Eek, so yeah. This post is also a day late. Due to yesterday’s being a day late. So super short post about this day. [haaaaa…like that will ever happen. But one can dream, no?]

Date: May 28^th

Location: Bursa/Ankara

Significance: Last day of being 18!

And the summary:

So a word about our group: late. Not the most punctual of peeps. So Mezut, alternating between pleading, threatening, and cajoling, set our departure time at 8:50 am. Lo and behold! Everyone was actually on the bus by 9:15! This is amazing. Only 25 minutes late. Pat on the back.

We leave Bursa and Mezut immediately starts talking about Turkish history. My memory of the 2-3 hour bus ride: “The Turks originally came from Central Asi-----And this is where we are all getting off!” I awake completely and utterly confused as we all begin to file from the bus. We all wander around oohing and awing at the beautiful courtyard (or in my case, blinking stupidly) before I finally get the courage to ask “Uhh where are we?” Mezut was a little insulted that I slept through his apparently wonderful explanation but alas. C’est la vie.

So location: Yunus Emre Shrine. Possibly burial place. A Sufi poet. Very cool. More importantly: the caretaker. He was ecstatic about our arrival. Honestly we must have been the first people to visit that shrine in living memory. So despite Mezut anxiously checking his watch and trying to shuffle us onto the road, we of course had to accept tea from the caretaker and chat idyllically. Oh Brer Fox, please don’t throw me into the briar patch.

Yes, I realize this is a lame picture. One, I couldn't find one on the internet. Two, all of my pictures are still on the camera. And three, the camera is upstairs and charging. Sooo tough luck.

We hit the road again, and this time I manage to retain consciousness, a feat in and of itself. Again, pat on the back. We stop for lunch. Mezut gives us twenty minutes because we really needed to hurry if we were to catch this museum in Ankara before it closes. An hour and a half later we get back on the road. Mexut has admitted defeat.

We arrive in Ankara at about 7pm-ish. Most of these times are ish-ish since Ellen forgot to bring a watch. Stupid Ellen. A few of us then go for a walk among Ankara, making a list of all the wonderful things this city has to offer. You know, like Ataturk statues everywhere, soldiers armed with machine guns guarding buildings, the lack of trashcans [this seems to be true just of Turkey in general], and this glorious sculpture of working men that have more muscles than I think is even humanly possible. [Totally going to put a picture here, but alas couldn't find one].

But yes, despite the slightly negative hype about this city communicated ever so subtly by our fearless leader, Ankara turns out to be a fairly pretty city, though people here smoke too much and there are no buildings of historical significance. We grab dinner at this place that supposedly has the best liver ever. Yes, you heard right. Liver. And this is me speaking, the girl who is so adventurous that she can’t even order toppings on her cheese pizza. But I tried it! Immensely disliked it. But I tried it. (Take that Dad! :-P). 

We meet back at the hotel and discuss the final ending to Love is the Wine. Interesting conversation. What was even more amazing were the chocolate goodies being passed around. Yumm. Afterwards, a few of us head off to find this great café that has a waterfall and a great view of this mosque. Alas the waterfall is turned off and the café closed. Dejected, we return to another café. Good conversation ensues, mainly centered around Heather, Mitch and Melody’s upcoming trip to Cairo – and their inability to speak Arabic – and their lack of a guidebook.

We return around midnight, and my wonderful roommates surprise me with a trail of paper all over our room all wishing me a Happy Birthday. Awww thanks you guys! [Big shout out to Kat and Narmeen!]. I then proceed to stay up way past my bedtime typing yesterday’s blog post. So you better have appreciated it. Constant sacrifice.

But that’s all for now! I was going to write today’s post tonight as well, buttttt I am tired and we’re going hiking tomorrow. Plus it was my birthday!!! Yay! And a very eventful day, so it would probably take the rest of the night to type. So yes, love you all, but my sacrifice for you…ehh everyone has limits.

So ta-ta for now!

Once again, the Outline: (which really is necessary because it’s been two whole days now. With a mind like a sieve, retention isn’t my greatest attribute)

Location: Bursa, former Ottoman capital. Planned departure time: 9 am. Time we ate breakfast: 9:15 am. Ahhh, Mezut. I know you’re German and used to strict time schedules but we are on vacation time! Besides, enjoy the moment, right?

