Sunday, May 9, 2010

istanbul by k

i recently went to istanbul with a couple friends and loved it! it is a great, huge, diverse, crazy city, and it was also really nice to be traveling with other adults! it is such a different pace from traveling with kids and was a welcome change. here are my favorite things/moments, and things that stuck out for me.
  • the view from our apartment over the bosphorus. we watched the moon rise over asia most nights, and the amount of traffic on the water is mind-boggling.
  • yogurt! the turks love their yogurt and so do i.
  • looking for a synagogue and finding a brothel instead! we figured if there was security it was probably the synagogue on the map, but lo and behold, a guy going in who couldn't speak english did find the one word that clarified what was going on: sex.
  • the crazy mix of people from all over.
  • being able to walk and walk and walk and walk and sit and talk and talk and talk and talk without interruption and whining.
  • the blue mosque. beautiful inside with all the tiles...not just blue!
  • the spice market with strands of dried okra, eggplant and chiles hanging everywhere. and the spices!
  • cats everywhere! very brave cats. not skittish like in most cities. the people treat them well.
  • apple tea. i didn't actually like it that much, but i like the ritual of it and the curvy little glasses it's served in.
  • friendly people. most people we encountered were very friendly and had a sense of humor...a nice change from catalunya where humor is not a strong suit.
i'm sure there are things i'm forgetting. i'm hoping to post some photos, but since i didn't take one single picture, i have to wait to some from my friends. stay tuned...