I confess, I fell asleep last night instead of writing my blog, so today you get two for the price of one! Yesterday we began at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art - a small but interesting museum that contains beautiful examples of ancient illuminated manuscripts and of course, carpets and kilims. Next we hopped on the bus and took a ride around 'the golden horn' side of Istanbul, which was interesting because we got to see a different side of the city, but it was difficult to actally see things from the bus. Next we hopped off the bus and headed to the New Mosque, which was lovely, and then we headed across the Galata Bridge. With a quick stop at the Kamondo stairs, we headed up to the Galata Tower. Wow, talk about some amazing views! It's worth it just to check out the 360 of the city. Next we headed down the Istiklal Caddesi - the main shopping drag. We went into a few shops, mainly to look at books, and had a brief detour at the Pera Palace Hotel for tea. This hotel is most well know for the fact that this is where Agatha Christie used to stay, and this is supposedly where she wrote 'Murder on the Orient Express'. We continued up to Taksim Square and caught the bus back to our hotel district. After a yummy meal we stopped into our first carpet shop, and after two glasses of wine Mom was almost ready to take home a carpet. They were lovely, and maybe we'll even go back. At this point we headed back to the hotel where, and, like a smart person, I went to bed.
This morning I felt well rested and ready for another day of adventure. Since Friday is the holy day for Muslims, we decided to do the mosques and bazaar today (Thursday). We caught a taxi to the Fatih Mosque so we could start at the furthest one and see the rest on the walk back. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, as was the next one, Molla Zerek Mosque. Along the way to the Sehzade Mehmet Mosque, we also saw the Aqueduct of Valens, dating back to Byzantine times. Next up is one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque. Designed by Sinan the architect, it was built in the 16th century and continues to be one of the most visited in the city. Next up was the Grand Bazaar. We had a great time wandering and checking out all the stuff for sale (if you ever want to get a quick compliment, visit a bazaar!). Most of the stuff was touristy, and quite a lot of is knock offs of American brands (Abercrombie, Snoopy, Levi, Converse, etc.) or knock off designer handbags. We bought a few things, but nothing to write home about (or on a blog). We were headed back to our hotel when we were invited to tea by the Turkish John Travolta. He invited us to tea at his local spot, which turned out to be in an old medrassi (school) that was converted into a tea and waterpipe cafe. The tea was very good, a combo of lemon, mint and apple, but we skipped the water pipe offer (apparently Mr. Travolta is such a regular he keeps is own pipe there!) since we had to be back in time for our whirling dervish show. It was held in the former home of Dede Effendi, a famous Sufi composer. The performance was very interesting, but not exactly what I expected. Since the whirling is actually a form of prayer, it is a very serious experience, and really shouldn't be considered "entertainment". I enjoyed it over all, but it almost felt voyeuristic, as though I was intruding on a private moment. Next we headed to the Cemberlitas Hamami, a Turkish bath house that has been around since 1584. They scrubbed and rubbed us clean and then we relaxed a bit in the hot water before heading back to the hotel to go through all the photos (still having issues, sorry!) and post to our blogs. Sorry it's so long, I'll try to be more succinct tomorrow!
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