Istanbul: European, Asian...something else?

I have heard many people say and read reports of Istanbul being the intersection of Europe and Asia. All of this creates a bit of confusion: what shall I expect? What to pack? What interactions await? And then, after arriving, I was no closer to consensus—so I started keeping track.

When I landed at the airport I had expected a swarm of taxi drivers peddling their services to harried travelers. Instead I found a taxi queue with waiting cabbies—who had…fare meters—one for Europe.

Driving from the airport to the hotel made me acutely aware that traffic laws, or lack thereof, silly things like lane markers, yellow lights and other drivers should largely be ignored—Asia.

It should not have surprised me then, that as a pedestrian in a city largely without crosswalks or pedestrian designations, my lower limbs were continually at risk—Asia.

Presence of Street Sweepers: Europe.

After a day I was beginning to be lulled into travelers security. I used the tap water to brush my teeth AND ate a salad. Then Ashleigh pointed out, the hotel in-room material says the water is only “semi safe.” Rookie Asian traveler mistake. I lost a day to the confines of the hotel for that one. Parasites in the water: Asia.

Being awoken at 5am each morning for prayer time blaring from loudspeakers atop a nearby mosque: Neither.

Haggling with venders over the price of knock off goods at the market: Asia.

Locals swimming in the crystal clear shipping and industrial waterway between the European and Asian sides: Europe

Istanbul has the same street cars as Geneva; the air conditioning inside alone is worth the price of admission. Timeliness of public transportation: Europe

Persistence of shop keepers to get you to visit their store: Asia

Our friends who acquired a dog in Switzerland told us the only thing more difficult than securing an apartment is getting a pet. Not so in Istanbul. You could walk one block in any direction and have your choice of stray dogs or cats: Asia.

Total: Asia, 6 Europe, 4 It is squarely some of both, but I’m leaning more Asian than European.