Istanbul, not Constantinople

I just got home from one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world, Istanbul. 
Since living in Spain, I have been thoroughly enjoying the delights of Western Europe and all its splendor, but I was just about ready for a new delight--Turkish delight. When we got off the plane around 3pm and after passing through border control, with my new Turkish visa (required for all travelers, even for short visits), we were met by our driver from the Marmara Guesthouse where we stayed, who took us back to our hotel for just 10 lira each. (We exchanged our euros at the airport, and to our advantage, the euro was about 2.16 to the lira). The van picked us all up (Alyssa, Tamar, Catherine, Joanna and I) in style. It was decked out in Turkish flags and colorful rugs on the seats, and they even gave us juice boxes to sip on while we listened to booming Turkish music on the radio and watched the passing city with wide eyes. 

Bus ride from the airport to our hostel

They dropped us off in this small and quaint neighborhood square (Sultanahmet District) where the driver walked us to the door of our hotel. 

Heart of our neighborhood

Great hotel with fabulous staff and rates--definitely recommend this one!

Catherine, Joanna and I stayed at a different hotel than the other two girls because there wasn't enough space, so we split up for a half hour to settle into our rooms. Ours was small but very cute. We had three little beds and our own bathroom and shower.

We went up to the fourth story of the building to meet with the daughter of the hotel owners (it was totally family run), who checked us in and gave us a few pamphlets about Istanbul. The top floor was surrounded by windows, and was where we had our complimentary Turkish breakfast every morning. The view looked out over the Marmara Sea, to the part of Istanbul that is in Asia, since the city covers two continents.
We soon met up with Tamar and Alyssa again, who had a room in a hostel just down the street. It was just about dinner time, so we decided to head out looking for some traditional eats. 

There really weren't many tourists when we were there, so it seemed like every restaurant owner was desperate for our business. And I mean DESPERATE. Never before had we heard marriage proposals as a lure to get us to eat at a cafe. There were plenty of perfectly good looking restaurants that we would have been happy to stop at, but we were continually scared off by the overly-forward and "politely" aggressive salesmen that lined the streets. As we kept walking, we surprisingly got our first glimpse of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. We hadn't even looked at a map yet and really had no sense of orientation among the city yet, so the incredible sight before us completely caught us off guard and was simply breathtaking.

Our first view of the Hagia Sophia

We stopped for a while, simply admiring the view, until the cold started to really sink in, and we quickly searched for a place to warm up. After being stopped and shouted at by nearly every shop owner on the way, we got fed up and decided to enter the next one we saw. The owner was standing outside and told us "Come to my restaurant, you'll sit on the top floor, great view of the mosque, traditional Turkish food!" We walked inside and were surprised of how cute and nicely decorated it was. They escorted us to the top level, surrounded by windows, where we could see across the tops of buildings to the Blue Mosque, all lit up. The dinner was delicious. I didn't know what I would think of Turkish food. All I really knew of it was from the dive restaurant across the street from my apartment in Barcelona called "La Luna de Istanbul" where we would go to get doner kebabs if we had been out all night and were starving. What I love is that the cuisine is really focused around lots and lots of vegetables and spices. For the table we ordered a vegetable plate with bread.

I orders durum, which was stuffed peppers and eggplant, with rice rolled in grape leaves.

And, after dinner we had two things which became the norm after all meals in Istanbul: Apple Tea (always complimentary after a meal, like hot apple cider--delicious!), and Baklava (the first time it was amazing, but I had so much during the trip that I don't think I can ever look at it again!)

Apple Tea!

We sat and talked with the owner for a long time (every waiter we encountered throughout the weekend felt it appropriate to just stand at the table for ages and play 20 questions, we would always be friendly, but after a while it was a bit exhausting when you knew every time you went to eat you would be entertaining their stream of curiosity for about 15 minutes before they would let you order), and then casually walked back to our hotel, while admiring the colorful shop windows.
The next morning we woke up, showered, and headed upstairs for our traditional Turkish breakfast before meeting up with the other girls. They had a big display of yogurt, honey, deviled eggs, cheese, tomato, cucumber, bread, and jam. I hate to say it, but I found my way to the familiar bowl of CocoPuffs on display towards the back of the table. (They don't sell them at my grocery store in Barcelona, plus, cheese first thing in the morning isn't my cup of Turkish tea).
We met with Alyssa and Tamar and headed back to the Blue Mosque to tour the inside. On our way in, there were all kinds of vendors trying to get business from the tourists. There were men with carts selling this spiced milky drink with cinnamon, breaded goods, hot chestnuts, scarves, gloves, and umbrellas. It was funny walking behind this couple who were walking into the Mosque while a streets salesman would not leave them alone. He was trying to sell them an umbrella even though they were holding a perfectly good one right above their heads. He said "Buy umbrella, here, buy an umbrella!" and the man in the couple said "Uh, no thank you, we have one right here", and the salesman desperately called back "But wait, mine is bigger, stronger, buy my umbrella!" as he followed them all the way to the Mosque steps. As a way to grab your attention, the sellers would ask you questions, like "Where are you from?" When you didn't answer, they would yell guesses at you: "Australia? Germany? Italy? Spain?.....Japan??!". Also, they call absolutely everyone "Angel". When entering a restaurant, to know how many table settings we would require, the question was "How many angels are you?" Then at dinner, the waiters would throw around lines like "Heaven must be lonely this evening, all of the angels are sitting at my table." I was picturing how lines such as these would go over at nice tourists restaurants in the United States. I'm guessing not so well. Ah! I digress...
We finally made our way into the Mosque courtyard and wandered around for a bit, admiring the architecture and taking pictures. While snapping photos, I was thinking how lucky I am to get these pictures without a million other tourists in the shots, as I can imagine areas like this are completely stacked to the brim during the spring and summer. I guess there are some benefits of dealing the wind and rain for a peaceful tour of the sights.

