A Photo a Day Keeps the Parents at Bay: 20 Million and Counting

Day 67 - Istanbul, Turkey:

This morning I got up early (6 am) to have a shower and go out and get water before having breakfast. Nothing was open when I went out around 7:20 except for one little bakery not too far away, so I bought some water from him. I was the first one to breakfast upstairs, but everyone trickled in shortly after.

We left the hotel at 8 to walk up to the public bus station. It was a hot and sweaty walk even at that hour. The bus came right away so we hopped on. Some of us were standing in the back and we didn't know how long we would be on the bus for so I kept standing with my bag on. Turns out we were on it for about half an hour so by the time we got there I was sweaty on a whole new level. I would've taken my bag off but I just kept thinking we were almost there. We drove through some interesting areas along the outskirts of Edirne. There were much more modern buildings and business offices with modern landscaping and everything.

We didn't wait long at the bus station to transfer onto our next bus. We hopped on and it left around 9:10. It was a nice coach style bus that offered biscuits and coffee. Classy compared to what we've been used to. Steve sat with me so that we could watch an episode of Idiot Abroad. I had told him about the show so he downloaded it. I was starting to fall asleep mid-show so once it was done I took a nap. We stopped for a bathroom break halfway and Steve and Andy switched spots. I went back to napping after that and attempted to sleep all the way to Istanbul.

We made it to Istanbul around 12:20. The bus stopped in a weird place under a bridge (other buses and people were there though) and it wasn't clear where we were to go from there. We walked up and across a bridge that lead to the metro station. We got on and went 4 stops. We had two different people ask us where we were going because they thought we were going the wrong way - we weren't. After 4 stops we got off and then walked to the connecting tram station, which was a ways away. Another sweaty walk.

When we got on the tram, Steve, Karren and I went one way and the rest of the group went another. It didn't seem like it mattered at first because the tram was completely empty. Andy told us we'd be on it for about a half hour so we got comfy. Then the people started getting on...

It was completely stuffed full after a few stops and we could no longer see Andy or the others. We weren't sure what stop we were supposed to get off at so that was a bit concerning. I could see Andy a little bit though so I kept my eye on him to see if he was getting off. He eventually signed to us the amount of stops until we got off so all was well. We all got off together! Success!

Our hotel was only a little ways away from where we got off. We're staying quite in the centre of things. It's a good spot. We checked in - the room is tiny and very pink, but whatever - had a quick shower, and then stepped out to get some lunch and go for a walk. Burger King was right at the bottom of the hill our hotel was up so some went there, but I refused to. I walked down to an ice cream place and had traditional Turkish ice cream (made with sheeps milk). They stir it in a pot and can pull it out in blobs with these stirring sticks. It's very gooey in texture, but delicious. I had banana and pistachio flavour. I also had leftover nuts and OJ so I finished that off. I wasn't exactly fulfilled with that though, and Karen had the same thing as I did, so we both walked further to the corner in the other direction and got a chicken donair. It looked and tasted really good at first, but then I though maybe the chicken was questionable. I pulled the chicken out just in case, even though it would've been too late. Turns out in the end, the chicken was fine.

When everyone was done eating, we walked to the Grand Bazaar. It wasn't very far away. We walked through it and I found myself surprised that nobody was hassling you to come into their store or buy anything. It was crazy, but not as crazy as I had thought it would be. They were selling everything from watches, traditional lanterns, Turkish delight, spices, and of course, carpets. We came out the other side into another busy street. We walked down in towards the spice market. The spice marker was much the same vibe as the Grand Bazaar, just more...spices.

From there we walked past the old post office turned museum, and past the Topkapi Palace up toward Hagia Sofya and the Blue Mosque. We couldn't go into the Blue Mosque at the time because it was prayer time, so we took a quick look around the outside. I would come back tomorrow. There's a beautiful fountain in between Hagia Sofya and the Blue Mosque so we stopped there for some photos. I also checked out the hamams right next to the fountain because I would like to experience a Turkish bath before I leave! The pricing was too steap there, however. April showed us a spot where you can watch traditional Turkish dancing at night right by the baths, so we planned to come back. She also showed us the entrance to the underground cisterns so I decided to do that the next day as well.

The area was really starting to bustle by this time. It's the last weekend of Ramadan and it's a privilege to visit the Blue Mosque during Ramadan so many people were in Istanbul for this. The city already has 20 million people, but this weekend there is much more!

We all walked back to the hotel after that to freshen up. I got all ready to go for dinner and sat in the lobby and blogged a bit while waiting until 7:15 when we all met. The restaurant we walked to was in behind the Blue Mosque and down the hill a bit. We sat on the terrace and had a lovely view of the Blue Mosque while we ate. There was no alcohol available (Ramadan), but my meal was delicious. I had the mixed kebab grill.

Across the street from dinner was a hamam so I poked my head in to check it out. It was a nice looking place and much cheaper than the one in the main square area. I decided to make an appointment for Monday at 3pm! I'm excited! From there we all walked back towards the blue mosque to see it at night. There was a TON of more people there at this time. Everyone had blankets out and was sitting on the grass all over the area. It was hard to move through the crowds. It was a really cool experience. A lot of people were setting off wish lanterns - beautiful. We went back to the traditional Turkish dance restaurant and caught the last little bit. The man twirls in a circle to the music in a trance-like state. Very interesting. The fountain nearby was all lit up at night and it was really nice to see.

We all went to a hookah bar over by the hotel after that and sat and enjoyed some apple tea (so good, my new fav) and had 2 water pipes, or hookahs. We went with an apple flavour and a peach flavour. It was a lot of fun. There was quite a few people there hanging out and playing backgammon.

Then it was back to the hotel to figure out boat cruise arrangements for the next day! I didn't get to bed until around 1:30. Long, but great day. I like Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar Entrance: