Day 43: Istanbul

There's something a mesmerizing about Istanbul. I'm not certain what has caused me to turn into a lazy puddle of contentedness: maybe it's the 100-degree heat, the fact that I have 6 nights here with no need to rush, too much time spent watching ships along ocean the from the hostel's rooftop, the tranquil sounds of the mosques' call to prayer five times a day, the beautiful ancient architecture, or the easiness of spending a few hours browsing Turkish crafts in bazaar halls. Whatever the cause, I believe in Istanbul that I have now achieved maximum relaxedness. This tranquility seems in contrast with the city itself, which if I had to describe in one word, I would use "aggressive." The city is massive (15 million people), the streets are crowded and chaotic, and the shop merchants will chase you down the street asking you to come back and look (along with young men yelling, "beautiful, will you be my wife?"). But I think it must be the local Turkish that exude this contagious tranquility with their passion for herbal fruit teas, sofa-lounging cafes, hookah bars, and extreme friendliness (once it's taken a little getting used to, and no longer feels overbearing).

After a leisurely breakfast, I visited the Topkapi Palace, where previous Sultans lived until about 1910. The palace was interesting, but shoving room only through certain exhibits, which made the visit rather uncomfortable. The Ottoman architecture and tile interiors were gorgeous, particularly the tour through the Harem section of the palace.

Pictures of the palace:

After the palace grounds, I visited the Blue Mosque, one of Istanbul's greatest architectural achievements. Tourists are only allowed to visit during non-prayer times and are confined to a small area of the mosque, but the interior is massive and impressive.

Images of Blue Mosque

After spending some time at the hostel recovering from the heat, I grabbed dinner at a self-service cafeteria restaurant. I will say that one thing that has disappointed me in Istanbul is the food. Eggplant, hummus, and yogurt are three of my favorite foods, so I expected that Istanbul would be a food love-fest. So far, the food has just been ok. Everything tastes very simple and basic. Even ice cream that I ordered in 104 degree heat was just ok, and at that temperature anything frozen should automatically be amazing. 

I spent my night hanging out at the hostel rooftop, again with some of the other guests and the hostel staff. The night turned a little long, but it was hard to go to bed when there were chess games to watch, a friend of the hostel singing traditional Turkish ballads, a cool breeze, and the moon rising over the Asian part of Istanbul. 

Although I find the aggressiveness of the streets a little more that I care for, I'm still loving slowly passing time in Istanbul. The wedding is tonight, so I'm going to have to un-trance myself to cheer Ozge on the dance floor!