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Friday began as a normal day of classes, but somehow we ended up joining the class above us to watch a movie (curiously enough) about disenfranchised people in Istanbul, and that was pretty cool. After that, I ate a chicken sandwich, took the metro to the bus station, and caught the bus to Istanbul, accompanied by Jack and Erin.
One six-hour bus ride later, we emerged from the bus, and successfully got off at the wrong otogard. Istanbul is a pretty big place, and we were right in the middle of nowhere. After talking to some people on the street, we got directions... it would take two dolmuşes (a form of private transportation, a sort of van that goes along a circular route. Cost: 2 TL) to get to the ferry boat that we planned on catching that evening. When we waved for the first dolmus to stop, the screeching tires and smoke were a sure sign that it would be an entertaining ride. I don't really understand the popularity of dolmuşes in much of Ankara because the legit public transport is cheaper and has a lot of the same routes, but in this situation it sure came in handy. The ferry boat across the Bosphorous provided astounding views, which I failed to capture well due to the fact that my camera was in some sort of 'awful blurry photo' mode for the entirety of the trip to Istanbul. Sorry.
Also saw this stuff:
Two obelisks. Because, yeah!
Then I got some corn from one of the cornsellers, and eventually it was sleep time....
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The next day, after yapping some kahvaltı (doing some breakfast), the first order of business was going to Topkapi Palace, which was where Ottoman sultans primarily lived for four hundred years. Suffice to say, they got some pretty sweet digs!
(At about this point my camera started to fail me battery wise.)
There were loads of luxurious, beautiful buildings, but the height of the Topkapi experience was easily one particular building which contained religious artifacts that had originally belonged to Mohammad, along with a few that apparently belonged to David and (I think) Abraham. That was one ridiculously cool exhibit.
After Topkapi, we hit up Aya Sofia aka Haggia Sophia, an Orthodox church constructed in 537, later converted into a mosque, and later converted into a museum. Amazingly we ran into the same CLSers there again. The church was partially under construction, so there was a lot of scaffolding, but it was a ridiculously impressive place.
After Aya Sofia, we briefly stopped for lunch at a city owned (and therefore affordable) cafe where Jack and I had some lovely chicken soup while admiring the bosphorous. Then, it was time to visit the cisterns beneath the city. Curiously, even though the sign at the cistern ticket window said "no student discount" they gave me one anyway without me even asking for it.
Jack took a really good picture of me here, which I do not currently have access to.
After the cistern, Jack and I went to the archeology museum, which is easily one of the best museums I have ever been to, if not the best. The variety and quality of artifacts on display from around the ancient world was ridiculously great!
SEE what I mean? What a killer collection!
After the archeology museum, I went to the Grand Bazaar, which is grandly overrated, though after meandering around Istanbul I did manage to find a decent extra large T-shirt and then meet up with Erin and Jack at a lovely cafe in a park on the Bosphorous. By lovely, I mean the staff were a bit rude. But, still my 3TL Chicken Burger (less expensive than their cookies) was a sight to behold!
Luke would be proud
Naturally, I ate the entire thing. Mmmm. Oh well. At least they gave me my Cappy Vişne Suyu for free ('Sour Cherry Juice' except it's actually super super sweet and not sour.)
Night fell, and we met up with some Turks for iftar, which I would rank as my favorite part of the entire trip.
Steve rides a statue of a squirrel
Now, you might ask what iftar is, and for me to explain that I'm going to have to backtrack a bit.
Right now, it is Ramazan, (aka Ramadan). Commemorating the time in which Muhammad originally received his revelations, Ramazan is a full month (lunar calendar, so it shifts around) of fasting for (some) Muslims. Although it is obligatory, globally how Muslims celebrate Ramadan varies based on a lot of factors.
In some parts of the world, and in some parts of Turkey, fasting during Ramazan is obligatory. Fasting is done from sun up to sun-down. It means no smoking, and for some Muslims, no drinking water. In some countries, fasting during Ramadan is a legal requirement. In Turkey, it's not, though social pressures vary based on the area. Three friends of mine went to Konya (a more conservative city--no pictures of Ataturk!) this weekend, and when they wanted to get food, they had to eat behind a curtain so as to be unseen. In Ankara, Ramazan is less visible. Some restaurants are closed for the holiday. Others, like the Iraqi restaurant are open, but their staff are fasting, which strikes me as a very difficult thing to do.
When the fast ends, those who fast celebrate with iftar, a big, special fastbreaking meal. Celebrations are even more super when Ramazan ends, but I won't be around for that.
Anyway, back to Istanbul.
We met these particular Turks in a park not far outside of Topkapi, and they were friendly and entertaining. We had great conversations in a mixture of Turkish and English, and I was quite happy to get to talk to Turks who are celebrating Ramazan about it. They also offered us some wonderful food, including a grilled chicken sandwich that more than made up for the chicken burger I had earlier. (It was absolutely fantastic, and even had a few french fries on it to remind me of home.) I'm now facebook friends with some of them, and I really appreciated their kindness.
After that, it was teatime, then bedtime. Though Erin and Jack briefly got soup from a touristy restaurant. It was sold by man who pretended he was Bruce Willis. He was less charming, and rather fake. Curiously, a member of his staff had the opinion that cousin marriage was completely cool. The contrast between the staff at this place and the Turks who were celebrating Ramazan could not be more stark.
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The next morning, after breakfast, Erin and I did a little looking around the touristy market before we hit up Sultan Ahmet mosque. We also saw a particularly creepy man on the street playing a guitar with a doll and occasionally thrusting his hips while a child watched. I photographed this, assuming that Luke would appreciate it.
Anyway, the Blue Mosque was fantastically beautiful. (Also, free entrance because it is a current place of worship and not a museum.)
These photos are too blurry. Sorry. Look it up and find better ones elsewhere. You'll thank yourself.
Again, we met some super friendly Turkish people outside the Mosque, who helped direct us to our final destination in Istanbul: the Kariye Müzesi (Chora Museum), which Erin really wanted to see. But first, we had to say goodbye to the obelisks, and catch one of Istanbul's many sleek steetcars!
On the way there, we walked past ancient city walls, and pretty cool houses. (Camera since regenerated)
The church itself was built sometime in the 400s, and later converted into a mosque like seemingly every Orthodox church in Turkey. Suffice to say, the artwork and architecture on the inside were fantastic.
Sadly, it was time to bid farewell to Istanbul and catch the afternoon bus back to Ankara. Unfortunately, it was one of the most uncomfortable busses I've been on because I was too tall for the molded headrest in the seat which came in at about shoulder height. Hopefully the trip to the Hamam I have scheduled will help with that.
In conclusion, Istanbul is absolutely wonderful, and I barely saw any of it. For any other city, I would have seen a lot, but Istanbul is not an ordinary city. Bursting with history, and bustling with people, there's a reason it's famous worldwide.
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