A wonderful way to make friends and really enjoy local travel experiences is to go “Couchsurfing”. When we planned our trip to Istanbul I published my itinerary on the Couchsurfing site. Within days we had an invitation to stay with Fatma in Istanbul. (We also had 5 other offers of accommodation and people wanting to show us around)
I gladly accepted Fatma’s invitation and when we arrived in Istanbul we made our way to her flat, following her really good directions on which trains to catch and where to alight. ( Note: Get an Istanbulkart- it’s the best and cheapest way to use public transport including the metro, buses and ferries and you only need one as it can be shared.)
Fatma made us a delicious Turkish breakfast (we had landed at Ataturk Airport at 05:15) and then she offered to show us around Istanbul. What an experience! 3 days of intense sightseeing. We explored parts of Istanbul that we would never have seen without Fatma and, of course, took in all of the tourist activities as well.
Fatma and Maureen overlooking the Bosphorous
Fatma introduced us to the best of Turkish food and drink – we loved the delicious and slightly salty Aryan drink which is yoghurt based
Fatma introduced us to good restaurants and delicious food
Fatma is a very kind and generous lady – she shared her home with us for 3 days and gave of all of her time make sure we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. I am pleased to name her as a special friend
Elred and Fatma resting their weary legs after a long day’s sightseeing
Wow – super jealous!