Do what the Turks do: Istanbul Too

My 2nd trip to the big city started out a little differently, but was just as rewarding. We decided to fly into Istanbul instead of taking a bus, so because the flight was so early in the morning, us Manisa kids bunked with our leader Goksin for the night. The flight was like any other flight with 8 other excited teenagers. I was rather mellow on the excitement scale mostly since I had already went to Istanbul the week before. Although the flight was ridiculously short, we still got drinks and a snack. Once Istanbul came into view, everyone could hardly hold in their excitement. Granted I was excited to be going back to explore the city more, but not to the caliber of my friends.

The plane touched down, we disembarked, collected what luggage was checked underneath, found our bus, and was on our way. Our first stop was our hotel, which was in the very heart of the ancient European side. Funny enough, I passed by it when I was with my host family the previous week. We spent our time in the lobby, wasting time until our tour guide showed up. When she did, it became apparent that I wouldn't be able to deal with her for the duration of our tour. She had a sickly sweet voice, talked way too much, and treated us like we had no idea what Turkey was like, even though she knew we'd been there for 3 months. Turns out I wasn't the only one thinking this. After a rather long introduction, we left to our first destination, the Blue Mosque. I had already been there, but it was nice to go again, and get a history lesson on it. The Blue Mosque is the only mosque in the world to have 6 minarets, the only one with more is the mosque is Mekah. It is called the blue mosque because of all the blue tiles on the inside. I can't remember the exact number, but there is a lot.

We were all starving by the time we left the mosque since the last thing we all ate was a slice of coffee cake on the plane. We ended up going to the same koftecesi I went to the last time I was in Istanbul with my family. Again I savored the warm, juicy morsels of ground beef. After enjoying a nice lunch we trekked to the Hagia Sophia.

When it was originally was made it was a church, and the largest of its kind. The original one burnt down, then it was rebuild, that one fell too, and now the one standing is the third model. Since it used to be a church there are beautiful mosaics of Christ and the Angel Gabriel, and other saints of Christianity. We were briefed on the history of the Hagia Sophia outside, so when we got in we had out own time to walk around. Upon entering, the low glow of artificial candle light lit the overwhelmingly large room. A ceiling of golden tiles glittered from above, and on the dark green stones I was standing on, a dull reflection of myself looked back at me. Huge disks with Arabic writing hung from the balcony. You could truly tell how heavily influenced this monument was by the religions of Islam and Christianity. I decided to take some alone time as I wandered around the halls. I found my way to the balcony just as the sun was setting. Through the windows that golden light flowed through. Looking through the panes, you could see the Blue Mosque and its minarets beautifully silhouetted against a blazing background. Sadly we had to leave the Hagia Sophia rather quickly because our whirlwind adventure had to continue.

Our next stop was the Grand Bazaar, but of course we were only given about 30 minutes to explore. Now I had already "seen" the Grand Bazaar. Upon exploring more of it, I had no idea of how extensive the largest undercover bazaar in the world could be. It was very easy to get lost. Eventually we got to a point where we couldn't tell where we were, we just went where our feet led us. Wherever we went there were shopkeepers shouting at us in multiple languages. Glass mosaic lamps glowed from multiple shops, hookahs of all sizes were displayed in many windows, and brand name clothes that were probably fake hung everywhere. I came out with some gloves and a new wallet. It was kind of sad to part with my old wallet since I had it since I was 9 and its one of the last things I have from my Grandpa. Eventually we were able to find our way out of the maze of shops and rejoined with everyone else. Since the sun had long since set, and the streets were now lit by lamps, we returned to our hotel.

We were given time to unwind and relax before we were going to go out to dinner just us students. Earlier we had gotten in contact with the students from the Istanbul district, so as we were getting ready, about 10 of the students from Istanbul graced us with their presence. We all introduced each other, it was a very warm moment. Max, our lonely Mexican, finally got the chance to speak Spanish, and let me tell you it was one of the funniest things. They were speaking so fast that at sometimes they're lips became a blur. We all laughed and talked our way to a small restaurant, sat down and had some toast. We then went to get some ice cream, and I witnessed the most hilarious display of keep-away in the world. If any of you are curious to what it is, YouTube "Turkish ice cream man tricks," I guarantee you will laugh. Most of them left at that point, we said our goodbyes and thanked them for a nice evening, then the rest of us returned to our hotel room for a small exchange student get together. We stayed up and talked and shared stories, it was a nice time. It got late, and the remaining students had to get home, so they too said their goodbyes and left.

The next morning we all woke up, went to get breakfast, got ready, and were hurried out the door
We went to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar first. I actually enjoyed the spice bazaar more. It was far less crowded, and the smells were amazing. Colorful spices were piled into high pyramids. Dried fruits and herbs were hung from all the shops. Neon signs glowed in the dim light. One of the shop keepers invited us in for a free drink of apple tea, which was delicious. We were offered samples everywhere. Turkish delight of many flavors overflowed from the bins they were in. It was one of my favorite places in Istanbul. After walking through the spice bazaar we went back to the Grand Bazaar for another brief tour. After we got on the bus, headed back to the hotel, grabbed our gear, and went to go catch our flight.

My travels through Istanbul left me in awe of how much of an amazing city it is. There is so much history and culture all packed into one place. I truly hope that I get to return to it sometime later in my exchange, and later in life.