Turkey - Days 2 & 3

Sunday, Aug 1st
After a few hours of sweaty, erratic sleep (yeah, without AC in the dorm, Turkey was looking to be just as uncomfortable and maybe even more so than Egypt) I had the decent hostel breakfast and was soon out on the streets with Dave. We first headed to Aya Sophia. Originally built as a Christian church in the 6th century, it had a dome that was so huge that it wasn't matched in size until St. Peters was built in Rome about 1000 years later. That blows my mind. Imagine if the tallest building in the world, for example, remains the tallest for another 1000 years from now. Crazy stuff. Anyway, hundreds of years later, however, the church was converted to a mosque, and now, it is a museum and remains as a fascinating mix of Christian and Muslim elements.

Built within eyesight of Sophia, by Justinian, is the Blue Mosque. Also huge and amazing to see, it originally had 6 minarets (towers used to call Muslims to prayer), which matched the number of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Since nothing could rival the Great Mosque, he had to send a 7th minaret to Mecca. Blue due to its tiles, it remains as a working Mosque to this day.

Not sure where to head next, Dave and I wandered the area for a while and eventually bought Abu (from Aladdin) style hats. Looking goofy, we made it back to the hostel, resorted ourselves, and then went on a long walk along the shore. We intended to take a scenic walk to the Bosphorus ferry port, but after a long way of walking in the blazing sun, we realized that we maybe went a bit overboard. Regardless, we eventually made it. The boat ride itself was quite relaxing, although not the most exciting trip in the world, taking us on a two hour trip up and back along the Bosphorus Straight, a strategic waterway that divides Istanbul.

After having a full-on night with little sleep, tonight worked out to be much more low key. I spent a few hours with Dan, a newly arrived friend who I had met in Egypt, sorting out our respective Turkish trips. And after that, a Kebab, shisha, and a beer on the rooftop terrace. Chill and with some good conversation. Not a bad way to end the day.


Monday, Aug 2nd
For a second straight day, Dave and I hit the city together. Having connected with a local couch surfer, Dave invited me along. We crossed over to the Asian side of town and met her at a cafe, spending a while just talking. She grew up right in the area, but had since gone to school in Australia, met a guy there, and was now on her way back for another degree. Beyond the cafe, she took us for a walk around town and brought us to a local place for lunch. Piles of food that I didn't recognize, it was fantastic. Good, cheap, and it would have been really difficult to order on my own. We continued on our walk, down a very commercial shopping street and to Gallata Tower, where we ran into a couple of German women from the hostel. One of them, Alina, was completely afraid of heights. I was surprised that she even made it up the tower, but once getting to the top, she couldn't take the final step out onto the walkway, instead clutching to the door jam and tentatively peeking her head out. Our last stop together was to a roof top bar for some Raki. A black licorice flavored spirit, it is famous in Turkey. To drink it, you pour a small amount in tall, thin glasses, then top them off with water and ice. The clear liquor turns cloudy white as soon as the water hits it. It's OK, but I don't feel the need to rush back for more.

With limited time before my bus, I scrambled over to see the Grand Bazar. Although it is indeed huge, it was very different than I expected. Filled with expensive, permanent types of shops, it was not the open market that I had hoped for. Oh, well, I hear the spice market is better, so I'll have to try to go there when I return to Istanbul in a week.

Last up for the day was my first overnight bus in Turkey, this one to Cappadocia. Through my travels, I have developed quite the ability to sleep on public transportation. Seriously, I can often fall asleep within moments of the vehicle starting to move. I even do it in friends' cars, especially when I am in the back seat. Anyway, this trip was terrible, as I had to face my Achilles heel...warm and stuffy buses. That's it. I can sleep on a cramped, smelly, dirty, bumpy ride as long as the AC is working or the windows are open for fresh air to come through, but the moment you take that away, even if the ride is perfect otherwise, I simply can't sleep. It's terrible. So there I was, with a double whammy of being in the back of the bus and having to deal with both the heat of the engine and the fact that the AC wasn't really reaching the back seats. Blah. I'd rather freeze on a bus anyday.