Time to Reflect

You know traveling always puts me in a daze and I've discovered that one of the hardest things about blogging is that you have to condense all these great things into one short little post so it doesn't go on forever. The problem is that, especially with Turkey, the things I did and saw were so wonderful that those short little posts didn't do any of them justice. Plus, having to either share a computer with everyone on the trip or use the hotel's computer got a little hairy sometimes because there was always someone waiting to use it. So, with all that said here are some of the things I loved about my trip to Istanbul.

Our hotel: We stayed at the Hotel Niles. The rooms were a little on the small side and the mattress left something to be desired but everything else was excellent and more than made up for anything wrong with the mattress. The staff really did make you feel like you were staying in someone's home and the roof top terrace was definitely one of the best spots in Istanbul with a beautiful view of the Sea of Marmara.

Hagia Sophia: Despite the fact that I kept thinking it looked like the royal palace on Naboo in Star Wars, this once church, once mosque, now museum was gargantuan to say the least. It was being restored which took away from its grandeur a little but it was still overwhelming. The best thing there was the mosaics on the wall which were incredibly intricate. I don't think Maya thought much of any of it though because she was too busy asking me to speak with my horrible fake English accent the whole time and seemed much more pleased with talking to "Rita" from Flushed Away than taking in the sights.

The Basilica Cistern: I did actually post about this and I will say it again...it is AWESOME. From the outside it is very unassuming. Just a little tower with a ticket booth. Once you walk down the steps into the cistern, though, it's an entirely different world. It's like something out of the dwarf city in Lord of the Rings. Maya loved it. She especially loved all the fish swimming around some of which were HUGE.

The Mosques: There were so many I'll just put them into their own category. We really just went in the big ones but the ones we saw were just beautiful and, to me, because I had to take the extra steps of taking off my shoes and putting on a headscarf to go in, it just felt like you were doing something really special. They were places of respect and it was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the concept of other cultures to Maya.

The Grand Bazaar: If you're ever in a city with a bazaar, you have to go to it. Istanbul happens to have one of the world's largest covered bazaars. It's simultaneously fun and nerve-wracking. It's definitely a smorgasborg for the eyes but if you don't like large crowds, don't go there. If I get a chance I will post the video we took while going in. It seriously looks like you're about to go on a Disney ride. After a while you realized that there's really about 5,000 versions of the same five shops: belly dancing outfits, mosaic glass lamps, turkish delights, jewelry, and fake name-brand stuff. It's all kind of kitschy and haggling can be tough (it's much easier in Egypt) but you have to go.

Turkish Bath: What can I say about the Turkish bath experience. It was wonderfully embarrassing. As a mother I have precious little time to get away from it all but this ended up being a very cool, very Turkish, way to get some time to myself. In the end this was fantastic but MAN it's like being in junior high gym at first because the one I went to you had to bare it all or look like a complete buffoon. I walked in all hunched over desperately trying to over up as much as possible and most likely embarrassed myself even more. For obvious reasons I won't go into details but just be sure you look at what kind of bath you're going to before you go. Chances are, if your bath has separate sections for men and women, don't plan on wearing too much clothing. After I let go of my embarrassment, though, it was arguably the best part of the entire trip.

Dolmabahce Palace: If you want to see Ottoman spending gone wild, go to this place. My friend from England said it blew Buckingham Palace out of the water. Personally, I don't think you can ever have too much gold leaf. DO NOT take flash photos there though. They are rabid about people not taking them.

Lastly, The Call to Prayer: I found these times of day unspeakably wonderful. It was like having a soundtrack to your life as you were walking around. The city rippled with the sound of prayer from the thousands of minarets throughout the city. I don't care what religion you are, it's a beautiful sound to behold.