First stop: Calligraphy Mosque. And yes, that’s not its real name. Hey, you couldn’t even pronounce its real name anyway [sweeping generalization]. Very cool mosque, I must admit. I LOVE the contrast between the white walls and the HUGE black paintings of Arabic calligraphy. Though the painted decorations of curtains and pillars on the wall? Tacky. Pshh who would want to copy a French style of decoration anyway?

   

The mosque was very serene, especially with a beautiful running fountain in the middle. It was very therapeutic sitting there listening to the running water… and the footsteps of hundreds of school children stampeding the mosque…and the loud vacuum right next to me…and the several other tour groups that decided to pop in there as well. Ahh perfect atmosphere for meditation.

Next stop: the Green Mosque. Which is not green. It is teal. And A blueish teal at that. Well, there were a few green tiles inside but that is NOT justification. From there we head to the Green Shrine. Ok seriously? Seriously? If you have issues identifying colors, then STOP naming buildings after colors! A blue teal is NOT green.  Cool tombstones inside though.

We come across this amazing store that is four stories tall, filled with amazing things like tiles, clothing, boxes, pillows, lamps, ceramics, and what not. It was like kids in a candy store as the chains were cut and we were unleashed into the shop. Amount of time we were given: 5 min. Time we were there: 50 min. Hmmm well they both start with a five. They had this *awesome* rooftop terrace filled with ceramics, trees, and pillows. So comfy and relaxing.

We then went to lunch, though the group did split up. Most went to this place that claims to have invented the iskander kabob. Haha suckers. WE ended up going to this great little restaurant with super nice people, great food, and it was cheap. All great qualities. AND the waiter totally thought I understood Turkish. Sahweet. I hope you all realize that at this point I know four words in Turkish. Luckily, I’ve learned a few more since then – bringing me to a grand total of six.

This bazaar was a little bit different than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It was clearly oriented to the locals (as much as we wanted too, we couldn’t fit the couches in our luggage), and it was much cleaner. My favorite part? We found this great courtyard under the trees and filled with locals. A few of us sat down, had our elma chai, and just enjoyed the people-watching (Seriously who thinks that a combo of bleach blond and jet black hair arranged in a mop-like fashion looks good? Who?). No joke, I did not move from that chair in an hour and a half.

Key discoveries? That health developments of Lady Gaga are important enough to appear on the front page of one of the Turkish papers’ section. Mitch nearly had a heart attack from sheer joy. He nearly died when a few seconds later he heard there was a cheese market nearby. Lady Gaga and cheese = Mitch’s idea of heaven on earth (see? So many religious experiences)

Ahh yes. The pool adventure. Where to begin? Well we all (well mostly all, but as the Malibu commercial says: dee-tails.) head back to the hotel and Kat and I decided to go make use of the swimming pool that was supposedly somewhere on the ground floor. First problem: I go back for computer and my key to my room no longer works. So naturally I try again. Again red light. Well third time’s the charm right? Or how about thirtieth time? Three hundredth? Ten minutes later, here is the scene: Kat is standing worried by the elevator, thinking I had died. I am banging my head against the wall as I continue my rhythmic swiping, all with the hope that maybe this time it’ll work. Or this time. A crowd has gathered cheering me on. Cleaning ladies are shaking their head and laughing (their thoughts are probably running along the typical line of “stupid Americans”). Finally, a hotel staff member walking by takes pity on me and fetches me a new key (that I should’ve gone and gotten a long time ago…but didn’t because the next swipe could’ve been the one that worked! Duh). Yay! Obstacle = overcome.

Next dilemma: finding the pool. After much wandering, dodging cleaning ladies, discovering hidden yet smelly staircases, and throwing ourselves at glass windows [or really, throwing myself – Kat refrained from partaking in the Human Battering Ram], we make it finally to the basement, alleged location of this mysterious pool. Hmm, first glance? Nothing. Empty room with a few doors and hallways leading from it. Uh oh! Cleaning men coming! Run! *scamper scamper scamper*. I run and hide behind the elevator, forgetting that the back of the elevator is glass and therefore transparent. Smart move Ellen.

However, narrow catastrophe avoided (because clearly being discovered by cleaning men in the basement will have unimaginable consequences) and we wander around the room some more. I peer into one of the translucent doors, trying to see inside. Lo and behold, a man is standing there staring back at me. I FREAK out and sprint to the nearest potted plant, crouching behind it. [Kat meanwhile is standing there so confused]. The man comes out and starts talking to Kat, revealing that yes, yes it was the pool. It took much convincing but eventually I was coaxed out from behind the plant and we enter to discover the pool. Victory at last is ours! Naturally I celebrate by pulling up a chair and conking out, hardcore dead body style. All that work and I don’t even get to use the pool :/. Typical.

