Istanbul - not Constantinople
Trip Start
Jul 04, 2006
1
15
50
Trip End
Jan 15, 2007
Istanbul,
Turkey
Monday, August 28, 2006
Istanbul is a beautiful city. Some of the world's most magnificent structures can all be found within one square kilometre. Topkapi palace (where the sultan's lived) is gorgeous. In its prime it housed over 10,000 people so the grounds are huge and well kept. The buildings do give you a sense of the opulence that the place once had, though as we're in the middle of the tourist season, it's hard to get a real feeling of what it would have been like back then (I'm pretty sure the palace wasn't filled with sweaty Russians and Brits back in the day...well maybe the harem was...).
I found the Blue Mosque, though obviously smaller than the palace, even more incredible
Blue Mosque
. The feeling of awe you get just standing in front of the massive structure is indescribable. I actually quite enjoyed walking through the mosque. I know very little of Islam, though somehow the mosque itself feels more welcoming than a typical Christian church. It could be the vast openness inside that lends itself to a more Doukhobor style of prayer that appeals to me. I also like the idea of everyone being equal and kneeling together, rather than having pews that separate you. I know that women can't pray with men and that's obviously a separation - I'm just saying the overall feel (at least to this not-so-terribley-informed tourist) feels more open.On to the capitalist side of things - the Grand Bazzaar is also lots of fun, though not at all what I expected. When I thought bazaar I thought street vendors yelling at you, with their shops on carts and all that type of romantic stuff. The majority of the bazaar in Istanbul was actually covered, with merchants running mini-shops. And as far as haggling, there is a great deal, though nowhere near the amount as there was in Egypt. It's much more laid back here with the merchants not caring quite as much about the sale, and not moving nearly as much on price. Whereas in Egypt I typically paid 1/6th of the original asking price, it's only about 20%-off here. That all being said, Turkey is definitely the place to buy any type of jewelry and leather (I actually chased away one hawker by telling him that I don't wear leather as it's murder...he didn't really have an answer to that one)
Blue Mosque 2
. Water-pipes and fake brand name shirts, though available here, can be purchased for far less in Egypt.Another interesting tidbit - the Turks have been extremely friendly. I walked into a shop to try get our camera fixed (sand got in the opening for the lens) and the guy not only cleaned my camera right away, but charged me nothing for it! Another time, Tania and I got into a conversation with a guy at a cafe, and later on when I visited his shop, he gave me a free souvenir. Quite impressed.
Couple of annoying bits:
- costs - everything here in Turkey is costing more than we originally bargained for. No student prices (we managed to fandangle student cards!) for entry into sites and even food costs about the same as in Canada. Will have to find ways to skrimp later in the trip...
- short Middle-Easterners - I'm not having any problems with the people themselves, but the amount of times that I've nailed my head on various door frames and stairways is adding up and really starting to get on my nerves. It's like I'm Gulliver in Lilliput or something...
Basically it for Istanbul for the moment. We'll be back to do a bit more exploration in a few weeks!
