You Know Its Cold When....

You know its cold when.......

• you've been gone all day and when you get home and walk into the kitchen the thermometer says 36 F/ 2 C.  Does that make the inside of my fridge warmer than the inside of my kitchen? 
• I'm wearing long underwear, a sweater, a fleece jacket, a fiber-fill vest and a winter coat (5 layers) and am still cold.
• the first thing I want to do is boil water to put in a hot water bottle to put inside my clothes.
• frost makes gorgeous designs on the window - on the inside!
• the soup on the enclosed balcony is frozen (lots or air leaks there).

I'm grateful I still have electricity and water.  Some places in Bulgaria don't.  I'm grateful to have a big enough bathroom that is all tile, that I can hang laundry in it and not have to hang it outside.  Because the temperature is cold, the snow is not melting, so it's still pretty beautiful.

White, Beautiful and Cold

Here are a few photos of winter beauty in the village where I live.  This week temperature highs are supposed to be between 10 F - 16 F and nights dipping below zero.  

 Enjoy!

Istanbul - Final Installment

For many reasons, time is passing more quickly than I've been writing in my blog.  I've been back in my busy weekly routine and I also had a few days of sleeping while not feeling well.  I'm good to go now and I've made an executive decision (easy to do when no one else is involved).  This final blog about my wonderful trip to Istanbul will focus on highlights during the last 4 days of my visit rather than a narrative, like I have been doing. 

Day 5, Thursday,  December 29

Our goal was to get to Topkapi Palace as close to opening time as possible to avoid crowds and we did just that.  My first “new input” for the day was the entrance sign with had two prices – one for Turkish citizens and one for tourists – which was significantly higher (something like 20 Turkish Lira and 35 TL). Apparently this is not uncommon – in Bulgaria as well – but it was news to me.  

Topkapi Palace is another amazing architectural feat from the late 1400s.  It has 300 rooms, 9 Turkish baths, 2 mosques, 1 hospital and a giant harem. Located in a spectacular spot overlooking the Bosphorus….It’s immense.  The museum has quite an assortment  of historical weapons, clothing and tools.  Many were splendidly designed with hundreds, if not thousands of a variety of gemstones.  I was most impressed with the 86 carat, pear-shaped diamond on display (The Spoonmakers Diamond).  Wow!  It was gigantic – very impressive.  There were other things that impressed me as well – a sword that was so huge I’m sure it was impossible for any one person to lift.  I’m not sure what the purpose was of this particular weapon – did more than one person lift and use it together?  There were also some articles of clothing in “XXX-Sultan” size.  When it’s a huge caftan it’s very big! Check out the Topkapi official website for lots of information, gorgeous photos and even a virtual tour. 

After 3 1/2 hours wandering the palace and grounds Tricia and I rendezvoused for lunch and then went our separate ways.  This was the beginning of our new traveling mode.  We've seen everything we both wanted to see and now our desires diverged some so we each headed in our own direction before meeting up for our evening activity of visiting a Sufi "Whirling Dervish" dance ceremony.  It was interesting, but I must admit I was a little disappointed from what the website presented.  It was a much smaller venue - there was only room for 4 dervishes (3 if they were moving in any direction rather than spinning in one spot).  That said, I enjoyed the meditative evening watching their peaceful spins and listening to the live musicians.

Had some fun on the mile walk back to the tram....usually Tricia is the one who gets noticed by men - she's young (30-something) and has a beautiful smile and infectious laugh. She is an obviously happy person. But this time it was my turn (another usually happy person).  We walked by a street hawker for a local restaurant (there were oh-so-many in Istanbul) who had a few gray hairs and he said to me...."You are a beautiful natural woman.  Marry me!"  Too funny!  I got my first European marriage proposal.  Love those light moments of being noticed.

It was a good day (actually they all were!).

Day 6, Friday, December 30

Finally we are going to the Asian side of Istanbul.  The boat ride is a very quick 10-15 minutes - almost too quick for me - I love being on the water.  We begin walking along the harbor and it's clear we want to go in different directions and agree to meet back at the apartment in the evening.  I head to the market area where there are once again fresh everything stands and hundreds of little stores.  