I sit down in the lobby to continue reading Love is the Wine. This take 2 hours to read the 30 page section. Now don’t get me wrong. The book is a very easy read. Just very thought-provoking. And the several tour groups marching by, all with matching baseball caps or matching backpacks were slightly distracting. I mean, someone has to make fun of them, albeit silently. We then go to class and discuss the readings. Most fascinating thing? The creation of Satan and the nature of jinn. Mental to do list: learn more.

A group of us then head out to a local ice cream shop. Apparently standing there debating between chocolate and strawberry will result in a mixed scoop of both types. Well that certainly ended my indecisiveness! We wander about (a recurring theme) and eventually just head back to the hotel and chat outside at the tables. We start with about nine-ish, and slowly yet surely we weed them off. 1 am: down to three. 2 am: two left. 4 am: Omid and I decide to call it a night. Pshh who needs sleep anyway when there’s great conversation to be had?

But yes, that is why I did not get a chance to post last night. I figured it was more important to grab at least a little sleep (this post has taken me two hours to type – ugh). But yes, thus ends Ellen’s adventures in Bursa.

Peace.

Merhaba! Greetings from Istanbul! Today is our last day in the city (for now) as tomorrow we set off for Bursa. I decided I liked the summary form that I used last time - my poor memory is needs these outlines. It also provides you guys with the opportunity to skim my blog quickly and pretend you read it (oh I know…I too have done my fair share). So for my likeminded, lazy compadres:

By the way, the summary was a slight peace offering as an apology for what I’m sure will be a long post :/

Wow. That’s really the best word to describe this building. Absolutely amazing. I know, I know, cliché but pictures really can’t do this place justice. You walk in and your jaw drops to the floor. It is HUGE. Built during 532 and 537 AD (only five years!) during the Byzantine Empire, this multidomed building was used as a church. To give you a sense of size, the entire Statue of Liberty could fit in there and the torch still wouldn’t touch the tip of the dome. Yeah, if that doesn’t awe you, it should. Also the medallions in the picture below? 30 feet in diameter.

To give you a sense of its beauty, the Byzantines, after completing this church, stopped building things after this. Really, they just stopped, believing it was impossible to improve upon perfection. It is also said that when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, Mehmet II, their fearless leader, rode into the Hagia Sofia and wept from the sheer beauty. Seeing what a marvelous city that he just conquered, he cut off the customary three days of looting after only one day (pissing off many soldiers – I mean I’d probably be pissed off too, but for history’s sake it was a good call. I approve.).  

So instead of droning on and on about its magnificence and then going into every minute detail (ohhhh I am so tempted. Luckily for you, I value my sleep more), here’s a recap of the cool things about the Hagia Sofia:

Love this building. I really do. But I am not a totally groupie, like I appear to be. Here are the (admittedly nitpicky) things that bothered me about the Hagia Sofia:

Maybe it was after seeing all the precise perfection of all the other mosques in Istanbul, but these ancient Christians really need to get their act in gear. But *please* bear in mind, that this is an absolutely amazing building. And only someone as an obnoxious of a perfectionist as I am (those lines on the side of my blog header still bother me. Grr.), would notice these details.

Ok, I babbled on enough about inadequate designs. Onward and upward! The hippodrome: a large oval “square” in the middle of the city where chariot races used to be held. And apparently, these were the definition of hardcore fans. Bleachers would be split into two sides, and riots would start in the street after races. And in a typical Carolina fashion, when they celebrated, sh*t got burned. Actually these chariot riots caused the first two original Hagia Sophias to burn to the ground before the ruler was like “F that” and built it out of stone. He also started threatening to cut off everyone’s head who rioted until they learned their lesson. Hmmm, imagine having him as a parent. Suddenly, time out doesn’t seem so bad…

Inside the oval part of the Hippodrome are four monuments of significance. The Kaiser fountain (from when the Turks still had a good relationship with Germany), a twisted metal pole that used to have three snake heads on it (war booty – it was originally a shrine to Apollo after the Greeks defeated the Persians), a large column covered in many holes, and an Egyptian obelisk.

