Istanbul

After the packed, touristy Rome, Istanbul was a charming place to land. Turkish fellas are quite nice and helpful – we had a bit of a problem when we arrived, as Jon didn’t have the address or contact number of our accommodation, though we knew it would be nearby. The chap from a snack-bar nearby approached us and asked if we needed help – coming from Rome and Barcelona, this is the kind of thing that freaks you out. He kindly provided us with the wifi password of the café (yes, it’s eeeeeeverywhere) and called the owner of our accommodation, who happened to have a mini-market on the other side of the street. We got some drinks there as a sign of appreciation but our “landlord” insisted in paying for them. Even if the sympathy is there only because tourists bring money - as a young waiter told us - there are gazillions of touristy places in the world where people don’t make any efort - so, thumbs up, Turkish people.

Turks like to have their nightly walks in parks and gardens and walking around after dinner time is a pleasant experience; there are a lot of kids running around and you see a different side of the city. We passed an ice-cream stand where a young man in a funky outfit was performing tricks with a cone, pretending to drop it but grabbing it on the last moment - to great despair of the lady he was serving and great amusement of the crowd. The ice cream is fished using long metal rods and the funky outfit seem to be common to all ice-cream waiters.

The touts are not very insistent and the quality of products is better than in “similar” countries like Marrakesh and Egypt. You pay more but in general it is a worthwhile trade-off. Istanbul has a few bazaars and speciality shops where you can buy clothes, tiles, glass lamps, and jewellery. The amount of gold, silver and gems in some areas of the Grand Bazaar is almost unbelievable, and you better use sunglasses, or you might be blinded by the shininess ;) (♫ Bliiinded by the light ♫, anyone?)

A kedi (cat) chilling out on the entrance of the blue mosque

A post about Istanbul wouldn’t be complete without the mention of cats. They are everywhere, in all kinds, colours and shapes. Most of them are quite young and skinny but the locals don’t seem to mind them and even throw some leftovers at them. As you walk by the streets you can hear people of all nationalities suddenly screaming “Miau!” (or Meow, or Nian, whatever takes your fancy) and grabbing they cameras to take photos of their new found friends.

And a furry eared pisi (kitty)

Rome

Views from the Vatican. Depressing, we know.

Rome has its beautiful spots and quirkinesses but you’ll find out that it takes a while to find them - particularly if you arrive on a hot, smokey day (there was a fire nearby) and take a bus to the city center. Rome has a serious, serious problem with traffic. There are cars eeeeverywhere, which is a shame, because almost all possible street space is road, and there aren’t as many nice piazza where you can sit and chill out.

Rome has also a lot of tourists and viewing some monuments might be a similar experience to being inside a sardine can, or on the tube in rush hour, if you prefer. If you want to see a bit of the “real” Rome, or at least what you imagine as the romanticised version of Rome, walk along the river from the Vatican to the city center and run away from the area around the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, as they are quite overpriced (Jon has a rant ready about the beer price) and full of tourists.

Before you drop your ideas of going to Rome we have to talk about the good parts: food is quite good for the price if you get it in the right places. Get ready to have loads of pasta, pizzas and anti-pasto. Most of the hotels are around the Termini station, known for being a slightly dodgy area, but if you are used to King’s Cross it is pretty much the same - McDonalds on the other side of the road, token bums and that kind of place where you don’t want to be at 4 a.m. unless you have to take that damn bus that will take you to the airport. Anyway, around Termini there are loads of good restaurants that are not overpriced and that are run by those big, cuddly guys and ladies - the quality of a restaurant, as we all know, is measured by the size of its cooks.

Barcelona!

Barcelona

Neither of us had ever been in Barcelona before and we were quite impressed with it: quite a chilled out city, spacious and not terribly full of tourists (Rome, anyone?). There is a lot to see and we highly recommend walking around, as every street has something interesting to see - if you take the tube you’ll miss the vibe.

Pretty much everyone is able to speak English so you won’t have any problems finding your way around. Spanish are quite chilled out and you must join them in on one of the many pedestrian malls for a beer.

The city is quite dominated by all the things Gaudí - which makes a sort of sense when you think that Sagrada Familia has been under construction since the beginning of time and that it imposes itself upon the cityscape. We found it just a bit too over the top - the facade is very baroque and your eyes jump from one side to the other, never fixing on anything. The entrance fee is also quite expensive, as the building is being financed by the tickets and private investors. We’re planning to return when it is finished (pun intended) but be aware that it is probably one of the most visited places in Barcelona, so buy your tickets online in advance to avoid the massive queues.

Top tip: do use sunscreen ALL the time. Even if you leave the room at 9 in the morning.