Aside - I saw one that was literally the size of a closet.  Many stores sell just one genre - leather goods (purses, wallets), shoes, electrical supplies, light fixtures, plumbing supplies, nuts and bolts, fabric for sewing, hair accessories, antiques, almost anything you can think of.  Many of the same themed stores are on the same block - so if you have a bathroom that needs work to go to the bathroom stores section.  One day I wanted to get a key made and had to ask where I could find the key cutting store (mostly in sign language showing the person I was asking a key and miming a key-cutting machine).  The first person I asked gave me directions including about 4 turns around corners. After 2 turns I asked someone else and again got several turns ahead.  And finally I asked a third person and in about 5 minutes found the key kiosk.

Back to Asia - sorry for the tangent, but it was such an interesting aspect to me.  On the Asian side I began looking for a well-known restaurant named Çiya (pron. Chia).  Found it!  It lived up to all I heard about it.  It had a salad bar with many unique salads - I'm not even sure what they were, but that's what I had for lunch. There was also a hot bar with cuts of meat, soups, vegetables and potatoes, but I was full after the salads.  I sat at a table with Warren and Annie from Los Angeles.  I met them yesterday in Europe at Topkapi Palace and there they were eating lunch in Asia at the same restaurant I walked into.  One of those small world moments (it turns out Tricia also had a small-world moment that same afternoon on her journey).

After lunch I walked around some more, but was getting weary of all the shops and afternoon crowds.  Especially since this is the sixth day of being in a city environment.  I headed back to the boat and took one back to a different location which gave me a little longer time on the water. And had a quiet evening in the apartment.

Day 7, Saturday, December 31

Happy Birthday Patricia. I am 58.  A few days ago I made an appointment to have a massage a yoga studio at noon.  Before that there is one more mosque I want to visit - the second largest in Istanbul - Süleymaniye Mosque built in the mid-1500s. Here's a link for those who want more info - including a virtual tour.

I found my way there pretty easily but once there, I couldn't find the entrance. 

Remembering that Omër told me there were multiple entrances at the Blue Mosque, I wanted to find the appropriate way in for me, a tourist.  I walked around the Mosque twice and only saw one entrance which had the water fountains just inside the door where people wash hands, feet and faces before worship. Finally I approached to a woman walking by who was wearing a hijab (scarf covering her hair) to ask here where I enter the mosque.  She spoke a little English and she said the door I saw was the correct door.  However, she not only told me that, she showed me to the door and escorted me into the mosque to show it to me.  Amazing.  How many people who are stopped on the street by a stranger and obvious foreigner, would take time out of their busy day, to give a personal guided tour?  She showed me the different areas including an area beyond the "tourist barriers."  This mosque is primarily a house of worship and secondarily open to tourists.  We probably spend 10 minutes looking at the interior of the different areas and as we approached the exit/entrance, she asked me if I wanted to pray.  I said yes.  It seemed like an important opportunity not to be missed.  So we knelt together and had a few minutes of silence.  This kind American, obviously western woman and this kind, obviously Muslim woman side-by-side. I felt such a deep sense of mutual appreciation and respect being there with her.

We got up and she said her good-byes.  I lingered for a few more minutes savoring what just happened.  Finally I headed to the door and pushed aside the heavy fabric covering and stepped out.  Apparently I wasn't grounded because I didn't see the step down and I took a hard fall.  A Turkish man came running over to me to see if I was alright and to help me up.  I was shaken and a little bruised,  but o.k.  Now it was definitely time to head to my massage - and how grateful I was to have the appointment! 

Need I say how exquisite the massage was?  It's the first one I've had since I left Sedona.  I realized how much I needed it, not only after the fall, but to help process this wonderfully challenging and intense year of my life.  My masseuse had a deep-tissue touch and the only areas which were really tender were my neck and shoulders (typical for me - where I carry stress) and my calves - probably all the hill walking in Istanbul!  I want more massages in my life.  I also splurged on some organic hazelnuts and raw (!) crackers.  Treats - oh boy!

After my massage, I treated myself to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant and walked home along Istiklal Street at a leisurely pace to rest into feeling so good. A great beginning to a New Year.

Day 8, Sunday, January 1, 2012

Today I am "psyched" to go to the Princes Islands off the Asian coast in the Sea of Marmara.  It's a 90 minute boat ride to Büyükada, the largest of the islands.  At 9:00a.m. on New Years Day it was very quiet in Istanbul and there were only a handful of us on the boat that can probably hold a couple hundred.  The good news is that shortly after pulling away from the dock I saw a pod of dolphins swimming in the sea..  Maybe they were reveling in the quietude too. For the whole 90 minutes - Istanbul stretched along the Asian coast - there was no end in sight.  It's the largest city I've ever seen.

