Istanbul 3
Trip Start
Nov 14, 2008
1
57
102
Trip End
Feb 26, 2009
Istanbul,
Turkey
Friday, January 9, 2009
I start a tour this Saturday night, and on Sunday we go to Istanbul's main sites - Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome, and Basilica Cistern. Thus until then I've had to restrain myself from visiting the important places, and have rested for much of the time.
For instance, this afternoon, I took ALL my clothes to the laundry, except my pyjamas, otherwise I'd have nothing to wear. I didn't realise the laundry would take 3 1/2 hours, so for that whole pyjama-wearing time I could not leave the hostel! Pretty much I've spent hours online, while watching BBC World - I've watched so much of BBC news that each time they go to a recorded interview, I can recite the interview by heart. I was planning on going to shule tonight, at my grandmother's recommendation since the Jewish News recently had an article about Istanbul's synagogues. But when I called the Rabbi, he said shule was starting at 4:30pm, and I wasn't prepared to go there in my pyjamas.
Half an hour in Asia
I walked down to Eminonu, where the ferries depart, to catch a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side. The trip took only half an hour, which is the exact length of time I actually spent in Asia! All I wanted to do was have a nice walk, find a sheesha bar, or even just a normal bar for a few drinks. But when I asked the locals what to do, they kept saying "Nothing"! So I left Asia after just half an hour - possibly the shortest visit any tourist has made to a continent.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to visit Sisli Synagogue, which got bombed a few years ago by Al Qaeda, the Grand Bazaar, and start my Magic Carpet Tour.