It’s the latter I am now going to gripe about. This Egyptian obelisk (below left) is 3500 years old, the oldest thing in Istanbul and brought here as war spoils. In another 500 years, Turkey will have had it longer than the Egyptians did. It’s really cool looking. My issue with it: it’s in perfect condition. The top might be slightly faded and there is a chip here or there, but other than that, it’s PERFECT. Ok, ok, maybe they just preserved it really well. Oh really…? Let’s take a look at the neighboring column (below right) that I describe above, which is about the same height.

    

Neighboring column: incredibly ugly. Why? Because it is riddled with holes, of course. And where did all these holes come from? From all the bullets and other war projectiles that have been fired around over the years. Hmm, and yet this Egyptian obelisk, which has been there hundreds of years before this column, which located maybe 50 feet from the column, is in perfect condition. Huh. No one else seemed concerned by this, but I was deeply disturbed and I quite adamantly expressed my disproval. Only conclusion we could arrive at: invisible force field.

Yeah, I know. Enough whining on my end. Time to move on.

I’m going to keep this brief. Very cool art. After seeing the calligraphy and woodwork of the later years, I convinced myself that I WILL learn how to do this. I already started planning out my first mother-of-pearl inlayed inscription tablet.

At the end - a beautiful view of the Sultanahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque from the beginning). Photo Op! Omid looked like a Christmas tree from all the cameras hanging on him. Then we went to lunch back at our favorite place: Doy Doy. We ate on the rooftop and OH MY GOD IT WAS GORGEOUS. On the left, the Sultanahmed was RIGHT THERE. And straight ahead and wrapped around to the right was a beautiful view of the Marmara Sea. Ahhh so beautiful.

We went to the cisterns under the city and it was eerily awesome. Huge columns underground, shallow black water, and pathways leading off into the distance. Got a few cool pics. I was sooo tempted to burst out into a rendition of “Phantom of the Opera”. I knew I should have packed my cape :/

Two of the columns were supported by Medusa heads, taken from a temple in Greece. What was interesting is that they were purposefully placed either upside down or sideways, possibly to ward against their effectiveness? Almost slipped a few times on my way around the pathways and probably would’ve fallen to my death [exaggeration], but luckily my abundant grace helped me to navigate these perilous planks [lie]. Flip flops = bad idea.

Wandered around the bazaar, partook in some more apple tea at the request of our pashmina friend, and went searching for some gifts for Kat’s friends and family. The guy who sells her earrings is shocked that learned I am, too, am nineteen (almost). Really? Really guys? Do I really look fourteen? Met up with Omid’s friend again, had a good conversation where we discussed, among other things, my obvious American features. Alas. Despite trying my hardest to assimilate.

There was some good news. My debit card is working! Hooray! I no longer have to keep distributing I.O.U. tickets. Ca-chinggg. Thanks Dad for getting that fixed! Also, Omid was incredibly generous and is letting me use his camera so I don’t have to continue buying batteries twice a day. [Shout out to the both of them!]

Ok this is where I leave you. It was an interesting experience finding a dinner place, but we’ll save that for another time. Still need to shower and pack for Bursa and its 2 am. Over and out!

Ok, so here’s the situation. One, it takes me forever to type these things, sacrificing my sleep and sanity. Two, you probably don’t want to read all of this nonsense anyway (hence the zero comments *cough cough*). Plan: write more concisely. Problem: I can’t write concisely. As anyone who reads my essays knows… Hmmm, a minor issue. Ok today shall be my attempt at my New Week’s Revolution (Monday counts as the start of a new week, right? European style?)

Summary:

Soooo, got it? Hmm, maybe that was a little too concise. Okay, I’ll elaborate a little more so that when I possibly reread this many years from now, I’m not like “WTF, mate?” (http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end --> citing sources = good)

Topkapi Palace, the palace used by the Sultans of the Ottoman Empires, is quite a gorgeous place. It’s very widespread, with a many beautiful gardens, open spaces, and a *marvelous* view of the Marmara Sea. It also houses many famous religious relics including:

Topkapi Palace also has many priceless gems in its treasury, including an 84-carat diamond! Though, I was more concerned with the fact I was getting bowled over by 80 year old German women, who were all about 4 feet tall and equipped with deadly bony elbows.

