Travel Journal VI

Today, we took the train into the Sultanamet section of Istanbul. We had brunch at a café, where I feasted upon calamari stuffed with garlic sauce. The Turkish really like their garlic, and I can’t say I blame them. This was served with rice, sliced tomatoes, salad, and French fries with mayonnaise. As an eater, I am a pretty easy to please, but I will never get used to mayonnaise on my fries. Pass the ketchup, please.

After we finished eating, the midday prayer had passed and we were able to get into the Blue Mosque. The place is a cavernous Muslim church, one of the most important and magnificently built in the world. It’s almost like the equivalent of the Sistine chapel. The artwork and architecture was amazing, and once again I’ll let the pictures (which I really truly swear are coming!) do most of the talking. Before entering, I had to wrap a Suran about my waist, because I had worn shorts. Andrea was required to cover her head with a scarf. Several tourists ignored this request and went in as they pleased, but I really didn’t feel like insulting people on their own holy ground.

After that, we went to the Hagia Sofia. This place was a Christian cathedral before the Ottoman Empire took over, at which point it was converted to a Mosque, and it was this venue that was used to crown the new Ottoman emperors. It was subsequently converted into a museum, and today it stands as an odd mishmash of Arabic and Christian symbols. Paintings of the Virgin Mary and Michael the Archangel are intermixed with Arabic symbols, all amidst. It was an immense building of stone and marble, scaffoldings, workers, and other evidence of the reconstruction. It had a high arched ceiling, like a traditional cathedral, and the workers had restored a winding stone ramp leading to the second floor, which at present is a miniature collection of paintings and pictures of the site.

Our next stop was the Cistern, which was basically a huge, cavernous underground structure used to hold and distribute water throughout the city in the days before modern plumbing. A foot or two of water is still collected below the bridges, and enormous fish swim around it. A series of pillars hold up the massive ceiling, and a collection of red lamps sit at the base of each, lending the room a very creepy atmosphere. At the far end, a statue of Medusa, cut into a cube and placed upside down, supports a pillar.

Our final stop before returning to the flat for some downtime was the Grand Bazaar, which was like a really gigantic, indoor version of the bazaar I described from Ankara. Antique stores, clothing/purse vendors hawking knockoffs of name brand goods, tobacco shops, and merchants of every kind filled the massive plaza, far too many to count. All day long, people had been harassing us, asking if we’d like to come up the street and buy a carpet (apparently we “look like potential carpet buyers”) but here it was far worse. One merchant even swore that he would give his wares away for free. The shopkeeps have a lot of competition, and so the only the most aggressive can stay in business. If you are a person who easily feels pressured by others, you’ll be talked out of your every last dime here in no time. Another interesting thing is that in a Turksih bazaar, there are no price tags. This is because haggling is the standard. You are expected to ask the merchant for a price (or suggest your own if you are feeling adventurous) and then attempt to talk them down. Andrea and I managed to tag team a jewelry merchant (because wait, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen my mother wear black earrings, maybe I should just put these back) down more than ten percent on a pair of earrings and a necklace. After wandering for a while, Carl suggested that we head back for some rest before going out for the evening. Within thirty seconds of this, like magic, Andrea had led us outside of the bazaar and onto a side street that led to a main road. Even this area was littered with grocers, toy shops, and, oddly enough, a LOT of gun stores. Although police and security forces walk brazenly about with automatic weaponry, I was under the impression that personal fire arms were illegal here, but on this street I saw three gun stores in as many minutes. One of them proudly displayed a massive rifle, complete with scope and tripod. All of them sported an orange sticker that said “fend for yourself.” Even here, none of the goods had a price tag. Lacking the permit that I assume was required, I decided not wasting a heavily armed shopkeep’s time.

We had planned to take the ferry across the Bosphorous to the Asian side of the city, but it started raining after we returned to the hotel, so we just hung out. Carl’s company keeps a very nice flat, with a deck that overlooks a small garden and a pool. We sat on the deck, sipped beer and vodka, and admired the view. When it got late and the rain still hadn’t stopped, we went inside to play Turkish monopoly, at which I have no skill whatsoever.

Afterwards, I relaxed in the Jacuzzi in my bathroom (I said it was a nice flat) for a while, and then went to bed. Tomorrow afternoon, Dre and I bid farewell to Carl and catch a flight back to Ankara. We’ll only be staying for a night this time- just long enough to do laundry and pack for our trip to Bodrum, which will last five days. We may even hop a boat over to Greece for a day.

Best. Vacation. Ever.