Wow! We are in Istanbul

It is hard to believe but here we are in Turkey with our lovely friend Ian. What an amazingly stunning place! Our first day was magical. The air was fresh, the skies were blue, and the buildings were -- and have continued to be -- wonderul to take in.

It turned out to be a very full day of travel to get here. When one includes the trains to get from Holland to Germany, then the flight from Dusseldorf to Istanbul, and finally the long taxi ride from the airport into the old quarter, it is a long day.

We arrived to an amazing furnished apartment with stunning views on the 5th floor of a building on a quiet street -- thanks to Ian's amazing travel agent talents and taste for European-style luxury. In the first picture, you can see the view from the balcony. Luxury aside, it is fabulous to have such a lovely place to relax and refuel in between outings. We can count minarets from at least 5 mosques from our balcony. We are seranaded by the call to prayer that occurs around 5 times a day -- it is a haunting and beautiful sounding song that stirs the soul, for sure. This is a good thing, otherwise I (Skye) would be very cranky about the first one that is sung at 5am every morning, but luckily its melody just lulls us back to sleep!
Our apartment is in the Sultanahmet section of the city -- this is the old part of the city -- and we are just minutes by foot away from the Blue Mosque, Haya Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar. We have spent the better part of two days already rambling around the area, taking in the ancient and beautiful sights and attractions, window shopping, nibbling on the famous sweet Turkish Delight, and of course enjoying the oh-so-delicious cuisine. Kai and Pippin have been absolute troopers, trudging along up the steep hills and twisting cobbled streets, looking at the magnificence of this place, fueled on by little stops to sample the various culinary delights. When they are fed, they are happy!
Above is a picture of the Blue Mosque -- it truly is spectacular both inside and out.

Here we are inside the Blue Mosque. One is required to remove one's shoes before entering, and women are supposed to cover their heads/hair with a scarf -- interestingly a number of the women coming in (all tourists) didn't cover their heads. We found ourselves wondering about this -- whether it was rebellion, or whether they didn't know (hard to believe because there are signs everywhere), or maybe they didn't feel they needed to since they were just visiting?! The kids were both rather insensed by this -- they kept questioning it and saying they thought it was a bit disrespectful. At the end of the day, we could only be responsible for ourselves.
Of course one of the things people want to do when they come here is to buy a carpet. Carpet sellers abound -- there are at least 2 shops/block, and it has reminded us a bit of the abundance of tailor shops in Hoi An in Vietnam! Today we had the pleasure of going through the process at a very nice little shop in the Grand Bazaar. Our friend Ian was looking in earnest while we were kind of looking, but knowing we probably wouldn't be buying this time. In the shops, they offer you coffee or apple tea (this is really yummy, and I keep thinking of you Emilie and Carey!) while they throw carpet after carpet down. We waffled a bit, but when the price sheet came out, we realized we just couldn't do it at this time (it turns out we have rather expensive tastes.) Ian on the other hand ended up walking away with an absolutely stunning carpet and an embroidered camel bag which he can turn into a very large cushion. The whole process was a lot of fun.
Another very cool handicraft here is felt. There are numerous items made of felt -- hats in particular. They are fun and would be fun to have more as a novelty item, but again they are a little on the pricey side for something you might not really wear all that much. We sure had fun trying them on though!
Ahhhh . . . the delicious and refreshing apple tea served hot, in lovely little glasses, with a lump of sugar already added and another on the side, just in case you don't already think it is sweet enough (and it is VERY sweet already.)
Istanbul is a city filled with the whole gamut in terms of the very traditional to the completely secular. One sees women with long coats and colourful scarves tied around their heads, to women wearing full gowns with only their eyes showing, to women with pinky-blond hair in black, high heeled, patent leather knee-high boots and the most stylish attire you can imagine. Men for the most part are dressed more formally -- either in a stylish suit, or at least dress pants and shoes and a long sleeve top. There are a few women who work in the shops, but this is predominantly a man's arena here, it seems, and many of them are real movers and shakers. When we are all together, they just do the sales pitch and will even walk a ways with us to try to get us to come into their shop, but when alone, I (Skye) have been propositioned in a more suggestive way more than once -- even saying I have a husband doesn't always dissuade them! I take it all in stride, though, and bow myself out with a laugh and a wave. It is never completely rude, just suggestive -- and, hey, I can always take it as a compliment! Funnily enough, these seemingly pushy sales tactics are nothing when compared to the pushiness we experienced in Vietnam. Again, we have said how glad we went there first with the kids, now they can handle anything! Even they have said as much.
Sweet shops also abound. The above-mentioned and ever famous Turkish Delight comes in all shapes and sizes. This gelatinous sweet comes in many different colours and with all kinds of different nut-filled options.
In little carts throughout the city, one can purchase these sesame encrusted bagel-like breads. They are absolutely delicious, especially with the local cream cheese.
Ronato thought that he was getting a little scruffy, so he hopped into one of the local barber shops for a clean up. He didn't get the shave with a straight blade, but he did go for a haircut and looks quite dapper as a result.
Down by the Bosphorus are all kinds of food sellers -- everything from Donar, to fried fish sandwiches, to roasted corn, to stuffed mussels (apparently one must avoid these, unless one wants to toy with the possibility of a bad case of the 'sultan's revenge'!) The lamb Doner is now one of Kai's favourite snacks.
Here is a view across the Bosphorus from the Sultanahmet side to the other side (can't remember the neighborhood's name.) To the left is the Galata Bridge where hundreds of people stand while they fish over the side. It looked like they were catching herring, or some other small tasty fish.
Fresh fruit and fresh juice stalls can also provide one with a quick pick-me-up. We have yet to actually do this, and here Ian is actually asking for directions.
We thought our trip to Turkey wouldn't be complete without seeing the Whirling Dervishes. We had been told that on certain nights, we could see them at this particular restaurant near the Blue Mosque, so we thought we would go check it out and have a meal. We rushed there for the 8pm start-up and got seated in this enclosed area, only to discover that not only was it a restaurant with a Whirling Dervish, but also a hookah bar -- you know where you can smoke apple-flavoured tobacco from a hubbly-bubbly (click on word to get definition). Well, the place became absolutely smoke-filled (something we are absolutely no longer used to in Canada) and we found we had to eat as quickly as we could, see at least 2 dervish dances, and then dash. There really seems to be no awareness about creating non-smoking places here and obviously no real desire to do so, since almost everyone smokes! We found we were similarly driven from the Grand Bazaar after awhile because it was too smoky.
We still have a few more days in this beautiful and interesting city before we head into the southern interior to Cappadocia. Who knows what other amazing sights and treasures we shall find, but we will keep you posted.
Until next time . . .

Skye, Ronato, Kai & Pippin