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Published: February 15th 2008
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Grand Bazaar 1
This is one of the interior shots of the Grand Bazaar. I felt really self-conscious as I took out my camera to take these pictures, but I wanted people to get a sense of the Bazaar. This was taken on one of the main corridors - there were many others about half as wide with twice as many shops. Cool, Happy Valentines Day everyone. This will be posted on the 15th, but I’m writing it on the 14th. I’m writing because I need something to do before I go to bed. I was originally going to go out to Taksim tonight with a group to enjoy the crazy nightlife of a major city, but became exhausted after a long day, and when I thought about it, also didn’t really want to have to deal with the repercussions of going to Taksim (even more exhausted, spending more money on stuff that really isn’t up my alley) but I didn’t want to go to bed before 11ish, so I figured I’d write a quick blurb about my day to post tomorrow.
I’m starting to get used to living in the apartment by myself. It’s going to be weird when I finally get roommates. I bought some more food from a grocer, and found plastic silverware there too, so I have some spoons to eat my cereal in the morning. Mostly I was having PBJ sandwiches for brunch and then going out with friends for dinner. Sounds lame, but the food of Turkey takes some getting used to. It’s all really great,
Grand Bazaar 2
This is a shot taken just outside the Grand Bazaar. The streets leading up the the Bazaar were lined with outdoor shops for all sorts of things. but I’d rather not overload on it and get sick of the novelty of eating out in a foreign place right away.. there are a handful of kids who ate at the same place 3 times in 20 hours (dinner, midnight snack, lunch) and are now sick of the restaurant, which is unfortunate, because it’s really good and really cheap, and right by South Campus.
Anyways, I’m still learning the ropes when it comes to Turkish food, but I haven’t really had anything that I haven’t liked. It’s really nifty - one of the staples of the Turkish food I’ve seen is the Döner. Basically, it’s a stack of meat, piled into an inverted triangle on a vertical spit, with one side facing a little shelf of coals to cook it. The cook spins the stack of meat to cook it, and shaves the meat off vertically, which is put into a wrap with lettuce, tomato and some other vegetable stuffs, or served on a plate with tomato slices, shredded lettuce and French fries. Either way it’s really tasty.
My other favorite kind of food so far is the Pide, which is kinda like an oblong pizza. The
Ayasofya1
A shot of the Ayasofya. It was hard to get a good angle on it since it was right across the street. dough is stretched so it’s about a foot or more in length, and about 4” in width and the sides are rolled in towards the center like a pizza crust. The center is filled with some kind of topping (I’ve had various kinds of cheese, such as goat cheese in mine, though there are other toppings, like pastrami or mince meat). The cheese ones are topped with tomato slices, and all in all it’s just a nice, warm, tasty meal.
The best thing that I like about Turkish dining is the tea. Sometimes it’s complementary, other times it costs an extra lira or so. It’s never served with the meal, but always after, or by itself. It’s served scalding hot in a small glass about the height of your hand, and with the circumference of if you made an “O” with your thumb and index finger. You drop a sugar cube or two in it and then sip until it cools down. It’s an incredible addition to dining. It’s a very cultural thing, so I hear, and that it’s very common for shopkeepers to serve tea to costumers who have been browsing for a while. I just really like
the atmosphere (and taste) of the tea in Turkey.
It wasn’t my intention to get side-tracked in this entry by Turkish food, but now you know a little more about what I’m eating here in Turkey. Originally, I had planned to tell you about traveling to Sultanahmet area of town. A friend and I took a bus and a tram/train to the more touristy part of town, with the historical places and the Grand Bazaar.
We wandered off the tram intending to get to the touristy historical part of Istanbul, with the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), museums and the Ayasofya. We failed, and ended up in the Grand Bazaar, which was really impressive. The Grand Bazaar is an indoor market filled with (seemingly) hundreds of shops - candy, toys, carpets, you name it; it was there. Surrounding the bazaar is a bunch of outdoor shops, with just as much variety. There were two kinds of shops that stood out in my mind. The first were show shops. I saw more shoe stores in and around the Grand Bazaar than I thought possible. Every 20 feet in and around the Bazaar was at least 1 (usually 2) shoe shops. The
Sultanahmet1
This is my favorite picture I've taken so far. It was taken as the sun began to set and the call to prayer was announced from the Blue Mosque (this building) and the Ayasofya (directly behind me). second oddity that I noticed was more surrounding the Bazaar than in it, and these were military shops, with patches, uniforms, fake guns (really, they’re fake) and a variety of older looking bladed weapons, mostly ornate-looking silver knives and daggers. I just could not believe that demand for these things would be that high. I mean, I would jump at the chance to display ancient weapons like swords or something in my future home, but all of these stores just seemed tacky tourist traps.
I have decided, however, that I’m going to come back to the Grand Bazaar before I leave Turkey and get a good tea set and a big Turkish flag at least. Both seem like cool things to have to remember my trip by, though I’m sure I’ll think of other things that might be fun, I just didn’t want to start amassing stuff that I’m not going to use here (like the tea set) so soon.
After wandering around the Grand Bazaar, my friend and I found our way back towards the tram area, and there we found the sign for Sultanahmet, we had basically taken a wrong turn/gotten off the tram too early.
Sultanahmet2
Another cool shot of the Blue Mosque. Most of my pictures have a lot of sky in them, so I can avoid things like fast-moving traffic and lamp posts. So we hiked up a hill through the city for about a half hour or so until we found the touristy historical places. It was nearing dusk as I began taking my first pictures of the Ayasofya and Sultanahmet, and then the call to prayer began to be broadcast (they use a megaphone kind-of system to do the call). It was a fantastic experience, and I got a few great shots of the Blue Mosque. Unfortunately, the dusk background with really bring street lamps caused some blurriness in the final shots, but hopefully I’ll be able to figure out a way around that by the time I go back.
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Janet Wright
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Wow! Turkey!
Hey there Brian! Greetings and hello from the frozen tundra of Oak Park, Illinois! It is sure good to read that you're doing well and adjusting to the new sights and sounds of Turkey. How exciting! You are a fantastic story teller! Love the details. And the pics too! How about some self portraits? Of course not like your brother Nathan! No nostrils please! Thinking this would be a good second grade geography lesson! I'll try checking this out at school. Do take care of yourself and keep your eyes open! Be safe and have fun! Peace and Love, Aunt Jan