It was a cool and cloudy day with drizzle, but not enough to curtail any activities.  Transportation on the bike is limited to feet, bikes and horse carriages.  First stop, Starbucks.  Can you believe it - this tiny island has one.  I warmed up a bit with a cup of Christmas blend, visited the kitty outside the door and then headed out for a walk.  It was lovely - out of the hustle and bustle of the city, quiet streets and scattered forests.  I loved this "completion" to my vacation to Istanbul - a day in nature, breathing deeply and reflecting on this amazing week.  

I returned on the mid-afternoon boat, and this one was packed with people.  There were also salesmen selling their goods to the captive audience.  One was very entertaining in his presentations of a multipurpose, collapsible walking stick/flashlight/crook/and a host of other features I don't remember (no, I didn't purchase one).  His other "hot" item was a plastic tube with a cap on top that you can stick into a lemon, squeeze the lemon and then the tube is full of juice.  Several folks bought one or both!

Walking home, I had a wrap called a duner.  It's like a small gyros - meat cut off of a rotating skewer roast the chicken, lamb or pork.  I passed on the skewer of layers of roasting intestines, even though I was assured they are delicious.  I figured this would be a good, light dinner and I wouldn't need to make much at the apartment.  When I walked in the door, Tricia said we were invited out to dinner my our property manager.  Her colleague has a fish restaurant just a couple of minutes away from us.  O.K. - great - I had 3 hours to get hungry again.  No problem. It was a nice visit with another Turkish person.  She told us of her family’s home in Cappadocia (where my rug is from) and yes, indeed, it's carved out of the rocks there.  She also talked about the still common practice of arranged marriages, but she was never married (she's about 40).  The man she loved, disappeared several years ago.  He was someone her parents would not have chosen for her.

The most wonderful thing she shared with us was how long to give ourselves to get to the main bus station tomorrow.  We thought 1 1/2 hours would have been plenty of time but she said leave  3 - 3 1/2 hours ahead of when it was scheduled to leave.  Thank heavens we received and followed her advice.

Day 9, Sunday, January 2, 2012

It's time to go home to Bulgaria.  We would have gone yesterday, but the buses were not running on the 1st.  So today is a bonus day, until our bus leaves at 7:45pm.  I head out to a place Tricia went a few days ago.  It's a little French community, called Pierre Loti, on top of one of Istanbul's many hills.  I took the bus to where I could catch the cable car - like the ones at ski resorts.  Once again I had an image in my head that did not fit the reality.  I thought it would be a really big hill (o.k. maybe even a mountain), but no, it wasn't.  I was in the little bubble car for about 5 minutes and got to the top of the hill I could have walked up in 20 minutes.  It wasn't as high as the 55 story building we went to the top of on our second day.  But it did have a nice view and a different look to other parts of Istanbul.  

I spent a little more time wandering on my favorite street - Istiklal.  I sat in Starbucks for the last time and just people watched and wrote in my journal.  I was ready to head home.  And how different it felt to be heading home to Bulgaria.  It gave me a sense of the life I am building in Bulgaria over time. The past 10 months have passed very quickly.  On the bus I wondered for a while what it will be like in another year and a half to head home to America after being gone for so long and having spent so much time assimilating to a different culture.

I'd like to thank Tricia for her companionship and sharing her travel logistics insights with me.  It's been a long time since I've traveled in a foreign country and she's gotten really good at it over the past 3 years. So I was very happy to learn from her and for her cheerful company.  We enjoyed many things together and respected each others "space" for doing things alone and/or just "being" alone.

That's it for my overview of my trip to magnificent Istanbul.

