My First Trip to the Old City and My Issues With Turkish Markets

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Yes this post has an interesting title, yes this post will most likely make you laugh, and yes this post might be a bit long. Not sorry about it.



Tuesday, July 1st, my roommate and I planned to go visit Topkapi Palace located on the Old Peninsula of Istanbul where the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar are located. We decided to take the bus because being in the middle of the day when we left, the ferries are not running and we were unsure where to get onto the tram. So we had one connecting bus in Besiktas (pronounced Besh-ik-tash) we thought that the bus, which was 28T to Topkapi, would take us directly to the palace. The bus weaved along the peninsula, driving next to mosques, tourist shops, and restaurants until it reached its final destination, Topkapi. So here's where my first tiff with Istanbul arisen. Just because a location's name is that same place as a place of living, does not mean that specific place is in that location. Basically, Topkapi Palace... is NOT located in Topkapi. We ended up in a bit of a mom and pop neighborhood and immediately knew we were not in the right place. So instead we were forced to take the tram back towards Topkapi Palace. Literally about eight stops later going back up the Peninsula, we found Topkapi Palace, and you know what we learned? Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. Deep breaths, no cursing, we're in the Old City and there are tons of things to do.

This is when we made the decision to visit Hagia Sophia, an old mosque that is no longer in use and has been turned into a tourist museum. Here is where the wishing column is located along with one of the famous frescoes of Mary holding the baby Jesus. Sadly, part of the mosque was under renovation so the overall beauty of the mosque was a bit overshadowed by the enormous scaffolding covering one side of the great hall. Walking through the mosque however, it was easy to see the age old beauty of such a big place of worship. From the painted ceilings to the intricate marble floors and columns, it was easy to glance into the past of Hagia Sophia and see it in its original wonder. After the Hagia Sophia we visited the Archaeological Museum, which to someone who enjoys the history of architecture and stonework would be the place of gold. To me, I liked seeing the mummies 😊 Overall it was beautifully created in older buildings, and my favorite part was walking through the garden of left over Roman statues.

So here is where our trip took a fun, then awful turn. We decided to take the ferry back to Besiktas. I have personally never ridden on a ferry as a means of transportation so I had a blast. Riding across the Bosporus, watching the old city fade into the sunset while we approached the buildings of the new was fantastic. It was even more interesting passing a war ship that was anchored in the middle of the strait to keep peace. But this is where my story gets interesting, and most likely funny to the rest of you. When we left the ferry we still had a bus ride to take back to the dorms. So we headed out and found our bus stop and waited for the right bus. The stop was a bit crowded but I figured, this is a big stop, all the buses going back to the city stop by here. No biggie. Our bus was 43R and when it finally came up to the stop, the entire crowd LUNGED. I am not kidding I have never seen a group of people so frantically try to board a vehicle in my life.

So my roommate and I moved as quickly as possible to the back of the bus to be out of the way because the back of the bus is where you get off. After a few stops we realize that the bus is only getting more full, less and less people are getting off. People began filling in around us so compactly that we were almost completely up against the back door. The bus driver literally began not stopping at places because we were so full and crowded. Finally he stopped to let a few people off and opened the back doors, we would have fallen...if it wasn't for the fact that FOUR MORE people crammed on from the back doors! I ended up shoved into the two ladies behind me with one arm straight up to hold on to the railing so that I wouldn't fall and be trampled. Then this older lady gets up from her chair, thinking she wants to get off, and tries to push me out of the way. Where am I going to go? So then she decides that she's going to stay on, but the two girls behind us grabbed her seat. So now I have me roommate to my side, an old lady shoved up behind me, and two old guys in front of me, and everybody is speaking Turkish. Finally my roommate and I were able to get off (a few stops early but we couldn't take it anymore) and I was then informed, by my roommate who is from Turkey, that the old lady was making snarky comments about how I was in her lap and wouldn't move. Really lady? Really? It's not my fault you felt the inane urge to get all up behind me and then realize you didn't like it. Peeeeeople.

So that was my interesting experience with Turkish transportation that followed an otherwise fun day trip to the Old City. So by now you're all probably wondering, so Darrah, what do you have against Turkish markets? Or have you forgotten they were included in this post as well? No matter, I feel that this part will be short compared to my transportation fiasco. Markets in Turkey are wonderful and awful all at the same time. Pros, fresh fruits and veggies that are actually reasonably priced and are available everywhere, they are located on every corner with at least the essential items of soap/milk/rice/etc., also water is super cheap and can be bought in medium sized bottles that are bigger than the average "water bottle" yet not a ginormous container for literally 20 cents. Cons, if you are looking for a specific item you're probably going to have to go on a great adventure to search for it. Example, peanut butter, sliced meats, and basically any soda other than Coke. Anything that is anything remotely American is extremely expensive. Example, a family sized box of AppleJacks was going for 45-50tl or $20-$25. Also it's always good to have someone who understands Turkish around when shopping. When I bought what looked like grape jelly today turned out to be a Turkish grape molasses. That was a fun surprise to open up.

This concludes my latest thoughts and adventures in the great country of Turkish. Stay tuned for the next episode of Darrah In Istanbul.

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Comments

[Melissa]

WOW!
I'm so glad you have a sense of humor! LOVE the pictures :) Stay safe!

[Sheridan]

"wonderful and awful all at the same time"
I love that you are feeling things are "wonderful and awful all at the same time" - it means your REALLY THERE! Bravo on the pics. Travel on my friend.