ISTANBUL: WORLD'S MOST MAGICAL CITY (Turkey Documentary)

Istanbul, a city of 20 million people at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, home to many civilizations over the centuries, all of which have left a lasting mark, a melting pot of history and sights that attract visitors from all over the world. Yet it's the everyday moments that truly mesmerize. The ferries carrying millions from continent to continent, long conversations over a slow indulgent meal, a cat joining you for a cup of tea or coffee. These are the things that stay with you long after you leave. Balat is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Istanbul, the historical center of Jewish, Greek and Armenian communities. Today, it's famous for its charming cafes and colorful houses built on hilly cobblestone streets. We're here to experience a rich culinary tradition, the decadent multi-course Turkish breakfast called kavalti. The name is literal. Kave means coffee and kavalti means before the coffee. Everyone does Turkish breakfast a little differently, but there are some common ingredients that you'll see in all Turkish breakfast. So you have a mix of sweet and savory ingredients. You have cheeses and dairy. There's olives and olive oil. There is usually an egg dish and there's also sweets like jams and nut butters. And the thing that ties it all together is bread. You eat the bread with everything on the table as well as strong, dark Turkish tea served in the iconic tulip glass. Everything here is delicious, but this is my absolute favorite. This kaymak right here. It's a really thick cream. Going to put some on this biscuit. And it's absolutely perfect with honey. Istanbul is the only city in the world that crosses two continents, Europe and Asia, and the Bosporus Strait runs right in between. So because of this really unique geography, there's a robust ferry system that charters folk from one continent to the other. And it's quite a lovely way to get around. Asia is over here. So it's two continents side by side, east meets west. Okay, got it right this time. Hundreds of thousands of them, probably millions, roam the streets. In Cihangir, an affluent hipster neighborhood located on the European side of Istanbul, they run the show. My country is kingdom of cats. They are just like humans, just like us, and we are living together. And while bustling urban life in a city of 20 million comes with its hardships, many people love the cats of Istanbul, coming together as a community to take care of them. They have become inextricably linked with the spirit of the city, a big part of daily life. Istanbul's population is estimated to be between 15 and 20 million people. It is the largest city in Europe, and nowhere is this more apparent than Taksim Square. This is the heart of the city, and it's a hub for restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. And it is crowded at all times of the day. Really tender. The back streets of Taksim at night. Here, the air is thick with the scent of cigarettes and spilt beer. The sound of laughter, clinking glasses, and rivalling music from different bars reverberate through the narrow alleys. Something brushes your feet. A cat scurries past. Navigate your way through the dizzying crowds, and you might just find exactly what you're looking for. Taksim is crowded during the day, but it's at night that it really comes alive. And narrow back streets like these get incredibly crowded, and they're the center of Istanbul nightlife. We have some pretty cute seatmates right here. You can't escape the cats anywhere in Istanbul, even at the crowded bar streets. The call to prayer. A melodic chant sung five times a day from the minarets of mosques across the city. It summons the people of Istanbul to put aside their cares and focus on faith. It's a reminder that God is always near. Cafe culture in Istanbul is alive and well, and here we have a really good example of traditional cafe culture. It's mostly men sitting outside. The only thing on the menu is tea, and everyone is hanging out, talking, socializing, and just having a nice, relaxed Sunday afternoon together. This right here is the cornerstone of Turkish social life. It is a strong black tea served in this iconic tulip-shaped glass, and everybody drinks it all day, every day, even late into the night. Fun fact, Turkey has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world. Modern cafe culture in Istanbul looks a lot like this. You have a lot of young people, a lot of cool-looking hipsters with tattoos. They're sitting on the street, they're drinking tea and coffee, they're smoking cigarettes, and they're just hanging out for hours, enjoying each other's company. And if you're lucky, a cat might come up and say hi to you because every cafe in Istanbul is a cat cafe. Tonight we are indulging in one of the best Turkish culinary traditions, raki and meze. Meze and raki are all about spending time with friends and family. You have small appetizers, and you're raki, and you sit for hours just talking, laughing, eating, drinking. Meze usually consists of beans, dairy, seafood, and different vegetables, and you get a little bit of each one on your plate, and once you're done, you pass it around, and then from there you enjoy it slowly with bread. Here is my beautiful, complete meze plate. And raki is very special. It's the national drink of Turkey, and it's very strong. It is over 40% alcohol, and it's made from double distilling grapes and anise. And when it's poured from the bottle, it is clear, but then when you mix it with water, it turns this milky white color, and that's because the oil from the anise is not soluble in water, but it is in alcohol. And it's definitely an acquired taste. It's a little sweet and fruity, and it tastes like fennel seed. When you come to Istanbul, don't feel like you have to rush from site to site and have a jam-packed itinerary. I recommend you really take your time here, because daily life itself is really fascinating on its own. From the juxtaposition between the modern and the traditional, to the amazing, cool, hip cafe culture, to the ferry system that's a casual mode of public transport that charters millions of people a day from continent to continent. The architecture, the food, I could go on and on. We love it here. That's why we keep coming back, and I just really recommend that you take it slowly.