Istanbul, take two

The second weekend of August, I headed to Istanbul.  I've been to Istanbul before, during an action-packed long weekend with Lyla back in May of 2009.  Now, it's not often that I will return to a place I've already visited, especially if I don't know people who live there.  But Istanbul was different.  I loved it the first time, and I was excited to return.  I maintain that Istanbul really is a special place.  It has such an energy to it, such an interesting mix of cultures and peoples.  This time, we were also visiting during Ramadan, which led to enormous groups of actual Istanbulians gathering at night to eat, dance, and socialize.  I arrived Friday evening and met up with Mary, Juliet, and Chelsi from my masters program.

Upon checking into our hostel, we found Juliet curled up in one bed and this little kitty curled up in another.  It seemed to be all part of the socialist cat experiment going on in Istanbul.  All these cats were, ostensibly, strays.  Nevertheless, they were all well fed and seemed rather healthy.  We even saw one stray cat wearing the cone of shame, presumably after a recent vet visit.  The cats seemed to have their own little hang outs, and the owners of the various businesses took care of them.

The first thing we did was climb up the stairs to a roof top balcony and get a drink while the sun set.

other roof tops and the Bosporus

After getting a quick bite to eat, we decided to sit in an outdoor cafe, befriend the staff, and enjoy a nice fish bowl with a nargile.

Silliness ensued.

The next morning we woke up, and decided to go for a walk.  Since I've been to Istanbul, Juliet was returning, and Mary had already been there a few days by the time we arrived, we felt pretty chill about making it to the big tourist sites and were instead content to have a nice, calm day.  This is the Hagia Sofia.

The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) was all decked out for Ramadan.

Chelsi and I did pop into the courtyard of the mosque, though, to admire the five cascading domes.

Hello.

The weather was gorgeous.  It was hot, but not too hot, with lovely, flower-scented breezes.

This pretty dome, on the old Roman forum, was where we sat to enjoy a bit of shade.  We then hit a little market of traditional goods and crafts that had been set up in honor of Ramadan.  Shockingly, I bought earrings.

We walked through a lovely, enormous park that had been part of the gardens of the Tokapi palace.  Eventually we wound up at the sea, where we watched fishermen work and wandered back along the sea wall.

The girls liked the sea wall.

Four people in a self-portrait?  Of course it can be done!

On the way back to the hostel, we walked through a more working-class neighborhood and this little fellow came running out to greet us.  His eyes were barely open.  Now, the previously mentioned socialist cat experiment hasn't taken away the capitalist urges of the people.  When I scooped him up, a nearby group of men laughed and called out "One Euro!"  He made me think of little Puha, the super-friendly kitten from last visit.  Isn't he so cute? 

We ended the day on the terrace of our hostel, which afforded us some fantastic views.  This is the Hagia Sofia.

This is the Blue Mosque, complete with Ramadan lights.

Meze Plates are a fantastic way to eat in Turkey.  You get various dips, such as these yogurt and tomato dips, and little snacks, such as these cheese rolls and dourma, plus a basket of pitas.  Yum!

The amazing full moon over the bay.  Later we went for a walk around the main square, and saw whirling dervishes performing/praying.  Traditionally, they prey by dancing, spinning around and around for hours until they reach a higher plane.  It's insane to see... one of those things that just catches your breath in your throat.  Amazing.

The next day we hit the spice market, where I stocked up on spices and teas to bring back to Hungary with me.   Then we hopped on the ferry and headed across to the Asian side, where we had a delicious lunch on a floating restaurant.  This appetizer of pastrami, cheese, and fresh herbs wrapped up in phyllo was transcendent.  It was SO GOOD.

And, of course, I ate a fish.  And Mary pretended to put its eye on Juliet.

the famous Bosporus bridge

Sunday afternoon was spent at the baths, steaming ourselves.  We got the exfoliating massage, at which point they somehow managed to remove enough skin from us that we all looked like snakes, pink and shiny with little bits of skin clinging to us.  It was actually somewhat gross.  But then we got massages, which cleaned the grossness away.  We walked back and grabbed dinner on yet another rooftop cafe.  I got a Mezze Plate again, this one including 8 dips, dourma, and four little fish rolls.  Washed down with a nice beer, it was so delicious.

Sunday night, Juliet and I stayed up with Mary until she had to catch the 3 AM shuttle bus to the airport, somehow befriending two Turkish guys who didn't speak any English but were very good sports about it.  We had a great time playing cards and laughing.  On Monday Chelsi and I dashed to the great bazaar to buy some souvenirs.  I had very, very awesome success with my haggling, getting what I wanted for a third of the original price.  Then it was onto the shuttle bus to the airport to catch my plane back to Budapest.  What a great weekend!  Istanbul is such a fun and exciting place, and I know I'll be back again.