Istanbul: My Turkish Delight!!

Me getting my prayers answered by sticking
my finger in a special hole in the wall
Jami and I successfully navigated our way out of India, a feat in and of itself, and flew to Istanbul. We arrived as the sun was going down and wandered about our little neighborhood to grab a bite to eat. We ended up eating at a little cafe around the corner where they gave us a great huge piece of puffy bread that you tear off a piece and dip into a yoghurt sauce. It was delicious, can not tell you what the sauce was... As I may have mentioned before any bread product that can be dipped in a sauce or combined with a dairy product is fine by me!



The goal after dinner was to go to bed early so we could be well rested the next day for our rapid tour of Istanbul and visit a Turkish bath. Due to staying in a hostel we were rooming with three other girls, all college students, who operate on a very different schedule than what we were used to. At any rate, we stayed up a bit late and still got up early the next morning. We then found out that the turkish bath was actually closed so we ended up checking email and performing some much needed logistics before going to breakfast. We ended up not going to a Turkish bath because Jami had a weird rash on her leg (turned out to be a reaction to the sun) that we didn't want to expose her to anything that would cause an infection. Since Turkish baths are not as sterile as a surgical field we decided we would have to come back another time.


Breakfast was great! The bread is incredibly fresh and there was strawberry jam that tasted like actual strawberries, in India it tastes like a jolly rancher (not in a good way). And we had apple tea, something specifically from Turkey that tastes like real apples, better than apple juice and it has caffeine! The best part about breakfast was it was served on the roof of our hostel and in one direction you could see minarettes of the blue mosque and the other direction was a sweeping view of the Bosphorous strait and the Golden Horn.


As our tour started we quickly discovered we were in an optimal location. Litterally 100 feet from the Four Seasons hotel (i.e. nice neighborhood) and just around the corner from Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Sultanamet station. Using Rick Steves' guide to Istanbul (a book I happened to find at Borders before leaving home and I would recommend to anyone who ever went anywhere Rick Steve has ever been!) we started at Hagia Sophia. Rick Steve literally takes you step by step through the main tourist sites and tells you what to see and what to skip and provides historical information on walking tours around the city. It was really all we needed! At any rate, Hagia Sophia was spectacular, probably one of my favorite spots. As another architectural masterpiece I studied in art history class it was awe-inspiring to be standing in front and inside such a magnificent building. The building of the Hagia was a remarkable feat itself. Built under the watchful and gregarious eye of the emperor Justinian the central dome is tall enough to fit Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral under or the Statue of Liberty sans torch.



I think the best part about the building is its integration of religion and cultures. When Constantinople built it, it was the primary Christian church of the region. In 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople and turned it into a mosque. Now we mostly see the elements of the mosque but some frescoes and mosaics have been uncovered reminding us of earlier history. We wandered through Hagia before going onto the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque had spectacular stained glass windows and geometric artistry on the ceilings but it paled in comparison to Hagia. We also went to the Underground Cistern where they stored water for Istanbul in case of a shortage, also during Justinian's time. Now used as a tourist destination and a performance venue it is an underground network of columns and arches. We were going to try and see a concert here but there was only going to be a dance performance so we passed on that. We stopped off after at the archaeological museum, Topkapi Palace, and the Hippodrome before heading to Taksim Square to see the New District.


The New District is where a lot of locals go to hang out and shop. After being in India for four weeks and doing my best to wear dull, inconspicuous clothing the hip euro trash trends were quite enticing. I do not think I will ever go back to the skinny leg jeans with zippers at the bottom or start spiking my hair but it was great fun to go into the stores and walk the streets while people watching.


We ate a dinner of lentil soup and split a chicken dish and then the best part of the evening, we went to a place called Mado Cafe and had Baklava served with Kesme (I think that's what is it called but there is also a distinct possibility I made this up). Kesme is Turkish ice cream made with goats milk and wild orchid pollen, it is incredibly dense and requires a knife and fork to eat. This may sound a bit odd but it is delicious, so much so that Jami and I stopped at Mado for this treat once a day while in Turkey.


Our next day we planned to dedicate to shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. Rick Steves provided another great tour through both of these. We took the aproach of going through the tour first then we go back and look at anything we remembered we liked and wanted enough to trek back to the sale site. The Grand Bazaar can be exceptionally overwhelming. They have everything and a whole lot of nothing. Salesmen try to get you to stop and "just have a look," once they get you inside they really don't want to let you go. We simply started shaking our heads no as soon as anyone started to talk to us and focused on what lay ahead or around the corner. We eventually happened upon a little courtyard with cobblestone paths leading up to the shops. The area is called Zincirli Han, is far less touristy and the sales guys are all a bunch of old men sitting out in lawn chairs in the courtyard smoking. Here we found our own personal treasures. The first is a jewelry store called Merim Kuyumeuluk that sells mostly diamonds and at wholesale prices with a workshop right above the store. We sat and spoke with one of the owners who said five generations of his family had worked in this jewelry shop and he had worked here for 53 years. When we told him we were medical students and from Texas he got really excited and told us he had gone to Houston about 30 years ago and had heart surgery done on him by Debakey! After hearing horror stories from mom about Debakey at Baylor and the way he ran the OR and his residents I asked him if he liked him. He replied with, "He was wonderful, a fantastic surgeon, very kind and look, I am still here!!" That was a good enough reason for someone to like another person as far as I am concerned.

We eventually got to talking about apple tea and asked who made the best kind and which should we buy. He then sent some guy out into the bazaar to go buy us some tea. (I guess a small token of appreciation for us buying his diamonds... ) After chatting with him and visiting his workshop we went nextdoor to Osman's Carpet Shop. The carpet shop had a similar history to the jeweler with the shop owners spanning for generations. The only difference is they do not make the carpets, they collect carpets from around the coutnry, know all about the history and styles and now sell them. He showed us a number of rugs that were greater than 30-35 years old that were hand-made with lambs wool. Carpets used to be made by women as offerings to their future husbands as a dowry of sorts. Unfortunately, this art is becoming obsolete, as are newly made carpets. At any rate Jami and I each bought a small rug then decided after spending a large sum of money in a small amount of time in a small area it was time to head to the spice market and focus on food.

The Spice Market was great!! With heaping bags full of spices, coacoa, nuts and dried fruits you could have anything you could imagine! Here we partook of turkish delight: a gooey candy that is kind of jelly in consistency and comes in all different kinds of fruit and nut flavors. The best thing was the huge blocks of nougat that had pistachios in it and the guy shaved off slices to give us free samples. I was going to bring some back for mom but I, um... ate it... If I find some more I will be sure to buy the whole block of it! We also stocked up on tea and a few little souvenirs before walking across Galata bridge and watching the sunset over the city. We then ate grilled fish sandwiches off a boat, not the best tasting thing but still worth a try, before heading back to the hostel and our last stop at Mado Cafe for ice cream and Baklava.


I can not say exactly what is so wonderful about Istanbul except to say that it just is!The people are incredibly friendly, the city itself retains its old world charm in its architecture and cobblestone streets, the food is delicious and it's Istanbul! Jami and I head to Greece in the morning to continue our adventure. We have found we make excellent travel companions. We both are pretty laid back and go with the flow, want to see the sights when it seems important but sit back and enjoy ice cream and pastries every once in awhile as well. Hope all is well at home! Much love!