To fully utilize our time off during spring break, my roomie Jordan and I decided to go do some traveling. After some searching we found a great ticket deal to Istanbul, Turkey and decided to go for it! Luckily Jordan and I have similar travel styles, and our goal for the trip was to see the sights, shop, and most of all relax before classes started up again.
The flight took about four hours, and we landed in Istanbul around midnight. We had per-arranged with our hostel to pick us up from the airport, which made arrival easy and painless. The hostel itself was another story, although it was in a great location and reasonably clean, Jordan and I had made reservations for the 'mixed' dorm which turned out to be a creepy basement lair which was currently housing about 8 other people, mainly guys. As they say...you get what you pay for. It was only 12 euro a night, so quite the bargain. Even considering the sketchy conditions, one of the great things about staying in hostels is that no matter what, you always meet other interesting wanderlusters. And it really wasn't nearly as sketchy by the light of day.
Our first day in the was beautiful and sunny-- and WARM! We first explored Topkapi palace and museum which was very pretty with tulips and hyacinths blooming all around the gardens. The stone and mosic work was incredibly intricate and colourful. Topkapi palace is also home to some interesting and very random sacred relics. Pictures are not allowed, but on display in the palace are the beard of the prophet Muhammad, the staff of Moses, cooking pot of Abraham, and the hat of Joseph...all of which looked suspiciously like 16th century Ottoman empire, but hey, who am I to question their authenticity? Our next stop was lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Amazing seafood and an unbelievable view! After lunch we went inside into the Blue Mosque (aka Sultan Ahmed Mosque). We had to plan our time accordingly to view it between prayer times, donned cover-up skirts, scarves over our heads, and removed our shoes. The mosque was as beautiful inside as it was on the outside. Next was a visit to Hagia Sophia. Designed by a physicist and a mathematician, it is famous for its impressive domed ceiling and was the worlds largest cathedral for over a thousand years. Originally constructed as an Eastern Orthodox church in 537 A.D., converted to Roman Catholic in the 13th century, and then into a mosque in the 15th century before its final transition into a museum in 1935. The mosaics were beautiful and gold-gilded inside, and the dome was certainly impressive.
One of the top tourist activities in Turkey is visiting the Turkish baths. Jordan and I asked our hostel for a recommendation on where to go, and they recommended the Sultanahmet Hamami (60 Turkish Lira (20 euro) for a bath and massage!What a steal!). Again, maybe we should have learned our lesson earlier, because you really do get what you pay for. After seeing the brochure full of decently towel-covered individuals relaxing in a spa-like setting we thought we were in for a relaxing second morning in Istanbul. We came prepared with our bathing suits, but when we arrived, they told us to change into the towels they provided us and nothing else. Sure that's fine I thought, wearing a towel is still comfortably covered. After changing we were lead through a labyrinth of marble lined rooms and pool areas, finally stopping at a small stone chamber towards the back. Without a word, the woman grabbed my towel, yanked it off, pointed and the stone floor and told me to "sit." In a bit of shock that I had just been stripped naked, I did as she said and sat. She then proceeded to dump a pail of hot water over my head. Oh joy. She turned to Jordan and did the same. There we were, awkwardly sitting on a cold stone floor completely naked. The lady told us to keep pouring hot water over ourselves for the next 20 minutes until she came back. She spoke very little English, so there was almost no communicating going on here. Luckily, neither Jordan or I are incredibly body-conscious individuals, so this was all more funny than traumatic, and we spent the next 20 minutes giggling uncontrollably and speculating about the probable locations of the hidden cameras in the ceiling. When the lady returned she had stripped down to only swim suit bottoms (I guess so she wouldn't get her clothes soapy and wet?) she took us each one by one into another room where she proceeded to rub a sandpaper cloth all over our bodies and then cover us in a giant pile of astringent, lemon-scented, Pine Sol bubbles. Seriously, a huge pile of bubbles. I don't know how they worked. Afterwards, she let us put our towels back on and left us to "relax" on another cold stone slab. We thought she'd come back and lead us back out of the labyrinth, but after about 45 minutes of waiting, we decided to wander our way back out. Our skin did feel awfully soft afterwards, but I would never call the experience relaxing. Definitely one of the most memorable events of the trip though! And next time I might decide to spend more than 20 euro on it.
The following day we took a boat cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. On the way we stopped at the lavish Dolmabahçe Palace and Miniaturk (a park with miniature versions of all the main attractions in Turkey). We stopped for snacks, and a few minutes of shopping at a small villiage when we reached the Black Sea. The water was beautiful, and I would love to come back again someday when I could go swimming! Our final day in the city we took it easy, got a hookah with friends, visited the Basilica Cistern an went shopping in the Grand Baazar and Spice Market. The cistern was eerie and beautiful with Koi swimming around in the cistern waters, and the unique Medusa head columns in the far corner of the cistern. While there, we had our pictures taken in legit Turkish style with our new friends we met at the hostel, Esad and Kayla. We look like naturals, right? haha.
The Grand Baazar was AMAZING. So much shopping and they had absolutely everything you could want and everything was so cheap! It was an absolute maze inside, and very easy to get lost. Bartering is expected there, and Jordan and I having both been to Nepal/India before already had some good experience with the system. Bartering takes a lot of patience and energy, and you have to be willing to put up with a good amount of harassment. While walking around Istanbul, shop owners and street vendors were constantly yelling out to us, and trying to convince us to buy there wares...sometimes through flattery, other times more direct methods. A few examples of the call-outs as we walked around were:
"Hello angels!"
