Changing it up

We had a relaxing morning, still chilled out from our massages last night.
After breakfast we did some laundry so that we start the next leg of our adventure all clean and organised. Whilst waiting we had a Turkish coffee, just like the locals do, in an alley and savoured every moment.
All packed up, we left our bags and headed off to explore some nearby neighbourhoods. It is surprising to me how much I was reminded of Paris. So many gorgeous cafes and patisseries and little shops. There are also so many trees which is a real treat for the eye coming from a desert environment. Istanbul really is a beautiful, vibrant city. Another cup of tea and some baklava for morning tea and more getting lost in the beautiful back streets.
There are so many cats everywhere and all looked after so well. Istanbul really love their street animals which is evident by the bowls of food and water left everywhere and little cat houses. Some mosques even have bird houses attached. All the dogs and cats look healthy, well fed and are all very friendly.
Lunch was at an Anatolian and Circassian restaurant - sooooo tasty!!
We have been talking to locals who have explained how shocking the inflation is here. It is currently around 52% but that is an improvement on 62% last month!!
For us, prices at restaurants and clothes etc are similar to home. Public transport is cheaper though, as is street food and petrol.
A couple of examples of the impact:
Galata Tower used to be €4 and is now €30
Topaki Palace was $5USD and now $50USD
This is in 12 months. It has also helped with the crowds at these places though, which was likely part of the plan.
One guy told us his jacket cost him 200TL a year ago and is now 2000TL. He reckons the shops are all just adding a zero onto things but wages aren’t keeping up.
It’s odd though that the streets are absolutely pumping with people and all the cafes are full. I do think though, that like Egypt, there are local prices and tourist prices. I just can’t blend in well enough!!!
We get picked up at 6pm and with the temperature dropping we need to find ourselves a jumper - oh how different to this time last week hahahaha!!
Success!
Jackets from a mini Parklea markets ✅
The drive to our next hotel where we meet our tour group is only 22km away but because of traffic it took us an hour!
Can’t wait to meet everyone in the morning.Read more