Day
2 – Friday, August 26, 2011 – Istanbul
After
a night of restless sleep due to our roommate we've dubbed "snorey-magoo,"
the six of us moved our things into our private room and headed up to the roof
for breakfast. The meal included with our hostel consisted of tomatoes,
cucumbers, olives, a hard-boiled egg, cheese, and some bread. After we picked
at the plate of food for a while and caffeinated ourselves, we headed out for a
full day of Istanbul sight seeing. We started our morning at Topkapi Palace,
just a short walk from our hostel. Topkapi Palace, built in 1465, was the
primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. We started at the
Imperial Gate and worked our way through the first courtyard, the Gate of
Salutation, and the second courtyard. From there, we visited the Imperial
Council Hall, ornately decorated with frescos and panted tiles. Next came the
Harem, which was room after room of amazing tile-work and architecture. We also
visited the Imperial treasury where we were able to see jewelry, clothes, and
furniture from the Ottoman Empire and the surrounding regions, including the
second largest diamond in the world. After exploring the third and fourth
circles of the palace and taking in some incredible views of the Bosphorus, we
walked outside the palace gates to find some lunch. Just across the street we
found Montana, with our first incredible waiter, 50 Cent (the name of a famous
rapper). This guy was amazing – not only did we have a great meal, but it came
with nicknames for all of us and arm wrestling with Jeremy and Leah J (neither
of them won, by the way). If you’re interested in knowing, because I’m sure you
are, my nickname was Madonna and Jeremy was Christiano Renaldo (a famous soccer
player).
After
lunch, the six of us walked down to the water where we boarded a ferryboat for
a 2 hour cruise (go ahead, sing the song) along the Bosphorus River. This river
divides Istanbul’s European and Asian parts – a true east meets west. The
cruise took us up the European shore, turned around, and then took us down the
Asian shore back to the harbor. It was so nice to be on the boat and enjoy the
wind and the water, and we got a chance to see a lot of the palaces,
fortresses, and homes along the banks of the river. When we got back to shore
we stopped for a quick fish sandwich (being made with fish caught in the water
about 10 feet away), then headed a few blocks away to the Spice Market. The
Spice Market was awesome, and extremely reminiscent of the shuk in Jerusalem with lots of shopkeepers hoping to sell you their
wares. My favorite stalls were the ones with the mounds of spices in every
shape and color, though there were just as many stalls selling scarves, lamps,
tea sets, and chachkas galore. We
spent about an hour and a half exploring the market before returning to the
hostel for some much needed nap time. When everyone woke up, we walked down the
street to a cute little restaurant and had dinner on their top floor,
overlooking the city and Aya Sofia. After a delicious dinner and another very
friendly yet cheeky waiter, we walked over to the Ramadan art festival we had
discovered the night before and enjoyed being immersed in the local flavor.
There were vendors selling everything from roasted corn to chestnuts to cotton
candy to freshly created candies, and artists with woodworking, glass blowing,
marbling, jewelry, textiles, and everything in between.
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