Sept. 1- Arrived early in the morning in the main tourist hotspot in Istanbul- Sultanamet- where we were immediately offered shoe shines for our tevas and flip-flops. Yep, the touts are alive and well in Istanbul! Even the nice gentleman who sold us a newspaper tried to reel us into the back of his store to sell us a carpet!
We started to look in our LP book for some hotels and, of course, every tout within a mile radius could see the tell-tale signs of weary tourists. As usual, we fought them off for a while, but even the toughest tourists give in at some point. The fact is that often the touts are representing the same places recommended in books and by the government agencies, or just new, trustworthy places that just haven’t been around very long. In fact, the tout we decided to trust took us to the FIRST place we were planning to check out- Nobel House Hotel! We checked out the room, it looked good enough, we did a bit of quick negotiating, and we booked it & settled in for a nap. How easy was that?!
We eventually ventured out and went first to probably the most famous site in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, named for its bluish-gray exterior. The interior is amazing as well (although it was hard to tell with the thousands of wires holding up the ottoman style candle-lights which are about 10 feet above the floor). Next was the Agia Sofia, a museum which was formerly a mosque and church at different times. This is obvious inside when you see both Muslim writing/art and Christian mosaics that the Turks have restored to show the interesting & diverse history. This was east-meets-west at its best, which is what Istanbul is most famous for.
After tourist time, we headed to a nearby pharmacy since JJ was developing a case of Mustafa’s revenge, similar to those revenges carried out by Montezuma in Mexico, and Mohammed in Morocco. Same feeling, different bacteria…Fortunately, this pharmacy was the over-the-counter antibiotic type. Back at the hotel, JJ slept 16hrs straight that evening/night- 4.30pm to 8.30am!
Sept. 2- The next morning, Jason joined JJ in the sick house and we took a stroll back to the pharmacy & did our business..AGAIN. We then headed to Topkapi Palace, the place where the reigning sultan (ruler) would live with his servants, family, and of course, his harem. We toured the grounds which includes many areas restored to original designs & interiors, and one wing with an armoury & jewel museum, including items from Turkey or gifts to the sultan from over the centuries. The kicker was an 86 karat diamond! Good thing JJ already has her engagement present! WHEW! We then toured the beautifully restored palace harem. Overall, the Topkapi Palace was incredible, and the harem was definitely worth the $ even though the guides rush you through so they can bring in the next group for more $$.
When we arrived back at the Nobel, the hotel clerk gave us a note from our friends Hamish and Kirin, who had found a place around the corner from us. We met them at their place, met their friends Kate & Annabelle, and headed to the Grand Bazaar, arguably the world’s most famous market. We met up with our old buddies Sara & Jamie and strolled through the bazaar, buying lots of souvenirs/xmas presents, and fighting off the touts. We actually met a Turk selling carpets who guessed out of the blue that we were from Texas. His wild guess paid off because we now plan to visit his carpet store opening up on 19th & Rutland in the Heights. What an amazing coincidence.
That evening, we had a drink or two at the Aussies’ hotel streetfront bar, “Backpackers”. After a little funny business with overcharging on our bill, we realized the owner/ manager was not the most pleasant or honest person we knew, and vowed to take our business elsewhere. We took the ten people strong group to a local Turkish restaurant and had a great meal, including white wine that the girls bargained for to earn a discount. At the end of dinner, we were told the owner was gone and they had no change. We warned that this meant no tip, and even went next door to a shop to try to get some change, but to no avail. The wait staff didn’t seem to have a problem with no tip, so we headed home full and content. Tipping isn’t required in Turkey but it’s appreciated. Good thing these guys were so nice and we didn’t ruin their night.
Sept. 3- The next day, we awoke to….rain! We had almost forgotten what it looked like! The last time we saw rain was in Norway, four months ago. We strolled the Grand Bazaar again, bought ourselves the obligatory Turkey t-shirts, and walked the spice bazaar to Galata Bridge. We crossed the bridge and met up with our Turkish friends Murat & Orhan, who we had met in Dalyan. We met their friend Ashkin and went to Galata Tower, a former defense tower which overlooks the Bosporus Strait where it meets the Mediterranean Sea. We had an awesome dinner in the popular Beyoglu/Taksim neighborhood, enjoying traditional Turkish staples like ayran (yogurt, water, & salt) & kunefe (dessert w/cheese, pistachio, etc). After dinner, watched the Turkey vs Denmark World Cup qualifier in a local bar. It was an up & down game, and Turkey almost pulled out a terrific comeback, but a late Danish goal caused the boisterous mood in the bar to come to a screeching halt. The score ended at 2-2, which was bad for Turkey who needed a win. We walked a little more and then said our goodbyes to our Turkish buddies, and headed home via cab.
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