Merheba! - Greetings from Istanbul!
After a long trip from Toronto via Amsterdam to Turkey, we arrived in Istanbul safely yet exhausted.
Yesterday was our first busy day in the city, and it was quite busy. After a hearty Turkish breakfast, we headed out from New Istanbul to Old Istanbul on a long walk. We stopped off at Galata Tower, one of the oldest and most beautiful towers in Istanbul, built in 528. From the top we had an incredible birds-eye view of the city.
We crossed the bridge to get to Old Istanbul, and right in between we had the chance to stand in two continents at once (Turkey is separated into the Asian and European sides).
We visited a few mosques and heard the call to prayer at the famous Blue Mosque - which was an experience in itself. Before the mosque was open, we had to wait in a square where there were groups of children waiting to go in as well. They were adorable, but there was a language barrier that was difficult to overcome. The only bit of success came from trying to translate through the tour book.
In the afternoon we walked to a place called the Grand Bazaar - which is a huge building packed with hundreds of shops filled with all sorts of unique things. It was the first time bartering for many of the girls - who were not used to being yelled at, but some girls were able to buy some nice shoes or wallets for 30 Turkish liras, which is approximately equal to $22.5 CAN. We were quite the attraction to the locals - many of whom would ask us where we were from. When they found out we were from Canada we would often get - Oh Spice Girl! or Welcome Charlie’s Angels! It was quite entertaining!
We saw some local Turkish dancing - which some of the girls joined in with - and on our way back home a few of us joined in with a few children who were playing soccer (football) in a little square.
Our local tour guides, three students from the Bôgaziçi University (the university that is hosting the games) took us to dinner and a pub to watch the Turkish Cup finals.
Turkey is an incredible place to visit – it’s filled with culture, unique cuisine, excitement, and interesting things to do. Tomorrow we are going to take a break from bustling downtown of Istanbul and escape to a relaxing day at the beach.
Take care!
Jenn
