ISTANBUL, TURKEY
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| Istanbul by night |
I was fortunate enough to sit next
to a recent UVM grad on my flight from Greece to Turkey. He was backpacking around Europe as well so
we had plenty to talk about at the dismay of our surrounding passengers. Although we had casually exchanged info as we
went our separate ways at baggage claim, I had more than a feeling that I would
be seeing him again.
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| My first Mosque |
As I
made my way down to the pristine subway station, I officially felt like I was
in a foreign country. And that may seem
strange to some of you since I have been in foreign countries all along but, unfortunately,
a lot of Europe looks like America when you first step off the plane, train or
bus. Apparently Americans aren’t the
only ones getting fat- McDonalds, Subway, Burger King and KFC were always the
first thing welcoming me to a new city.
Not exactly what I was expecting!
But here in Turkey, I definitely sensed the gateway between east and
west. There weren’t too many women to be
seen and, the few that were on the subway, covered their heads and/or faces
with a burqa. I didn’t actually see any
face veils, which I later discovered were outlawed in Turkey! Turkish law prohibits religious dress in
public places so most Muslim women comply by wearing what is called a Tesettur,
which is more of a head scarf over a light cover-all top coat.
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| Amazing Suleymaniye Mosque! I loved the patterns. |
I got a
terrible headache as I made the long train ride to the Bada Bing hostel on the
Western side of Istanbul. Apparently
Americans weren’t the only ones watching the Sopranos either. I was really impressed to find the owner of
the Bada Bing extremely generous. He was
so helpful with my backpack and he insisted on bringing me tea for my
headache. I didn’t feel like going out
that night but my two roommates from Georgia (the American state, not the sovereign
state in Eurasia) had invited me to dinner.
We made the steep walk up to the busy shopping street of Istiklal
Caddesi and enjoyed a quick donner kebab dinner. Good but not as good as the donners I
discovered in Berlin. Wasn’t this
supposed to be the capital of donner kebabs??
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| I'm just mad about Saffron. Saffron's mad about me. |
The next
morning, I climbed the steep streets yet again to meet up with the kid/guy from
the plane, Will. We began at the famous
Galata Tower and headed across the Galata Bridge where many Turkish men were
fishing the Bosphorus River for the catch of the day. Just moments after pulling the fish out of
water, they were sold right there on the street to locals passing by. Will and I veered off the main street to
explore the famous spice market. Now, as
most of you know, I’m not much of a cook.
Salt is really the only spice necessary in my kitchen. So as much as I could marvel at the different
colors, smells and tastes of the Istanbul Spice Market, I really couldn’t
appreciate it the way Will could. He was
22 going on 52 and I loved him for it.
He was well-read. For sake of a
cheap joke, he was Will-read! Not only
was he a wealth of information, he was generous enough to pass on that wisdom
to me.
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| Spice Market |
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| Turkish Delight! |
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| Feel that plush carpet between your toes |
We
walked a mindless zip-zag pattern around the Spice Market until we came out
near a large mosque. I don’t recall its
official name but I will always remember it as ‘my first mosque’. I don’t really know what I was expecting but
this certainly exceeded it. The
incredibly high ceiling was supported by beautifully patterned walls. The plush carpet under my feet was so soothing. Now this was the way to pray! Why do Catholics insist on praying with their
shoes on? Why so formal? It’s much more comfortable in your
socks.
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| Removing shoes at my first Mosque |
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| Mosque |
We
returned back to the hustle, bustle, and lack of muscle amongst Instanbulians
(not an actual word) and headed for the Grand Bizaare! Amongst the 31 covered streets and over 3000
shops, I can say that Wikipedia’s estimation of 250,000 to 400,000 visitors per
day sounds about accurate. It’s one of
the oldest and most famous marketplaces and I felt like I was back on the floor
of the New York Stock Exchange. I loved
the bartering! Exchanging bids and
offers on even the smallest of Turkish merchandise was a lot more fun than
paying sticker price at the Gap back home! Besides the rush of making a deal, the
bartering system also left one open to fraternizing with the locals. Some were more versed in English than others
but all seemed to love Americans. I was
subject to some very flattering pick-up lines, which I am happy to share with
you:
Ahh, Lady, over here.
You are so beautiful. What you
want, Lady?
You are lovely. Have
you come here for me?
You want to marry?
Is it me that you are looking for?
Where are you from?
Boston? I love Celtics….and
you. Can I move with you?
