Istanbul (not Constantinople)

Its been too long since I've updated the blog, but here goes

I spent 4 days in Istanbul during Sukkot break (because I get a week and a half off during Sukkot). I traveled with Leah and Sarah F and we had a blast.

The first day we got there and decided we were not going to speak Hebrew at all while we were there. Anyone who spoke Hebrew had to pay 10 agurot to the pot, and whoever spoke the least at the end, got the money. So of course, as soon as we get to the airport and look for our bus to the hotel, the person in charge of the group is an Israeli who speaks to us in Hebrew. We made an exception for that.

After settling in to the hotel, we went to a famous Turkish Bath where we went all out and got a full body scrub, massage, and wash. I don't think I've ever been so clean in my life. The massage was described in the brochure as pummeling, and the description was dead on. After that, we walked over to the Grand Bazaar which is like the Arab shuk in the Old City, but 10 times bigger. It was crazy but there was so much to see there. We spent about an hour there (because the girls kept stopping to look at things) before heading back to decide on a dinner place. We ended up going to a place from our guide book that served crepes and Turkish Ravioli (beef ravioli with yogurt sauce on top). It was absolutely delicious.

The next day we started our full day of tourism. We started at the Blue Mosque with is one of the biggest and most impressive mosques in the world. There were literally hundreds of people waiting in line to go in and inside it was just as crowded. From there, we walked about a quarter mile to Hagia Sophia, a church that was later converted into a mosque, and is now a museum. This may have been the biggest building I've ever been in, and that includes the United Center. See my pictures on facebook to try and get a sense of how big that room was. After lunch, we went to Topkapi palace; a huge complex that contained some of the most precious items in Turkish History. It also contained a room that claimed to have various religious artifacts like Joseph's Turban, Abraham's pot, Moses' staff, and many pieces of Mohammed's beard. I believe Sarah summed it up best when she said, "Are they serious?"

That night for dinner we went to the Taksim area, which is the hip, trendy part of Istanbul. We ended up finding a restaurant that had a Prix Fixe menu for $40. 11 cold appetizers, 3 hot appetizers, salad, main course, fruit plate, unlimited drinks (including alcohol) and live music. It was quite possibly the best meal I've had since I came to Israel. And it wasn't even in Israel!

Saturday was another day of touring and we started at Dolmabahce Palace. This is where the Sultan used to live until the mid 19th century. We took a tour of the palace and it was amazing. The rooms and design were outstanding and the main hall was one of the most fantastic rooms I've ever been in. That room also had the heaviest chandelier in Europe, 5.5 tons! The room is still used at times for foreign dignitaries including when President Obama visited recently. We also toured the Harem, which is where the Sultan's mother and all his women lived. That wasn't quite as cool, but it was interesting to learn that at times there were hundreds of women who only wanted to bear the Sultan a son. After the Palace, we visited the New Mosque, which was one of the most serene places we visited. It wasn't as crowded as the Blue Mosque, but just as beautiful on the inside. We also visited the spice Bazaar, which was like the Grand Bazaar, but with a lot more spices and teas. Then we finally got back to the Grand Bazaar to buy soveniers on the way back to the hotel.

Dinner that night was at a fish restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus (the river that Istanbul sits on). They didn't really have a menu, they just brought over a platter filled with fish and asked 'which one do you want?' Then the fish was served whole, with the head, tail, skin, bones, everything still on the fish. I don't like eating fish like that anymore. I like my fish filleted.

Sunday we only had a half day so we went to the Prince's Mosque and the Chora Church. The Prince's Mosque was slightly different than the other mosques because it was more symmetrical. We ended up just sitting on the floor for a while because it was very calming to be there. The Chora Church is still full of mosaics and frescoes that were created hundreds of years ago and are some of the most impressive pieces of art I've seen.

When we finally got back to Israel, we spoke nothing but Hebrew all of the way back on the Sheirut. And in case you were wondering, I won the game and got about 90 cents in prize money from Leah and Sarah.

Until next time...