Egyptian Spice Market (1 and 2)
Big Medusa head in the underground cisterns
Giant underground cisterns
The Grand Bazaar
The Blue Mosque in the distance
The Hagia Sofia
Istanbul is one of the largest Muslim cities in the world, so I was expecting something different from the cities I had seen before, and I was not disappointed. First of all, it is HUGE. We got into the airport on the Asian side in the evening and it took us quite a while to get to our hostel, but once we were settled in, I started to realize what an experience it was going to be.
On the way to the hostel we passed the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya, which are both enormous (now) Muslim holy buildings with incredible histories. Even in the dark, I could tell the difference in the way the city was planned out - the streets were even more compacted and contorted than the rest of Europe, and it just felt older. As I walked around the city in the next few days, I realized that this feeling was partly due to the fact that the government does very little to maintain the ancient ruins and monuments that are all over the city, and they do less to maintain the infrastructure. Even so, there was definitely charm to the city, at least in the areas frequented by tourists.
I noticed a meld between the styles of the Christian and Muslim rulers who had repeatedly taken over the city and tried to reform it - the architecture is so different between the east and west, and in Istanbul they are both all over the place. The first day we went to the big main religious buildings and kind of explored a little. We also had a little bit of an adventure getting to the fish market on the river, but I was REALLY happy to get some fresh seafood for a change :)
The second day we went to the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Spice Market, which were both fascinating (and really stressful). Everyone in the Bazaar wants you to look at their stuff and try hard to lure you in, but with over 4000 vendors, it was a little tiring. I did some bartering anyway, though, and probably overpaid for some pretty cool stuff, but the experience and the story of the purchase was of course worth something too. We got a giant box of Turkish Delight, and then we saw the Whirling Dervishes that night, which was realllllly cool. They don't whirl as fast as I was expecting; it was more of a mesmerizing slow dance, but it was really relaxing and still pretty impressive. The music that the band played behind them was really cool and different and I was really glad I got to see them.
The last day of our time in Istanbul we spent in Asia (!!!). There is randomly a forest in the middle of the city so we took a little hike up this hill and got some pretty nice views of the Bosphorus and the other districts of the city. My stay in the airport the next day is now of course infamous - not only was my flight delayed by over 6 hours forcing me to reschedule my connection, but my debit card was eaten by an ATM :( Even though that really sucked, I was REALLY glad I got to see Turkey and I had a great time. Next, I went to Spain, which I have to say is one of the best places I have ever traveled, but more on that later! (Pictures will also be added when I have more time)
