Ok, that took a while, but here it is at last: my adventures in Istanbul over Christmas. I swore I would write a better tale than the report of Paris, by writing it the moment I got home. But alas, helaas pindakaas, I ended up working for 2 weeks straight instead. Back in Durham, my holiday can begin, and I can finally try to piece the photos together.
I don't usually assume everyone is wildly excited about the things I do (except maybe my mum, but she's my mum), but I was very intent on writing a beautiful story on Istanbul, because the city is often so under-appreciated and discriminated over here. I've had classmates who feltscared of going to Turkey. I've met people who were surprised once they been there that it was so clean. What's up with that? But that's ok, I don't feel entirely safe in Bairut myself, so everyone is allowed an opinion. Now though, I just want to share how I experience Istanbul.
So one Christmas eve, I sat on an airplane. We made it to Istanbul around 1 AM so that's about everything I can share in regard to Christmas. So after not-enough-sleep, traveler style, we got up to find one of the most sad hotel breakfasts I've encountered so far; ah well. Apparently the coffee was good, but at this point I was still trying to balance out my caffeine intake from term time so I never tried it.
We ventured into the city (up a Gilesgate style hill) to visit the Archaeology museum. On our way we also passed by the 'new' Archaeological Park next to the Hagia Sophia. Now this is something I'd like to work on with my Archaeology degree, actually opening places like that and making them successful - err, rather than still looking at a slightly sad ditch 3 years after the completion deadline.
Mind, many photos ahead!
(Topkapı garden.)
(Apparently you can tell from his ear that he was a wrester. Or so my mum says.)
(Mm inscriptions.)
(Check out the colours.)
(And the re-construction. Ahaha. I prefer the Classical white-marble image really because actual ancient stuff was, well, ugly.)
(Mm more inscriptions.)
(Aww.)
(Oh they're interesting? Good to know!)
(Mmmmmmm...)
(Oh yeah, 17 degrees, December 25.)
(Note the sunglasses.)
Moving on, we had lunch at our friend Muammer's place. I'm personally honestly not a fan of Turkish food, because there aren't too many vegetarian dishes available at restaurants, and whatever there is is usually called 'vegetables' or 'vegetarian'. Ah well. Anyway I had some very good 'vegetables' this first day. No seriously, I am going to try to make it at home. Now how to get hold of the recipe?
After lunch we marched on to the Bazar and through there over the Galata bridge to meet our friend Cigdem. I am sure I wanted to share some very significant things about this walk, but at the moment I really can't remember. Oh ok, fun fact: Tünel (1875) - the first subterranean urban rail line in continental Europe (aka only the London underground is older). Hey Istanbul is after all the city of the Constantinople, the Orient Express, Agatha Christie. Oh and not the capital of Turkey.
(Small traveller's injury.)
(Tünel.)
(Christmas?)
Cigdem took us to a small performance about autism organised by her sister. It was entirely in Turkish and to be honest I did not quite follow for a change. At this point some more interesting things happened, which I also can't remember. We had food. It was good.
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Ah ok, day 2. Only day 2 you ask? Yes I have more photos than memory - let the pictures tell the story. We strolled around the city - through the Hippodrome, among other things. My mum figured I should re-visit some of the things I last saw when I was 5 and thought Archaeology meant getting to find cool stuff in the mud. We also went to the Blue Mosque, and then the Hagia Sophia.
Can you believe not a single place in Istanbul gives a student discount? I was trying to scout for the Classics society a bit, but this isn't looking well. The Archaeology museum was affordable, but the Hagia Sophia was just ridiculous. Especially since I'd already bloody been there. (If only I'd remembered it properly...)
(The Dutch climbing The Hill.)
(If you stick your thumb in there you'll be more fertile? Yeah I skipped that.)
