On the Road Again

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Well, after a summer in New York, I am finally starting on the second leg of my big trip. I touched down in Istanbul yesterday morning, and I plan to do a tour of the countries of the Middle East deemed safe enough to visit.

I awoke this morning, my first here in Istanbul, to the swirling, undulating chants blaring from loudspeakers in the Blue Mosque near my hotel, the sound vying with the clamorous slap and swoosh of the wind and rain that has been flogging this ancient city since last night. OK, to be honest, it didn't wake me up. Jet lag woke me up at 5:00 AM, but I can't really complain about that, as I slept for a solid five hours last night, which is better sleep than I've had at the start of most of my European trips. It helped a lot that I got a direct flight from JFK to Istanbul. Tomorrow, we shall see if I can bring to bear my many years of practice sleeping to awaken after dawn and the morning prayer session.

I'm staying in the incredibly charming neighborhood of Sultanahmet, which is at the tip of one the the triangles of land that are cut out by the Bosporous strait, sea of Marmara, and what I believe is the mouth of a river called Halic or the Golden Horn. Within walking distance are at least five of the major architectural and historical monuments of the city: the Aya Sofia, the mosque of Sultan Ahmet I (aka the Blue Mosque), the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. Plus, I'm sure there are millions of other amazing sites that I will trip over (and miss completely) as I wander.

It is still raining and windy, which would not have been the weather I would have chosen, if anybody had asked, but I will take this opportunity to try out my hi-tech, Gore Tex rain pants that I stupidly carried, unused, through a parched and rainless South Asia for three months. I shall write more soon, when I've actually seen something to describe. I hope you all are well.

Dan

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Comments

[Joan Riegel]

It must feel great to be out there again...
Dad and I loved Turkey! The City was so alive and vibrant; to us it was wonderfully exotic; of course we hadn't been to India. I remember eating fish freshly caught in the Bosphorus and cooked on little charcoal grills that were on the little fishing boats. That was one of those tastes that will never be equalled, I fear. Mom

[su rubin]

pretzels
do the the street vendors still sell those wonderful seseme seed pretzels ? I agree with your mom about the fresh fish dinner - I remember walking across a bridge and finding a restaurant right on the bridge - Ed and I loved Turkey as well. We were there twice!

[lily]

go to a turkish bath...
as much as possible!!

[Doris Rachles]

Pudding Shop
Daniel: I can't resist asking you if the Pudding Shop is still in Istanbul. When I was there many moons ago that was the place where travelers met and many (tall) tales were told as some trekked east into the vast unknown and others returned to more familiar territory. Ahh, the stories and characters and the turkish coffee. What a combination. Enjoy it all. Doris

[Tony]

What's next?
Glad to know you're back on the road. Really looking forward to read about your new adventures :-) Tony http://tony-in-ny.blogspot.com

[Out of Scope]

Pudd1ng Shop
Hi Doris! I think it is still there. I walked into the place and looked around, but I'm not sure it remains the traveler mecca that it was back then. I will stop by again and see if they got anything going on. I'll post a photo of it and see if you recognize it! -Daniel

[Out of Scope]

Baths
I went to the super famous one last n1ght - caaloulu, last night. It was pretty beautiful, and very refreshing. I think I might visit another one tonight, as I am feeling a bit soggy from a day of walking around in the cold rain.

[Out of Scope]

Pretzels
The pretzels (called simit) are still everywhere. They are a nice way to quite the stomach's grumblings between kebabs. In fact, apparently, some vendors have opened up fixed stores, where they sell highly eloborate simit with heaps of toppings.