Istanbul!

(Turkish Flag)

There is nothing to say about Istanbul other than it is the most fantastic city! (Actually there it TOO much to say about Istanbul!) I arrived in the heat of the afternoon sun and was greeted with one of Istanbul's most prominent aspects: its traffic! If you have ever been stuck in an LA traffic Jam, then you know exactly what the traffic was like in Istanbul. But regardless of the traffic, the scenery was gorgeous! I flew into the Asian (or Anatolian) side of Istanbul. This side is most commonly known as the 'undeveloped' side of Istanbul, but it was none the less a beautiful drive. Hundreds and hundreds of colorful apartment buildings sat upon wild flower covered grassy hills. Interestingly, the tulip was originally cultivated in Istanbul so there was a HUGE tulip festival on in the city. On my way to the European side I saw this gorgeous and GIANT Turkish flag made entirely of tulips! My trip started off with activity! We immediately set off for the Grand Bazaar: miles of covered hallways dedicated to every specialty craft you can imagine. There were entire halls dedicated to gold jewelry, silver jewelry, ceramics, fine rugs- everyone was out to get the better end of the deal on their purchases/sales! Thank God I had Ece there to help me negotiate prices!


(Outside of the Grand Bazaar)

Later that evening, Ece took Ciara and I out to one of the most fun and eclectic places I have ever been: a city area called Taksim. I felt like I was on a Hollywood movie set to be honest. This is a very trendy area full of posh boutiques, night clubs, fancy restaurants, raving bars, and hundreds of cafes. The small alleyways snaked in all directions and the Victorian 4 story buildings seemed to lean in and shelter us from the night cold. The alleyways were also strung with hundreds of colorful Christmas lights and Chinese lanterns not to mention the streets were bustling with street vendors and were pleasantly crowded with young people sitting at street side cafe tables! One alleyway we went down was frosted with thousands of twinkle lights- it was truly a MAGICAL place. There was tango techno music pumping out of a club on the street and it was such a fun atmosphere that we were dancing in the streets! We went to a really hip restaurant in the area that was known for its gourmet cheese chef. There was a special section of the restaurant where you would go and have a cheese tasting with the chef and then she brought you a plank of 10 different kinds of cheese to taste and also fresh grapes, dried fruits, figs, and walnuts! Yum!


(The Palace, Harem)

The next day was a big sight seeing day. We went to the historical district of Istanbul and first stopped off at the Palace and Harem complex. The palace was gorgeous and was full of beds of the tulips Istanbul is known for (red, pink, purple, orange...any color you can name, they had a tulip to correspond to it!). The palace was decorated beautifully- the main colors were deep ocean blue and greens. Most of the walls were tiled in elaborately hand painted images of peacocks or tulips. Most of the doors were inlaid with mother of pearl and all of the ceilings were domed. It was a grand place, but at the same time the Harem was a cold/closed place (The sultans had many wives which they kept in the Harem and refused to let them leave ever...it was basically a fancy prison cell!)


(Hagia Sofia)

Then we headed over to the Hagia Sofia- which was one of the sights I most wanted to see in Istanbul! I had studied it in art history and I was dying to see the famous "dome" the largest mosque dome in the world. The Hagia Sofia was actually not well maintained- I was shocked that this magnificent monument that represented the glory of Constantine was disheveled, but Ece explained to me that the because the building was previously a church, it was not important to the mainly Muslim Turks. When the Turks won Istanbul they added four minarets to the Hagia Sofia and turned it into a mosque, but it was never used and thus became quite dilapidated. They are however starting to restore it now.


(Outside the blue mosque: note women covered from head to tow in background)

The blue mosque was the true gem of the historical district: it was surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains. We were lucky enough to go inside the blue mosque and we had to take off our shoes and cover our hair. We entered just as the city of Istanbul had burst into the song which calls Muslims to prayer 5 times a day. There were not many tourists in the blue mosque which was nice.


(Inside the blue mosque)

That night we went to Ece's aunt's house to have a GIANT traditional Turkish 7 course meal! It was so AMAZING! I do not even know how to explain the magnificent dishes that were presented at this dinner but they ranged from fried egg plant to crepes with sweet sauce, to sweet rice in grape leaves, to chicken casserole, to tirimisu to Turkish tea!

Istanbul is a very diverse city and I was lucky enough to explore many of its districts: including its shopping districts! It seemed like everyone in Turkey had a Prada bag, or Guicci shoes, or some kind of designer jewelry! I found Turkey to be like any other European city or major city: very materialistic! But I am not complaining, because the window shopping made my mouth water--every designer you could possibly imagine had boutiques on SEVERAL streets in Istanbul.


(Ece's Birthday Brunch on the Golden Horn)

While in Turkey we went to several parties for Ece's 20th birthday. A good friend of her family hosted a brunch for her on the Golden Horn of the Bosporus. There I tried rowing (or sculling) for the first time! It was so much fun :) We then had a lovely brunch on the terrace of a water side restaurant- perfect views and great conversation!


(Sculling on the Golden Horn)

The next day Ece's parents threw her a wonderful brunch at their tennis club and ALL of Ece's family was there (all 60 of them). I felt like I was in "my big fat Greek wedding" We were introduced to EVERY SINGLE family member and received two kisses (one on each cheek) from every single one of them. I felt like I was playing musical chairs- always standing up to greet a smiling relative speaking in rapid Turkish. It was so much fun, but also really tiring! That night we went to a traditional kebab place for Ece's birthday dinner. Every city in Turkey has a traditional kebab and we got a giant sample plate of the traditional kebabs of turkey- it was delicious!!!




We also took a day trip down to the Black Sea where we ate at a traditional sea food restaurant. We had a family dinner which consisted of several salads, stuffed mussels, corn bread, and a GIANT whole fish! When they brought the 3 foot long fish out onto our table with skin (and head) still bubbling from the oven I had to admit I was a bit shocked! But the server dished up the fish on our plates with ridiculous skill and I have never had such great fish in my life! It was SO fresh and fluffy and delicious! What a treat! And yes, I was offered the fish cheeks, but kindly refused. He he.
I absolutely LOVED turkey, it was an incredible experience! Istanbul is certainly a unique city and I would recommend a visit there to anyone!

(MiniaTurk- standing in front of a mini version of Hagia Sofia)