 

Istanbul - Part 3

Day 4, Wednesday,  December 28

We did sleep in a bit, then began our day of visiting sites in Sultanahmet where many of the famous  "touristy" sites are.  I’m including a photo of the Metro – I loved their long sleek lines and at one point I thought I was looking into mirrors facing each other.  In a straight line the view through multiple cars seemed endless.  The metro is sleek, modern and efficient. While at the metro stop, Tricia and I were talking – in English of course.  A Turkish man introduced himself and spoke English with us.  Another kind Turkish interaction.  His name was Omer and he offered to show us the Blue Mosque.  He walked us there and explained that there were 3 entrances – one for tourists, one for Turks and one for worshippers.  We took our shoes off and went in.  It’s called the Blue Mosque because of the abundance of blue tiles used in the mosaic art work.  Because of the numerous descriptions of the lovely blue tiles, I was expecting something different in my mind - like walking into a sea of blue.  Yes, there are a lot of blue tiles but there are more white tiles so it was more like walking into a partly cloudy sky scape.  Aside from this erroneous expectation, it was beautiful (that happens fairly often in life doesn't it?).  

Here's a little aside - Turkey is a secular country with a population that is 96-97% Muslim.  Istanbul is a huge city, I just checked Wikipedia and they say as of the end of 2010 there are approximately 13 million people in the city.  I'm not sure what the physical parameters of the city are, but that is less than the 15, 16 or 17 million I kept hearing while visiting there. While there are many mosques in Istanbul, I was surprised by the small number of woman I saw wearing scarves (hijabs) covering their hair. I thought the majority of women might wear scarves but I'd say, where I was maybe 10% were.  And there were some very professional women wearing them.  One cannot "judge a book by it's cove" whether they are wearing scarves on their heads or running shoes on their feet!   Istanbul is a mature and modern city, I don't know if that has any bearing on dress code or not. Another example of my uneducated expectations being different that what I saw.

Back to the Blue Mosque - or it's proper name, Sultan Ahmed Mosque.  It’s the first mosque I’ve ever been in.  It was built between 1609 and 1616 and I’m always in awe of architecture on a massive scale which has survived for such a long time. And the variety of designs of intricate handmade ceramic tiles astonishing and beautiful to look at.  

Another thing I learned from our impromptu host, Omer, was that Jesus is one of the prophets of the Muslim religion. He is mentioned by name in the Quran 25 times which is more often than Mohammed is mentioned.  I know nothing about Islam so I'm not going to say any more.  If you know me you know I'm not a "religious" person, but it made me very happy to know that Jesus is respected here too.  

After completing our visit to the Blue Mosque, Omer showed us to the near-by entrance to the cisterns and told us it would take about 30 minutes to visit the underground water system.   Talk about historical - this enormous underground cistern was build in 527-565 and can hold a 100,000 tons of water.  In the photo you can see a few of the marble columns - there are 12 rows of 28 columns.  That's a lot of marble!! The most recent restoration was in the mid 1980s and it is now a tourist site rather than a source water for the city.  And yes, there are fish.

After the cisterns, Omer invited us to visit him at his family’s carpet and jewelry shops for tea afterwards.  We did.  We learned a lot about designs in different carpet patterns.  Different styles are woven in different regions.  They had a little bit of everything from simple loom woven rugs to double knot luxurious rugs with intricate patterns to even more intricate embroideries. There were some designs which remind me of Native American designs of the American southwest.  His uncle joined us – the shop owner and I realized not only was it informative, it was also a sales presentation.  Which one did I want?  Hmmmm. I actually love the feel and colors of fabric design, so I was willing to consider purchasing one of the least expensive ones.  I left with a handwoven carpet with a simple pattern and one of the smaller price tag.  The fringe at each end of the carpet is gathered into little clusters and this is a sign that the young woman who wove it is not yet married.  The carpet comes from a region called Cappadocia in central Turkey.  It's region with many interesting rock formations and even homes built into the rocks and cliffs (similar to Bryce Canyon).  Some people still live inside their homes in the rocks.  Somehow it seemed perfect since I came to this part of the world from the gorgeous red rocks of Sedona.  I walked away with a purchase I wasn’t planning on, but I now the happy owner of a piece of woven art from Turkey.  I felt they were kind, and not high pressure salesmen, and it is something that will help my feet stay warm on cold winter days and nights – guaranteed for 70 years.  :>)

 

Next, across the plaza, we went to a mosque-turned-musem called Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia).  Another amazing historical feat - built between 532 and 537 with 1,000 masters and 10,000 workers.  It was originally built as a Byzantine Church and converted to a mosque in 1453.  The upkeep was not as pristine as the other mosques I visited while in Istanbul.  Some parts and tiles were showing wear and tear.  Again the sheer size is impressive.

