Take me back to Constantinople. No you can't go back to Constantinople!

You know the saying that everyone has a Turkish Uncle? Well I guess you can add me and the other 19 Rome students to that list. We were extremely fortunate to have met and spent time with the carpet seller who Eric knew from his first visit to Istanbul when he was a student. Ismet Odabasio is our very generous and humorous Turkish Uncle. Having people who knew Istanbul and were able and willing to take us around or help us was something very valuable to this trip. One is able to gain a whole different experience knowing locals; almost as if you become an "insider" with greater access to what the city and culture really is. You no longer exist as simply a tourist or merely an observer conditioned not partake in what is happening beyond oneself, unable to move past the glass and into the tank. Separated by an inability to understand or blocked because one exists as an outsider therefore unable to see past the layers of tourism and business and therefore blocked from being able to get a clearer view of what is the true essence of the locale.

Uncle Ismet reading my fortune from my turkish coffee grains

(Photo courtesy of Eric Jenkins)

Day 1:
We met outside our Roma housing at 11:00am and arrived at our hotel in Istanbul around 8:30pm (7:30pm Roma time). To say it was a long day is an understatement but we all arrived safe and hungry. After running up to our rooms long enough to put down our stuff, throw off our coats, and freshen up, we all headed up to the 8th floor/rooftop restaurant for our first group meal in Turkey. The food was very interesting and quite appetizing.
When we arrived there was a plate at each seat filled with different appetizers for us to sample and there was also a dish with a salad that was kind of like cole-slaw without the dressing. As we were enjoying our assortment of foods, waiters continued to bring out other foods to fill up our plates with. Our main course was lamb that was served over what looked like very smooth mashed potatoes which turned out to be some sort of eggplant/flour thing (clearly the name and what it actually was escaped me but you get the concept.) I enjoyed the plethora of appetizers but, while I generally very much enjoy lamb, the main course itself was not my favorite though I can't say I completely disliked it. We finished our meal with a carmel flan (I think it's called something else in Turkey but once again, you get the concept) along with either coffee, apple tea, or turkish tea (which is chai but chai apparently just means tea so it's referred to as turkish tea).
After being stuff full we allowed our stomachs to settle a little over conversation and admiration of the view. At the restaurant level we could look over the whole city to the water with spectacular views of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. I realized I never actually took pictures from up there but the view was spectacular and I am sure other members of the group thought to take a couple. Stephanie Cervantes and I were more than fortunate in getting a room on the 7th floor with a view almost as good as the view from the roof. 

 View of Hagia Sophia from our room window

 View of the Blue Mosque from our room window

Hagia Sophia and the some of the city

Blue Mosque

After finishing dinner, the group decided to go for a sort stroll to burn off some of the meal and to get our first taste of Istanbul (and first taste of turkish baklava as well). The night was a little cold but it was certainly beautiful. Seeing the mosques in the night all lit up is magical. 

 Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque 

Fountain in between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque

 (Changed colors at night) 

Standing by Hagia Sophia looking towards the Blue Mosque

Day 2:

Generally when hotels have complementary breakfast you pretty much expect subpar dining complete with dry bread, generic cereal, and bruised fruit - no complaints considering it's a free meal (sort of) but it's certainly not something that motivates you to jump out of bed in the morning. Now imagine our surprise when we are greeted once again by the rooftop view, this time in the sunless day light, and a table filled with about 5 different types of honey, fresh mini croissants and rolls, fresh bread, cheese, different meat, hardboiled eggs, cereal, yogurt (2 different kinds), fresh vegetables, fruit, tea, coffee……. The honey alone made me drool. Needless to say we got out of bed every morning knowing we were going to be well fed for the day.

We started off the day around 9am, heading as a group to visit Hagia Sophia. Let me preface this first by saying, honest to God I NEVER thought I would EVER go to Turkey. Istanbul was never a place that made it on any of my lists of places to travel to or that I was knowingly even really interested in. It wasn't until I had gotten to Istanbul that I realized where I was and how much I loved it. We have studied Hagia Sophia in I-don't-even-know how many classes and I can promise you that if I had ever been told during one of those lecture that I would actually get the opportunity to see it from the outside let alone visit the interior that I would say that person is crazy and full of… Anyways, it wasn't until I was standing underneath the one of the pendentives to the central dome of Hagia Sophia that everything hit me. Something that I honestly never even considered doing, a place I had never intended to visit, a building I never thought possible for me to see… it was happening. Disbelieve and even a little confusion washed over me in that second and in that moment all I could do was stand there alone trying to catch my bearings. It was as if I can gotten the wind knocked out of me emotionally.