I….am….divorced.
Hello.
Somehow
I managed to resist their charm.
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| Grand Bazaar |
Suffice it to say that no Turkish
man took my hand in marriage. I survived
their pick-up lines, ignored the Chinese knock-off Louis Vuitton bags and Dolce
and Gabana sunglasses, and finally found what I was really looking for in the
Grand Bazaar- authentic Turkish craftsmanship.
There were so many beautiful colors and designs that cannot be found in
a Pottery Barn catalogue at home. If
only I could bring some back home with me without breaking it in my bag. Oh
wait-if only I knew where my next home would be. Crap, looks like bad timing on Istanbul
household items. I would look, admire,
shop around, and possibly come back another day.
Will and
I spent the evening at the Aya Sofia where I had my socks knocked off! From its date of dedication in 360 until 1453,
it served as the Greek Patriarchal
cathedral of Constantinople except during the 13th century when it
had a 50+ year run with the Roman Catholics.
It later served as a mosque from 1453 to 1931. Now it’s a remarkable museum! Usually when a country is conquered,
the old is replaced with new. However,
in the case of Aya Sofia, some of the oldest and most precious Christian
mosaics were preserved under the new Islamic tributes. The entire structure was just so
massive. My friend, Sri, had told me
that it was her favorite sight in Istanbul so I took some extra time to absorb
it all. I had a feeling Aya Sofia would
hold a special place in my heart as well…and I was right.
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| Aya Sofia |
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| Aya Sofia |
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| Aya Sofia |
The next
day, Will and I decided to team up again to see the Topkapi Palace, which was
the center of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries. No big deal, right? It was very impressive but, for whatever
reason, I didn’t connect to the Palace like I had with other impressive sights
I saw on my trip. Maybe it was the
surprisingly cold, damp weather. Maybe
it was the especially long queues to view the artifacts in each
building/room. Maybe it was the headache
that seemed to be lingering over the past few days. Maybe it was the annoying and disrespectful
herds of Asian tourists that cut the lines and elbowed their way through
crowds. I WILL say that I really
enjoyed the building full of colorful, patterned tile. Turks are so tasteful with their tile! I also got to see the sword that David used
when fighting Goliath. Yeah, I didn’t
really think that story happened either but they had a sword and plaque and
everything. Hmmph.
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| Tiles at Topkapi Palace |
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| Topkapi Palace |
The next
few days, Will and I continued to conquer all the top spots in Istanbul:
The Blue Mosque where I tried to take a peaceful nap on the
carpet like my friend, Sander, advised.
I was scolded by Will and others.
With 6 minarets and 20000 blue tiles, it was as awesome as expected.
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| In the Blue Mosque |
Turkish Hamam- Nothing like a day at the Turkish spa! Picture a warm, hexagonal room where you
douse yourself with water and lay on heated tiles looking up at small
star-shaped openings in the ceilings that let in natural sunlight. You see it?
Now picture your calming experience coming to an yend when a large,
unattractive Turkish woman grunts to express his readiness to bathe you. She throws a couple buckets of water over you
and then adds lots of suds. She scrubs
and scrubs until you’re clean of the idea of ever coming to another Turkish
spa. I actually enjoyed the Haru but most female tourists looked pretty scared. When I reconvened with Will later in the
lobby, it sounded like he may have been one of those tourists in the male steam
room.
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| Typical Turkish Hamam |
A boat ride on the Bosphorus en route to Asia- Not only is Turkey located within two
continents but Istanbul is too! I took a
ride up the mighty Bosphorus River in order to climb a hill in Karakoy. It was a short, steep hill with lots of stray
dogs. We looked out over the Dead Sea
and Will was giddy with fun facts about different battleships. Oh and did I mention it was my 28th
birthday?? Yeah, I got to visit two continents
on my big day! Knowing my love (and
growing addiction) for Coca-Cola, Will taped a couple candles to a can of Coke
and sang for me. Very sweet. Definitely my most unique birthday yet!
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| Check out that Dead Sea |
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| So long Europe! We're in Asia today! |
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| Swinging in Asia! |
About
five days later, Will had to move on to Ireland. I had met lots of people on my journeys so I
was used to relishing the good times and not dramatizing my goodbyes. I knew Will and I would stay in touch since
he was a Maine-iac back home. I was
flattered to find out that I was really the only person that Will had teamed up
with on his trip! He tore through sights
like he tore through books so he was completely self-sufficient. I must have held him back from seeing/doing
everything he was capable of in Istanbul but I’m glad that I could contribute
to his experience in some unknown way.
