A taste of the Middle East in Istanbul

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First of all I can't believe it's august. What the hell?! Where has the time gone? I guess that's a good thing though! This trip is going to fly by in the blink of an eye. Our first day in istanbul was spent mostly in transit. We flew from Budapest directly to turkey. The flight wasn't bad at all; it was petty smooth and comfortable but getting from the airport was a hassle. First we tried to take a shuttle directly to our hotel but for some reason they wouldn't transport the two of us, they needed at least four people. So we waited for about half an hour to see if they could find more people, no luck. So instead we took a bus to the Taksim area, which was still a half hour taxi ride from our hotel! Definitely not a fun day. All in all we got to our hotel about two hours after we landed. But that's what happens when you travel. That evening we just checked out the area we are staying in and ate some street food in the square outside the blue mosque. As white tourists, we definitely stuck out and throughout my whole stay in the city I was harassed quite a bit, but you do get used to it. It's not creepy or scary, just a bit annoying. But turkish men sure give a white girl a confidence boost! You Just smile and keep walking.

The hotel that we stayed in was called the Artefes Hotel. It was a pretty good hotel. The best part of it was that there was a rooftop patio with a brilliant view of the ocean with some lounges to enjoy the view on. it was worth it just for that. Every night I sat on that patio and listened to the call from prayer from the mosque. It was such a beautiful experience I almost cried. It was also a really good hotel because it was right in the old town, just below the blue mosque. So it was really close to everything tourists do in istanbul which was great. I couldn't imagine having to taxi everywhere in that city. Walking was definitely nice. Another good thing about the hotel was that breakfast was included, and we had air conditioning. I definitely have to give Jay props for picking out this hotel. I couldn't have asked for better.

My last day in July was spent being a true tourist in the city of istanbul! Jay wasn't feeling the heat so much, so he stayed at the hotel and I went out on my own. I was nervous at first, but quickly I felt comfortable. I went to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, the basilica cistern, and topkapi palace. I was done the first three by 10:30! I guess it's true what they say about the city sleeping late. Oh well, I barely had any lines or tourists to compete with. So instead after topkapi palace, I lay in the grass outside and napped and people watched. It was a great way to kill some time and entertain myself. I went back to the hotel for the hottest part of the day, where I had a small snooze. Then in the early evening I went to Jennifer's Hamam which is a towel/blanket store run by a lady from Edmonton! She gave me a recommendation about which turkish bath to visit and I bought one of her beautiful towels. They are a bit expensive, but all organic cotton and handmade in the traditional style. Absolutely worth it. Everyone should pay her a visit. After this, I visited the Grand Bazaar. I knew I wouldn't buy anything, but you just have to see it. It reminded me a lot of the market in Egypt that we went to all those years ago.

August first was spent on my own again. I tried to go to the new mosque, but I forgot that it was a Friday and on Fridays the mosque is closed from seven in th morning until two in the afternoon. So instead I visited the spice market and walked around the north side of the straight in the karaköy area. I found a very hipster and Americanized Turkish coffee house where I sat for two hours drinking the delicious coffee and reading magazines. It was called Press Karaköy. It was small and off the main tourist track, but it felt very homey and cozy. it's a great pace to go if you have a little bit of time in the day and want to relax. At two in the afternoon it was time for my turkish Bath. Jennifer from Edmonton recommended a beautiful old Bath called Kiliç Ali Pasa Hamami. It was a wonderful experience. They are very professional and very kind. The room is hot and the scrub is very relaxing. It is not torally traditional as there is neither a sauna nor a pool to visit in the hamam, which some people may say that this takes away from the "traditional" experience. I didn't mind though. It was still wonderful. You really escape to a separate world for a couple of hours. I felt rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. Needless to say I did not do much for the rest of the day.

And so, our short and wonderful stay in istanbul was concluded before it hardly began. I would most definitely come back to this country and spend weeks exploring all corners of it. Until next time Turkey!

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Comments

[wasarabo]

Lovely
The image I have of you sitting on a patio, at sunset, with the call to prayer being sung . . . gives me a chill. Sounds achingly beautiful.