Istanbul: Where street cats and visitors are treated like royalty
Travel Feature
It was something I was not expecting, to be honest.
It was my first visit to Istanbul, and I was filled with excitement.
Not only that, but I had a couple packs of cat treats I bought in Beirut, called “Dreamies.”
I always like to toss treats to street cats, wherever I go.
I’m a cat person, and I just love doing that.
Well, to my utter shock, I found out that street cats are treated like royalty in Istanbul.
I can honestly say, that no street cat goes hungry in this wonderful Turkish city.
Everywhere I went, cats had little beds, food, water … all placed for them. They even freely wandered around the famous Hagia Sophia.
A pleasant surprise. Something I have never seen.
But that was nothing. There were more surprises to come.
And it wasn’t just the fantastic restaurants I experienced on the streets off Taksim Square that were jam packed with restaurants, bars, markets and candy shops, along with many interesting performers.
I had the best fish dinner I ever had in my life in Istanbul — so great, I called the chef out and thanked him personally.
I also saw a group of soccer fans marching and singing their team song — very cool!
No, this was something different.
As I sat on a bench in Taksim park, having a well made cup of tea and people watching, I looked on in disbelief.
A woman was walking ahead of a cat — obviously her cat. But the kitty was highly trained. When she stopped, the cat stopped. When she walked on, the cat walked on.
I have never seen anything like it! A trained cat!
Aside from my love for cats, though, Istanbul was full of other wonderful surprises.
Part of the reason I wanted to visit, was to find the movie locations for one of my favourite James Bond films, From Russia With Love.
So of course, I found myself at the famous Blue Mosque, where Bond is rescued from an assailant by the nefarious Nash, and also the old train station where 007 and Tatyana Romanova make their quick escape.
A bucket list for any Bond fan!
I also took in the mighty Grand Bazaar, the roof of which was featured in a daring motorcycle chase scene in Skyfall.
The Grand Bazaar is nothing short of a shopper’s paradise, especially if you are into gold jewelry and carpets! Lots and lots of beautiful carpets.
How do you get them home? They ship them directly to where you live! And the choices are incredible. By far, the best I have ever seen.
No visit to Istanbul would be complete without a visit to the Topkapi Palace, as well — filled with fabulous antiquities and its precious jewels.
The residents of sultans, it also served as administrative center of the Ottoman Empire.
And every day I spent in Istanbul, began with a fabulous breakfast experience, at my hotel on Taksim Park, Hotel Avantgarde.
The selection was just amazing, and, ended with a wonderful Turkish coffee, made to perfection.
It is here too where I learned how friendly the people of Istanbul really are. From the hotel staff to restaurant waiters, I too, was treated like royalty.
Other cool finds? A great sports store, where just about anything and everything could be found for the Fenerbahce FC football team.
Of course, I had to snag something!
I also savoured my first “Shisha” experience at a Kurdish restaurant. The staff called me “Papa” and laughed quite earnestly as I tried to smoke the hookah in the proper way.
I wasn’t very good at it, but when in Rome, as they say.
Oh, and one other treat — flying on Turkish Airlines. This was without question, the best airline I have flown on in years.
North American airlines, and even European airlines, no longer have the good service they once had.
Thankfully, Turkish Airlines has gone the other way, actually improving service where they can. And not just for the first class folks.
Brand new aircraft offering plenty of leg room (a big surprise, as I’m a tall fellow), great food choices and the industry leading Planet inflight entertainment system, and, friendly staff, wow!
It all offered a terrific travel experience. Trust me, I’m not making this up. Travel Turkish Airlines, you won’t be disappointed.
And a big thanks to the airline’s Twitter presence, for permitting me to share this story.
Enjoy life, go to Istanbul!
I will. Great story, Maje!