Istanbul V2

Just a quick note before we head to the airport for the 3rd time in 4 days!

Our last two days in Istanbul have been great! Istanbul is a very pretty city with lots of sites and a beautiful waterfront.

Yesterday we did a great deal of shopping at the grand bazaar. There are so many shops and so many neat souvenirs. We did our best to avoid the trap of buying a million things that look cool at the bazaar but that we have no spot for at home. Also, after learning some tough haggling lessons in Egypt these turks didn't know what they were in for when we hit the bazaar - we think we got some good deals! After that we took the tram to the waterfront and enjoyed the view before heading to the Spice Bazaar. We didn't buy anything as it was just spices, but there were some strange animals and tons of vendors selling a colourful array of spices! At both bazaars it was EXTREMELY busy and by the end we were very tired!

Since we new that we needed to relax, we thought we'd try out a turkish bath. It was a very strange experience, but a lot of fun. We were scantly clad in very small towels and then ushered into separate bathing areas. The rooms were solid marble and had vaulted ceilings. We both received turkish massages, but we had two very different experiences. Steve had his fingers, toes, back, and neck cracked multiple times by his unlicensed, wet, and harry turk while Jess received a soft, relaxing rub from her masseuse. Steve says that he's still sore today. He almost had to ask the big turk to chill out a bit, be he didn't want to be the only wimp in the bath. After the massage, the 105 degree heat was a bit much, so patrons sat along the wall and doused themselves with cold water and soap until the felt sufficiently clean. Very strange, but a good experience. Steve then got a shave from a barber at the bath - it was quite a process. After having his entire head doused in alcohol aftershave and temporarily loosing his sight, he awoke from his short unconsciousness to luxuriously smooth and well treated skin. Don't worry folks - his nose hairs were tweezed, and his ear hair was BURNT with a flaming torch. When the turks give a shave, they GIVE A SHAVE.

Last night we ventured to McDonald's for a quick bite. After seeing the total was as much as a nice meal, we darted for the door before the order was finalized and we were glad that we did! We were ushered into a restaurant by one of the many restaurateurs standing street side. Without his assistance we would have never known that his bar had a rooftop patio with a beautiful evening view of the blue mosque, aya sofia, and the waterfront. We had a bottle of wine and some wonderful pasta, before strolling back to our hostel! All in all it was a great end to a great day.

This morning we woke up relatively early, packed up, and hit the town again. We managed to see Aya Sofia. It was a lot bigger and more decorated than we had expected. The centre dome must be 20 stories high - its incredible. We made our way to the second level via a cobblestone, ancient ramp and took in the equally impressive views from above.



We then headed to the nearby Topkapi Palace. This place is HUGE. Its situated on the waterfront and is hundreds of years old. The grounds are beautiful and very well cared for. There were flowers and trees everywhere inside the enormous stone walls. There were many different sections of which we viewed the harem and Treasury which is home to the 4th largest diamond in the world. Walking through the Harem provided a good sense of the interior of the palace. There were many levels, vaulted ceilings, intricate tiling and artwork, and some amazing views of the water. Overall, it was very cool and provided a great place to spend our afternoon.

We just grabbed a quick bite of local dishes that we've been too scared to attempt as of yet including a cold bean dish, roasted eggplant and tomato, and corba (soup). Everything was great, and we topped it off with a national speciality - rice pudding.

We fly to Goreme in the centre of turkey in 2 hours and are heading for the airport by tram now!

TTFN. J & S