Two of us are headed to Istanbul for the weekend! This city is like nothing I've ever seen- energetic vibe, very European, but with a Turkish tinge. No matter what time of the day you are out and about the city is bustling with people. We stayed with Oben and her family, in her beautiful home on the European side. Her baby boy, Efe, is adorable. She is overly generous and spoiled us every morning with an immense breakfast that included home-made jam and börek.
Saturday Elena and I started exploring the 'Old City.' First was Hagia Sofia, or Ayasofya. It is breathtakingly beautiful. My favorite thing here. Emperor Justinian built it in 537 as a
Christian church, it was then converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in the 15th Century. They have since uncovered the Byzantine mosaics that the Ottomans cemented over.
It's both strange and nice to see images of the Virgin Mary and Christ right next to the name of Allah.
Next we headed to Topkapı sarayı to see the palace, the imperial costumes (For you, Caroline!), the Divan and the courtyards. Then, the kapalıçarşı, or Grand Bazaar. It is an overwhelming, covered labyrinth of booth-like shops with everything you could possibly think of. The vendors speak all sorts of languages to cater to the bargaining tourists. For some reason they get excited when you tell them you're from America.
Sunday was more relaxed. We went down to the Bosphorus with Oben and her family to walk around the area. We took an hour long ferry ride to see the coastline and it's beautiful homes. We followed this up with some kumpir- baked potatoes they sell on the sides of the street with kaşar cheese, ketchup, sweet corn, onions, etc- and a waffle.
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