Also, key note: as someone famous once said (I told you I’m horrible with names) “sacred is contagious”. Everything that ever TOUCHED something holy is now considered holy and is also housed in the sacred relics room. Including the water used to wash the relics and the condensation on the wall. Also, there was a castration room (ouch!), and we unfortunately didn’t get to go see the harem. Though after hearing about all the intrigue among the women in the imperial harem, I am tempted to go read Leslie Pierce’s The Imperial Harem, which is supposedly quite good. [Not an advertisement – just a online note of a book to add to my reading list]

We have lunch on a rooftop terrace. Very good food here in Turkey. I am a fan. We then head off to a mosque known as the Little Hagia Sophia (below), which is just like the big and famous Hagia Sophia, just a lot smaller. This too was a church(built in 542 AD!) that was converted into a mosque (circa 1453). What’s interesting is that this mosque is so old, it still has ancient Greek inscriptions carved into it. We also explore some of the local artist’s shops and I saw how mother-or-pearl is inlayed in wood to make beautiful boxes/earrings/etc. Sooo tempted to try. Hmmm, I wonder how much sheets of mother-of-pearl cost…

The next mosque we visit was made by Sinan, one of Omid’s man-crushes. The guy was super cool, I’ll give him that. Alas, I don’t have the time to go into his history, but if you want more info, check out this: http://www.turkishculture.org/architecture-403.htm. Anyway, once again, I can’t remember this mosque’s name, as I was distracted by the asshole caretaker glaring at us from the doorway. But very pretty, with gorgeous tile work inside.

Shoot shoot shoot. I’m exceeding the limit I set myself. Ok, summary. A couple of us head to the Grand Bazaar (a HUGE maze of shops, organized by districts, and has been in use for 500+ years), and Omid takes us to his friend’s shop. Said friend then takes us to another mutual friend’s pashmina shop, where we sit, talk, drink apple tea, discuss life and examine the various types of pashminas. Because I feel slightly obligated to support friends, even newly made, tentative ones, I do end up walking out with a new, brightly colored pashmina. Though I must say, it is very great quality and very beautiful.

We wander around a bit, and I finally find my pair of poofy pants that I have always loved. They are tan and kinda make me look like genie, but I think they are super cool, even if everyone else is laughing.

We end the night by a few of us trekking across the city to a cool little Turkish café, where we spend the evening chilling on beanbags outside, talking, and partaking in native activities. We were initially planning on attending a different cafe, but we were thwarted by The Stair of DEATH. But the cafe we went to was quite delightful, I must say. Interesting thing to note: there seems to be a very high guy to girl ratio in this city. And not because women don’t go out, not at all. Hmm, maybe it’s the contrast to UNC that makes it so obvious.

Oh and some brief snafus: one, my debit card doesn’t work over here. Even though I visited the bank several times and had them unblock it. Grr. Hopefully, this will be fixed soon because this will start presenting some minor problems shortly… and two, bought new camera batteries. They died half a day later. Inserted new batteries. Died 3 hours later. Ok, this might be an issue.

So current situation: no batteries = no pictures posted.

Al-lah-es-mehr-lah-deek! [phonetic rendition of the Turkish good-bye, which I learned today *pat on shoulder*]

**Continued from last post**

Quick re-cap: changed continents, was kidnapped and taken on a whirlwind car ride, and crashed a ten year old’s birthday party. Everyone with me? Good :)

Ok, setting: beautiful home on the outskirts of Istanbul. Birthday party (though there were only like 5 kids and about 40 adults (if we count as adults…which is debatable). Omid and the other professor Jim Morris arrive and so does the guest of honor, Cemalnur Sargut (I misheard yesterday – C pronounced like J). At first glance, she looked like a first grade teacher at Halloween - long bright flowy orange skirt, long bright flowy orange jacket thingy, with black shirt and huge orange and black beads. She was old, but despite appearing as a frail, old woman, she seemed to radiate energy.

It was amazing. She was very nice and approachable, but the deference the entire household showed to her was fascinating. While seated at the table, everyone, even the party hosts, all sat oriented to her, as did everyone standing around her. The amount of respect this woman commanded was tangible. She then took us upstairs and we all sat in the living room so we could ask her questions. But first off, she blessed a couple who had just gotten engaged and there were tears and many cameras. We then asked her questions about life and other things and listened to the stories she told (which I won’t repeat here, but if you’re interested, remind me of the Two Walls story or the Man and Wife metaphor – which are the only two I can remember unfortunately).

Afterwards, we have cake (delicious and filled with whole bananas – I got a picture), and then we get to listen to a Sufi concert. Basically we all sat in a circle and everyone at the party sang traditional Sufi music while a small drum was played (I got videos too but I haven’t watched them to see how they turned out). And then finally, several hours later, we all parted ways (I got a hug from Cemalnur!). The ride back is uneventful. Translation: I conked out. 

