I finally arrived! And in one piece to boot!

Random impressions of Turkey so far:

Surprise, surprise, the Bosphorous is beautiful!

A couple of nights ago was a full moon, and we sat out on the balcony with some friends (because it has hovered around 60 degrees here) which overlooks the Bosphorous and had some conversation, wine, and music.  It. Was. Wonderful.

I love the neighborhood we’re staying in – a strange mix of genuine Turkish and globalized upscale (Swatch stores and piercing parlors, and also the office of the Communist Party of Turkey).There’s an adorable tram system (called tramvaj, like in Russia, and tokens are jetoni, like in Russia), which looks antique and matches all the rolling carts that the roasted chestnut vendors use (no I haven’t tried them yet, yes I plan to.)  I could easily use this to get around, but instead I’ve been walking next to them.

If you stop moving even for an instant, you have a pack of men descend on you like vultures on some choice carrion.  Here, in no particular order, is a list of my favorite things street vendors have said to me so far:

-“Sir!  Sir!”

-“As soon as I saw your beautiful green eyes, I knew you were from America”

– (extending a half eaten sandwich) “I will share my bread with you!” (Actually I’m not sure what this one was about.  I almost stopped just to find out.)

-(In the Spice Bazaar, in a high-pitched English accent) “Ooooh Cindy look at the colors, they’re LOVELY!”

-“Devushka!” (because I am always happy when someone does not automatically assume I’m American.  Score two for me!)

In Istanbul, neighborhoods are divided up by what kind of crap they sell.  So, for example, there’s the rug section of town, the home appliance section of town (I actually saw someone selling bathroom fixtures of all varieties at the market, ps), and the musical instruments section of town (which I have to walk through to get to the Galata Bridge to cross over the Golden Horn).  The musical instruments part of town is characterized by the steepest hill in the universe.  There are stray cats everywhere here, but they seem happy and healthy and I always see people playing with them.  By which I mean full grown men sitting on the street drinking tea and playing with kittens.

Last night I went to DoRock which is a heavy metal club.  When I got there they were playing 80s metal videos from VH1 on a giant projector screen.  The band was actually great – they played everything from “Johnny B. Goode” to “Smoke on the Water” and I was (pleased to be) dance-abducted (I was bouncing around in my chair when the 50s music started) by this GIANT Turkish guy with full mustache and beard and scene-appropriate 80s hair who was a GREAT dancer  and kept lifting me above his head and dipping me and profusely kissing my hands.. The only downside was the TURKISH TOILET, which even the hostel does not have.  DISPLEASED.

Side note: Turkey’s beer is Efes – it comes in several variants, and is both cheap and delicious.

Today I saw the Hagia Sophia, which was amazing.  I’m still surprised how much cooler these churches are than outside when I walk in, even after a million times.  I also keep forgetting the impossibility of getting a good shot.  All those angles, but something’s always in your way.  I tried anyway.  People have also scratched their names into the beautiful stone, which is disgusting.  The light was amazing, though.

There are tons of street musicians, and I’ve found that Turkish people will just start singing spontaneously to themselves.  I like this.

Two days ago, Leah and I wound up right outside the Blue Mosque just as call to prayer started.  The call to prayer is BEAUTIFUL, especially if you are close.  The only problem is that if you are in an area with a lot of mosques, they all play it over their PA, and they are all slightly off as it moves from one direction to another, so its just a cacophony of competing sounds.  In general, there’s always music or shouting or tram bells coming from somewhere.  Combine that with wafting incense, kevaps, etc, and Istanbul is a sure bet for sensory overload.

via I finally arrived! And in one piece to boot! – Istanbul, Turkey Travel Blog.