When I last left you, I was headed out for a little sightseeing. Given the convenient location of my hotel in Sultanahmet, I wanted to take in a few of the sights even if my traveling companion Lydia isn't here yet.
I started at the Blue Mosque - huge, majestic, very crowded. I just need to take a moment to complain about tourists in general. This is a muslim country, people! Cover up! I was dressed for the heat and the culture, wearing Nike dri-fit capris and tank with a long-sleeve white cotton shirt. I also brought a scarf, which came in handy for covering my head while ducking into the mosques. Given the large crowds and general obnoxiousness of tourists, I am beyond impressed by the Turks abilities of crowd control. They post clear instructions at the entrance to the mosque to take off your shoes and cover up, then stand there distributing plastic bags for the shoes and scarves for the shoulders and legs. I chose to cover my head as well - seemed more appropriate given that most the local women were covered. No hassles, no charge for the bags or the scarves, just getting people in and out dressed appropriately.
After the Blue Mosque, I wandered across to the Hagia Sofia, a church-turned-mosque. Inside, I was treated to more soaring domes and beautiful mosaics. While up in the balcony, I noticed a guy signing with facial expressions that rivaled Caroline, my sign-language interpreting sister. I followed him to find a whole tour group of deaf people. A tour guide was speaking so soft nobody could hear him, which didn't seem to matter because everyone was watching the interpreter. The tourists seem to be mostly European with a few Japanese tourists. When I hear tour guides speaking in English, their accents remind me of Borat.
While walking between landmarks, there were the predictable street vendors. So much of the merchandise looked eerily familiar. I was reminded of Ben and my Egypt trip of 2006 and the deathless line from two middle-aged black women on our trip, who claimed "We been all over the world, and it's the same sh*t!" I recognized the scarves I'd bought in Laos and the boxes I'd bought in Egypt (which I'd also seen in India).
I decided to save Topkapi for when Lydia gets here as the guidebooks say you need at least 4 hours for it. I also wanted to do an initial walk-through of the Grand Bazaar. I have learned the hard way that when shopping abroad, impulse buys are the enemy. I like to see what there is, get a sense of the prices, think about what I want for myself and for gifts, THEN go shopping. If you have any requests, make them known now.
The Grand Bazaar is enormous, with sections for carpets, leather, gold, jewelry, handbags, and clothing. The highlight was when walking through the clothing area, I saw a man dressed all in white walking by with a tray of cups strapped to his front and what looked to be a giant teapot strapped to his back. When a young man stopped him, he picked up a cup and bent forward, allowing lemon-colored liquid stream out of the teapot and into the waiting cup. Genius! I tried to snap a picture (will post pictures later).
People here are very friendly in general. I had worried about being harassed, but it hasn't been a problem. Most men that I pass try to stop me and say hello, ask where I'm from, and seem eager to give directions (even if I'm not lost), but they're not lascivious or crude, just very, very friendly.
When running around a city on my own, I have a bad habit of forgetting to eat and then not understanding why I'm getting crabby. As I was starting to tire of the bazaar, I realized it was past lunchtime and I hadn't eaten. I looked up a kebap place in my Lonely Planet and went to sample a lamb kebap, rolled in dough with tomatoes and french fries inside. It was a little doughy for my liking, but the lamb was good.
I feel the beginnings of a cold coming on so I picked up some zinc and vitamin C from a pharmacy. I also bought some nail polish so I can do my nails for tonight. I'm impressed at how everyone here, from the pharmacist to the cashier at the store to the hotel staff, speaks English. I'm also impressed at how warm and welcoming people are.
Now it's time to switch hotels. A friend of a GSB alum hooked us up with the corporate rate at the famous Ciragan Palace Kempinski, voted #6 in Conde Nast Traveller's list of European hotels. While my current hotel is incredibly well-located with incredibly hospitable service (as I sit here writing in my blog, the guy at the reception has offered me tea multiple times), I'm really excited to see the Ciragan Palace as it is supposed to be the best Istanbul has to offer.
Tonight is the wedding. After getting ready, I will head to Istinye to then take a boat across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul to Cubuklu 29. Hopefully I'll have time for a little nap. The wedding starts with cocktails at 7:30, then a ceremony at 8:30 (at which I am speaking), then dinner at 9:00. Apparently, Turkish weddings rarely have a ceremony and are mostly about the party.
