Turkey Part 1

Hello friends! I'm warning you now that this is going to be a long long post followed by another really long post. So in case you're not interested in actually reading all I have to say (this is more for me to remember things we did/saw), it's quite alright for you to skim through the smattering of pictures. 

Day 1: Amsterdam

The journey to Turkey began with a planned 12-hour layover in Amsterdam. After going way too far on the train (the suburbs were lovely), we finally found our way to Amsterdam Central. We had time and strength for only two museums: Anne Frank's House and the Rijksmuseum. Although we didn't know it until we got there, it just so happened to be Anne Frank's birthday, making it 70 years since Anne received her diary. She would have been only 83. I always think of her as quite a bit older than my grandparents, but she really wasn't. Near the end of the museum they had some heart-wrenching interviews with her father. I think one of the hardest things for him was reading the diary and realizing that he didn't ever fully know or understand his daughter until after she was gone....something to think about when I have kids.

The Rijksmusem was fabulous, at least the parts that weren't under construction (can I just say that it's really irksome to pay full entry fee when half of the museum is closed down). I wanted to sit and stare at some of my favorite Vermeers and Rembrandts for hours, but alas, by about midway through, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. An art museum is not a good place to go when you haven't slept in 2 nights. So although we had a few more hours to kill, we went back to the airport early and stuffed our faces full of food until our next flight. 

Being in Amsterdam for only a few hours was a little like torture. They Dutch were so...so cool. And their bikes were all chic with their lack of gears and handle brakes. I'm desperate to go back and actually see things.

Days 2-5: Istanbul

Where to start with Istanbul....I'd heard it said that Istanbul is like no other city in the world, and it really isn't. It felt European and 3rd World and Middle Eastern and modern all at the same time. As I stepped off the plane, the air smelled like spices (and since it was 2 am, it also smelled a little like urine). It was packed full of people all the time, even at 3 am. From my short 2 weeks in Turkey, I have deduced that Turks never get up before 9 am, but also never go to sleep til way past midnight. 

The short list of things we did/saw in Istanbul: Haggia Sophia (on left above-note the haziness), Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace (fireplace from the Harem, below, middle. I wish my whole house looked like this), Istanbul Archeology Museums, Galata Tower, Basilica Cistern (below, left), Suleymaniye Mosque (my favorite, on right above), the Bosphorus Straight by ferry, Cora Church (below, right), Fethiye Mosque, Ecumenical Patriarchate (the "headquarters" of the Greek Orthodox Church), the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazzar...and I think that's it. 

As you might imagine, I was in heaven in the Spice Bazaar. It took all my self-control not to spend all my money on spices and dried fruits and nuts and such. And even Turkish delight, which I always thought was kind of nasty (Edmund was willing to trade his soul for THIS!?), but fresh from the market is actually pretty dang good (Edmund I understand you a little better now). Especially the ones rolled in coconut. I think initially I limited myself to: 1 box of Turkish delight (to share), dried apricots, almonds, apple tea, orange tea, and, of course, 1 small jar of saffron. 

One of my favorite moments in Istanbul happened while we were walking along this lovely path back from the Ecumenical Patriarchate back to the Spice Bazaar (quite a long way). The call to prayer started and from where we were standing, we could hear the muezzin (the call to prayer singer) coming from four or five mosques and then echoing out over the water. It was absolutely lovely. 

Istanbul was hot hot hot and sticky. Wearing anything but the Turk pants we bought (which you will see later) was pretty much unbearable, but we soldiered on with shiny faces (yes, like mine below) and sweating backs. Pictured below: me in Haggia Sophia; a mosaic from Haggia Sophia; Haggia Sophia tombs where the five sultans and their families were buried; inside Fethiye Mosque.

Before Turkey, I had never been in a mosque before. I knew the appropriate protocol, of course, but I'd never had a chance or reason to visit one. In some ways our visits to them were rather disheartening: many of the tourists in the mosques put their shoes on the carpet or otherwise showed the bottoms of their feet = very offensive; some of the women were dressed inappropriately (shorts, tank tops, etc) or, once inside and away from the eyes of the officials, removed their head scarves. So. Rude. In the Blue Mosque, I was particularly saddened to see that the women's prayer area (at least they had one!) was in the back by all the tourists and behind the place where people could store their shoes. (Perhaps I was overly paranoid about the bottom of the foot thing...since I've been back, I've been reveling in being able to sit with my feet showing...but better to be overly culturally conscious, right?). Most people didn't notice them trying to pray. It's hard to be a woman in Islam, I think. But on the more positive side, it was touching to see the men and their sons doing their ablutions before entering. And although I felt a bit invasive staring at them while they prayed, it was still lovely to see. The mosques were all beautiful inside...and the carpet felt glorious on our tired feet.

More to come later.