Gobble gobble

Hello from Istanbul! We are in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life- where the "East meets the West" in the fusion of Europe and Asia. Heather, LJ, Julia, Anny, Kristen, and I are staying in a hostel right in the middle of Sultanahment, which the historic part of the city and home to all the major sites. We knew we had picked the perfect place to visit on our mini vacation from Prague when we got off the tram Saturday night to walk to our hostel. We walked directly between the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya magnificently lit up at night. Pictures don't even come close to capturing the entire atmosphere.
After having an included breakfast at our hostel on Sunday, we headed to the Blue Mosque. It was Sultan Ahmet's 1617 claim to fame and it is striking with its six minarets (tall spires around the mosque). Since it is still a place of worship for the Muslims, we had to take off our shoes and cover all parts of our body to enter. Inside, there are chandeliers hanging low to create the illusion of tiny starlights floating freely in the air. It was beautiful. What is also cool about the Blue Mosque, besides it being on every postcard from Istanbul, is it projects the Islam call to worship 5 times a day from loud speakers on the minarets.

Then we headed across the courtyard to the rivaling Aya Sofya, which was build in 537 as the biggest building of the world. It was built as a church and then turned into a mosque when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453. Inside, the gallery contains Byzantine mosaics uncovered from beneath a thick layer of Ottoman plaster and many people consider nominate it as the eighth wonder of the world.

We lined up to put our fingers in the famed sweating pillar, which is sheathed in bronze, that is believe to possess healing powers.. You make a wish and stick your thumb in a hole to collect a drop of water, but I'm not sure if i got a drop. Do I feel healed? Well wait until you hear Heather talk about the Turkish baths we had...

After being awestruck by the two mosques, we grabbed lunch at a kebab restaurant in the area. Heather went all out with her meal and had the chance to smash a clay pot open that contained Anny and her cooked meal. We had no idea what was going on but Heather managed to smash the pot and send clay pieces all over the sidewalk. I kept my meal simple and stuck to a chicken shish-kebab. At the close of our meal we all tried some kiwi tea that was delicious. Everyone drinks tea here all the time.

Kebabs are also ubiquitous here in Istanbul. They fill out the menu at restaurants and you can grab them to go on the street everywhere. Huge slabs of chicken and lamb hang everywhere ready to be cut for the next kebab customer. Other specialties on the street that we have tried out include corn on the cob, baklava, and turkish delight. Baklava is definitely my favorite- it is a pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweet honey. So delicious. The men selling ice cream on the streets are hilarious too. They yell out "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" and stick out a freshly scooped cone (on a metal rod) in your face as you walk past.
Cute stray cats also fill the street here. But this dog was our post-lunch entertainment. Talk about a dog riding in style.
After lunch we headed over to the Topkapi Palace, which was center of the Ottoman Empire. It was built in the 1400's and lays on expansive land at the tip of the old city. The palace is lined with beautiful courtyards, gardens, pavilions, and fountains that sparkled under the cloudless afternoon sky. We wandered into all the buildings and, wow, were these people rich. We saw lavish robes that were worn, the exquisite treasury (huge jewels on everything), enormous beds in the bedrooms, and many religious items. The edge of the palace had a gorgeous view of the Bosporus river. Here is LJ with all the girls!

Then, our post-palace nap in the outside courtyard.

Our evening consisted of seeing a traditional whirling dervish performance. We grabbed lamb kebabs on the street, and headed to the theater. Not going to lie, the performance was a little boring and got very repetitive seeing the men twirl in the same circles, but it was an experience you have to have in Istanbul. The music that accompanied the dancers was produced by ancient looking Turkish instruments and versus were sung by a few male singers. There was a master of the ceremony that led the dancers- and lots of bowing.
Well that was day 1 in Istanbul! We are all jealous that we just missed Derby, Pigstick, and all other festivities on the Dartmouth campus...but we certainly have nothing to complain about by being here in Istanbul. We miss you all!