We headed back over the Golden Horn to our apartment and the part of town that is beginning to feel like home.  While it's been a full day we talk about going to an American movie at a theater - something I haven't done in almost a year.  We're walking along the charming Istiklal Street and we actually find a theater with an American movie beginning in 15 minutes.  The title is in Turkish and we don't know what it is but it has Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet in it.  So o.k. - let's check it out.  The theater is interesting.  We choose seats about 1/2 way back and sit in the middle of the row.  There are only about 10 people there so options were many.  What was interesting is that the rows of seats in front of us were slightly higher with each row, not lower. The screen was fairly high on the front wall so it seemed more comfortable to me.  Each row had the seats staggered so everyone would sit between the two people in the row in front of them.  Our movie adventure only lasted about 20 minutes or so though.  At the end of the first reel (do they still have reels) the movie stopped.  Whether it was a planned or unplanned intermission I don't know, but we both were ready to leave.  I later looked up the movie on the Internet and found out the name was "Carnage."  It wasn't bloody carnage, it was psychological carnage between two sets of parents over an incident between their pre-teen sons.  There's more than enough angst and blame in the world already, I don't want to sit through 90 minutes of it and call it entertainment.  It's not for me.  So good for us - we left and had an enjoyable evening at home.  Tomorrow is another day.

Istanbul Part 2

Day 3  December 27

Today is one of our “See the Sites” day.  We get up and out early.  First on our itinerary is the ruins of the Rumeli Fortress - built in 1452 (40 years before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America.  Tricia did a great job with planning and researching transportation.  However, even with great planning, there can be errors. We found the bus to the part of town called “Rumeli.”  It journeyed through Levent, this business district where we had lunch the day before. When we got off the bus we were excited because we could see the towers of the fortress directly below us.  So we began our journey – searching for ways to head in that direction.  

Way #1 resulted in a dead-end very quickly.  No problem.  We head in another direction.  Way #2 heads downhill in the direction of the towers.  Down, down, down we go.   I’m thinking I really don’t want to hike back up to catch the bus home.  Finally we see a sign describing the fortress (in Turkish) and we walk toward a gate.  The gate is locked.  We can see people walking around inside the fortress, but we can’t get in this way.  No problem – we’re close right?   

Way #2. We follow the fortress wall – more downhill.  (Did I mention we walked a long way down hill?) By the time we reach the cemetery we are walking away from the fortress – no longer toward it.  We’ve been walking downhill for at least 45 minutes or so.  When we look down towards where the land meets the Strait all we see is the Bosphorus – no indication of a road or other transportation below us. 

Way #3. We turn around and retrace our steps – uphill.  Finally we ask someone and get an answer in Turkish and gestures to turn up ahead and go to the right.  Onward we go.  We take a street to the right we had passed earlier.  We head downhill again.  At one point I tell Tricia “I’ll wait up here” while she checks out to see if the street goes where we want to go.  I am weary and don’t want to do more unnecessary ups and downs.  She explores and yes, it goes to a main street below.

This busy street runs along the Bosphorus, but we couldn’t see it (or hear it) from above because of the steepness of the slope of the hill.  After all our wandering up and down the streets around the exterior of the fortress we were tired and frustrated (probably 75-90 minutes).  It was a good time for lunch.   

We found an outdoor café.  An unexpected treat was that once we sat down, someone came by with hot coals to put in an brazier under the table to keep our legs and feet warm on a chilly day.  Wow – it was awesome.  This setting reminded me of Sausalito, near San Francisco.  A quaint little restaurant overlooking the water and the boardwalk that runs along the Strait across the street. Once we rested and refueled we were ready to be successful in our quest.

Way #4 – the main road led us to the main entrance of the Rumeli Fortress – only a 10 minute (level) walk along the Bosphorus.  Not only that, but as we’re walking we see buses that would have been more direct in getting us to the Fortress. At least it will be an easy journey home.

Tricia has amazing energy – she’s an athlete who runs, bikes, hikes long distances.  Once we got to the fortress she wanted to hike up the stairs to the towers and top of the walls (which we were looking down on earlier in the morning).  I was more tired, and chose which tower I was willing to go up to.  The fortress steps were huge - like 18 inches high – lots of thigh work climbing up. The views were gorgeous though – so worth the effort.

