Istanbul is definitely clean mixed with a little fancy schmancy. Similar to Italy, I like how the old is intertwined in with the new. There's a lot of people roaming the streets today as it's the last day of their Holiday. There's also a definite divide between the Asia side and the Europe side of the city. Locals mostly live on the Asia side, where the streets are hopping and you get a definite city feel. The Europe side, where our hotel is, is very tourist-based, obviously suited for the business traveler. The streets are empty at night and restaurants have signs with "too much" English, if you know what I mean. I feel like whenever I see anything that says, "Best Turkish Food," it reminds me of the Sabarro's in NY that claim to have the "Best NY Pizza." In which case we all know, they should go F themselves.
Some superficial observations: the women are beautiful and the men are not as much. Although both sexes possess strong, dark features such as prominent eyebrows and piercing eyes, the women look much sexier. Maybe it's a product of their makeup and the way they dress, but I would say Turkish women are by far more attractive than Turkish men. I also find it amusing that all Turkish men have the same male pattern baldness including a noticeable receding hairline and a slight "withered lawn" look a the crown of the head. I tried taking some pics but was getting all kinds of dirty looks.
And speaking of looks, Turkish men like to stare and they can be very aggressive in their mannerisms. I was already forewarned about this so it was not a total shock when guys were literally staring at me and my mom, loudly proclaiming: "China! Japan! Singapore! Ching chong ching." It's ignorance and partially cultural, but it does irk me since this country claims to be part Asian.
P.S: can someone explain to me why the man in the pedestrian crossing sign is wearing a hat?
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