When we came to the Mosque entrance, we had to wait in line to take off our shoes and put them in a plastic bad before we could go inside.

Corridor not made for tall Americans

We also had to take our scarves from around our necks and wrap them over our heads to conceal our hair out of respect. Once we got inside, what we saw was simply amazing. Even though it was dark and overcast outside, the way the light came in through the windows really illuminated the intricate detail on the mosque walls, explaining its nickname.

Wearing the head scarf inside the Blue Mosque

Like I had mentioned in my last blog, unfortunately each cathedral that I have recently been visiting across Western Europe was beginning to blend into one, and were losing their uniqueness. This was just what I needed for a change in scenery. I had never been inside a mosque before, and didn't know what the layout inside was like. Here, it was really just an open space, covered in beautiful Turkish carpet. Their were grand chandeliers hanging from long strings from the ceilings, and space on the ground for people to get on their knees and pray. Although the art on the walls was very carefully detailed, there was an essence of simplicity within the mosques, that seemed to remove the excess and gaudiness that is found in many cathedrals.
Next, we literally just crossed the street at were at the Hagia Sophia.

We waited in line for a short bit outside, and it was so cold that it actually began to snow! We were relieved to be inside again, although it was not much warmer. When we entered the building, I was again completely struck with awe. I had studied the Hagia Sophia in detail in my History of Art and Visual Culture class last year at UC Santa Cruz, and we were shown several slides of the interior, but I would have never believed it if someone were to tell me then, that one year later I would be standing inside seeing it all for myself.

After walking throughout the Hagia Sophia, we headed off towards the Grand Bazaar.

I realize that Istanbul is a large city, but really everything seemed so close, and we were able to easily walk to all of the main areas. I was so excited to see the Bazaar, and certainly was not disappointed.

It was incredibly hectic, just like I had imagined. I definitely think I would want to avoid this area during tourist season, it was hard enough now to get around the mobs of people. As soon as we entered the main door, I got so excited by all of the scarves, jewelery, pottery, and spices that the vendors were selling avery step of the way.

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar

Street outside the Bazaar

At first, it seemed almost like a strip mall, very organized and spaced out, but as we got further and further into the market, the aisles got narrower, the smells stronger, the people louder, and the colors brighter.

Selling beautiful tea sets

The man from Macedonia who sold us all our scarves after a very long process of haggling and bargaining. 

Deeper into the Bazaar

Tamar, Alyssa, and Catherine checking out the hand-painted bowls for the best deals

I read before coming to Istanbul that bargaining is everything. Whatever price they give you, offer 50% of that and then slowly work your way up. Sometimes it works better if you get more than one of something, or buy in a group with your friends. A few times, when the vendor refused to budge on the price, we had to just say no, and slowly walk away, and hope that they yell back a lower price (which they often did). I left the market with a hand-painted bowl that I bargained down to 5 lira, a scarf for 15 lira, and a hand-knit bag for 10 lira, all equalling about 13 euro.

Busy street outside the Bazaar

After we left the Bazaar, we headed back towards the Blue Mosque to go see the Yerebatan Sarayi (Underground Cistern) which is a cavern supported by hundreds of columns, with small walkways over about 2 feet of water, and illuminated with ambient red lights. According to my guide book it used to be connected underground all the way to Topkapi Palace (more on that in a minute), but the passageways were a hotspot for criminals smuggling goods and abducted women, so they were closed off. I am glad I am reading about that for the first time sitting safely here in my apartment in Barcelona...

Eerie but beautiful

After seeing the cistern, we headed back out to go find the Spice Bazaar, which is just like the Grand Bazaar, but on a smaller scale, and sells more spices and things like Turkish delight than the former. On our way, we stopped at a nice cafe for a snack.