We headed home for a short break.  At 7:30 we met our new couchsurfing friends at the café with the intention of going salsa dancing at a Cuban club.  Around 9:30 we head out and it turns out there was no band that night. So we head out to another club with live music and spend a couple of hours dancing.  My body is telling me I’ve had more exercise in the past few days than in recent weeks of winter.  However – I loved dancing.  My body worked out some of the kinks from climbing all those hills and fortress steps.  Fulya even taught us some belly dancing moves.  What fun!  She said because this was our first time dancing belly dancing moves – we had to work our way up to the front of the crowd.  O.K. fine.  In my younger years I would have been more shy and reluctant, but now….why not!  We got home around 2:30.  Fulya and her two male friends walked us halfway home to make sure we were o.k.  This was particularly generous of them because it was in the opposite direction of "home" for them and at least one of the young men had to be at work at 6:00 a.m. I have much appreciation for the kindness of the people we met on our journey!!!  Tricia and I agreed to sleep in the next morning.

7 January - a Name Day in Bulgaria for St. Jordan

This holiday is about water and its purifying, healing and magic powers. In the early morning, the priest of the village christens the water in a river and throws a wooden crest in it. The young men of the village jump into the ice cold waters to look for it. He who finds it first and brings it back to the priest is blessed for health and longevity and rewarded with gold coins.

At home, the women prepare a ritual dinner. They burn some incense and fumigate the table in order to mark the end of the dirty days and to drive the evil away.

The name of the holiday comes after the name of the river Jordan. Other people who celebrate on this day: Bogomil (‘dear to God’), Bogdan (‘given by God’), Yonko, Yonka, Yoto, Yordan, Yordanka.

In my village we are meeting at the river at 1:30 this afternoon.

Istanbul - Part 1

12/24-25/11

A fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Tricia, and I left Veliko Tarnovo on a bus at 8:30 p.m. Christmas Eve for an adventure to Istanbul. I loved having the whole day to prepare – pack, clean, organize.  It was a busy week prior to departure with village holiday events and activities.

We arrived in Istanbul at 5:30 a.m. Christmas morning.  It took about 2 hours to get through both borders and make a stop for the drivers to eat. Turkish kindness began right away.  A bus driver at the huge bus terminal took us to where we could catch the right bus to the part of town where we were staying.

We found our way by bus to Taksim Square and had breakfast at a pastry cafeteria.  Then we took the historical trolley to the end of Iskitlal Street and walked downhill to the Galata Tower and the apartment that would be our home for the next week.  Being in a new environment and a new culture is once again a bit intimidating – not knowing the language or the transportation systems.  I was happy to be with Tricia who has had quite a bit of experience traveling in the past 3 years.  Still – for peace of mind it’s good to know that there will be delays, wrong turns and miscommunications when looking for directions and information.  As we got closer and were standing looking at our map figuring out which street the apartment was on, a taxi driver came up and asked if he could help – in Turkish.  We said no taxi, but he just wanted to help us.  He didn’t know the street we were looking for so he shouted to a vendor and asked.  The vendor pointed us in the right direction.

Once in our apartment, we had some quiet time and then headed to Ara Café to meet a Turkish woman who hosts “out-of-towners.” We had difficulty finding the café – wandering this way and that, but finally we went to an Internet café to contact the woman.  But the young man who worked there knew the café, and showed us where it is.  Yeah!  Fulya meets people through CouchSurfing.net and has gatherings twice a week.  There also was a couple there from Singapore. 

After a leisurely conversation we headed to a different part of town.  We walked along the banks of the Boshporus River and had lunch at a different café.  It was interesting to see what everyone got – Turkish pizza, chicken with rice and potatoes.  Fulya also helped Tricia get a Turkish phone card to use during our visit.  Then in the late afternoon we boarded a Bosphorus tour boat.  It was a one hour cruise – 30 min. north and then south again.  It was only 10 Turkish lira which is about US $5.30 – it was one of the best “deals” of our trip.  As night arrived we watched the city lights come on including the bridges spanning the river and mansions, palaces, hotels and business along both sides of the river.  Not only does the Bosphorus Strait divide Istanbul into the European side and the Asian side it also connects the Marmara Sea with the Black Sea and the currents are treacherous.  Swimming is prohibited and large boats and tankers are required to use local pilots to navigate the waters.

