Istanbul - Brady Bunch Edition

Jamie and I have always had Istanbul / Turkey as part of the plan since we kicked off this long strange trip.   Our plan was to meet up with Jamie's crew of girlfriends from Seattle.  In fact, it seemed like just yesterday (which was actually in May or June) when I was making sarcastic comments to Jamie about the 455 page long email trail that went along during the travel planning process (ok, 454).  

What also came together was the ability to connect with Jamie's Mom, Janis.  She had planned to take a trip to Egypt and we were hoping we could overlap at some point during our adventure. Thankfully Cairo to Istanbul is a pretty easy trip and we would have a couple days to see the city before the rest of Jamie's entourage arrived.

I have alway been excited about the Turkey portion of our trip, it has been a "must see" for quite some time.  Istanbul is so rare in that it has been a conduit between the western and eastern worlds. It's path thru history is anything but boring.  From the Greeks, to Alexander the Great and the Romans, thru the Ottoman Empire, to the Republic of Turkey as we know it today; Turkey has basically been in constant change since the paleolithic age. And within all of this geopolitical change, at the epicenter, lies Istanbul and its small village of 16 million people. 

Far left side, continent of Asia.  Right side, continent of Europe.  

Istanbul is massive, I mean massive.  Did I mention it's massive?  It feels a lot bigger than major US cities (Chicago, LA, NYC), I think partly due to the population total being all city. They don't include surrounding areas or boroughs in that 16 M figure, its all metro and it's massive.  Ok, sorry I'll stop. 

Like a lot of major cities around the world getting transportation from the airport can be insane.  Not sure about the taxi situation we had booked our transfer, supposedly a private transfer, thru our Airbnb contact.  It was completely FUBAR.  They met us in the wrong spot, with the wrong hotel name while at the same time trying to wrangle another 15 arrivals that were coming out of the international arrivals door.  After being herded out to the pick up area (and watching an awesome random fight) we were shown to a mini bus with a small group of people.  When our driver said the wrong hotel again we pulled the rip cord and headed to the taxi line.  Istanbul lesson #1, don't bother with the airport "private" transfers, just grab a cab.  

Jamie, Janis and I were staying in a hotel for a night until Jamie's friends arrived.  The hotel was called the Grand Hotel de Londres.  It boasted a grand history with grand guests.  Ernest Hemingway is said to have stayed and written here (which I have found is a very common factoid in Europe).  We arrived to conclude that the hotel lost its "grand" status sometime in the 1950's.  If I were to construct a city version of The Overlook Hotel (The Shining) I would craft a hotel much like the Grand Hotel de Londres.  I imagine each night the salon was the place to be, with drinks, music and dancing.  Only in present time we can't see anything, just the occasional mysterious draft of wind and clinking glass.

Must have been quite a party here last night, the piano played until 4am.  Piano?  Nobody has played the piano for 20 years!!!

We bid Hemingway and friends adieu and set off into town.  We quickly learned the best way to experience Istanbul is on foot.  The city is amazing.  It's unlike any city I have ever been.  In the span of 30 minutes you can experience modern shopping and the cosmopolitan feel of Taksim Square, past the lookout point of the Galata Tower, to end in the magical Spice Bazaar.  Istanbul has an immediate energy, it's infectious and prompts you to continue your exploration. 

Galata Tower.  Roman lookout position and site of the worlds first hang gliding.

Are those spices from a Chevy '69?  How Bazaar.

As you learn about the history of the city you recognize how pragmatic the people of Istanbul have been over the past two thousand years.  Since Turkey was controlled by both the Greeks and the Romans they of course constructed many churches throughout the city.  As control changed so did their religious affiliation, Istanbul is now 99% muslim.  Instead of destroying many of these beautiful churches the people of Istanbul simply converted them to mosques.  And there are plenty to go around, we learned that within Istanbul there are 3200 mosques.  To put that in perspective there are 900 churches in all of Rome.

There are 28 total conversions throughout the city, none more impressive than the Hagia Sofia.  The conversion from church to mosque appears throughout Hagia Sofia.  Picture of the Last Supper?  Nope, how about a nice mosaic of flowers.  Alter?  Nope how about a mihrab that points towards Mecca.  It's not exactly the right angle?  No sweat, we'll just move it over by 7 degrees.  It's the original repurposed DIY project, how trendy.  If you make the trip, take the tour through, well worth it.

Blue Mosque, taken from inside the Hagia Sofia.

Remember the comment I made earlier about taking a taxi?  This applies to and from the airport, this does NOT apply in taking a cab from the Blue Mosque back to your hotel.  I'll spare you the details and just say that we got taken (which really pisses me off bc I pride myself on not having that happen to me) and we learned our lesson.  Take the tram back or walk.  Stupid Ryan.  In the end it still didn't come close to ruining our time as we all looked forward to another day of exploration.

