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Published: December 10th 2007
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Aya Sophia
the lighting was so great! Thanksgiving in Turkey???...Yes, we ate turkey, and lots of kofta too. During our two fabulous weeks in Istanbul, we were completely captivated and charmed by it's bustling culture, beautiful religion, and energetic people. Our wonderfully gracious and generous host, Jamie, who we met at the yoga/rhythm retreat in Italy, put us up in his comfortable apartment with an amazing view of the Golden Horn and Old City, and equipped us with all the necessary maps, guides, and a list of Turkish words to help us fit in. Dave was especially good at picking up the language, and was often mistaken for a Turk. It was so nice to be in a home for a while, even if it wasn't ours. I (Ana) took full advantage of the fitness center, and Dave and Jamie (another tabla player!) turned into major tabla geeks as they mulled over all sorts of kaydas, relas, and gats (all types of tabla beats). Jamie's good friend and colleague Scott, who lives upstairs, had just purchased some major DJ equipment, which called for a few tabla/techno jam sessions. Tabla really sounds great amplified and distorted! Even my short tabla ditty sounded good once Scott got hold of it!
Being our first Islamic country,we headed straight for the major mosques on our first sightseeing day. The Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia (actually a museum) were first on our list. Mosques are really beautiful. With their round domes, minarettes, and geometric art, coupled with dim lighting, beautiful stained glass, and the ever-present praying Muslim men, the whole mosque visiting experience is quite moving...especially for two people who were raised in a Judeo-Christian environment. We were especially enamored with the 5 daily calls to prayer, which danced in layers as they flowed from the many mosques around town. The prayer calls sound sorrowful and haunting to the untrained ear, but beautiful too. I was curious to see if everyone would just drop down and start praying, but no, most people in Istanbul just continued along with whatever they were doing. Restaurants and stores turned off music and T.V.s out of respect, but for the most part, the 5 daily calls were just a normal part of daily life.
Many of our days were spent wondering Ýstiklal Caddesi, the famous pedestrian walkway, which was only a 10 minute walk from Jamie's apartment. The walkway reminded us a bit of the
French Quarter in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. No matter what the hour, the street was always filled with people, street musicians, beggars, and food stalls. We ate at some really terrific restaurants there, thanks to our hosts, who knew which to go to and which to avoid. I, a lifelong meatball lover, fell in love with the Turkish meatball called Kofta. We also ate plenty of Turkish sweets...so many to sample...and of course ate bags full of the sugary Turkish delight. The pistachio kind was the best! Most meals, whether sweet or savory, were followed by chai, which was especially elegant as it was served in the traditional tulip shaped glass cups.
Men love to fish in Istanbul. Whether crossing over the Golden Horn on our way to the Old City, or visiting one of the many neighborhoods lining the Bosporus, you would always run into lots of men with their fishing gear, catching what seemed like mostly small morsels of sea life.
Dave taught both me and Jamie how to play backgammon, and was even gracious enough to let us win a few games. Backgammon seems to be a national past time amongst Turkish men as
nice mosque
in the neighborhood Ortakoy they sip their tea and smoke their sheesha, which we sampled a couple of times. Apple flavor was our favorite.
Nightlife was fun too. We went to see a famous clarinet player (his name escapes my memory), who made everyone so giddy that several Turks jumped on their tables to shake their thing. DJ'ing is also big. We went out to the bar Ghetto one night to see DJ service, who was quite good, although electronic music really isn't our thing.
We spent Thanksgiving at the Ritz Carlton where we dined with a few Americans who Jamie and Scott work with. The turkey was fantastic, and much to our surprise, Turkish wines are really good!
We also got to spend some time with Dave's lovely friend from college, Verda, who is Turkish and lives in Istanbul. She took us to an unbelievable kabob place and ordered us so much delicious food both of us were bursting at the seams.
On our last day in Istanbul, we decided we should go ahead and put down the money and buy some carpets. Much to our delight, the carpet buying experience was really fun! This coming from a gal
Olives
at the Egyptian Market in the Old City who abhors shopping in touristy places (all the pressure and harassment is not for me). But surprisingly, the carpet sellers were not very aggressive, and were actually very genuine. They happily spread out carpet after carpet for us to see, and told us about how they were made and what things to look for to determine quality. Perhaps we fell into a big tourist trap, but we left our store feeling like we got a decent deal on two beautiful kilims which were mailed home for us at a reasonable price.
Our time in Istanbul was mostly spent just chilling out. There was talk of going to a Turkish bath and doing more tours down the Bosphorus, but it never seemed to materialize. We were happy just to hang out and eat delicious food. Many thanks to Jamie, Scott, and Verda, who were all so helpful, fun, and generous.
current scrabble score: Dave 5, Ana 4 (what happened?)
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