I started at the Blue Mosque - huge, majestic, very crowded. I just need to take a moment to complain about tourists in general. This is a muslim country, people! Cover up! I was dressed for the heat and the culture, wearing Nike dri-fit capris and tank with a long-sleeve white cotton shirt. I also brought a scarf, which came in handy for covering my head while ducking into the mosques. Given the large crowds and general obnoxiousness of tourists, I am beyond impressed by the Turks abilities of crowd control. They post clear instructions at the entrance to the mosque to take off your shoes and cover up, then stand there distributing plastic bags for the shoes and scarves for the shoulders and legs. I chose to cover my head as well - seemed more appropriate given that most the local women were covered. No hassles, no charge for the bags or the scarves, just getting people in and out dressed appropriately.
After the Blue Mosque, I wandered across to the Hagia Sofia, a church-turned-mosque. Inside, I was treated to more soaring domes and beautiful mosaics. While up in the balcony, I noticed a guy signing with facial expressions that rivaled Caroline, my sign-language interpreting sister. I followed him to find a whole tour group of deaf people. A tour guide was speaking so soft nobody could hear him, which didn't seem to matter because everyone was watching the interpreter. The tourists seem to be mostly European with a few Japanese tourists. When I hear tour guides speaking in English, their accents remind me of Borat.
While walking between landmarks, there were the predictable street vendors. So much of the merchandise looked eerily familiar. I was reminded of Ben and my Egypt trip of 2006 and the deathless line from two middle-aged black women on our trip, who claimed "We been all over the world, and it's the same sh*t!" I recognized the scarves I'd bought in Laos and the boxes I'd bought in Egypt (which I'd also seen in India).
I decided to save Topkapi for when Lydia gets here as the guidebooks say you need at least 4 hours for it. I also wanted to do an initial walk-through of the Grand Bazaar. I have learned the hard way that when shopping abroad, impulse buys are the enemy. I like to see what there is, get a sense of the prices, think about what I want for myself and for gifts, THEN go shopping. If you have any requests, make them known now.
The Grand Bazaar is enormous, with sections for carpets, leather, gold, jewelry, handbags, and clothing. The highlight was when walking through the clothing area, I saw a man dressed all in white walking by with a tray of cups strapped to his front and what looked to be a giant teapot strapped to his back. When a young man stopped him, he picked up a cup and bent forward, allowing lemon-colored liquid stream out of the teapot and into the waiting cup. Genius! I tried to snap a picture (will post pictures later).
People here are very friendly in general. I had worried about being harassed, but it hasn't been a problem. Most men that I pass try to stop me and say hello, ask where I'm from, and seem eager to give directions (even if I'm not lost), but they're not lascivious or crude, just very, very friendly.
When running around a city on my own, I have a bad habit of forgetting to eat and then not understanding why I'm getting crabby. As I was starting to tire of the bazaar, I realized it was past lunchtime and I hadn't eaten. I looked up a kebap place in my Lonely Planet and went to sample a lamb kebap, rolled in dough with tomatoes and french fries inside. It was a little doughy for my liking, but the lamb was good.
I feel the beginnings of a cold coming on so I picked up some zinc and vitamin C from a pharmacy. I also bought some nail polish so I can do my nails for tonight. I'm impressed at how everyone here, from the pharmacist to the cashier at the store to the hotel staff, speaks English. I'm also impressed at how warm and welcoming people are.
Now it's time to switch hotels. A friend of a GSB alum hooked us up with the corporate rate at the famous Ciragan Palace Kempinski, voted #6 in Conde Nast Traveller's list of European hotels. While my current hotel is incredibly well-located with incredibly hospitable service (as I sit here writing in my blog, the guy at the reception has offered me tea multiple times), I'm really excited to see the Ciragan Palace as it is supposed to be the best Istanbul has to offer.
Tonight is the wedding. After getting ready, I will head to Istinye to then take a boat across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul to Cubuklu 29. Hopefully I'll have time for a little nap. The wedding starts with cocktails at 7:30, then a ceremony at 8:30 (at which I am speaking), then dinner at 9:00. Apparently, Turkish weddings rarely have a ceremony and are mostly about the party.
Hi Kate, I am loving reading this. I wish I were there with you. Always wanted to go to Turkey. Have a wonderful and safe trip. xoxo
ReplyDeleteKatie B