The next day kicked off the Brady Bunch portion of the trip.  We were meeting up with Hannah, Michelle, Ann, Kimmy (daughter Lilah) and Kimmy's husband Chris.  You're probably thinking, that's a lot of estrogen in one place, and yes you would be correct.  Thankfully though Jamie's friends are a low drama group of girls, who love to have fun (especially with each other) and have come from all over the world to be together.  I have to give them props for pulling it off.  

What I did learn however, over the next few days, is that there must be some chemical reaction that occurs in groups of girls that physically prevents their ability to make a decision.  On their own all of these girls are smart, successful individuals who makes decisions for themselves all day, no problem. In a group though something systematically shuts down in their brains, I have never seen anything like it.  This situation becomes even more acute when the choice surrounds food and which restaurant to eat at, so we walk and we wander looking for that perfect restaurant.  While we wander each one takes their turn to tell me that they aren't the picky one, which somehow by process of elimination means, I am the picky one?   Here's an example: Red or green?  Girls answer: (She wants Red) I don't know, I like both colors, I mean what color do you guys like, I like both colors, I mean I could do Red but if you want Green that's totally cool, I really don't care (even though I do care). 

Ryan's answer: Red damnit.  I quickly learn that I will be the official decision maker for the next couple days, no problem as we all settle into our roles.

Thankfully now our focus can shift to the real highlight of Istanbul, the food.  Jamie and I like to make the joke that Istanbul stole all of the spices from the rest of Europe.  As lame as the joke is, the point is very true.  Even at our very first lunch, at a simple traditional Turkish restaurant, we were blown away by the level of flavor present in the various dishes.  Lamb, Chicken and Beef are the most popular proteins and they will prepare them in a million different ways.  They are masters at the lightly grilled vegetables, unlike when I either overcook or undercook at home.  Of all the choices and flavors, my personal favorite is the constant presence of the traditional kebab stand.  For 5 Turkish Lira (TL), which is roughly $2, you can enjoy a hand carved wrap sandwich (chicken or beef).  I challenge you to find a better $2 meal anywhere in the world.  

Delicious. Amazing. The rest of Europe should reconsider their acceptance of Turkey into the EU just so they can steal some of the food. 

No JV electric meat shaver for me.  I'm all varsity, I'll use a sword.

Turkish Delight, a must.  Pistachio was my runaway winner.

So, we bought a rug.  Jamie started laying the foundation on this eventual purchase early in our trip.   "We'll have it forever, it's an investment", "Turkey is the best place to get a rug" were a few of her consistent sales pitches.  While I wasn't against the idea I definitely wasn't sold.  Buying a rug in Turkey, let alone the Grand Bazaar can be an overwhelming experience.  I didn't like the notion of the bargaining game (sorry Mom) and was concerned that I would always wonder if I paid a good price, got a real rug, etc.  We agreed to go look and if we weren't blown away then we wouldn't get one.  Off we went.

We had strolled through the Grand Bazaar a few times before, which, as before, includes a consistent sales pitch from the shop owners who come out promising you the best stuff for the best price.  I appreciated one comment, which is still my favorite...."come on in, so I can rip you off."  At least have some fun with it.

A rug....puhhhleasssse?

As we strolled and looked through the various stores we found a small shop that had a creative spin on the traditional Turkish rug.  They took handmade pieces of rug and create a patchwork design, which resulted in a very cool and unique look.  Furthermore (and what maybe sealed the deal) is that we found a shop that worked on fixed price vs the majority that played the negotiation game. Maybe this is the German in me coming out but it seems way more efficient and effective to sell this way, cut the bs, and just offer me a price that I can accept or not.  I appreciated the way that he made fun of the process when we first started talking about it.  "I can make up a fake price that we negotiate back to this price, if you like.  I'd rather just tell you the price."  Amen.

After looking a bunch, we found one that we loved.  At one point Jamie and I had exchanged roles in which I found myself making the case for why we should get it.  The end result was a positive one and we are now the proud owners of a new, old, handmade patchwork rug from our friends at www.dhoku.com.  Here's a shot of it.  If you don't like it we respectfully request that you please shut your mouth.

I could go on about Istanbul for days, but I will spare our 13 readers from a full book report post.  I will say that this city is an absolute must for everyone.  Please add to your future travel plans.

The Brady Bunch.

Oh, and if anyone is curious about the safety here is a quick story that will help you feel better.  We were walking back from the Blue Mosque and we see a protest of sorts up near the road.  There was some initial hesitation amongst the group, so we did out best to avoid the crowd as they marched up the street with bull horns in full action.  As the protestors marched past us we noticed both men and women, all wearing matching t-shirts.  We asked the store owner who came outside who they were and what they were protesting.  "Teachers Union, they want a better contract."


Until next time Istanbul.

Drinks at sunset

Cistern, watch out for the medusa!

Fun fact: As mentioned in the picture above Istanbul actually covers two continents, Asia and Europe.  By far the largest transcontinental city.