When to NOT visit Istanbul

Istanbul is a busy city: full of people living there, full of cars, full of tourists, full of mosques, full of cats. And all the pieces of this chaos actually work perfectly together creating that vibrant and colorful atmosphere that makes up big part of the charm of Istanbul. Long queues are a fair price to pay to visit the beautiful mosques and other amazing attractions like the Galata tower. But there are also areas or times (for example under pouring rain) when the city slows down and it reveals its side of everyday life more than of touristic attraction. As much as I liked being on top of the Galata tower at sunset, when the evening pray begins and the city resonates the call of the biggest Mosques in the city as if they're talking to each other, I loved walking through the more residential part of Balat which, besides hosting the most "Instagram" cafè of Istanbul, is also the most conservative. So conservative that I felt out of place surrounded by women in burkas, and this was certainly only the first time that I felt like this considering the route of our trip.

We did not have much power in deciding when to visit Istanbul because our plan had to be adapted due to wars etc. (See also "Travel"). However, July was not a bad choice. Yes there are tourists and yes it is hot, but you can always find your little corner and enjoy the nice breeze that cools you down. In the evening there is always a pleasant temperature to enjoy the sunsets from one of the many terraces. Unfortunately, in this period the government decided to renovate the most important attractions, so we could not enjoy many of the ones that were on our list. Well, we still enjoyed many others. In addition, we were not aware that from July 7 to July 8 were the days of the Kurban Bayrami (called Eid el-Adha or Eid el-Kebir in Arabic), that means "Feast of sacrifice" and is the most important Islamic religious festival of the year! Something comparable to our Christmas. This meant that many shops were closed, included the main bazars (Grand and Egyptian). Well, we still saw other shops. As last, we left Istanbul on July 11, so the last day of the Kurban Bayramk, which is clearly the day when all the existing families in the radius of many km around Istanbul decide to go to Istanbul to meet in the parks surrounding the mosques and wherever else. This meant a sea of people everywhere. Walking on the streets was already a hassle, but the worst part was taking the tram (we had to, we had big backpacks and a too long way to reach the ferry). People so stuffed that the train seemed to be on the point of exploding. We had to wait two or three trams before we could get into one. With us families with big strollers where the children (mainly asleep) were stuck one over the other. Total chaos with taxis driving along the tram tracks, cars getting stuck front to front in microscopic streets, people flooding every little corner of walking paths and roads. The tram took half hour to make two stops because of the amount of people on the tracks. If you get in the wrong queue to get to the ferry you're screwed: moving against the current of people is impossible, you may end up in the opposite corner of the city. Ferries so full to look like they may sink. But at the end we made it, we crossed to the Asian side of Istanbul where, despite still many people, we could find some peace. It has been an adventure, and we will laugh forever about that day in Istanbul, but if you want to visit this city, do NOT go on the last Kurban Bayrami day!!

Highlights: one morning it was raining so hard that, despite wearing waterproof clothes, we had to shelter under a gutter waiting for the rain to stop. From the game room across the street, in a less touristy area, we were invited to take shelter. We were offered typical chai tea (three cups each) and also baclava (typical sweets). They hosted us for two hours and did not let us pay for our teas, neither leave a tip.

Lowlights: walking down the biggest tourist street, the one that connects the Galata tower to Taksim square (I barely survived).

Friendliest person: the person who took charge of our teas and baclava on that rainy day.

Food: melon and watermelon!

Music: some Turkish music

P.S. In the picture is my sister who traveled through Turkey with us!