Kim's Turkish Delight: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

This weekend was the Feast of Sacrifice Bayram, which meant that we had Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off of school. So my friend Kristen and I decided to take off to Istanbul for the long holiday weekend. It was absolutely incredible! It felt a little strange because I have never previously once thought about going to Istanbul, despite having friends that have gone there and loved it.

I really love living in Turkey. That also feels odd to express. It's odd because I have felt an immediate connection with this place. It feels like when you go on a really good first date. You're nervous, scared, excited, but then- there's a connection. That's how I feel being here- a place I never particularly thought about before. I've been asked, "so, what made you choose Turkey?" I really didn't choose Turkey. I applied to many places around the world, and I got the best job offer at my school here. As cheesy as it may sound, Turkey chose me. When I was in Istanbul, that's when it really hit me, "oh my god- I live in Turkey. I live here. I can come to Istanbul any time I want. This is my life in Turkey." I described the connection I felt with this place and Kristen put it, "like your soul is familiar." I love that. It feels meant to be between me and my new home. With that corny introduction I will tell you about my marvelous trip to the ethereal city of Istanbul.

We took the bus from Ankara which took about 5 or 6 hours. The buses here are nice and are similar to being in a plane. There's lots of leg room and an attendant that gives drinks and snacks. There's even wifi and TVs on the back of all the chairs. In Istanbul we stayed in Sultanahmet- the old district. It's where the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, and a lot of other old tourist spots are. That first night we walked around and saw the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia and then we had dinner and called it a night. I was awestruck and pooped that night.

Aya Sophia

Blue Mosque

This is a pic of my first weird dessert, kunefe. A traditional Turkish sweet that is shredded wheat stuffed with cheese, smothered in syrup, and topped with chopped pistachios. It was super good!

Mmmmm... kunefe....

In Istanbul there are kitties EVERYWHERE. The city takes care of stray dogs and cats with piles of food all over the place and they just cruise around. Even though there all these stray animals, we never saw any poop.

Our dining companion.

Kitties everywhere!

You get the idea.

The following day we cruised around a park and went inside the Aya Sophia. Some info on Aya Sophia from wiki for you: "From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935." No hijab necessary at this place. My favorite part was the Weeping Column. It's supposed to have supernatural powers and when you pot your thumb in a hole that's been worn in it,

you rotate your thumb 360 degrees and make a wish that is sure to come true.

Inside Aya Sophia. I couldn't get a great pic- it's too huge.

Making a wish!

Gotta get it all the way around!

Some pics from park wanderings:

So excited to be here!

Silly.

Stray dogs be nappin.

We went out on the town that night and had a BLAST. I used my trusty guide book to get us to a

cool club. The dude I was dancing with, who looked like a Turkish Freddie Mercury (mustache and

all), asked "how did you find this club? It is not like it's in a tourist book." That made me laugh and I

told him that yes, I'm not really that cool and neither is the club because I found it in a guidebook.

I can't seem to fix the font or format of this blog at the moment and it's pissing me off so the

remainder of this post will be mostly pics. Enjoy!