Class Time!

Outside of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Interior

Angel that has been revealed from Islamic coverup

So Beautiful

Side wall

Interior view toward the Apse

Christian mosaic uncovered

Another Christian mosaic uncovered

Central Dome 

(This is my favorite picture)

Looking down towards the altar

Interior View towards the entrance

This one's for you, mom

We enjoyed sometime in the church turned mosque turned museum to sketch and explore. After a couple hours we were supposed to meet by then entrance but Eric noticed some "X"s on the floor that corresponded with the central dome. We decided to spend sometime forming the dome by standing in the "X"s, which ended up attracting a bit of attention. At one point we got the wave going with some additional participants who were not part of our CUA family but we are grateful for their participation. After a couple photo ops we decided to depart the magnificent Hagia Sophia and continue on to the next stop. 


The next stop was Yerebatan Sarayi (Basilica Cistern) deep underground. When we entered the cistern, we had no idea what to expect and most of us were very surprised as we stumbled into the dark, expansive structure dimly lit with beautiful accent lighting. The columns supporting the structure were obviously reused from other buildings etc. because they were all different sizes, styles, etc. which made the organization even more impressive because of the perfect lines and proportions that seemed to still have been accomplished. I didn't even notice how much the columns differed until I got towards the end of the cistern when I realized that I was surrounded by massive columns with almost an hourglass shape that could have supported an extremely large load such as an elevated road or bridge. 

Entering the Cistern

Incredible

Fish and Coins

Sidewall of the Cistern

View through Cistern

Light at the end of the tunnel? 

Medusa Head One

Medusa Head Two

As the path through the Cistern ended, we made our way up the steps and back out into the freezing cold level of the street. Shivering, we navigated through the streets to the much anticipated Spice Market where we found some relief from the cold. After walking through the market from one end to the other we split for lunch on our own, free to enjoy the market. Once lunch was finished we visited the Yeni Valide Mosque, our first mosque of the trip, and spent sometime sketching inside. While the interior of the mosque was certainly more comfortable than sitting outside, it still did not provide much heat to thaw our cold bodies so in order to keep us going Eric and Marina treated us to some hot turkish tea at a local place near the mosque. Once our fingers had warmed up again we headed to the nearby Rustem Pasha Mosque, our last stop of the day as a group. Rustem Pasha was a smaller mosque than Yeni Valide and we also spent a small amount of time sketching here. When it was decided to call it a day we headed back to the hotel taking a more "scenic" root via smaller not so touristy roads with Eric as the leader. 

Yeni Valide Mosque

Rustem Pasha Mosque

Prayer Carpet in Rustem Pasha

When we reached the hotel we were given the option of going to the hammam (baths). We were all prepared that it would be a new experience and it certainly was. Details are probably not exactly necessary and in the end I was very happy I went and I would go again in a second. I will share a little story though; as soon as we found out what room we were actually supposed to go in, we were ushered in quickly by the older women who were working there. In the baths, women and men are in completely different areas and women go topless. I was planning on easing my way into removing my towel but as soon as I went over with the woman she snatched the towel right off of me in front of our group and put it down for me to lay on. A little shocked at what had just happened I thought out loud "well, I guess I'm the first one out." I had wanted to get a massage along with the whole bathing ritual but the place was so busy that we weren't sure if we could get one and in the end the massage really didn't seem necessary. Going to the baths is basically one whole pampering session and what girl doesn't love that?


After the baths a bunch of us decided to try out hooka (since it's kind of the thing to do in Istanbul). We found a place close to our hotel that is located on the top floor with a balcony and beautiful view of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. The man working for the restaurant told us to split one hooka per two people which turned out to be entirely too much hooka. We shared 6 for about 14 people - lemon, apple, grape, strawberry, watermelon, and melon - and I'm pretty certain we didn't finish them all. Thankfully they weren't too strong and we all had a good time relaxing for a couple hours. For those of you that are unfamiliar hooka (aka waterpipe, aka nargila) is flavored smoke essential; generally flavored tobacco, sometimes just flavored herbs (I guess?) but nothing illegal or hallucinogens etc. After a couple hours, we decided to allow our lungs some fresh air and headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.


Day 3:
To be continued...








Day 4:
To be continued...




