Crossing the bridge: The sound of Istanbul

So Adam and I watched the cheesiest movie about the music of Istanbul. I decided to fill my Netflix queue with travel videos and this little gem made it first.

First of all, I wanted to see some belly dancers. I mean there's one on the cover and I can hardly think of Turkish music without thinking belly dance. No luck.

So this film is a documentary about a German rocker dude who becomes obsessed with Turkish music. He is hilarious, but not on purpose. He has this long goatee, he smokes like a fiend, has nasty teeth and best of all, wears super-tight tank tops.

He goes to different music venues searching for all of the genres. He highlights rock, hip-hop, Romany, Kurdish and many other forms of music. There are some great scenes.

What struck me the most was just how big Istanbul really is. I guess I didn't take time to fully understand the immensity of the city. I mean I knew it was large, and I've been to huge cities before. Heck, I even studied the google map a few times. But seeing it on the big screen (Adam's 42 inch HDTV) gave me a new perspective. New pictures for my mind to run through when I day dream of my trip.

Then, I felt bad for cheating. Yes, it felt like cheating to see so much of a city on TV that you are planning to explore in real life. I mean if I keep watching these DVDs will it ruin my trip? Will it give away Istanbul's secrets? It's good to be prepared, but with out spoiling it.

I also bought my first travel book last weekend. It really cool because they break the city into five sections and each section is a map marked with points of interest. It's lightweight and compact. It's called the Knopf Mapguides to Istanbul: The city in section-by-section maps. My only concern is that it was published in 2003. Kinda old for a travel guide.

I still want to get another travel guide with more meat. I almost bought two today. I thought maybe that was too much. Perhaps another spoiler. I think I'll go with Rick Steves. He's always the best. I've heard nothing but good review about that one. There is also the Time Out Guide to Istanbul, which also has the highest ratings. Maybe I will get both. I mean what's another $30?