Istanbul (not Constantinople)…

In a nutshell~ the sights are incredible, the men are invasive, the food is addictive, the beer is delicious, the traffic is psychotic, the vibe in winter is not so great… I think other times will be better without the winter rain… but its still warmer than here -> it was 7 degrees!

Ok… clearly there is more to it than that… the sights are interesting, unique, beautiful, and totally foreign BUT the traffic is a nightmare and winter rain is going to put a damper on anything… pun intended! To put you in the loop, I was sent to Turkey by my company WITH the President and the Director of Direct English Korea, as well as Ruda who is in charge of academic development, and also happens to be the daughter of the Pres. This is team Korea~

Unfortunately, the company who was hosting the conference (our main purpose for going all the way there) screwed up monumentally by launching online products that DE Korea has been using for years already. Big effing wow! Enough about work though… we had 2.5 days to tour the city and we did just that! I confused everyone… hanging out with 3 Koreans, looking very Middle Eastern, but ek kan did taal praat as een van daie bladdie doos’es wat binne in die Grand Bazaar werk wat raak my kwaad wanneer hulle probeer om Dutch te praat*. I’m from SOUTH AFRICA you winner, not the NETHERLANDS. Geography anyone? Most of the men had 3 “lines” for me to buy their stuff (which was identical to the stuff around their stall/shop/barrow) 1. Wow, where are you from? Paradise? (I kid you not). 2. You’re so beautiful, come here and see what I have. (concise, to the point, ambiguous) 3. “insert Turkish/Spanish/Arabic/Italian pick-up line” here. (Dude, I have no effing idea what you just said, but No.) However, I think I could pull the look off quite well if I had to…

Some interesting things about Istanbul~ it is the only city to straddle two continents and the Bosphorus River cuts in in half (not equally) flowing from the Black Sea up north to the Sea of Marmara down south (which eventually ends up in the Med) but it also has another body of water, The Golden Horn, which cuts the European side into the top two thirds of modern, later development and the lower third which is where most of the history and sights are. There are about 13million people who call this city home, and there are about 6million cars. Are you getting a picture yet? Now picture this people… THEY ONLY HAVE 4 BRIDGES!!!!!!!!! Ya… 2 across the Bosphorous and 2 across the Golden Horn. Sure, there are a bunch of ferries crossing the water… but 4 bridges… 6 million cars… Seoul has 19 bridges, some of which are for trains, and we still sit in traffic getting from one side to the other. Can you imagine the traffic problem in Istanbul? This is the view from the hotel’s restautant – rainy winter’s day as well~

Anyhoo… I’m no town planner, but I think they should consider building another bridge or two. Another thing you’ll notice in the city, in abundance, are fat, healthy, well-fed, stray cats! Yip… the city is theirs to frolic about to their heart’s content without a worry in the world. In the Qur’an there is something about cats being special (I could go into more detail about it, but it a long and winding story… wiki it here ) and so they are everywhere. This particular one caught my attention – I’m not a cat person, but this guy is living the good life~

Here are my piccies ~ I tried to be a real tourist and snap away, and I think I did a good job! If you’re not into old buildings or art, or you’re a little hungry right now, don’t go through these pics! Turkish food is certainly one of the top 5 cuisines in the world! Its ridiculous how awesome the food is….

Their local beer, Efes, is in my top 5 beers ever.

Another interesting thing is that according to Islam, artists could not depict human form, hence the magnificent mosaics that are painted onto tiles, which then adorn the palaces, mosques and various other places. It is exquisite, the detail is amazing. The colour red was only introduced much later, so all the early stuff is in various shades of blues and greens set on white tiles. My pictures don’t do this beauty any justice, sorry, but these were some that took my already taken away breath even more away… do you get me?

And this one also…

And the ceilings were a sight on their own. The details were not lost at all, despite the height of some of these domes, and the fact that everything was still so brilliant and clear after hundreds of years is testament to the artists’ skills.

We were lucky enough to see an exhibition of the Qur’an from the last 1400years… it was really amazing! Again, my photos don’t do these delicate and elaborate pieces of work any justice, but I hope you can get some of my impression from these~

and this one also, see the case it comes it~

Wow~ there is so much to say about all of this. The Qur’an, as a piece of art, is in a league of its own! I think you’re getting the idea though~ Istanbul is a city to see things! Rain and sh*tty traffic aside, the sights are amazing. We went on a cruise up the Bosphorous River, and took in the historical significance of Istanbul~ not only as the gateway from Europe to Asia, but also the fine balance between Christian and Islamic beliefs, and old and new lifestyles, all co-existing. There are few skyscrapers, and the apartment buildings are seldom taller than 6 storeys.

The taxis are all Hyundai Accents (the smallest sedan on the market, in the world, ever) and the drivers aren’t really into following universally accepted road rules. This provides one with some entertainment when trying to cross a road, because in many instances the pedestrian crossing is indicated with a SIGN rather than the more useful, less deadly, TRAFFIC LIGHT… Tell that to the guy speeding towards you at 80km/hr… “look at the sign! look at the sign!”

The bazaars (Grand and Spice) are something else. I’m not a fan of crowds, men who have no concept of pesonal space, or bargaining, so I wasn’t really all that excited about going into the Grand Bazaar. Not only is it the oldest covered bazaar in the world, but it also has over 4000 shops (yes, that says four THOUSAND) and hundreds of streets to get lost in so it is almost impossible to go out the same gate you went in. It looks much like this…

The Spice Bazaar was much more interesting for me. The smells were intoxicating, and the sights were mouthwatering. Towers of Turkish Delight, piles of spices, racks of dried garlic/tomatoes/other things, shelves of tobacoo for the famed nargilahs (water pipes- hookah) and more…

and more…

I think you’re getting the idea hey! Istanbul is a place to visit for sure~ roll with it, the noise, the smells, the traiffic. But… don’t go in winter… rain is not fun for touring. But go… go go go!

at our last dinner, the restaurant put these on our table!

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