Travelling in Turkey pt.1

Current mood: hot
Category: Travel and Places

Well,

Here I am in the motherland of Turkey. I've been here in Istanbul for 3 days now. We're leaving for Ankara tomorrow AM.

I meant to blog sooner, but jet lag, trying to enjoy the culture/food/etc. here, and dealing with family business has kept me busy, and/or tired. I hope to be able to sleep through the night tonight, finally.

I've sent many postcards already. Found some really nice ones this time.

My trip in review, so far (BBC news on in the background):
Upon arriving, I met up with my father at the airport. Once we left, I immediately felt at ease, and like I was at home. Seeing the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, and Turks lazing about picnicking on Sunday comforted my soul. My father had the Godawful task of transporting my mother's remains with him. She is in 2 boxes, and kinda heavy...I know it's very hard on my father, being here and going through all this, and not speaking Turkish. So many memories must be tormenting him.

Despite all this we are doing OK. I feel strong enough.

Sunday night, we chilled at our hotel. A boutique affair, very nice called Celal Sultan Hotel. Clean, and very friendly staff. Hotel is situated near the 2 most famous mosques in Istanbul. Cisterns and obelisks abound, too.

Monday: Business day. Lawyer's office. Very nice. I made a good choice months ago. Their office has a stunning view of the water around Istanbul. No shabby affair. We walk around the surrounding streets before and after the meeting - Istiklal Caddesi. Hip area. I bought 3 CDs. Two of them are by artists I discovered through the movie "Crossing the Bridge" which features Alexander Hecke (from Einsturzende Neubauten) recording cool Turkish bands. These artists include Ceza, the Turkish rapper, and Aynur, who performs Traditional Kurdish and Turkish folk songs. We went to a little coffee shop called Kaffeehaus Istanbul or something like that and I order an iced caramel macchiato. Weak 'cause they don't seem to get the iced coffee concept. We bought some almonds. Turkish nuts are the **BEST**. But we got ripped off 'cause we didn't mean to buy as much (40 Turkish Lira/kg) they gave us. Walking past the shops amidst the hubbub, we saw some guys dressed up in traditional garb, wearing fezzes, handing out little brochures for a restaurant. We asked one to take us to it and he led us down some small narrow streets and my dad got a little nervous, but it was OK. A very cute rustic type place, it was, and I ate a poppy kebab for dinner.

Anyway, in sum, after meeting with the lawyer we realize we have a complicated road ahead, which we already knew.

Tuesday: Wonderful Turkish breakfast included every morning. Olives, cheeses, teas, breads, cucumbers, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, cheese pastries (savory not sweet), watermelon, and more. We decided the night before the check out the Kariye Muzesi today- the Chora Church - which contains beautiful Christian mosaics. Cum usual, many of the faces and eyes of the icons have been rubbed out or chipped off. Golden and shimmering, many of these artifacts are...I bought some things at their little museum shop, after the polis tracked down the vendor, who had been busy eating lunch!

Then we ate lunch at a restaurant next door, called Asitane. They specialize in Ottoman recipes, and we tasted some exotic things. Apparently, Ottoman cuisine is more often baked, whereas a lot of Turkish food is grilled. The Ottoman food reminds me a little of Indian cuisine - apricots, nuts...

The next part of the day was totally botched. I read about a Yoko Ono exhibition going on at a local university, and decided to check it out. So we took a ferry across the sea to the Asian side of Istanbul. We get off amidst buses going all over and spewing diesel exhaust in our faces. I try to ascertain which bus to take. Some guy tells me a number, and we get on. That bus driver says there is no direkt servis from here, but he'll tell us where to get off and take another bus if we get on his.

One hour and 15 minutes later, he turns around and says OK, here. At that point the gallery was closed and we just wanted to get back to our hotel ASAP. He lets us off and we catch the same number going back.

A complete waste of time. Dusty poor neighborhoods I have no desire to EVER see again.

My mom's cousin {now my 2nd?} agreed earlier in the day to pick us up for dinner. He does, and his wife, 10 year old son, and the son's lovely young English tutor come along. They take us to a wonderful place, in a grove. Beylul, it's called, and it was formerly a summer home of sultans. We sit outside, as we have for almost every meal here so far. Lovely trees, the cloak of night, and a nice view of the water and the evening lights contribute to my good mood. My mood has been pretty good actually since I arrived.

Tony calls, and he asks if I've seen any Ottoman Turks. Not yet I say. I tell the family, and they assume he means the big turban-like hats...

We chat about light stuff, and heavy stuff {family land/affairs} like my mom's passing. They are sympathetic. I like hanging out with these people. They are smart, and modern, and friendly. If I have to be away from my loved ones back home, these people sure do cheer me temporarily. It's nice to break up the energy between me and my dad, too. Crucial and essential.

After dinner, cousin Murat and his wife take us to a bar - the nicest in Istanbul according to him. It's in a ritzy area called Bebek. He and my dad have raki, and I have whiskey. Again, we sit outside. But this time we a re right on the water. Little dinghy, nice yacht, and barge alike coast by - some stealthily in the darkness. The lights and hills are so beautiful!

It may sound like a broken record, but sitting outside and enjoying the view are big pastimes here.

They drive us back to our place and we bid goodnight.

Today Wednesday: Did some shopping with Dad. The tiles in Turkey are so beautiful, and bountiful. Some very special, unique artisanal crafts can be found here. Zengin olsam...{If I were rich} Took it easy today. Nice dinner outside at a place with a Medusa theme...almost full moon tonight.