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Published: April 13th 2007
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stupid weather
I barely shot any photos on the Bospherus boat ride because the weather was yucky and I was shooting video anyway. Once the skies cleared up later in the day though, it was much better and would have been great. Bospherus Boat Trip
Joel Schroeder We started out with breakfast at Med Cezir cafe, just across the street from the hotel and the same place we had dinner the night before. The weather wasn't cooperating, but we kept to our plan and headed down to the waterfront area to jump on a ferry with our guide, Mehmet, and rode about 90 minutes from the Galato Bridge up the Bospherus to just short of the Black Sea. Along the way we were at the back of the boat, trying to get photos and footage, but everything was muted and dull because of the weather. We went past the Imperial Palace, made stops on the European and Asian sides of the Bospherus, went under the Bospherus Bridge, and finally got off at the second to last stop, on the European side. We stopped for Turkish and apple tea in a small town, and learned that the stray dogs we see are not really stray, but do have owners, but are just free to roam like many cats are allowed to do back home. Most of the dogs we see are pretty old looking, don't care to notice you, and are asleep or just about asleep. Our driver
Bospherus Bridge
this is taken from the ferry, looking at the Asian side of Istanbul met us at the end of our ferry ride and we drove back along the European side to the Bospherus Bridge, which we crossed over to the Asian side of Istanbul. We stopped just south of the bridge on the water for some photos and footage, and then went to lunch at a relatively classy place nearby. We stuffed ourselves on a number of things, including eggplant, various kinds of beans, a selection of meat (lamb included of course), and the most memorable part being the desserts. Baklava, of course, was served along with a pear dessert, a custard-like dessert that was made with sugar, rice powder, sheep's milk, and chicken breast (no kidding), as well as a pumpkin dessert and one more that I can't remember at the moment. We were out of Turkish Lira and the restaurant only took cash (a bit of a surprise) and it took a while to find a working ATM, but finally we did, just in time for us to leave the Asian side and try to drive back to the European side at rush hour. The drive was nice though, because by now the weather had cleared up quite a bit, and
POLIS!
this is just outside the Grand Bazaar as they were getting ready for the big dinner for the mayors' conference we got to drive through the modern downtown area of the city, see more of the mosques, go past the Imperial Palace, and be right in the middle of the big Friday evening rush hour. I could have taken hours to stop here and there to shoot great B-roll but it was not to be. We went back to the hotel, said goodbye to our guide and driver, and started walking to the Grand Bazaar after dropping off our equipment. Along the way, a man stopped us and so politely guided us to a "short cut" to the Grand Bazaar. We're quite wise to the carpet-salesmen tactics by now, and I immediately knew that his short cut would take us past his carpet store, and of course this turned out to be true. Then, just a block or two later, as we made our way back to the route to our destination, a man walked past me and dropped his brush. I picked it up, turned, caught his attention, and handed him the brush. He had a shoe polish kit with him, and the brush was part of his kit, and he immediately knelt down, thanked me, and said "gentleman, please, let me." I told him, no, that it was not needed, that I was in a rush to get to the Grand Bazaar, and that I didn't have any Lira (2 out of 3 were true--I really did need my shoes polished), but he was insistant and began working on one shoe. Then he got up, motioned to the Grand Bazaar, said "Grand Bazaar, we go" and led me further on the way. After 50 yards or so, he stopped again, and started on my other foot. Rick and Kathy were with me of course, and another shoe shiner started on Kathy's shoes. I really had no Lira, so Rick gave me a few (worth about $2), and when he finished I gave him the money. He wanted more though, but since I did not ask for the polish and had no more to give him, we moved on. Kathy's guy got about the same. Moments later as we continued on our way, Rick realized it was a big set-up. The shoe shiners spread out in an area with lots of tourists. They find a mark, walk past them in the opposite direction, drop their brush, the tourist picks it up, as a sign of gratitude they give them a shoe shine, but at the same time lead the group of tourists back to where another shoe shiner is so that they can get a second shoe shine in on another member of the group. We were quite hip to the carpet seller routines and tricks, but this was new to us. They probably can pull in decent money if they pull that routine even just a few times an hour. After that episode, we got money from an ATM and got to the Grand Bazaar. As we entered the main gate, there were police everywhere, and caterers were setting up tables for a big dinner, right along the walkway of the Grand Bazaar. We learned that it was a big dinner for some sort of International Mayor's Conference being held in Istanbul April 12-15. I'll have to check if Antonio Villaragosa was there. I bought a few items in the Grand Bazaar, and got a great photo on the way out, which I'll post here as soon as I get it from Rick's camera. We walked back to the hotel (and were NOT stopped by any carpet salesmen), and grabbed the cameras and got another version of the sunset behind the Blue Mosque from on top of the Seven Hills Hotel/Restaurant. We decided to eat dinner there too, so we made a reservation for 8:45 and were back in 30 minutes to eat. Rick wanted a photo of the waiters showing the seafood selection platter to a couple at the restaurant, and ended up asking a man and woman behind him if they were willing. They were, and we got to talking, and we joked about the carpet salesmen, and they shared the same EXACT shoe shiner experience we'd had. We had no idea how institutionalized these tactics were. As it turns out, they're on the same flight as we are tomorrow, heading back to JFK.
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Lori
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There must not be a single lamb left in all of Turkey. Where did you get this taste for lamb from? The only lamb I ever recall eating was the lamb cake Miller Grandma made when I was little. Now that was tasty! I have been to the Lamb Farms in IL where Joyce and Ralph got that dog Fang from, he was cute. STOP eating LAMBS!!! How about some nice veal, now there is some good eatin', those sweet little calves are happy to die in the name of a good meal. Have a safe trip home.