Mick and I did lots of exploring today, and we finally spotted a man with his head bandaged following a hair transplant. It did not look like what I thought it would.
The cost for a transplant depends on how many grafts are needed. If a man needs more than 5000 grafts (which sounds very painful) they may need to undergo two surgeries. Apparently it has a high success rate with one of the negative side effects being scarring to the scalp.
Mick though has a new sport – spotting what appears to be a very common practice in Istanbul for many, many women – large, bulbous lips (as a result of botox or lip fillers). Apparently, Turkey has become “a popular choice for this treatment, due to the combination of highly skilled surgeons, advanced filler products, and competitive prices”. Obviously that is true!
We caught trams today to get around, using our credit cards on entry only costs $1.30AUD per trip. There is possibly a cheaper way to use the trams, like buying a transport card, but this is easy, and we do not annoy others by standing at a ticket machine trying to work out what is what. We also caught two different funiculars – one to get us up to Taksim Square, and a different one to get us back down towards the river and the area of Eminonu.
Taksim Square, is considered to be the “heart of modern Istanbul”, and I had read that a popular activity is to stroll along Istiklal Caddesi – a favourite pedestrian street lined with 19th-century buildings which house international brand name, high-end shops and boutiques.
This monument was the first thing we saw when we got off the funicular at Taksim Square. It was funded by donations from the Turkish people and depicts (of course) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, along with two important generals from the Soviet Union during the 1920s.
Just behind this monument was a large mosque, but unlike the Hagia Sophia, this one is very new. It was only finished in 2021.
Designed by two Turkish architects in an Art Deco style, Taksim Mosque can hold up to 3,000 worshippers.
Istiklal Caddesi (street) provided lots of things for us to look at, and it was quite a contrast from the Sultanahmet district where we are staying. Not only were there high-end shops, but there were a number of consulate generals, some of them heavily guarded, and several christian churches.
An armed guard was on duty in front of the Swedish Consulate – and not too happy I snapped this shot. Several others, including the French Consulate, did not have that level of security.
Saint Antoine church is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul; it was built to serve the Italian community here.
Another popular tourist attraction along this street, is this tram car. We did not ride on it, preferring instead to stroll along the long street, but it was a very quaint addition to this area.
People watching is always fun, and these guys looked in need of a rest. Mick had only just commented to me that an obvious thing missing from this street was public seating – he is still suffering with a chest infection and gets puffed pretty easily and would have loved a little rest. These men though had found a solution.
Once we arrived at the end of this street, we went in search of the second funicular, known as Tunel – “the historic, underground, rubber-tyred funicular line”, so we could eventually get to Eminonu, on the other side of the Galata Bridge, and closer to our hotel. We were in need of some lunch.
We have been over the bridge and also under the bridge on our boat tours, but Mick was keen to watch the fishermen who lined the sides of the bridge. They must use very long fishing rods to reach the water and appear to use bait on quite small hooks. The same technique is used by fishermen who fish off the waterfront as well.
Mick only spotted one successful attempt at fishing while he was watching, with the small, unlucky fish being presented to a very happy cat.
These interesting-looking boats caught our eye as we walked past, and it wasn’t until we started to feel hungry that we noticed that they actually were being used to prepare a local delicacy.
The local delicacy is known as Balik Ekmek, and costs 150 Turkish Lira (or $6.50AUD). There were several of these boats, selling the same thing, as well as several restaurants located beneath the Galata Bridge.
Balik Ekmek translates to Fish Bread in English – and that is exactly what it was. Pieces of freshly grilled fish were served on a piece of soft bun, along with lettuce and sliced onion.
Mick was unsure what type of fish we were eating, but he was pretty sure it was mackerel. The verdict – delicious.
The view across the Golden Horn towards the Beyoglu Area, and where we had just been in Taksim Square.
We planned to have something small for dinner tonight, quite close to our hotel – as we have been enjoying the Turkish breakfasts a little too much, with lots of pastries and cakes on offer, and not so much cereals and fruit. Plus, our choices for morning tea treats have not been very sensible either.
But as we headed out past the closest restaurant to us we started chatting to the man out the front who told us that we could bring wine from the little market across the street (from another guy who knew us quite well as we had be buying a can of beer and the occasional bottle of wine from him during our stay!). His restaurant did not sell alcohol but it was a BYO (my term, and not his). What Aussie does not like that?
Dinner was wonderful, and cost us only $52 AUD. The tomatoes in Istanbul are worth the trip over alone – they actually taste like tomatoes.
Tomorrow evening will be out last in Istanbul, and we are booked into a fancy hotel for dinner. It will need to be good to beat this meal.
Jane and Mick's Holiday Adventures 
You have had a good time haven’t you! Great going. I think Istanbul is one of the three great cities of the world (Rome and Shanghai since you ask). But that’s a silly thing to say isn’t it. Travel on. Loving the blogs.
Thanks David. We are loving this city – not so sure about Shanghai, but definitely Rome!!