Istanbul for Thanksgiving - a.k.a. Turkey on Turkey Day (Country#15)

Did I only plan a trip to Turkey for Thanksgiving just because I thought it would make a good blog title? Well Maybe. 

OK actually, I have wanted to go to Turkey for years, and it is only a 3 hour flight from London.

I really loved Istanbul. That is all there is to it. It felt exotic, cosmopolitan, ancient, and modern all at the same time. I thought I would feel out of place - seeing that I am a woman and all. I have heard stories about traveling to middle eastern countries, being really white and female - you can be made to feel self-conscious or uncomfortable. I thought I would feel out of place, or unwelcome. However, this was definitely not the case.

I was also worried about not being able to find a cocktail. Never fear - apparently, Dave is an expert at beer-finding in the shadow of a mosque. 

Seeing as we really only had 2 full days in town, we stuck largely to the Istanbul biggies:

The Blue Mosque  - This 400-year-old building is just beautiful, This is the first mosque I have ever been inside. I had to wear a veil and we had to take our shoes off to walk on the GIANT rug covering the floor.

Super cool.

The Hagia Sophia - Built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in 360AD, then became a Roman Catholic Church, then became a mosque. It has been a museum since 1935.

Inside the Hagia Sophia.

The Archaeological  Museum- the entry fee may have been the best $3 I have ever spent in my entire life. They have so much material, they don't even know where to put it. You would not believe the 2000-year-old columns and statues they placed in the outdoor areas and courtyards. There was just no where else to put them in the museum.

One of like a million cool tombs in the museum.

 

The Basilica Cistern - This was Dave's favorite because it was cave-like and underground. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that are located under Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century and supplied freshwater to the town and palace as late as the 19th century. Cool. 

  
The Grand Bazaar and Spice Market - Anything and everything you could want in an amazing, old maze of a space. Crowded and bustling, but I liked it (surprisingly). Dave thought it was Walmartish - whateva Dave.

 

Valens Aquaeduct - Built by the Romans in the 4th century and later restored and upgraded by the Ottomans. I love me some good ruins, and yes one of the main city roads goes right under the arches.

It is hard to be so self-important and serious about life when you are surrounded by ancientness like this.

Topkapi Palace - The worst $12 (plus another freaking $7 to see the harem buildings) each we spent in Turkey. I know, the palace is 400 years old and beautiful - but it was also really crowded. We went here after the Archaeological Museum, so we may have just been museumed-out.

The view was amazing though!

Nice.

 

We made time for immature funny business at the palace too.

Hearing the hauntingly beautiful call to prayer several times each day made you feel like you were not in Kansas anymore. They project the call to prayer from the loudspeakers atop the Mosques, how very modern. Here is a video from our hotel rooftop.

A few Tips for Istanbul........

Watch Your Cash

You can spend a lot or a little money there. It simply depends on your tolerance for the searching out cheaper restaurants and activities. Generally, in the tourist areas around the hotels and major sights, you will pay standard American/London prices for everything. Going cheap isn’t hard, it simply requires some walking and a bit of curiosity.

Make Sure Your Guidebook is Current

My guidebook was from the secondhand store, written in 1998 (whoops).

Do Your Hotel Research

Our hotel the Neorion Hotel (with their hammam, perfect location, amazing rooftop terrace, and free sunset drinks) was outstanding - at at about $100 a night, how can you go wrong. You can stay at the big chain hotels, but they are waaaayyyyy on the other side of the city. Do yourself a favor and just stay HERE!!!!

Watch the Sweets

I am not sure about the Turkish Delights and other sweets that are sold EVERYWHERE in this city, I just didn't quite get it. Dave seemed to think it had to do with the Muslims not drinking. Apparently, the Morons LOVE their sweets and ice cream too, and they can't/don't drink either. Interesting theory Dave. I suppose we all have our vices.

Who can I pawn these off on?

We are off to the US on Friday. Anyone want to run long on Sunday? Hills please! Rancho maybe?