts-and-minds/

4.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_country_that_have_stolpersteine

Istanbul Food Tour with Walks of Turkey

Explore The Food Market in Istanbul 

with Walks of Turkey 

On my second day in Istanbul I joined the Food walking tour that would take me across the  water to Kadikoy, a part of Istanbul that I would not have visited on my own.   

Our guide met us at the convenient location of Starbucks, next to the ferry port.    Without any maps available that indicate streets and important points of interest, I just walked to the water and went along the shore until I found Starbucks.  

I was told later that this is also a good WC stop.  No charge and clean facilities.  IMPORTANT TO NOTE!

I can fully recommend this tour for solo travelers.  Since the tour was a walking tour there was no question of finding an available seat that was not being 'saved' for someone.

The quick ferry rides in Istanbul give you a water view that on a sunny day is unsurpassed.

One of our cheerful guides for the day.

A pleasant way to spend day two with 'new friends' from Colorado

First stop:  CAKE!

AND CHOCOLATE!

Next we toured all the shops and stalls in the market area. 

 Each specialized in a product or a food.  Our guides explained what everything was, where it was grown and often there was a history story behind some of the food.

Are these dried eggplant?

Intense colors make you want to taste everything

I was fascinated that most of the shops were ONLY staffed by men 

Our group of about 10

FISH, FISH, FISH

This store sold pickles....and other items that were 'pickeled'
The juice is also available as a beverage!

The meat vendor

The cheese store

Colors are everywhere

Our first stop for a tasting:   

Our talented guide enthusiastically explained what all the fruits and vegetable were.  Some were totally new to me.

My question was answered:  how do you make all this great skewered meats

                   We were encouraged to taste items in most of the shops and then it was on to LUNCH

Lunch gave us a sample of many foods.          Beware the green bean at the top, HOT< HOT HOT

                        I needed a list of what we were eating, but it all tasted great, except that green bean!
We has two sit-down sample meals.  One of the meals offered samples of 'interesting' items that two guests were to share a plate.   Other than a buffet or the 'family style' restaurants they offer in  southern USA, I have never seen Americans share a plate with a stranger.......
my concern was short lived.    There were two of everything and it was easy to 'share'.

Not on our tour and but fascinated by this machine that automatically poured batter into metal molds, sent the tray into an oven and baked/cooked  small waffle type cakes.   You added berries and perhaps yogurt or cream to top them off!

We did not stop here, but strange to find Mckie D in the center of such a great assortment of restaurants

Our tour ended with REAL Turkish coffee and the best cake I had on my trip
There is a skill to making this coffee and I shall try to learn this skill next time.


www.walksofturkey.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

Phone (US): 1-917-310-1554
Email: info@walksofturkey.com
Our office hours are
Monday through Sunday
from 11:00am to 7:00pm
(UTC +2, Istanbul time) Global

I was the guest of Walks of Turkey for this wonderful day and 
the opinions and photos are my own.