Advertisement
Yummmmmm
Oh yeah, that's right, Kristy and I conquered the bread every night we were in Turkey. In fact, we managed to conquer two pieces one night!Okay, I’m finally getting around the writing the blog from the big trip to Turkey and Egypt with one Ms. Kristy Payne. However, to make things easier, I’m going to split it up, so this is the Turkey portion.
After visiting Doha for four days and trying to adjust to the white robes and black covers, Kristy was about ready to leave for our next adventure. After a little bit of craziness at work, I, too, was ready for some time off. We headed over to Istanbul last Friday morning and weren’t sure what to think when we were waiting for our bags, and I was that close to getting into a fight with an arrogant Turkish nose picker (I’m not kidding) who basically pushed me out of the way so he and his ten buddies could take up half of the conveyor belt. As soon as we stepped outside and saw rows and rows of beautiful tulips, I decided to give this country another chance, and, boy, I’m glad I did!
We rolled up to our hotel at night and we knew immediately that we were in one of the most ideal spots for tourists like us. We
could see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (two of the top tourist destinations) from our room and our street was full of cute restaurants and hotels. However, little did we realize that we had picked one of the busiest weekends (It was Anzac Day, which is a remembrance day of sorts for Aussies and Kiwis so they literally take over the city) and we were on “Backpacker’s mile”, so, despite the convenient location, we did have to put up with music and chanting all night long (one group was still going strong at 8 in the morning!).
Anyway, after settling in, we went to look for a place to eat and stumbled upon a little restaurant that had a few dishes I recognized (Middle Eastern dishes) so we stopped there. Well, let me tell you about the bread…actually, I don’t have to. Check out the photo I included. That’s what everyone gets with his/her meal! We decided then and there that we loved Turkey. The meal itself made us fall in love with the country more, and, finally, the dessert sealed the deal. We were sold on this place!
The next day, we headed towards the tourist
area to get a map from the tourist office. Lo and behold, those darn Aussies and Kiwis got there first and cleared them out—seriously! Thankfully, I had my bilingual friend with me, and Kristy had a chance to brush up on her Francais! After struggling through the French map, we figured out the way to the Grand Bazaar to check out this crazy market that my mom frantically warned me about before we left (“Watch out! They’re very aggressive”). Well, she was right. Kristy and I basically used the tactic of pretending we didn’t understand whatever language they were speaking (which was usually English). The market was pretty amazing, even though we were there well before it got busy. We wondered through the maze of trinkets, trash, leather, perfume, jewelry, and whatever else you can dare to imagine. It was pretty cool. Again, though, I was duped. I originally thought Doha’s souqs would be outside in an open air market and, when I found out they weren’t, I said, “Oh, I thought they were like the ones in Turkey”. Wrong again. The whole Bazaar is indoors. After the Bazaar, we wondered around some of the other markets. I would like
to say it was because we were feeling adventurous, but, really, it was because I refused to use a pubic toilet (a.k.a. a hole in the ground that had the most putrid smell with a lady selling toilet paper at the door) and elected to look for a restaurant that would have a washroom. Well, somehow, we got a little turned around and ended up in local markets with LOTS of people. It was actually quite cool.
We finally did find a bathroom refuge and stopped for a Turkish tea in order to use the facilities. Well, again, I was sold. Turkish tea is strong, strong tea that is already steeped (i.e., no bag) and can be borderline bitter, but I love it (my mom is probably rolling her eyes knowing that this is the perfect match for the “leave the tea bag in” girl). When we exited the restaurant, we really had no idea where we were, but we discovered the Bosphorus and found a bridge that Kristy’s friend was telling us about. It has all of these cool little restaurants on the bridge. After exploring the bridge, we went to another market that looked pretty cool. Hands
down, this market trumped the Bazaar. Why? Two words: Turkish Delight. I originally thought this was the Turkish Delight Bazaar, as every little stall was sampling this local delicacy to tourists. Being the good sports we are and not wanting to insult the locals by turning down an offer from the locals, Kristy and I both indulged in a few samples…okay, a lot of samples. In addition to the sweets, there were tons of spices displayed in peak like formations in a multitude of colours. Again, the photo attached can explain the visual much better than I can. All in all, this was a photographer’s dream. It was only after we walked through the market and reviewed the map did we realize that we went through the famous Spice Market. Well, it made the Spice Girls comments from the men that much funnier when we came to this realization.