After the cruise, we wandered past more street vendors on our way back to the buses.  Fulya told us that there are a lot of misconceptions of Turkish culture and much confusion with traditions that are more Arabic than Turkish.  For instance, the hookah (water pipe), “Turkish bath”, and fez are all not traditionally Turkish.

Monday 26 December 2011

Had a good nights sleep.  The apartment is quiet and the heaters kept us warm – too warm.  Eventually we realized we could turn them down to a more comfortable level, even though there were no settings.  We had a slow morning after yesterday’s long travel day and sightseeing day. (Why is it sightseeing we go to visit sites?)  We found an underground metro station near our apartment.  Our location reminds me of San Francisco.  We are located about halfway up a steep hill – down goes to the water and buses.  Up goes to the metro, trolley and Taksim Square.  The only place it’s really flat for any distance is along the shore of the Bosphorus. 

On foot we wandered looking for a yoga studio Tricia wanted to visit.  After looking and not finding, we decided it was time for a Starbucks.  It’s the first time I have visited a Starbucks since leaving the US in the end of March.  What fun.  It felt familiar and friendly.  They have Turkish pastries but the same coffees.  It’s amazing – in this “Turkish coffee” culture, Starbucks appears to be thriving with American style brew as well as Lattes, Cappucinos and hot chocolate. The Turkish (and Bulgarian) word for tea is “chai”.

Next we found the metro and headed to an area called Levent.  Again emerging from the metro we were confused – trying to match the street we were looking for with the map and what we could see in person.  We eventually found it.  This area is a business district but for lunch we found a café on a square of small shops and businesses.  It reminds me of Sonoma, California.  We found a window table and watched the world go by as we ate another Turkish meal – including a fresh salad bar – yeah!  Since we got a later start this morning it was late afternoon when we finished lunch.  We had thought about finding Belgrade Forest, but decided it was too late in the day for that particular adventure.  On our way back to the metro, we stopped in a high rise building with a shopping mall on the lower levels.  After going through the security check point (I beeped going through the monitor, but the beep was ignored) we stepped right into downtown LA or San Francisco – lots of glitz, high-end retailers and holiday decorations and lights.

An aside….while Turkey is a Muslim country there are Christian churches and some people (and apparently many retail businesses) who celebrate Christmas.  There are some Christmas trees and there are a lot of Santa Claus’ (called Noel Baba here) – but one thing is very different.  Santa makes his rounds on New Years Eve instead of Christmas Eve.  He’s part of the New Years celebration. 

So in this mall there was Santa and his sleigh in lights in the middle of the atrium spanning 2 floors.  This was something I did not expect in Istanbul!  And St. Nicolaus’ original home town is said to be Demre, Turkey.  As we wandered around a little we found an elevator to the roof-top 55 stories up.  This building is quite new – built in 2007.  We decided we wouldn’t get any better views than from the top of the building and up we went.  It was a very smooth elevator ride – my stomach did not end up in my mouth!  And yes, the view was spectacular – from all sides. 

Istanbul is huge – over 15 million people…which is approximately 4 times the size of LA and over twice the size of the entire San Francisco Bay Area.  I couldn’t see the end of it in any direction – except the black area which was Belgrade Forest in the distance.  This was one of those neat unplanned activities.  There was another option on the 55^th floor but we passed on it – taking a virtual helicopter ride over Istanbul (complete with skydiving). 

We headed back towards Iskitlal Street and thought about going to an American movie with Turkish subtitles.  I haven’t been in a movie theater since leaving the US.  We found one with American actors and went in.  The theater was unusual – the seats at the front of the theater were on a higher slope than the seats in the middle of the theater.  So the rows in front of us went up slightly.  The seats were staggered so no one would be directly in front, but off to either side.  The screen was higher than I'm used to, and actually this configuration seemed more comfortable for my neck.  There were very few people in the theatre so it wasn’t a problem anyway.  Note to self – before going to a movie, get the Turkish name translated into English and look on imdb.com before sitting down to watch it.  If I had known the name I would not have bought a ticket.  As it turned out, yes – there are actors I like in this movie, but I only stayed for the first 20 minutes or so before walking out.  What’s the name you say?  Carnage - with Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly.

It’s nice to have a “home” to return to in the apartment we are staying in.  And it was cozy and comfy. And the book I'm reading on my Kindle is much preferred to the movie I didn't stay for!