Day Two

October 2, 2008 | Filed Under Main |

There is nothing like walk walk walking around a foreign city. You can only see another country from street level. That’s where the people and the food are. And there is so much to do in Istanbul, all you can do is close your eyes and start.

I didn’t yesterday when I got in because I had begun my flight at 11PM the previous night and had an eight hour layover in Doha. Sleeping in chairs and the plane just didn’t cut it, so a nap was the first order of business. Turned out my hotel (very quaint, very simple and I may be the youngest person staying here) is right in the heart of tourism. Groups from many countries walk behind their leader, following the flag from one spot to another. I wonder if the guides ever swap flags to confuse their entourage? I am staying right between the two mosques – the Blue Mosque and Sofia – and just across from the Obelisk, all of which looked lovely in the morning from the roof terrace having breakfast. The Sea of Marmara is off to the other side. I did go out yesterday to eat a traditional kebab (kebap) dinner with a beer (Efes Pilsner) and the traditional liqueur, Raki (like Ouzo). Then, I nearly got talked into buying a beautiful Turkish carpet for $6000. Beware the sneaky hard sell out here. It is hard to get away.

Today was about jumping on the tram and heading out of Sultanahmet, crossing the Galata Bridge and walking up the huge hill to Taksim Square. I was looking for a music club and it seemed to be the “hip” section of town. (Found the club but there is nothing much on the docket for this weekend. Story of my life…) Took a walk down Istiklal Caddesi where there are many stores. Mostly the usual suspects. But I found a nice wine bar for lunch and a record store - Mephisto -where one of the workers pointed me to some Turkish techno and rock music. If you keep walking down Istiklal, you come back to the Galata Bridge and catch the tram. The walk gets VERY steep down the hill. Narrow, crowded and steep. However, that is where all the music shops are and it was again one of those times where I cursed my black heart for not being able to play an instrument. The stuff in the windows – guitars, violins, mandolins, balalaikas – were just incredible! Store after store after store. I’m definitely coming back this way again.

Have to tell you – there is no way to get more than a glimpse of Istanbul in four days. I may not even make it to the Asian side. Tomorrow, I will see the mosques and maybe the Grand Bazaar. Saturday I should probably travel down the Bosphorus. We’ll see….

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