08/20/2026
An absolutely fascinating city, where the sunsets are only rivaled by its history.
One of if not THE most important cities in history. From the Roman Empire, Byzantine's, ottomans, a key trading post linking east and west, this city has been the center of almost every event or conflict in the last thousand years.
How fortunate when the ottomans conquered in the 1400s they kept these incredible structures and gold mosaics, anyone who likes history even a little will lose your mind here.
One month here and I barely scratched the surface
- hills you'd find in Lisbon
- History like Rome
- Palaces like France
- The size of NYC
- Waterfront and sunsets that would rival anywhere on earth
I can't oversell how incredible this city is architecturally, structurally, and scenically.
It's not all sunshine though. It's one of the least gay friendly places I've been. With hyperinflation, life was quickly getting out of control cost wise. With these two factors, plus increasing govt pressure on LGBTQ+ rights (like refusing to allow a gay cruise to dock) the future picture was bleak amongst many q***r folks I spoke with.
In general though, people are gruff and hard on the surface, but very helpful and kind with time.
It doesn't feel familiar, but totally unique. While the insides of a grocery store may scream Greece, with lines of fresh cucumber, tomatoes, feta and watermelon, the call to prayer 5x a day will not.
The sheer magnitude of cathedrals turned mosques and mosques overlooking the Bosporus, the lines of ships, literally thousands of cats you're constantly stepping over, incredible coffee culture (yes, it started here) there is so much to see, learn from and about in this beautiful city.
I could go on and on. This city is spectacular. While it's hard for me to ever picture a life here it's an absolutely incredible place where the world meets to learn about all the things that make us more similar than different. Where signs of, love, fishing, food, family, love of cats, sunsets in this city or 20M and finishing rise above the rhetoric, and remind us how at the end of the day, we just may be more similar than we realize.