Oh, one last note about the birthday party. Despite being raised in completely different cultures, kids are the exact same - still act the same way, joke the same way, and torture pets the same way. This poor cat was dragged, dropped, thrown on a trampoline, and [unsuccessfully] tossed into the swimming pool. Most well-behaved cat I have ever seen in my life.

So after enjoying lovely fish sandwiches sold right off the boats at the docks, we head to a carpet shop that is owned/operated by friends of Omid’s. Along the way, we discover that the anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans is on my birthday (May 29^th, 1453 – the conquering, not my birthday. I’d be looking pretty good for 557 years, if I do say so myself).

We enter the carpet shop, which is this charming room with all walls piled high with folded carpets. We are immediately greeted by Adem (whom Omid refers to as his Turkish brother) and Adem immediately offers us giant pillows to sit on. He then, in line with typical Turkish hospitality, offers us all apple tea (which is AMAZING) and fresh fruit. The funny thing is, he has all these giant platters of fresh fruit already prepared (and all the best fruit is in season – making it all the more delicious). Oh and TOTALLY AWESOME SUPER COOL thing about Adem. He speaks six (I think?) languages: Kurdish, Turkish, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese? Not bad for a man with a high school education. I’m so immensely jealous. He apparently has just self-studied these languages so he can speak to all the different tourists who come to Istanbul. So totally awesome.

He then begins to teach us about the different types of carpets and kilims. We learn how they are made, the difference in quality, the designs produced by different regions, the price based on age/material/pattern difficultly, and lets us see all these amazing carpets. Henry and Linda, one of the older couples in our group, are interested in buying a carpet for their daughter and the lesson eventually morphs into Linda Buys a Carpet, a very entertaining event I assure you.

I, too, saw a few beautiful ones, briefly contemplated getting one, checked my bank account, and realized it would be either a carpet or a plane ticket home. If only they were magic carpets… I also winced every time I had to cross the room – which is completely silly. If you are going to pay that much for a carpet, it better hold up if someone walks on it. Though if you are ever in the market for a carpet, I do highly recommend them! Quite gorgeous.  Several hours later, Omid ducks out to head to the evening prayer at the Sultanahmed and he invites a few of us to go with him, beginning the Next Big Adventure.

Kat, Tushar, Nermeen, Stephen and I all return to the Blue Mosque with Omid. After removing shoes and covering our hair, we go sit in front of one of the large pillars. The ambiance of this mosque has completely changed. Gone all the flocks of tourists gawking, pointing, and snapping photos (yes, I was one of them. I do an open-mouth fish impression quite well, thank you). Instead, this huge structure is filled with this serene nobleness and it’s beautiful. The evening chant for prayer begins to be projected over the loud speakers throughout the city, and people then start to file in the mosque, men in the front, women in the back. We, as tourists, were of course not allowed to be there. Heh heh large pillars can be quite handy. The whole prayer ritual was quite beautiful and I left the mosque feeling quite at peace afterwards.   

Outside, Omid goes to talk to the imam and introduces us to him. As we are talking (aka Omid and the imam speaking Turkish, while I smile, nod, and try and project intelligent vibes), a couple comes up to our gathering and the conversation goes something like this: [translated of course]

Couple: “Can we get inside the mosque?”

Imam: “No, it’s closed for the night”

Couple: “But we want to go pray”

Imam: “Why didn’t you come during the call for prayer?”

Couple: “ehh, we’re Palestinian”

Hahaha uhhh what? And apparently, the logic didn’t confuse only me. Ah well. A few more pictures, a stop for ice cream, and we turn in for the night, ending an eventful 16 hour day.

Oh a note about the pictures I promised you: the camera died. Finding new batteries. 

First full day in Istanbul! I’m going to try and group the day by adventure, so feel free to skip down to the interesting sections :P

So we met for breakfast at 8 am and boy, it was delicious. Full buffet with many types of breads, jellies, fresh fruits (which are to die for), some meat and eggs, and some other things which I was not brave enough to try. Hey, its 8am in the morning. Give me a break. Weather for the day: slightly brisk but comfortable for most (aka I was still cold).