There was a massive demonstration going on all day as well - about the whole boat thing with Israel and Palestine. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/8225800/Mavi-Marmara-returns-to-Istanbul-amid-increasing-tension-between-Palestinians-and-Israelis.html)
So then we got on a boat as well, to cross to the Asian part of Istanbul and meet some more friends. Guess what a bird did on my head. I hate boats. Anyway we passed by the demonstration and navigated our way through Asian Istanbul on a bus - my parents are cool like that. Needless to say the locals looked slightly impressed (and confused).
In true ignorance of Christmas we naturally brought along some late Sinterklaas gifts. In return we had some lovely, lovely food that evening. More recipes to try at home of course.
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On to day 3! When travelling with my parents a lot happens in one day. In contrast with Durham: get up - consider going to lecture - watch something stupid - pretend to write an essay - make some tea - panic about essay - make some more tea - pass out. This morning in Istanbul was particularly special, as my mum had talked us into Istanbul's latest archaeological site. And this is cool - seriously. If archaeology is ever cool, this is it.
They're digging up a new metro line at the moment, and they stumbled upon a giant, massive, epic site - Roman stuff, medieval, even Neolithic; loads and loads of ship burials. Of course completely restricted to public at the moment - but guess who got to wander around there. This was seriously as archaeological as archaeology gets in my mind - there was pottery scattered everywhere, piles of artefacts, mud, everything. There was a really cool construction which was watering the wood of the boats they'd found (otherwise the air burns it). Even the shells were cool - ancient shells! I really wish I'd gotten to pick some up. Or pottery of course. / illegal.
We weren't allowed to take any pictures, so all I've got is one of the fence. Ah well, maybe in 10 years it will be open to the public? Man I want to dig there. In each shovel of clay-mud-sand there was a week's worth of stuff to study. It was like archaeology porn guys, honestly.
Ahem, so. We went back over the Galata bridge to do some shopping. Hey if they archaeologists get to do archaeology in the morning, my sister demands shopping in the afternoon. But that's ok. I ended up with at least two new sweaters and a skirt, none of which really fitted into my luggage by the end of the holiday of course.
Ah and on the way back I got us completely lost. Well it wasn't entirely my fault - technically it's due to my parents' combined lack of sense for direction, so I am just the ultimate end-product of that here. My mum and my sister were equally unhelpful however, so this was truly a family effort - in the rain, of course.
For dinner we went to see another friend - one from my parents' more recent travels. This also required an amazing effort to find - we circled around the block three times in the rain. Crazy guy playing guitar very loudly, but he serves brilliant salads.
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Ah day 4 - now it actually got cold. Damn. We made our way through the Bazar to the Süleymaniye Mosque - where, of course, the Tomb of Roxelane was closed for renovation. Next on the program was the Rustem Pasha Mosque - a mosque in the middle of the market (that's the one with the tiles). Err this took longer than it looks like - we walked very far. Again I thought of more things to write about at the time, but at the moment I am not sure. I was very tired due to trying to read all of Pliny's Letters and finishing my Game work during the night and seeing Istanbul during the day. Holiday? What holiday?
(That's my dad's camera + skill...)
So we went to see some more old friends for lunch. At this restaurant (Medusa) I scribbled a message in the guest book when I was 7; and some people actually remember who I am. I have since learned how to spell, so we all decided to leave a new message.
After lunch we wandered through the Bazar some more, and I finally finished my Grand Postcard Project over coffee. I'd never in my life received a Christmas card before I came to the UK - partially because I don't celebrate Christmas, and partially because I didn't know anyone who would care enough to send me one. So I completely forgot to send anyone any Christmas cards myself in December. Hopefully all my Turkish New years cards have reached their destinations by now however - the guy at the post office did seem slightly confused when I gave him a pile of cards with mixed locations as France, Canada and Norway.
(Turkish cheese.)
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On our final day we had some time in the city before getting to the airport, so we went to another market to appease my sister. I mean, we did see very many mosques. We even managed to have a last proper Turkish lunch at the restaurant next to the hotel before leaving.
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