The rest of the day was spent going to the Asian side (we were staying on the European side) and doing a bit of shopping. It might have been Anzac Day festivities, but it was quite amusing that in the middle of the heavy pedestrian traffic area, a parade appeared
out of nowhere. I think it was just an excuse to flaunt their flag. Seriously, I thought Canadians and Americans were bad—Turkish flags were EVERYWHERE. I’m pretty sure if was for a particular event or holiday; however, we didn’t mind because it helped us identify our photos 😉
I just realized how long this blog is getting, so I’ll try to shorten it up. The one story that I can’t gloss over, though, is the story of the Turkish Bath. Now, years ago, I received an e-mail from my friend Farooq explaining his experience at a bath, which appeared to be slightly traumatizing, but I decided to go for it. Well, for those of you who aren’t aware of what a Turkish bath is, let me explain. First, you are ushered into a room to take off your clothes and put on a towel. Being the prudish Canadian I am, I decided to keep my bikini on at the dismay of the heavy set Turkish ladies who were ushering us to the next room. Okay, I was not prepared for what I saw next. The room was filled with naked women lying down on a large marble slab in
View from the Bridge
This is the Asian side of the Bosphorus the middle of the room with more heavy set Turkish ladies scrubbing them down and other naked women hanging out waiting to be man handled.
The lady who took us to this room brought us to our own little waiting spot and pulled our towels away from us before Kristy could respond, and, I have to say, my friend Kristy and I got to know each other better that day. After sitting there for awhile trying to stifle our giggles, a little Turkish lady motioned to me and I knew it was my turn on the slab. Well, it was an experience. First, they scrub you down with an exfoliating glove taking off any tan you’ve managed to acquire. Oh yeah, they also want to ensure you know how well they’re cleaning you, so they make you feel all of the dead skin they’ve sloughed off. Fun. However, it did get better when they lathered up a loofah and gave a nice massage while soaping us down. The whole event ended with us sitting in front of our new Turkish mamas and getting our hair and face washed with the same mystery substance. The denouement was getting our hair
Cheesy Couple Shot
I had to include at least one! braided. I truthfully don’t think I’ve had my hair braided for over 10 years! We thought it was pretty funny and our hair was wet, so we just decided to go back to the hotel as is and get ready when we got back. Well, the braid must be the hairstyle of choice at the Turkish Bath, as there weren’t too many people we walked by who didn’t say, “Oh, just went to the Turkish Bath, huh?” Overall, I’m not sure if I would go again, but I really would recommend the experience to anyone. I actually think I blocked it out, as it was one piece I totally forgot about when telling my co-workers about the trip, but, looking back, the whole situation was quite hilarious.
Otherwise, our five days in Turkey were filled with visits to the mosques and a sistern, more shopping at the Bazaar and Spice Market, a ferry ride down the Bosphorus, a visit to the Topkapi Palace (the home of Turkey’s past Sultans), and, of course, more eating as well as slight dabbling in the sheesha. We also went to see Turkish Dervish Dancers. I sold Kristy on the event because I told
her it was traditional Turkish Dancing. I’m surprised Kristy didn’t make me buy her dinner afterwards. For one, half of the show was live music. Well, from the air of impatience in the room, I’m pretty sure that most of the attendees expected the whole show to be dancing too. We quickly figured out why that couldn’t be the case. Dervish “dancers” really should be called “spinners”. That’s what they do. They spin around and around with long white skirts. Without any spotting that help prevent dizziness with dancers and figure skaters, I’m surprised the guys could even spin for a few minutes without toppling over. Again, I’m not sure if I would go again, but it was still a neat little experience.
Overall, Kristy and I became big fans of Turkey and especially its Turkish Delight and baklava. The men can be a bit overwhelming, but completely manageable in comparisons to other places (say…Egypt…but that’s for another blog). It’s a great mix of Europe and the Middle East (which makes sense because it’s the only place that has a continental split). It was a Turkish Delight (ahh, good old cheese!).
Advertisement
Tot: 0.173s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 19; qc: 88; dbt: 0.077s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Jac
non-member comment
pics dont work!!
Come on......