We got a plate of different types of Turkish delight to try, since I have never had it, and there were a lot of varieties. I didn't like it at all, but my friends all did, and they enjoyed the different kinds of nuts and flavors that they had. We also stopped at one of the many stores exclusively designed for Baklava.

I had tried Baklava maybe once or twice before, but wasn't a huge fan. However, here, the Baklava was amazing!! We had so many Baklava stops I can't even count. We tried walnut, pistachio, chocolate, every kind of Baklava that they make, and I can officially say that after all of that butter and sugar my stomach still hasn't forgiven me, and together we are on a Baklava strike...well, at least until I go back to Turkey.
We made it to the Spice Bazaar, at it was equally as exciting and colorful as the Grand Bazaar. It was fun watching locals barter with the salesmen for the best prices on spices, and then see them use their silver spoon to scoop the mounds of colorful spices into the bags. Here are some pictures:

They sold everything, from hand bags to pottery, to clothing, to candy. Although I knew I wanted to take home some souvenirs, it took a while to just get your eyes to adjust and calm down enough to focus on what you want to buy, it was pretty overwhelming.

After a long day, we all headed back to the hotel to regroup for a bit and clean up before heading out for dinner. Joanna and I stopped at the store across from the hotel to get a soda, and talked with the man behind the counter who had 3 cats in the store and 5 little 2-week old kittens hidden in a cardboard box by the soda bottles. We got to hold them, and they were so precious!

Joanna with one of the kittens

When we went out that night, we were joined by two Australian girls who were staying in Alyssa and Tamar's hostel. We all went to Taksim, a neighborhood across the Bosphorus River that is famous for it's vibrant streets and exciting nightlife. We walked down the main road for a while, and it was packed full of people and decorated with lights. We found a restaurant that looked good, and the waiter took us to the top level where we sat in our own room at a long table with sofas lined with large comfy, decorated pillows. We all talked for hours and had a great time listening to the Australian girls' stories (one had just come back from India for 6 months where she practiced yoga and taught English), and making fun of our ridiculous waiter who popped into the room every 5 seconds with the most bizarre comments and "pick-up" lines that were quite uncomfortable. We had so much fun, and after dinner went to a Baklava cafe for a while before walking back home.
The next day we ate breakfast and then headed out to see the Topkapi Palace.

Joanna and I outside of Tamar and Alyssa's hostel

The front entrance of Topkapi Palace

It was also really close to the hostel, and packed with history. Unfortunately, even after paying 20 lira to get again, they said there was no "free" brochure or information of any kind, so we wandered through the palace pretty ignorantly.  The rooms were filled with diamonds and jewels from the Ottoman Empire, and with clothes worn by Sultans passed. I wasn't too amused by the endless display of wealth behind each glass display, but the non-religious members of our group were quite amused by the display of Moses's Stick which was a guarded gold rod. Also, there was the skull of some prophet in a case, and another one's dismembered arm in a gold cover, where you could see the bones beneath. I didn't really know what I was supposed to think about these displays, but I can appreciate the fact that they do hold extreme spiritual significance to many, and it was really neat when we walked into one room to watch a young man sing/recite the Q'aran right in front of us, the sound of it was so beautiful and calming.

That's Asia across the bridge!

Ceiling painting inside the palace

Leaving the palace to head to the port

We left the palace and walked down towards the port where we caught a ferry to take us to the asian side of Istanbul, just across the Bosphorus River.

Catching a ferry to Asia

Just 15 minutes from Europe to Asia!

Seagulls racing us to Asia.

At first, the other side really didn't look much different, maybe just a bit dingier and less made-up for the tourists. If anything, it looked a bit more European, with wider main streets, and large chain department stores. However, we weaved in and out of the side streets to try and find some cool areas, and found a bustling street market filled with all kinds of vendors and local shoppers. It was fun dodging in and out of people yelling back and forth about prices and deals, while the vendors each tried to shout louder than their neighbor to get the most business. It was so exciting to be walking by a McDonald's, noting the similarities among all European cities, then turn a corner and feel completely immersed in another culture again, and being reminded of where you are.

Turkey was honestly the first time since moving to Europe that I really felt culture shock, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Waking up at 5am to the call to prayer, drinking steaming hot apple tea after every meal, bargaining at the spice market, being surrounding by history from one of the world's oldest and most powerful civilizations; it all cumulated to be a very memorable and exciting trip. It made me want to explore Eastern Europe much more, farther into the depths of the Middle East and Asia. There is so much to be seen and discover, and I want to dive off the beaten path for a change. We will see where my future travels will take me. For now, I am getting ready to leave for England and Scotland in less than 48 hours. Alyssa and I are flying into London on Thursday and renting a car to drive up North to Scotland, while stopping to see Oxford, Stonehenge,  maybe Cardiff, Newcastle, and Dundee. We will have a car, a map, and an open road. I'll be home Tuesday night to recount our adventures! I hope you are all well,
Love,
Megs

"So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks!"