Curious Cities Nº1 MAY 2015 ISTANBUL AND LISBON: HOW DIFFRENT THEY ARE? EDITORIAL Starting a new project is always something nice, but at the same time stressful. You need to define a name, something that takes days to think, and then get an image, some- thing that takes time to do. Writing about cities may seem easy, but if the goal is to be diverse and have good content the task be- comes more difficult. But challanges is what journalism is made from and to overcome those challenges is our job. The Curious Cities aims to be a different bet in the travel segment. Combining the history of the sites, with the similarities and differences between two cities is always special . Prepares people for what they will find in the various spaces taking into account what they already know. This is our challenge and this is our goal. In the first edition we will be able to learn more about two cities that are in Europe extremes. Lisbon (Portugal) and Istanbul (Turkey), as you will be able to see, have much in com- mon. Have fun on this trip, Rodrigo Fernandes Curious Cities 3 Here it is not only at 5pm Tea plantation in the Azores The distance between Ribeira Grande, in the Azores, and Istanbul is 4632.97 Km and apparently these two cities have nothing in common. But it is on the Portuguese city were the two only tea factories in Europe are located. The Fábrica da Gorreana began it’s production of tea in 1883, while the Fá- brica do Porto Formoso began its production in 1920. These two factories produce more than 40 tons of tea a year, and this tea is moustrly consumed in Portugal, USA and the UK. And why does this have to do with Istanbul? The answer is simple, Turkey is the world leader in tea consumption, with a total of 6.87 kg per capita equivalent to about 1600 cups per year, ie 3-4 per day. Of the approximately 515 tons 25 235 666 drinks in the country are produced in Turkey, which makes this Eurasian country being the world’s fifth largest tea producer. In Turkey the most famous area is Rize, a region which is in the north of the country in the Black Sea region. To be aware, in Portugal the average is 0092 kg and in the World 0:57 kg. But let’s see what is the main difference in tea consuption between the Portuguese and the Turks. Curious Cities 4 Tea in Turkey has the same function as the coffee in Portugal, namely the wake of the person and keep active. On the other hand, in Portugal, tea is more commonly used as a way of interaction and and by older pe- ople, as well as for therapeutic purposes. The most popular kind of tea is black tea, it has strong featured and drinking it with sugar is almoust mandatory. But there are other variations like the Kiwi or Apple tea. One of the moust interesting things about tea is the container used to drink it. In Portugal, and almoust all around the World, tea is drinked with in a cup, but in Turkey there are characteristic glasses. But back Traditional tea glass in Turkey to the Azorean tea in the past there have been attempts to take it to Turkey, but those attemps have failed due to the high cost of expor- ting tea there, and because it would not be sustainable on the turkish market. Now you know. If you go to Turkey and go to a café, do not ask for a co- ffee, ask for a tea. And if you do order a coffee, you will be served with another turkish speciality, but that is for another article. Curious Cities 5 Istambul and Lisbon: Diffrent or equal? Istanbul and Lisbon flags Istanbul and Lisbon, two very different cities, but at the same time very equal. These two cities beginning and end Europe, are two very cosmo- politan centers and the biggest cities of each country, even if Istambul isn’t the capital of Turkey, unlike many people think. The turkish capital is Ankara. Let’s begin with a short presentation of each city starting with Istanbul. Istanbul is Europe’s largest city and is also the only one that is divided in two continents (Europe and Asia). With over 16 million habitants this Turkish city has been known by other names – Byzantium and Cons- tantinople – and has much history and culture everywhere, from the time of Byzantium, through the Roman Empire and Ottoman and now with Turkey. Lisbon also has a lot of history and culture to tell its visitors. The Portu- guese capital was the capital of the world during the 15th century to 17, when Portugal ruled the waves and had the sea route to India with the lucrative market of spices. In 1755 an earthquake followed by a tsunami and a fire almost destroyed the city which has lost much of its history. Curious Cities 6 But the recovery made the city more organizes, with the Baixa de Pom- bal, and made it gain more experiences. Currently it has about 550 thousand habitants. The population and all that this entails, is precisely the great difference between the two cities. The fastest way to go from one to the other city is through the Turkish Airlines that makes two daily flights from each one. Sultanahmet was built from 1609 to 1616 Religion Let us start discovering each city. A person who arrives to both of the- se cities will emideatly notice many mosques in Istanbul and Chur- ches in Lisbon. Reli- gious worship is something that is well placed in the culture of each of the- se two cities, even though it has been decreasing in recent times, es- pecially in Lisbon. Walking through Istanbul will defini tely be a good experience. You will hear Ezan five times a day, indica- ting the time to pray. These hours change from day to day and have to do with the sun’s position. If a Friday you are wa- lking around a mosque at noon do not be surprised to find many people outside it to pray. Whenever you visit a mosque, be sure to go well composed not using armhole sleeves or shorts / skirt / short dress; but if you are using this type of clothing do not worry the entry will have scarves to cover. To enter the mosque also will have to take off; Finally and only for women is also necessary to cover their hair. Curious Cities 7 Lisbon despite the many churches there is a great bustle around the same, only on Sundays is a larger movement. To enter the same there is no special care to have, but during the time of the Mass is not advisable to visit. As a final curiosity in Istanbul there are some churches with special empha- sis on both the Istiklal Avenue; In Lisbon there is one mosque, and planes for the construction of a second one. Food This is perhaps the strength of each city. In either case there is a huge varie- ty of all kinds of food. In Istanbul the strong point is the Kebab, there hun- dreds of different ways to prepare this type of meat. As is known, the pork can not be consumed by Muslims, so it is virtually impossible to find it for sale. Another of the most popular dishes and more presence on the streets is the Balik Ekmek, or fish in bread, which as the name implies is a sandwi- ch with fish that adds lettuce and onions. Yogurt is also a constant presence in many dishes, including soups. Also very sold on the streets is the Simit, a type of bread with toasted seeds. When it comes to drinks Ayran is king. This drink that combines yogurt with water and salt is often used due to spicy which is used in foods. In the street is also common to find natural juice sellers of Orange and Po- megranate. Tea (çay) is also very popular in cafes, as you can saw in pages 4 and 5; as mentioned in the article on tea, coffee in Istanbul (and Turkey) is different, being called Turkish coffee. This coffe is joined with the dregs, and in the end, it is traditional to Traditional portuguese steak read people’s future with this sludge. When it comes to alcoholic drinks Raki reigns. This Turkish drink made by anise and grape needs water to be added in order to be drinked. The candies are also something very famous and easy to find throughout the city, the most characteristic are the baklavas in its various flavors. Curious Cities 8 By the Lisbon seafood restaurants and breweries are the spaces with more fame. Eat fresh seafood or a steak is something easy to find. The codfish, cooked in many different ways, is present in almost all places, as well as all kinds of fish. Selling food in the street is not very com mon, but a Bifana, especially in big events, is not too hard to find. When it comes to the more traditional drinks is there is the Portuguese wine, but if you walk the in the streets of Lisbon, you will also find several shops selling ginginha, a drink made on the basis of Ginja. When it comes to sweets there is the Pastel de Nata and the Pastel de Belem wich are the most famous and go very well with a cup of coffee.