"Hello? Yes? Let me change your life!?"
"Let me help you buy things you don't need!"
"It is a miracle!"
I could have bought so much more, but I limited myself to some Turkish pottery, a few pairs of earrings, and a Turkish stained-glass lamp. So many beautiful leather goods, clothes, jewelry, antiques, tea, and housewares that you could shop for days on end and never see it all!
Turkey turned out to be one of my favorite places I've travelled to so far. The food was delicious (kebabs, baklava, Turkish pancakes, seafood, efes), the people were friendly, and everything was very affordable. I found the combination of European and Asian architectural and cultural elements fascinating. There are many more places in Turkey that I hope to go back and see again sometime in the future!
Well, until the next travel adventure! :)
The flight took about four hours, and we landed in Istanbul around midnight. We had per-arranged with our hostel to pick us up from the airport, which made arrival easy and painless. The hostel itself was another story, although it was in a great location and reasonably clean, Jordan and I had made reservations for the 'mixed' dorm which turned out to be a creepy basement lair which was currently housing about 8 other people, mainly guys. As they say...you get what you pay for. It was only 12 euro a night, so quite the bargain. Even considering the sketchy conditions, one of the great things about staying in hostels is that no matter what, you always meet other interesting wanderlusters. And it really wasn't nearly as sketchy by the light of day.
One of the top tourist activities in Turkey is visiting the Turkish baths. Jordan and I asked our hostel for a recommendation on where to go, and they recommended the Sultanahmet Hamami (60 Turkish Lira (20 euro) for a bath and massage!What a steal!). Again, maybe we should have learned our lesson earlier, because you really do get what you pay for. After seeing the brochure full of decently towel-covered individuals relaxing in a spa-like setting we thought we were in for a relaxing second morning in Istanbul. We came prepared with our bathing suits, but when we arrived, they told us to change into the towels they provided us and nothing else. Sure that's fine I thought, wearing a towel is still comfortably covered. After changing we were lead through a labyrinth of marble lined rooms and pool areas, finally stopping at a small stone chamber towards the back. Without a word, the woman grabbed my towel, yanked it off, pointed and the stone floor and told me to "sit." In a bit of shock that I had just been stripped naked, I did as she said and sat. She then proceeded to dump a pail of hot water over my head. Oh joy. She turned to Jordan and did the same. There we were, awkwardly sitting on a cold stone floor completely naked. The lady told us to keep pouring hot water over ourselves for the next 20 minutes until she came back. She spoke very little English, so there was almost no communicating going on here. Luckily, neither Jordan or I are incredibly body-conscious individuals, so this was all more funny than traumatic, and we spent the next 20 minutes giggling uncontrollably and speculating about the probable locations of the hidden cameras in the ceiling. When the lady returned she had stripped down to only swim suit bottoms (I guess so she wouldn't get her clothes soapy and wet?) she took us each one by one into another room where she proceeded to rub a sandpaper cloth all over our bodies and then cover us in a giant pile of astringent, lemon-scented, Pine Sol bubbles. Seriously, a huge pile of bubbles. I don't know how they worked. Afterwards, she let us put our towels back on and left us to "relax" on another cold stone slab. We thought she'd come back and lead us back out of the labyrinth, but after about 45 minutes of waiting, we decided to wander our way back out. Our skin did feel awfully soft afterwards, but I would never call the experience relaxing. Definitely one of the most memorable events of the trip though! And next time I might decide to spend more than 20 euro on it.The following day we took a boat cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. On the way we stopped at the lavish Dolmabahçe Palace and Miniaturk (a park with miniature versions of all the main attractions in Turkey). We stopped for snacks, and a few minutes of shopping at a small villiage when we reached the Black Sea. The water was beautiful, and I would love to come back again someday when I could go swimming! Our final day in the city we took it easy, got a hookah with friends, visited the Basilica Cistern an went shopping in the Grand Baazar and Spice Market. The cistern was eerie and beautiful with Koi swimming around in the cistern waters, and the unique Medusa head columns in the far corner of the cistern. While there, we had our pictures taken in legit Turkish style with our new friends we met at the hostel, Esad and Kayla. We look like naturals, right? haha.
The Grand Baazar was AMAZING. So much shopping and they had absolutely everything you could want and everything was so cheap! It was an absolute maze inside, and very easy to get lost. Bartering is expected there, and Jordan and I having both been to Nepal/India before already had some good experience with the system. Bartering takes a lot of patience and energy, and you have to be willing to put up with a good amount of harassment. While walking around Istanbul, shop owners and street vendors were constantly yelling out to us, and trying to convince us to buy there wares...sometimes through flattery, other times more direct methods. A few examples of the call-outs as we walked around were:"Hello angels!"
"Hello? Yes? Let me change your life!?"
"Let me help you buy things you don't need!"
"It is a miracle!"
I could have bought so much more, but I limited myself to some Turkish pottery, a few pairs of earrings, and a Turkish stained-glass lamp. So many beautiful leather goods, clothes, jewelry, antiques, tea, and housewares that you could shop for days on end and never see it all!
Turkey turned out to be one of my favorite places I've travelled to so far. The food was delicious (kebabs, baklava, Turkish pancakes, seafood, efes), the people were friendly, and everything was very affordable. I found the combination of European and Asian architectural and cultural elements fascinating. There are many more places in Turkey that I hope to go back and see again sometime in the future!
Well, until the next travel adventure! :)
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