TURKEY! part I: Istanbul

Okay, well first of all thanks for being patient while waiting for this way-overdue post! I think I was overwhelmed by the thought of condensing the thousands (really, thousands) of photos and all the experiences we had in Turkey into a blog post. But, thinking of my HUGE and faithful fan base (Judy, Irene, Amy, Dani, Crystal, Katrina) I had to suck it up and just do it! I couldn't let you down!  ;)

So, Turkey in 3 parts (maybe more). I'll start with Istanbul, which was our first stop where we spent our first week, with dear friends Alex and Lisa and their two adorable and delightful boys, ELijah and Milo. And, let's not forget their fantastic little cat, Nohut (the name means "chickpea" in Turkish)!

First of all, Istanbul was really really really cool. We loved it. SO much history (yes, i know, that's a cliche when you talk about Istanbul),  so much cultural complexity (a perfectly descriptive phrase borrowed from Alex), great food, beautiful terrain, and the nicest people ever. wow. We also felt incredibly safe, the public transportation was really easy, efficient, and clean, and we felt very very comfortable there. So, here are some photos and notes...

Here is a little cafe showcasing some of their oranges for fresh juicing. You could get a big glass of fresh-squeezed OJ or Pomegranite (or a mix of the two) juice for super cheap, in nearly every cafe and restaurant we saw. 

On the Bosphorus: These guys are setting up a small shooting/target  game where for a few lira (2-3 bucks) you could get a beebee gun and shoot at the balloons. 

On one of the bus rides. Always a mix of people - women in scarves, women without. Old and young people. 

Lisa and Elijah walking along the Bosphorus, and singing.

Inside one of the many opulent rooms in Topkapi Palace- which was the home of the Ottoman leaders or Sultans. 

At the palace, with the Bosphorus behind us.

One of the "out buildings" - i think the head wife or the sultan's mother lived here - at Topkapi Palace.

Inside a modest room. Ha ha ha.

Some men playing backgammon, a very popular game in Istanbul.

The Blue Mosque, which really wasn't a blue as i expected. But it was gorgeous. 

Outside Hagia Sofia. Long line but TOTALLY worth the wait.

Inside Hagia Sofia. I think this is the most majestic structure i have ever seen. It was a truly moving experience to be inside and feel the space, the history,  the immensity. What a beautiful, beautiful place. After studying it in architectural history classes, it was thrilling to be there in person. When viewing a slide of it in one of my college classes, I never expected that I would see it in person. And to be honest, I didn't expect to be so moved by it when I did actually see it. But it's really stunning. 

The geometry in the architecture was incredible. I could spend hours just looking at it all. 

Did I mention the space? And did I mention it's nearly 1700 years old??? It was completed in year 360. What??? year 360? And HOW did they make such a structure without all the mechanical equipment we have now? 

The answer: Aliens. 

Oh yeah, and there were also beautiful mosaics. Only a fewof the many remained in HS. 

Lisa and Milo. Shortly after this photo was taken Lisa took Milo back home for his nap. What a good kid. And here's to Lisa probably exhausted from taking Milo on the bus, keeping him entertained, and carrying him much of the way, but she always had a smile on her face. The whole family is fully embracing the lifetime opportunity of living here. SO amazing to witness it in person.

After our awe-inspiring visit to Hagia Sophia, we had a delicious lunch in a really nice little restaurant with a courtyard. Dave is about to dig into some moussakka, meatballs, and potatoes. 

On our way to another mosque - i know, bad idea to see another mosque after you have just seen Hagia Sophia- we wandered through a really intersting neighborhood. I really like this shot of the restaurant. "Bufe" means casual/cheap restaurant or something like that. I think.

Corn on the cob vendor. Apparently the corn is not like the juicy sweet kind we get in teh States. It sounds like it' smore like feed corn. But it was very popular and it looked delicious.

Another interesting neighborhood that was full of stores that were FULL of one kind of thing for sale. There were stores that only sold pantyhose, or shoes, or ties, or stuffed animals, or ladies underwear, etc. And they were all PACKED with rows and rows of shelves full of whatever it was they specialized in. 

A familiar sight - a mosque and the Turkish flag. 

Another neighborhood on one of our walks. This seemed like a real family neighborhood. Full of people shopping, doing laundry, kids playing in the street, mothers chatting and cleaning. 

And here is Milo again, showing us one of the sites in his neighborhood. 

This is one of Dave's very first donner kebab in Turkey. He went all out and even ordered "Ayran" a plain yogurt drink that typically goes with Turkish donner. 

Ahhh, Baklava. So much of it everywhere, so many kinds. I loved it all. Here Milo is checking out the selection. 

And this is what we came home with. Lisa's favorite (and mine) are the ones with the whole cashews inside. Apparently when Barak Obama came to Istanbul he really enjoyed the baklava and they called it or him "Baraklava". The Turkish really like Obama it seemed. But who doesn't?

Some sort of intestine dish. Nobody tried it. I am still getting over and trying to forget my Andouillette experience in Paris (don't ask).

Some fresh grilled mussels. 