We then all head off to the tram stop outside our hotel. Notable site along the way: a completely naked and grossly overweight mannequin staring at us oh so gracefully from the window of a nearby shop. Lovely. So after our massive crowd of about 16 people overruns the ticket stand, we obtain our tokens and hop onto the tram. Note to self: don’t attempt to stand on one leg while holding on to a loose loop attached to the tram’s pole.  And thus begins The First Adventure.

Okay, I promise tomorrow I will bring a notebook so I can write down the names of the places we visit and the important people involved, etc. I can’t even remember people’s names when they introduce themselves to me, let alone ancient, foreign names spoken briefly to a group. I’m working on it.

So we hop off the tram and immediately Omid sets off with his trail of ducklings following ever diligently…if not somewhat spastically. We navigate through these tiny, uphill, cobblestone roads lines with small shops and street venders all shouting their wares – mostly in Turkish and some English. One older shop owner comes up to me (in a complete yet obviously not natural British accent) and says “Gorgeous. Your shirt gorgeous.” Second compliment this trip – though I detected slight ulterior motives… (first compliment – older woman came up to me outside a mosque yesterday and kept rubbing her eyes while talking Turkish. The daughter translated and said my eyes were beautiful. Awww! Sentimental moment.)

We then head to this small mosque (relatively new at 500 years old), and after covering our heads and taking off our shoes, we go and enjoy the serene nature of this beautiful building. Absolutely gorgeous. Pictures will be up after I find a camera cord (which again, silly Ellen forgot to pack). But then, several tour groups came in after. Ok, now I know how stereotypes get formed so easily. Pshh and the French complain the WE’RE obnoxious tourists. Come on, people, show some deference.

We had a mini lesson on the role of prayer in Islam. Quite a fascinating concept. The idea is that every day, we are being pulled in all different directions by concerns with the past, hopes for the future, etc. Islam holds that the beginning is divine, the end is divine, and the present, the now, is also divine. (Please know  that I am summing up immensely).  By praying, one removes themself from all the worries of everyday life and focuses instead on the divineness of the present and of God. Quite refreshing, letting all ones worries go. I volunteered to help show one of the three positions for prayers. Naturally, it was the prostration one and of course I chose the wrong day to forget a belt.

After that, we head down to the docks to catch a ferry. And thus begins The Second Adventure.

So currently, we are in Europe. One 18 minute ferry ride later and we are in Asia. Crossing continents in under twenty minutes. Impressive, no? I got lots of pictures of the awesome buildings lining both shores. Since Istanbul is composed of many hills (it’s also HUGE), it was really cool to see the layers of buildings everywhere, old and new alike. I mean you would be looking at some somewhat dingy buildings, and towering above them is this EPIC mosque or palace. Haha, I’ve taken *way* too many mosque pictures.

I realize the last adventure was rather short, though it was definitely of monumental significance. Once in Asia (tehe, so much fun to say that), we meet up with a group of about 7 students from Boston College and their professor. We then walk to a nearby gas station and are told to hop in one of the four cars idling there. We are told we are going to meet someone cool and hear Sufi music (hmm, this sounds sketchier than it did at the time).

So we shove ourselves into these cars. Alas, there was not room for all of us, so about 5 of us had to stay behind. Too late, we realize that BOTH the professors opted to stay behind. (This is beginning to sound like a horror story…). I’ll give you a summary of the trip:

Finally, we arrive at the right house. Bear in mind, I have no idea why we are here – I thought we were going to a Sufi concert? We (and there are maybe 15 of us total) are directed to the backyard. First thought: uhh, why are we invading these people’s home? Utter confusion as we stand there awkwardly. We are then greeted and told to make ourselves welcome and to talk with the other guests (who are all Turkish, btw). Normally, I am okay mingling. This, this was difficult. Nothing like making small talk WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE LANGUAGE. Luckily, some there knew some English, so we were able to discover that it was a birthday party. For a 10 year old girl. Again, so confused. I mean, just because we’re Americans doesn’t mean we ALWAYS enjoy invading the lands of others.

However, *awesome* food. Absolutely delicious. I took pictures and I’ll show them shortly. An hour later, the second group, our professors included arrive, and we learn that we are to meet a famous Sufi leader: Jamal Nur (spelled phonetically – I’ll find out the proper spelling and change it later).

***End of this post  -- because I am tired and you have already stopped reading***

****Tune in later for descriptions of my meeting one of the world’s influential Muslim woman leaders, learning about the different types of Turkish carpets, and getting to attend the evening prayer session in the Sultanahmed Mosque (closed to the public!)****