İstanbul - Gün 1

After having the lazy servis (shuttle) driver drop me off at a tram station instead of drive me all the way to Sultanhamet (grrrr), I arrived at the Hippodrome. I spent a good 15 minutes wandering around until I found our hotel, Fehmi Bey. It was the nicest hotel I've stayed at in all of Turkey. You know it's bad when having shower doors excites you. OoooOooh, and new towels every day!


Mom at Galata Tower
Due to the holiday everything seemed closed in the morning. So, we walked to Taksim square. Also due to the holiday, the Tünel (funicular) was closed, so we had to hoof it up the rather steep incline. Along the way we stopped for a rest at Galata Tower, which apparently has a night club somewhere inside it.


We followed İstiklal Caddesi (above). There's something about that street that always makes me feel like Christmas. Perhaps it's the Christmas lights (tastefully molded into a Crescent and Star), or the window-shopping, or the mobs of people on the street...It's a good place, and it's still hopping late into the night.


Iris at Taksim Square
After a light lunch with some pomegranate juice, we broke down and bought some cinnamon-covered, hazelnut-filled Dunkin Donuts. Then we continued on to Taksim Square. The best part of the above photo are the guys in the background:

A close-up of the Turkish guys making faces


Mom on Galata Bridge
We walked back so I could go over Galata Bridge. We headed down the hill, past the 10 year olds lighting up cigarettes and smoking cigars. I hadn't seen them doing that before, so I suspect it's some tradition for the Şeker Bayramı holiday.

I believe Galata Bridge has officially replaced Prince Edward Island as my most favorite place in the world. There's nothing too special about it- it's rather new, but there are some trendy little restaurants and pubs underneath it, allowing you to relax while you gaze at the İstanbul skyline. The view from atop the bridge is even better. It allows you to see both sides- the Golden Horn and the Asian side. There are so many minarets dotting the İstanbul skyline, it's really quite wonderful. Men line the sides with their huge fishing poles, aiming to catch the tiny fish of the Bosphorous.


Yeni Camii
Once you get off the bridge, it's chaos. You're dumped at the foot of the Yeni Camii- across the crazy street from it, that is. You can either dodge the deadly Turkish traffic, or use an underground walkway (which happens to be packed with people and vendors). On this particular day, I decided to drag mom across the road with me. When we got to the other side, we realized the tram was in the middle of the road.

Mom was unwilling to jump over the road block, and hailed a taxi. Her loss.

We visited the Aya Sofia. It was my second visit, and I have once again concluded that the Ottomans should not have painted the ceilings that ugly shade of goldish-yellow. On the bright side, the hideous plaster preserved much of the Greek Orthodox mosaics beneath it. They're still absolutely beautiful.


At the end, we found a cat resting in one of the corners of the building. I see cows grazing in Hittite ruins, dogs running through the city streets, and now cats sleeping in the Aya Sofia. That's Turkey.

We ate some traditional Turkish food cooked in clay pots at Rumeli, and it was one of the best meals I've ever had. Pretty simple- lamb, tomatos, onions, etc. It was delicious. We split a glass of licorice flavored rakı, which is Turkey's national drink. The Dunkin Donuts we had for dessert complemented the meal quite well.