So EVERYONE drinks tea "chai" in Turkey. And they drink it in these pretty little curvy glasses, leaving the little spoon inside the glass. And they seem to drink it around the clock. We became big fans of the chai. I liked it better than the Turkish coffee, which i found to have a strange taste to it. 

Lots and lots and LOTS of cats all over Istanbul. This is a little "kitty condo" complex for some lucky neighborhood cats. 

Dave and Alex in front of the main buidling at Robert College, the private highschool where Alex teaches (photography and graphic design). 

The apartment building where Alex, Lisa, Milo, Elijah and Nohut live. Behind me is a stunning view of the Bosphorus Strait and probably some green parrots eating pine cones in the trees. It's kind of like paradise there. Especially with all that great baklava everywhere! 

And the the view. Not too shabby. We spent several mornings just enjoying our chai sitting in the window, watching the tankers float by. Very nice indeed.

On Saturday we were taken to the "Grand Bazaar" by a friend and neighbor of Alex and Lisa, named Tanya. Tanya has been living in Istanbul for years and she knows all the merchants in the Grand Bazaar quite well and she knows who's got good stuff and good prices. And she also insists of special "Tanja prices" for her friends (like us). We were really lucky to have such a great guide in such a massive and potentially confusing place. 

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Of course, you can't go anywhere in Turkey without seeing those blue eyes - on anything- like key chains, necklaces, flags, wall hangings, dishes, coffee mugs, etc. They are supposed to ward off evil spirits or bad luck. 

Piles of rugs at the rug shop Tanja took us to. 

We experienced the full rug buying treatment which includes hanging out with friendly men who pull out and  unfold rugs for you while you drink apple tea. 

We came pretty close to buying a rug like one of these.

One of the many hallways in the Bazaar. I loved the ceilings. 

Outside the Bazaar, at one of Tanya's favorite shops. 

At a mosque (forgot the name) that was very close to the Grand Bazaar. It was completely covered in blue ceramic tiles. No, it's not the Blue Mosque, though it actually looked more blue than the Blue Mosque did. 

On our way from the Grand Bazaar to the Spice Market we walked through another crazy shopping area. You could buy ANYTHING, and for super cheap. Lots of fun.

A famous Turkish Coffee store. The street smelled so good - just roasting coffee beans.

And at the Spice Market. 

We stopped to get some Oregano and Chamomile Tea.

After the markets we walked around and waited for Alex & Lisa. We had a dinner plan to go over the the Asian side of Istanbul, which was just a quick ferry ride across the Bosphorus. While we waited for the ferry we watched men grilling fish for sandwiches. 

After meeting up with Alex & Lisa, Alex had the splendid idea to get a quick cup of fresh-squeezed OJ. So we did. 

And it was good.

View from the ferry.

Shipping containers.

Over on the Asian side, in a neighborhood called Katakoy(??). We were surprised that even though it's on the ASian side it's the more modern and progressive part of Istanbul. You could actually buy alcohol in most all of the restaurants, most of the people were drinking,  and it looked more European or Western to me than other neighborhoods in terms of what people were wearing and how they were acting. We stopped in this fabulous little dried fruit and nut shop. You could get so many different things - the colors and textures were incredible.

This is the restaurant where we ate dinner. It specializes in authentic Turkish food from the entire country - old recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. This was my favorite place to eat in Istanbul.

 

Some guys making various bread -oriented dishes like pizzas, or just breads. 

Alex about to dig into his kebab. Some of the other more traditional "country" dishes like the stewy looking chickpeas, etc were what Lis and I ordered. Everything was fantastic.

Dave with his spicy lamb kebab. 

And this was one of the more unusual desserts i've had. Candied fruits, vegetables and whole nuts. There were entire walnuts (meaning with the skin and fruit), candied tomatoes, olives, and some other non-traditional cadied items. All were good but very very sweet. SPeaking of sweets, Turkish sweets are very different from the European sweets. Lots of dried fruits, candied fruits, honey nuts, nuts coated in fruit jellies, etc. Not a lot of chocolate or buttery and cream-filled pastries, etc. though you certainly could get anything you wanted in Istanbul. 

Some more used chai cups waiting for pick up. All over the city you would see men or boys running around with silver trays full of cups of chai. 

Dave learning about the Ottoman Empire and Nohut sacking out.

A poster of Ataturk. Ataturk for Turkish people is like Santa Clause for most American kids (who still believe). Ataturk really did amazing things and Turkey is what it is today (modernized, mostly secular, and competing in the world economies) thanks to Ataturk. And the Turks realllllllly LOVE Ataturk. He is like a god to them. Every establishment and most likely every private home has a portrait of Ataturk hanging on the wall. We met one woman, who is in her late 30's, well-traveled, well-educated, etc. and she told us that when she went abroad to study she didn't bring photos of her family but she brought a photo of Ataturk. THere is a saying that goes something like "all Turkish husbands have to accept the fact that their wives are first married to Ataturk." Meaning, all women love, respect, and most likely swoon for him. 

Elijah making an offering. 

Okay, so this is just a fraction of what we saw and did in Istanbul, and it's an even smaller portion of the photos that I took. But in the interest of keeping your interest, I've kept it to this amount of stuff. COming soon, the Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts ...