I arrived at the airport on the Asian side of Istanbul early in the morning and it was almost a 90 min drive into Cheers hostel in the old city. They made me welcome, gave me breakfast, and were able to have my room ready by 11am. After a nap, I wandered around the maze of little streets by the Hagia Sophia & the Blue Mosque for a bit. Then back to Cheers for dinner. They do a grilled dinner (chicken wings & beef kebab) once a week for a reasonable price. About a dozen of us participated and it was fun getting to know a few of the others.
I took the Hop on Hop off bus part way around the route and then got a taxi to a plus size clothing chain that I had found online. Woo Hoo! The store I went to happened to be their outlet store! I bought a coat, slacks & a shirt for just over 300 lira ($150 Cad). I then got a cab to Taksim Square (another Big Bus stop) and tried to find one of the English schools that I have been corresponding with, without success. After lunch, I continued the tour to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar - way too crowded on a Saturday afternoon! So, back up to Sultanahmet (the old city, formerly called Constantinople).
For dinner, I went to a restaurant that was having a Whirling Dervish Ceremony. It was amazing! I actually felt uncomfortable finishing my dinner since it was so obviously a form of worship. There was a real sense of awe, power & prayer in the ceremony / performance!
Sunday was a brighter day so I got on the tour again to do the portion that I had missed which included going over the bridge to the Asian side of town. Boy, the wind coming down the Bosphorus from the Black Sea was cold! This time I got off at a different spot and walked to Galata Tower. Because there was a long lineup, I didn't go up the tower but I had a lovely lunch on the plaza before walking down the hill.
The spice bazaar was much more manageable today, still busy but not like sardines in a tin like yesterday. After a lovely dinner and a walk back through Arasta Bazaar and past the Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia lit up at night I visited a bit back at Cheers before heading back to my room to pack.
I really like Istanbul and the climate is moderate (not as scary as summer in the desert), I am looking forward to my 3 Skype job interviews for Istanbul when I return home.
I took the Hop on Hop off bus part way around the route and then got a taxi to a plus size clothing chain that I had found online. Woo Hoo! The store I went to happened to be their outlet store! I bought a coat, slacks & a shirt for just over 300 lira ($150 Cad). I then got a cab to Taksim Square (another Big Bus stop) and tried to find one of the English schools that I have been corresponding with, without success. After lunch, I continued the tour to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar - way too crowded on a Saturday afternoon! So, back up to Sultanahmet (the old city, formerly called Constantinople).
For dinner, I went to a restaurant that was having a Whirling Dervish Ceremony. It was amazing! I actually felt uncomfortable finishing my dinner since it was so obviously a form of worship. There was a real sense of awe, power & prayer in the ceremony / performance!
Sunday was a brighter day so I got on the tour again to do the portion that I had missed which included going over the bridge to the Asian side of town. Boy, the wind coming down the Bosphorus from the Black Sea was cold! This time I got off at a different spot and walked to Galata Tower. Because there was a long lineup, I didn't go up the tower but I had a lovely lunch on the plaza before walking down the hill.
The spice bazaar was much more manageable today, still busy but not like sardines in a tin like yesterday. After a lovely dinner and a walk back through Arasta Bazaar and past the Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia lit up at night I visited a bit back at Cheers before heading back to my room to pack.
I really like Istanbul and the climate is moderate (not as scary as summer in the desert), I am looking forward to my 3 Skype job interviews for Istanbul when I return home.
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