Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is a major European city that straddles Europe and Asia.  The history of the proper city began in 660 BC by Greek settlers.  They built the Acropolis adjacent to the Golden Horn.  It was initially named the New Rome and later Constantinople, after Constantine the Great, until the 1930s when Turkish authorities pushed for Istanbul.  Istanbul is in north-western Turkey and straddles the Bosporus Strait, which provides the only passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean via the Sea of Marmara making it ideal for trade. There is a European side on the continent of Europe of course, and An Asian side, on the continent of Asia.

I stayed on the European side after reading many reviews and recommendations. In hindsight, I wish I had stayed on the Asian side.  The European side, while having access to modern technology, still remains very conservative. I found it to be quite dirty as well.  While they have regular trash pick up, it doesn't appear that everyone holds cleanliness as a priority. (It doesn't help that many still do not use deodorant.) The Asian side is very modern in architectural, restaurants, hotels and shops. From my brief visit it also appeared much cleaner. I will be back in January of 2025 for some follow up dental work and will definitely stay on that side of the city. Overall, Istanbul was a let down, however I did enjoy my visits to the spice market, the mosque and the Hammam, and encourage anyone visiting Istanbul to check those out.