03
May
Istanbul summer, Luxury apartments, Keeping Cool
Cooling Ayran
The heat of a Turkish summer is upon us, you can see it wavering in the air, feel it on your skin. It evens burns when you breathe in and all Istanbulites focus on the main thing; keeping cool or trying to! The air con (klima) in your luxury apartment offers a retreat from the encompassing heat but can trap you indoors a little too much. Now, while you may be tempted to have it working on the lowest setting it can go to. Don’t! Research indicates that keeping the temperature at a steady 22° offers the ultimate in comfort and working conditions.
Escaping your luxury Istanbul apartment to a luxury mall in Istanbul is an option. There the temperature is often moderate, unlike malls in the US which seem to be set at arctic levels and make you wish you were wearing more layers.
Fans are a popular with most people but the Turks culturally disdain air being blown directly on themselves so fans are often set to face a wall so the room gets the bounce off from it. There is a concern that the blown air will cause stiff joints and even chest infections, not all imagined neither.
You cannot sit 24/7 in your air conditioned office or luxury apartment in Istanbul, however much you would like to, life has to go on. So what else can you do to cool down:
Into or Onto the Water
Head to the Bosphorus for a boat ride or a swim. No not directly into the Bosphorus, take a ferry to the Prince Islands and take a dip in the Marmara Sea. Alternatively head to some of the pools dotted around, most hotels will allow you to use their pools but be aware the cost can be high. Look out for the rooftop pools, better value for money in that the views are spectacular and slightly cooler up on the roof. You will see many Turkish families spending the evening on the roof, mum, dads, kids and neighbours and of course a TV!
A boat trip on a hot sticky days is lovely, the breeze is cooling and the views a treat. Just make sure you get a seat sea side to catch that breeze!
Ice Cream Anyone?
No luxury apartment would be without ice-cream in your freezer and nice as it may be it does not come anywhere near buying and eating some Kahramanmaraş ice cream – you know the one that takes forever to defrost and you can eat with knife and fork. This delicious ice cream is so soothing to a hot, dry throat, goes down a treat. Do not even bother with the soft ice creams from the machines, in Istanbul heat they melt while you are paying for them. Another treat on a hot day is an iced coffee, not most people need their caffeine boost but a hot cup of coffee in 30° plus heat is just not on. An iced coffee especially from Federal Coffee in Galata and Café Wein in Şişli to name two from Istanbul.
A Couple more Tips on Keeping Cool
- Wear natural materials, linen or cotton in preference to manmade. Cover up under the midday sun, long sleeves or long trousers, it does actually make you feel cooler. Remember if you want to visit museums and mosque you cannot do so in shorts and t-shirts. By the way those are often cool places to go to in the hot days. Use a hat to protect yourself.
- Drink ayran or eat yoghurt. Yoghurt has natural cooling properties and while ayran is an acquired taste it really is worth acquiring it. A long cold frosty glass of frothing ayran really is thirst quenching and cooling.
- Adjust your pace of life, accept the heat and don’t fight it. Par down what you have to do where possible. Turks do not traditionally have siestas but no one stopping you from having one. Put the air con on (22° remember) about 20 mins before you want to sleep, close the blinds and curtains to also cool the room down; then go lie down and chill in your luxury apartment and have a lovely siesta.