Falling in Love with Istanbul

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Let me start by saying Europe never ceases to amaze me. It's been 10 years since I last visited Europe, but the wonderment that paralyzed me then still holds me hostage today as I stare out my hotel window at the lighted towering blue turets on the blue Mosque. Istanbul, Turkey..while not considered classically Europe (many classify it as a part of Asia or even Middle Eastern)...has me absolutley lovestruck, although I must admit it took a while to grow on me

As with every cross continental trip, this one started with plenty of monotonous airports and plane flights. The journey started in a very cold, very snowy Saint Louis, Missouri. Icy roads, long lines and delayed flights made for a rough start. However, even amongst the long wait times, there managed to be a lot of entertainment. Especially when after security my Grandmother misplaced her shoes. We waited, and waited for them to slide through the x-ray, but alas, they never came. We opened all our luggage as the oh-so-helpful TSA tried to pretend they cared and half looked while mostly ignoring us. Trapsing around barefoot, Gran saw no sign of her shoes anywhere. We searched other peoples buckets,zipped and unzipped our own suitcases while hoping the shoes would magically appear half a line later on the other end of the xray..The shoes did eventually turn up, 20 minutes later, wrapped up in the coat she sent through the scanner. I found it hilarious, although that might have been a mixture of pre-travel jitters and excessive boredom talking.

The flight to Newark was relativley uneventful, as was the layover (I was quite disappointed that I didn't find a single Jersey Shore cast member during my short stay in New Jersey) We did however find a McDonalds, which we were quite thankful for 2 hours later when we were served an airplane dinner that far more resembled baby throw up than it did the Chicken Teryaki that the Air Hostesses insisted it was. After a few hours of rocky/restless airplane sleep (and one minor "where is my passport meltdown...okay major meltdown) we arrived in Munich, showing obvious signs of jetlag.

The flight from Athens to Istanbul was interesting to say the least. Not only did the plane interior look like a very turquoise blast from the 1970's, but we also got fed some pretty tasty, fairly authentic Turkish cuisine even though it was barely a 2 hour flight. Chicken, yellow rice, cold green beans, and plum cake. It was definetley better than the baby spit up I'd tried to eat on the flight the night before.

Istanbul, definetley didn't impress me right away. The line for Visa's and customs was hellish. Way too long, lots of people (not to mention just buying a Visa to get into the country costs $20 USD). The airport is confusing, it was hard to find our way out, and confusing airport terminals don't mix well with heavy luggage and jetlag. But when we did finally find our way out of customs and into a cab, my mood towards the country slowly began improving. The closer and closer we got to Sultanhmet, the more and more gorgeous the scenery got. Towering turets and castle like ruins lined the highways and coastline. Statues of Ataturk decorated the mass number of parks throughout the city. There's something so surreal about driving past ruins thousands of years older than anything in our own country.

Our hotel is an adorable little locally owned place with absolutley gorgeous scenic views of the Blue Mosque. Ever since my AP world History Class in 12th grade I've always dreamed of visiting the Blue Mosque with its huge blue turets and supposedly phenomenal interior tile work. I can tell you, though, no story and certainly no photo could possibly do this structure justice. Since Mosques are closed for worship on Mondays, we booked it straight to the Blue Mosque as soon as we set down our bags. I will never forget the chills I got, standing outside the entry way to the Mosque listening to the call of the prayer and watching the droves of locals pour in to pay their respects to their God. It was an amazing spiritual and cultural experience. Non-believers aren't allowed to observe the inside of the Mosque during times of prayer, so while they prayed, we just sat there, observing the phenomenal architecure and soaking in the Islamic culture.

The inside of the Mosque, however, was a whole new experience. Women must cover their heads to be allowed in and no one can wear shoes so everyone was forced to place their shoes in plastic bags and walk around the inside. (A terrifying prospect for Gran who has obvious trouble keeping up with her shoes). Not only was the tile work indescribably beautiful, but watching the people so into their prayer, down on their hands and knees, kissing the floor, oblivious to the mass amounts of tourists snapping pictures behind them, was truley inspiring. It forced me to see religion in a different light. Both the obviousness of the call of the prayer, which can be heard everywhere in the city,and the intesity of their prayer showed a dedication to religion I've never seen in any culture I've observed before. Most churches, while some may have similar intracacies, lack the passion I felt inside the Blue Mosque and similarly walking the gardens outside the historically significant Hagia Sofia. The religion can be clearly seen and felt in the Turkish culture. While no religious wear is required within the nation, most women choose to follow Muslim customs, wearing headdresses and some even full Islamic attire, showing nothing but their eyes. Customary practices lie right in tune with that of less secular Islamic nations, customs in Christian nations aren't nearly so observable.

So even jetlagged and skeptical, Istanbul stole my heart nearly seconds after stepping foot on its narrow, uneven streets. It's unlike any city I've ever seen in my entire life, and the spiritual and cultural observations set it so far apart from other European strongholds like London and Paris.

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Photos

Photo 2
Our hotel room in Turkey

Photo 3
View of the Blue Mosque from our hotel room

Photo 4
Blue Mosque

Photo 5
Blue Mosque up close at night

Photo 6
Night View II

Photo 7
Night View III

Photo 9
Tile work inside Blue Mosque

Comments

[Nita Hughes]

What was the name of the hotels in Istanbul and Athens? We are gong in April and I still haven't booked a room. Thank you!

[Nita Hughes]

What was the name of the hotels in Istanbul and Athens? We are gong in April and I still haven't booked a room. Thank you!