Or maybe he was just too nice to say, ‘Go away!’ J
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| Will's consequences of overdosing on Sudafed |
I didn’t
have time to wallow because my awesome brother-in-law Brian connected me with
some amazing locals! After recently
attending his class reunion in Victor, NY, Brian reconnected with the Turkish
foreign exchange student, Bora, who also attended. I’m sure the Victor High School Class of 1990
something NEVER thought they would see the Turkish exchange student again! Well Bora and his wife, Denis, had proved
them wrong by making the trip to the USA!
They returned to Istanbul just in time to meet up with me for my last
few days. We shared a nice brunch
overlooking the entire city and they invited me back to their apartment that
was conveniently located in the heart of shopping strip of Istiklal Caddesi.
It was
just my luck that their personal masseuse was paying a visit to their home to
help them relax from the long airplane ride from the United States. The man was so pleased to meet an American
that he insisted on giving me a free massage.
It was the most amazing 45 minutes of my life. I really felt like the luckiest girl in the
world. People love to wallow when
they’re on the bad side of luck. I am
going to gloat on being on the good side of this one. Massage aside, I had the pleasure of sharing
the evening (and some pizza and wine) with these Bora and Denis who were such
WONDERFUL people! Each of them had so
much going for them. And, together, they
were even better. Somehow they had
struck a balance with life and each other.
There was a mutual respect and admiration amongst the two of them that
you don’t see enough in real life. They
were clearly in love, which was really cool to be around.
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| Returning the favor to the best massuese in Turkey |
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| Denis and Bora! |
The next
day I hit the grand bazaar with a fire in my eye. I was ready to bargain/barter/hustle/buy
stuff! I bought many small ceramic items
but my most cherished one came in leather.
I had staked out a jacket and I was ready to commit. I thought that I had finally reached an age
where I should be responsible enough for such an expensive item. J
I let the salesmen schmooze me with
delicious apple tea. I let them pour
water over the leather to revel in its quality.
I even let them take a lighter to the leather sleeve to wow me! Meanwhile I honed in on my price and wasn’t
going to budge. Bora and Denis were
really impressed with my negotiating skills and were surprised at the great
deal I had struck!
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| A Grand Bazaar entrance |
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| Man who sold me my snazzy leather jacket |
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| "I will need Apple Tea to help me decide." |
That
evening, Bora and Denis invited me back again.
Bora gave me a tour of the surrounding neighborhood where we sampled
mussels with lemon….straight from the barrel.
Remember when I only ate peanut butter and fluff sandwiches?? Ain’t no stoppin’ me noooow! Denis made a delicious home-cooked meal but
it must have had some tryptophan because I conked right out once we started
watching ‘Snatch’. Bora took me home in
a cab again and walked me right to the door of the Bada Bing. He was definitely a gentleman but he was also
rightfully concerned for my safety since he made me aware that my hostel was
located right next to a legalized brothel!
The whole Bada-Bing-thing was now making sense!
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| A girl who has been shopping! |
I was
finally guilty about all the food I had been eating over my few months in Europe
so I decided to go for a run on my last day.
I knew that it wasn’t a great idea since 80% of the people on the streets
of Istanbul were menl. And 100% of those
men were accustomed to seeing women in only burqas. But I really needed to work out! I’m glad I did it but It was pretty uncomfortable. Cabs were slowly creeping along behind me and
men were not afraid to just stop and stare.
I flipped off a couple of men and had staring contests with others but
it was no use. They didn’t understand
who I was or what I was doing and I didn’t understand how they could ever make
a woman feel so degraded. It was an
experience nonetheless.
In fact, it really summed up the
incredibly interesting city that Istanbul was.
It served as the gateway between the East and West- a Muslim democracy. It was truly unlike any other city I had
visited and it was a real shame that I didn’t feel safe enough to visit the
rest of Turkey. I had heard such
wonderful things from other travelers but didn’t want to send my parents into
cardiac arrest. With just a couple hours
until my flight to London, I returned to the spice market for some Christmas
shopping- Turkish Apple Tea for everyone!!
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| Umm...why the quotes?? "hope to see you again soon too, Istanbul"??? |
Check out more pics from Istanbul:
FOODS I TRIED: apple
tea, baklava, donner, borek, Turkish delight, hummus, beer, olives, assorted cheese
