Big Malls, Small Castles, Lots of Fun
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2008
1
3
15
Trip End
Aug 25, 2009
Istanbul,
Turkey
Monday, September 8, 2008
This weekend we decided to try two new adventures. On Saturday we went to the world's third biggest mall, Jawahar, and on Sunday we went to the historic castle Garipce in the township of Rumelifeneri. In order for us to get to the mall we had to take two mini-busses and the subway. Most of the residents using the transit system have an "ack bil" which is an electronic devise you can put on your keychain and load up with money. This comes in handy because it is faster and cheaper than paying cash. We, however, were unable to find anyone who would sell us one. There are kiosks all over the city where you can add money but no where to purchase them. We went to four different kiosks and the answer was always "Ackbil Yok": Roughly translated as "no ack bil here". We made it to the mall the old fashioned way; with cold hard cash. Soaring seven stories with countless shops this place exudes awesomeness. We shopped around and picked up most of the items on our list and then we ate lunch. Now, we had a limitless selection and it was a bit overwhelming, so please forgive us for our final selection: McDonalds. I know, I know, who travels 6,000 miles to eat at a McDonalds? Well honestly, after two weeks of Turkish food, I really wanted some Chicken McNuggets, and they were everything I hoped they would be. We made it back home no problem, although Hannah counted 28 people on the Dolmus, a new record high for us.
Sunday we went and explored Garipce Castle in the town of Rumelifeneri. The town is very small. I would guess the population is less than five hundred. It is a fishing community and there is a natural port right next to the castle. I've heard rumors that this is the fabled castle that Jason and the Argonauts stayed in, but I have yet to substantiate the rumor. I am also looking into how old it is, but people here say it is nearly 3,000 years old. The great thing about this place is that you can really explore the entire castle. My favorite part was being able to walk on this parapet that is erected in a semicircle around two towers. From the parapet you are probably only 50 feet from the Black Sea. You can also see a few hundred feet away where the Bosphorus runs into the sea. It is really amazing to see. As I was standing there, I was having fun imagining someone 3,000 years ago standing in the same spot and watching for signs of enemies coming across the sea. Inside one of the towers there is a very large, spherical room that is completely underground. Hannah and I figured it must have been for storing foodstuffs and supplies. We had tea at a nearby café and you had the most wonderful view of the Bospherus and the sea.
Comments
big malls small castles
Keep up the good writing, very interesting
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