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| Two views of the Blue Mosque from my hotel room. |
You might think, especially in an Islamic country, that two adult men would be discouraged from sleeping in the same bed. But the manager at the Wooden House Inn, in trying to weasel out of the snafu that had only a double bed reserved, suggested just that rather than finding us a room with 2 beds. Exhausted & jet lagged (made a little worse after it took our cabbie 20 minutes to find the inn amongst the labyrinth streets of Istanbul's Sultanahmet), we shelled out for a second room & hit the hay.
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| Aya Sofia by early morning light. |
Tuesday began bright & early (5:00 am!), and our first order of business was a stroll to find cheaper lodgings (we ended up in the Side ("SEE-deh") pension, bigger & only $20 ea), food (Turkish pastries tend to be rather dry), and get the lay of the land. The Sultanahmet is Istanbul's oldest - and most touristy - section. We took some pictures, explored the narrow cobbled streets, and found our way to the main square where Istanbul's two best-known landmarks, the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia, face each other.
After eating & resettling, we went out for a second look at the square, and with the city awake it was a very different experience! We met the "touts" who offered us helpful information, such as which attractions were closed (whether or not they actually were, but they could direct us to an open rug shop), the location of entrances we were standing in front of, guides ... Here are some of our favorites:
- "Yes, hello, where are you from?" (as you might imagine, tourists aren't hard to spot).
- "I'm not the guy! I'm not the guy!" (Who's going to sell you a carpet, that is. My brother, on the other hand, has a shop ...)
- "No problem! No problem!" (response to "How much will it cost?")
- "Hello, yes? Bonjour? Guten Tag? Buenos dias?" (the shotgun approach to guessing our nationality; one startled us by giving Mark a "Shalom!")
- "Go Red Sox!" (I was wearing my cap, never expecting it to get recognized)
On one occasion Mark bent down to pet a cat - and someone immediately approached us & offered to sell it to us! No problem getting it through quarantine, we were assured.
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| Details of two of the frescos inside the Aya Sofia. |
Our first bona-fide tourist tour was of the Aya Sofia, a grand palace (see pic above). 1500 years old, it has changed hands as often as Istanbul itself; built by Constantine, it has been both a church and a Mosque, which explains Christian frescos (right) side-by-side with Islamic mimbars (most of the frescos had been plastered over when the muslims held sway & were damaged when the plaster was removed). Also of interest was the photo exhibit of the frescos, where we were invited to share the photographer's vision [deep nasel breath] the fine detail of the photos, when viewed against the expansive backdrop of the interior of the mosque is meant to bring you visually into the artist's space, and ... blah blah blah.
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| The banks of the mighty Bosphorus. |
That evening we went for a stroll along the Bosphorus River. Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia, the Sultanahmet being on the European side. Then back to our neighborhood, fended off a few more touts, found some chow (eating here is fine if you like kebabs and/or Turkish-style "pide", or flatbread pizza).
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| Side street in a neighborhood we came to know as the Shoe District. |
Wednesday we decided to try a distinctly Turkish experience: The Bath. But first we had to find it, and a couple of wrong turns led us into a small neighborhood where there were no tourists, just folks going about daily business - which here seems to mean the manufacture, distribution, buying & selling of shoes. I have never seen so many shoes for sale, on the street and in shops, one after another, lining the streets. At least no one tried to sell us anything on these streets. Eventually we did find our way to the baths - one noted for being welcoming to foreigners. For 29 TL (a little more than $20) we changed into our wraps and were directed to a big steamy room, about a dozen yards across, mostly pink marble with a domed ceiling (the only light source was a series of a couple dozen skylights in the dome, about 6 inches wide each, allowing sunlight to filter down through the steam). We alternated between laying down to sweat on the big two foot-high octagonal marble platform that mostly filled the room, and pouring warm and then cold water over ourselves. Then the massage, vigorous, soapy and, gratefully, not at all sensuous (note: 3 different attempts to describe deleted here). 'Nuff said. It was relaxing & we did feel ... oh nevermind. It was nice, The end.
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| Interior of the Blue Mosque |
Next, a visit to the Blue Mosque. Even if it wasn't the largest building in the neighborhood, it would be easy to find because the call to prayer is boomed from loudspeakers mounted in the minarets five times a day. But when the mosque wasn't closed for prayers, it was open for touring. Note the stained glass, which I had always thought a church thing (aspiring Danish cartoonists will note that no human figures are depicted).
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| Scenes from the Kadikoy waterfront. Left, a cute kid says hi; right, a boy plays the drum while the balloon ride ascends. |
That evening we took a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul - specifically, to the neighborhood of Kadikoy (recommended in our guide books for its waterfront & side-street restaurants). We ate, explored the bustling commercial district ("Hello, yes, DVD shop?"), and NOTHING ELSE.
Okay, okay ... over the first couple of days I worked on my tout-deflecting skills (Mark sez I was doing okay ... until this evening). But my first big mistake was sitting still for more than 2 minutes. A kid with a shoe-shine kit approached me and offered ... I'm still not quite sure what, as I was wearing my sneakers, but he said that was fine - and threw in something about not having eaten in, I dunno, weeks, and talked me into letting him clean my sneakers with a toothbrush. No problem, no problem (with a big smile, after I asked him how much he wanted). While that was going on (and my mind was reeling trying to figure out how to get myself out of that [insert Mark smirks]), three of his buddies showed up & started fast talking. And before I knew it they were asking 15 Turkish Lira - about twelve dollars!!! - for the service!! When I picked my jaw up from the ground I eventually gave him 3 lira & got out of there. So the lessons continue. BTW Mark wishes it be known that his sneakers are still dirty.
Oh, and five minutes later a very smug Mark bashed his nose in by attempting to walk through the (closed) glass door at the bank.
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| All nice and clean. |
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| One of many, many wings of the Grand Bazaar. Shiny. |
Thursday was our travel day to our next stop: Cappadocia. Or so we thought, assuming we'd be able to show up at the bus station in the morning & get a bus ... then learning that the busses only leave at night. We killed the day by wandering 'round the Grand Bazaar, getting a second bath ... and marveling at the wares for sale, at many many stands, inside the bus station: Guns, guns, guns!! We never saw any evidence of a three-day waiting period.
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| Fun things for your trip: Walkman, clock, cell phone ... and heat. |
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| Can you find your bus company amongst the clutter? This pic represents about 25% of the companies at Istanbul's otogar (bus station). Even as we waited for our bus we saw one company go out of business & get replaced anew. |
Next stop; Cappadocia.
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| BONUS PICTURE: The Blue Mosque by evening. |
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| BONUS PICTURE: Shop in the Sultanahmet. |
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| BONUS PICTURE: Istanbul's Galata bridge, with businesses beneath (where boats pass I am not sure). |
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