Istanbul, Turkey (Gobble Gobble)

The flight went smoothly from Santorini to Istanbul.  We made one stop in Athens and even got a little meal from the Athens to Istanbul leg of the flight.  I can't remember what it was, but I remember it being tasty and delighted to get something to munch on during our short one hour flight to Turkey.  Once I landed I had really no issues getting on the subway system that I was to ride from the airport in the the city.  I think the only hangup was that I didn't have any Turkish Lira and needed to get some out of the ATM which only gives you bills and I needed coins to get on the subway.  Either way I was able to figure it out.  I was on the subway for probably around 30 minutes and then I was to get off at a certain stop and then get on the tram.  The trams are above ground and look similar to what you might find in San Francisco. 

This part was a bit more complicated.  I tried to ask a few people where a certain stop was and they weren't understanding me, yikes!  These people don't speak as much English as I was hoping they would.  Instead I had my handy cell phone and ended up calling my hostel and telling them where I was.  They told me to get off at a certain stop and that they would send someone to meet me at the stop!  How nice of them I thought, they didn't have to do that, but that's what I call customer service!  As soon as I stepped off the tram in Sultanahmet Square I heard the most beautiful sounds blasting from the loud speaker of the mosques minarets.  It was time for prayer.  Five times a day, voices and songs blast from the speakers at the mosques calling everyone to prayer and it is one of the most chilling sounds, it always gave me goosebumps.  These people are committed to serving their Lord. 

About 10 minutes later a guy approaches me and he is from Cheers Hostel, which I'll be staying at the next few nights.  We walk and talk all the way back to the hostel which was only about a 5 to 7 minute walk.  The whole time I'm thinking I sure am glad he came and met me otherwise I don't think I would have been able to find the place!  Cheers is also the same  hostel my friend Matt will be staying at (I got the recommendation from  him) when he gets into the city tomorrow.  I was a little worried about where I would be sleeping this first night because when I originally called, the guy said they were completely booked but that if worse came to worse I could sleep upstairs on the terrace.  It didn't matter however, because I ended up being placed in a dorm with a couple other people.  After I check in and put my things away, I decide to start walking around being careful as to remember my every turn so I could find my way back to the hostel. 

Once I started walking, I couldn't seem to stop!  I walked all over that massive city!  First I perused the area that was near my hostel.  There was a colorful little street with brightly painted buildings just up the hill from the hostel.

Then I walked over to the world famous Blue Mosque to take some pictures of the outside.  I wanted to wait until Matt arrived before I went inside.  Plus I wasn't dressed appropriately to enter a mosque.

I crossed the bosphorus river where local fisherman were fishing right off the bridge.

And worked my way over to the Taksim area where it's the main shopping center and also nightlife central.  I made sure to stop off at one of the many fruit stands that will serve you up an type of fresh fruit juice you could imagine...orange, apple, carrot, pineapple, pomegranate, or mixed!

The fruit juice was so delicious and pretty cheap too, the perfect combination!  Then there was the Galata Tower, that was beautiful as well.  Again, I only took pictures of the outside because I figured Matt and I would probably go up the tower.  If you've been keeping up with my blog, you know I love towers and panoramic views of the city!

Then out of nowhere, I enter this busy street with loads of name brand shops and restaurants, packed with people and lights hanging above the street.  I knew I wanted to get a henna tattoo in Istanbul because my friend John from Melbourne (who I met in Santorini) had gotten one when he visited the city, and it looked really neat.  I stopped into a few places but none of them had any designs I really liked, plus they were wanting to charge some outrageous price.  I blew off getting one that night and figured I would do a little research on the design I wanted and then take it in for them to copy.

As you can see from the above picture, the sun had already gone down and it was starting to get dark.  I decided that since I was wandering the streets alone I should probably start my trek back to the hostel before it got too late.  Plus I knew I was quite far from the place.  I knew I was on the right track since I passed by the Galeta Tower again, this time lit up with birds flying around!

The whole time I was walking back in the dark, in a foreign country, and in a place I didn't know, I didn't feel scared.  Yes I was cautious, but no one was following me and no one came up to me.  Finally I made it back to the hostel where I decided to go check out the bar area.  I was hoping there would be a few people I could chat with and get a good drink.  The bar area is on the very top floor of the hostel and it has windows that overlook the Aya Sofia Mosque, which is no longer an active mosque and instead a museum. 

I had a few beverages at the bar and chatted with the owner for awhile.  I also got to talking with an Australian guy of Turkish descent and he was extremely hungry and trying to talk a few of us into going for some eats.  He even said he'd pay for it.  So somehow I get wrangled into going with one of the guys that works at the hostel (the same guy that came and met me at the tram stop and ushered me to the place), an Australian guy, and some jerk that was Swedish or something.  We gorged on some typical Turkish food and some sort of foamy milk.  Of course I tried the milk and it was disgusting, but usually I'll always try something once.  We got back to the hostel pretty late and I decided to sleep in the next morning.  I couldn't remember what time Matt was supposed to arrive, but I figured when he showed up we would start our adventures.