A Tale of Two Continents: Part 3

                          Our last day began routinely, breakfast, showers, relaxing, only with the added bonus of packing.  We dropped off our stuff at reception, had her call the bus company to figure out where we were catching the bus from, and then headed out.  We went to the Blue Mosque first to wait in that monstrosity of a line (to be fair it moved at a decent pace) for 45 min (not  nearly as long as it can get) before they closed for call to prayer.  I put on my head covering (all women need to- men long pants) and then we headed in.  

Entering the Blue Mosque

                After the Hagia Sophia, it was a bit underwhelming, but still impressive none the less. Fortunetley it is free, as you really don’t need to spend much time in there.

The Blue Mosque

  

             We headed to the Basilica Cistern next for that line (only about half an hour) and paid the 20TL entry free (although it is neat down there) found the statues of Medusa, drank tea and then headed for lunch.  I had the Izgara Kofte and Joe had fajitas.  Although  I wish I had the eggplant dish again, as I can easily get Izgara Kofte in Malatya but have been unable to find Hunkar Begendi yet (although I will be undergoing a search upon return, and have also looked up the recipe to attempt to make it at home, so fingers crossed it will be eaten again soon).  We reclaimed our stuff from the hotel, and walked to the Metro (a couple km) instead of taking the tram. 

Joe and I in the Bailica Cistern

          The bus station was uneventful: boring killing time.  The most exciting moment was when my limited Turkish paid off to help us figure out where we were going (granted I think the nice man’s hand gestures paid off more than his words, but I was pleased with myself nonetheless)  We watched a couple shows that Joe had downloaded whilst waiting, and then Temple of Doom helped kill the first few hours out of Istanbul.  Our bus attendant didn’t  speak English, so he gave us little notes explaining what was happening.  After we awoke, and he called Joe for a conversation, we discovered that his girlfriend is an English teacher and he had been calling her to find out what the expressions were so we would understand.  Turkish hospitality is beautiful sometimes.  Although leg room wasn’t as plentiful on this bus, it was a better sleep than the way there, and Southern Turkey had beautiful landscape to watch as we passed the last few hours.  All in all a successful trip.

Basilica Cistern

Things I wish I had known before Istanbul:

1.                  1.   Be careful with prices.  All the restaurants have their prices listed outside the restaurant, and although we got good deals, I would have been pained to pay 40TL for Hunkar Begendi instead of the 26TL I actually paid.  That little bit of extra wandering pays off, but be prepared to spend.

2.                 2.There is a museum pass!  You can pay (I forget how much) for 5 days of access to all the museums!  We didn’t know this until it was too late, and in turn missed out on Topkapi Palace and a few other museums that looked quite interesting.

3.                  3. While shopkeepers are less abusive than say Mexico, they are more subtley manipulative: particularliy in the sale of carpets.  In attempting to be not be rude, I had to be quite rude to one in order to get us out of the shop, leaving a sour taste in my mouth, and I’m sure in his as well.

4.                     4.(A lesson from Malatya) Corner stores that sell beer and wine have a blue sign on them.  It looks like an Effs beer logo but without the name on it.  Much cheaper than the restaurants.

5.                     5.  Be prepared to stand in line.  We found lines started to get bad after 11am (I suppose most people are enjoying their Turkish breakfasts) but for the Blue Mosque and the Galata Tower specifically, try and get there around 10am if you don’t want to wait longer than an hour.

6.                     6.  Try the borek from the back stands.  Cheap, delicious and filling.  Can’t go wrong.

7.                   7. Wander aimlessly.  Joe and I discovered a lovely seaside walk this way, and the back streets are pretty nifty.

8.               8. If you are travelling elsewhere in Turkey afterwards, you may want to save some experiences (like a Turkish bath or buying a carpet) for somewhere slightly less touristy.  Beware of prices given in euros or dollars.  There are better deals if you go to the source rather than book it from someone off the street.

9.              9.  Embrace the crowds.  They are insane.  One can see how Istanbul is such a touristy city, but the effect can be mildly claustrophobic at times.  See point 7 as a way to avoid them a little.

1       .   10. Enjoy!  Istanbul is a very cool city.  Well worth the trip.