Turkish Delights

An early morning rise and a 3 hour flight, Istanbul greeted us by noon. In most of the cities we visit, taxi drivers speak English. Unfortunately for us, our Turkish cabbie did not. So, our first few miles from the airport will be remembered as our cabbie tried to look in his phrase book to answer a question while jockeying about on the highway. Luckily, we survived and things got better and better from there.

Upon arrival in the Old Town, our friendly cabbie expertly navigated the city’s maze-like streets. Tight turns and seeming deadends turned into bright lanes. Our hotel was quaint. With typical Turkish hospitatlity, we were greeted upon arrival with lemonade and yummy cookies. And the first call to prayer. A voice came over a loud speaker at a nearby mosque announcing it was time to pray. Welcome to Istanbul.

Istanbul’s a beautiful, friendly cultural mecca. It’s home to countless age-old structures that date back to early AD. To them, something from the 1700’s is new. Upon arrival, Hagia Sophia was one of our first stops. This Christian Church turn Mosque is HUGE. It rivals the size of modern sports arenas….the ENTIRE Notre Dame Cathedral could fit inside., and the Statue of Liberty could easily do jumping jacks. Impressive. Especially considering its age. It’s ~1500 years old. Unlike modern sports arenas, it’s constructed of exquisite materials and showcases expert craftsmanship. Especially notable are the many tile mosaics within.

Across the way, the newer Blue Mosque is similiarly awesome. As its name would hint, the interior of the structure is dominated by beautiful blue tile. And, as typical of their distinctive religious architecture, the mosques are surrounded by stone minarettes—originally used as stair wells for the prayer leaders to climb to announce the five daily calls to prayer. Though strikingly beautiful, the structure is built from moder modern materials as its only 400 years old.

Wandering the streets of the Old Town, we also lingered in the spice and household markets, sampled heavenly Baklava and apple tea (though only tourists have the apple tea J) and had an incredible seafood dinner in the City’s cistern (where they used to store the city’s water eons ago). The candlelight cistern was a pleasant treat.

With a short walk down the hill from the old town, we arrived at Gallata Bridge which connects the new and the old towns. Fishermen keep one another company on the bridge as they fish for their dinner. The city’s bright blue Bosphorous is home to countless fish species. And also ferry boats galore J

While one might think that the new town is in stark contrast to the old, it all felt pretty old to us by comparison…beautiful, but cultured and historic. We enjoyed walking the streets of the new district to take in the views, the shops and the busy bustle of locals doing their weekly jaunt. As we explored, we happened upon a cute little café tucked behind a row of businesses. This garden café was the perfect spot for a bit of lunch with a nice view…and aromas as its garden was overwhelmed by the scent of its many lemon blossoms.

While in Istanbul we tried many new culinary delights. Baklava is a specialty and while certainly crave it again. It’s mouth watering good. And the Turkish like their ice cream to have a bit of bounce…they add orchid extract to give it a bit of elasticity. It still melts and tastes the same, it’s just a bit firmer than usual. And quite good over a bit of fresh, warm baklava. And, of course, we tried the local favorite Turkish Delight, a nut paste called Havlas, mezes (Turkish tapas) and bagel rings. All good things.

The Turkish really know how to get the most of life. They appear to have a good work/home balance and value their rest time. Part of the full experience is having a Turkish bath. G and I decided to treat ourselves to this experience…I wish bathing were so much fun everyday! Look for more on the Turkish Bath experience and other Turkish surprises to come…