The day ended in a very peculiar way. 


Day 5:
If ever there was a day where plans changed and "winging it" resulted in a completely unpredictable string of events even better than the ones that had been planned, then this was that day.


We headed out of the hotel at about 9am in the direction of a mosque we hadn't been able to visit earlier in the week but low and behold the mosque was closed. On to Plan B: wander the hans.


To be continued...






Day 6:
On our last full day in Istanbul we all woke up to the sun shining through our windows; the first and only day we had seen sun the whole trip. Prior to this morning we were beginning to think that the sun didn't shine in Istanbul and were beginning to forget what the warmth of the sun felt like. The day commenced with a visit to the Topkapi Palace. We spent the majority of our time exploring and admiring the harem of the palace. The different tiles, mosaics, and painting was exquisite and the movement through the harem was intriguing. Many of the rooms, courtyards, and hallways had information about their history and function which helped to understand the organization, use, and layout of the harem. It had a clear hierarchy that corresponded with the Sultan's favor, the need for an heir, and the allotment of power; as there existed a line of power for government, there existed a line of power in the harem from the Mother Queen down. 

Wall Tiles in the Harem

Entering the Harem

Walkway in the Harem

Ceiling in the Harem

Dome in the Harem

Stained glass window

Floor tiles in Harem

Dome in the Harem

Ceiling in the Harem

Princes' Room

Courtyard Pieces

Dome in Harem

Palace Pool

Royal Courtyard

Royal Courtyard

Pathway Sultan took through the Harem

In the Sultan's Pathway

After spending time in the harem, we ventured out to the rest of the palace which is basically laid out as a series of courtyards, each one becoming more private/exclusive than the next (similar with the Harem). Since it was quite cold, many of us took refuge in the interior spaces with exhibits including displays of clothes worn by previous Sultans and multiple rooms showing palace jewels and other valuable items (such as the 86 carat diamond originally recovered from a 'rubbish' pile and then claimed by the sultan). I think the diamond is actually 62 carats but then was surround all the way around with smaller diamonds; and by smaller I mean still multiple carat sized diamonds.

Wall Tiles in the Palace

Other Parts of the Palace

In one of the courtyards

Overlooking part of the courtyard

Palace Grounds

Palace Kitty <3

After our morning stroll through the palace we headed to Uncle Ismet's for some Turkish pizza which he generously supplied. Turkish pizza takes more effort to eat than american or italian pizza however; it's more of a pita/flatbread topped with ground meat, cheese, and spices which you then fill with fresh lettuce and squeezed lemon juice then roll/fold and eat! We had the option of spicy or non-spicy, I chose spicy which was sooo good but had to be enjoyed with a drink nearby… not too spicy though. We also stayed to look at some more carpets and carpet bags and then most of us split off to go shopping. I stopped by the spice market for one last time to pick up a variety of teas including love tea, relax tea, mixed green tea, rose tea, and a tea to help with stomach aches. After the spice market it was off to the Grande Bazaar to find little spoons for my turkish tea cup set and evil eyes to bring home to my family to ward off evil. I was looking for a specific gift for my mother which turned out much harder to find than I expected but in the end I think I purchased something that is going to look great in her new yoga room (once it's finished).

As the sky grew dark and the sun began to set, we all journeyed down to the water's edge to catch a ferry that would take us to the Asian side of Turkey.

European Side from the Ferry

From the Ferry

From the Ferry

On the Asian side we made our way to a little restaurant owned by a man who's goal is to return to/bring back traditional Turkish cuisine and way of cooking. We were seated as a group on the upper level of the restaurant and were started off with appetizer type food. Much like the first night group dinner, as we ate more food was being brought to us. What none of us realized when we started was the dinner was going to consist of multiple courses of different types of Turkish food for us to try. After the appetizers, which consisted of mostly dips, our plates were cleared and we were brought a clean one that was then filled with two different types of stuffed grape-leaves, then a dish with meat and then falafel and then… one thing after another. At one point all of us were served a deep purple drink that turned out to be fresh Mulberry juice which I now believe to be heaven in a glass (I think I shed a tear when I took my last sip). Once again our plates were cleared and this time we were brought a bowl. All of the sudden the waiters were placing multiple bowls filled with different soups and stews in front of us to share between four of us; at one point I think we have about 7 different bowls filled with more than enough food for a taste.

Couldn't even get all the bowls in the picture

So much food!!

