What KatyDid: Istanbul

I took the train to Istanbul from Ankara on Friday night. The train left at 2330 so we traveled all night. We arrived on the Asian side, so when we got off the train we immediately got on the ferry to cross the Bosphorous to Europe. It was beautiful! And being near the water again felt so good.

The train station on the Asian side

Caitie, Yasemin, and Chris on the ferry

Europe

Europe again

Between two continents!!

Since we traveled all night and were pretty tired, the real first day in Istanbul was pretty uneventful, so I'm going to skip over it and go to the fun stuff. On Sunday, we decided to hit up the Grand Bazaar first thing, so Caitie, Kasia, Andreas, and I went in search of it. Unfortunately, it was closed since it was Sunday. We decided to go shopping around the Spice Bazaar instead since it was close.

Kasia in the Spice Bazaar

Spices!!

After about an hour in the Spice Bazaar, we went to the pier to get fresh fish sandwiches. It was probably one of the most chaotic meals I've ever eaten. There are a few tents set up on the pier with a bunch of tiny tables under them. The place is packed, so you have to weave in and out of people sitting at these tiny tables to find an open table. Once you find a table, you walk up to the edge of the pier where there's a boat tied up. On the boat is a bunch of big grills, and there are men grilling up fish and then when you order a sandwich they rip the spine and ribs out and throw it on a bun for you with lettuce and onions. The fish was delicious because it was super fresh, but there were a lot of bones in it.

The boat that they grill the fish on

The tent that we ate under... notice the small tables :)

Yummy fish sandwich!!

Andreas and Kasia split after that, and Caitie and I went to do all the touristy things. First we toured the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia is a famous mosque turned into a museum. It used to be a cathedral when the city was under Roman control. When the Ottomans conquered the city, they slapped a dome on top and made it a mosque. It was super interesting because all of the old Catholic mosaics were still in place, and discs with Arabic on them were hung over the alter. It truly was were East meets West.

The Hagia Sophia

Inside

Caitie and I on the top floor of the Hagia Sophia

The ramp up to the top floor

Inside

Mosaic of Jesus

Mosaic of Mary, Jesus, and the royal family

The alter

The next sight was the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque is a fully operational mosque, but it's huge and beautiful, so it's a big tourist attraction. However, since it's fully operational, we had to take off our shoes and cover our heads to go inside. That definitely added to the experience. There were people praying inside, and it was so fascinating to watch.

View from the outside

The inside. The lighting wasn't very good so I didn't get many pictures.

The last sight of the day was the Basilica Cistern. It's the largest ancient cistern in Istanbul. There's still some water in it, so there are raised walkways that are used for touring. The thing the Basilica is famous for is the two Medusa heads that two of the pillars sit on.

We started early on Monday and went to the Grand Bazaar just as it opened. The bazaar was HUGE!! We spent about two hours shopping around and only got through maybe a fifth of it! I did buy lots of goodies though. It was an excellent place to buy souvenirs because you can haggle for wicked good prices.

Our last attraction in Istanbul was the Topkapi Palace. This is the palace that the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire used to live in. It was absolutely gorgeous! Possibly one of the most beautiful places I've seen. There were huge courtyards and the intricate decorations in all of the buildings was amazing. Caitie and I saw the dressing rooms, where they some of the sultans' robes on display, and the sultans' private mosque. My favorite part, though, was the treasury where the sultans' jewelry, thrones, and all kinds of accessories from writing boxes to flasks. It seemed as though everything the sultans touched had to be covered in gold, rubies, and emeralds; and the intricacy in the decoration of these items was mind blowing. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of these things, so you're just going to have to come visit me to see them :)