At this point we were waving a white napkin flag in surrender; the food was too good to neglect but we were too full to even look at it.

Please no more food...

Thankfully for us the next course was desert. Thyme tea was served to each person and a dessert plate was placed on each table of four; tomatoes, olives, pumpkin, walnut (including shell), and oranges soaked in a sugar syrup until soft and saturated and then topped with thick sweet cream and pieces of walnut. Unbelievable and so delicious. I would've never guessed the tomato was just that from it's taste and I generally hate olives but I think I have 2 or 3 of the sweet dessert olives. The walnut shell had softened so much from being soaked for so long that nobody even realized that it was the shell. After the dessert plates were finished off, the waiters brought out a box of turkish delight that was much different from any I had had up to this point. They were almost more doughy but, as was everything else that we had eaten that night, delicious.

Dessert Plate!!

Thyme Tea… Interesting but good

(What you could call an acquired taste)

After dinner, we waddled our way to catch the ferry back to our side. On the way there, we were met by some small children who were begging for money and actually attached themselves to members of our group. While we were all away of the severity of the situation and the fact that the children were most likely set up to pickpocket the members of our group, we all couldn't help but laugh as we watched the spectacle before us. A small boy latch himself around Stephen Riley shouting things in Turkish and refusing to let go as Stephen gripped his wallet and cellphone from within this coat pocket. What seemed to be the little boy's sister followed the little boy's actions and tried to hug her arms around Katie Miller. Finally Eric had to step in with some stern Turkish words to get the persistent little con-artists (specifically the little boy) off of Stephen and Katie and away from our group. Humorous way to end an evening in Asia. Once we returned to the other side, friendly competition began as the group headed back to the hotel; CUArch Amazing Race in Istanbul. I can't imagine how it must have looked to see 20 American young adults and their professors speed walking/running down streets, across streets, cutting through parks and courtyards at 11 at night… It was one of those things where you probably had to be there to catch the humor and fun of it all but for us, as Andrew Laux would say, "its called making memories." (For the record, Justin and I got official first and Kelly and Speer got unofficial first.)

Enjoying our last night out

Before the running started

Day 7:
The bus arrived to take us and all our acquired turkish goods to the airport bright and early. By 8:00am everyone was on the bus sleepy eyed but ready to go. By the end of the week during our Northern Italy trip, everyone was extremely ready to be back at our Rome home but this time, while we all seemed to miss Rome, nobody really seemed ready to leave Istanbul. For many of us, Istanbul became a place that we all  hoped to return to. I can honestly say that I would be very sad if I never returned to Istanbul and after spending the week here I have realized there is much more to see throughout Turkey as well. Istanbul is a place to be careful in but not to fear; it is a city to be enjoyed for all that it is - the good and the bad. There is so much to see, do, and experience in Istanbul and I really believe it is all extremely worthwhile so if you're thinking of places to travel to, look into Istanbul. I told my mother to buy the book Strolling Through Istanbul; it is a book my teacher owns and used for this trip and his past trips. I think my mother would absolutely love Istanbul, in fact she already knows she would as well. She even asked me if I were to return to Europe at a later date, where would I go - Rome or Istanbul? I thought about it for a second and then answered, "Istanbul." While I absolutely love Rome, I really do feel the need and desire to visit Istanbul again even for just a couple days; I think you would get much more out of spending a couple days in Istanbul than one would spending the same amount of time in Rome. But of course, this is only my personal opinion after only a short reflection period and there are still many, many, many more places in Europe and elsewhere around the world that I would like to spend time in. 


We landed in Rome about 1 or 2 and then had to take taxis back to our housing because our bus transportation forgot about us. Our return was bittersweet but everyone seemed pretty happy with the much warmer weather in Rome than we had in Istanbul. Once we arrived back at the housing, many people were immediately preparing for their Spring break trips out of Rome which meant a lot of laundry, getting boarding passes printed, and getting re-packed. Katie, Kelly, and I gave ourselves a couple extra days so we could settle down and have some time before rushing out to travel the world again (plus we got to see Katie's parents who were here to visit!). Tomorrow morning (EXTREMELY EARLY) we get up to take a bus to Termini to take another bus to the airport to take a plane to Trapani and then, later in the day, take another plane to Malta. Malta seems like a very interesting place to visit and, while I am excited for the warm mediterranean weather and beaches, I am more excited for the history and beautiful architecture that Malta has… Get ready Malta because here we come (and please, please, please be really warm and sunny)!