In Which I have a Crisis of Identity

So I went to Istanbul last week.  It was awesome.  Sadly, I did not make it to Constantinople.  I tried to find it on a map, but I must have been reading it wrong or something.  Hmm....

Anyway, Istanbul.  I felt a little sketched out when I first got there.  I had to buy a visa to enter the country, and I kept getting weird looks from people.   Then I remembered I probably look like an albino to the Turks.  My program director's first reaction when I told her I was going to Istanbul was "Oh! Your hair!"  Yes, once again I am in the minisculest of minorities by having the best hair color.  Sorry, not everyone can be special.

My hotel was nice, wifi, free breakfast, the whole deal.  Lovely.  Except for one thing.  My room didn't face the outside.  I didn't realize this until I woke up the next morning.  My room was completely dark, so I figured it must still be the middle of night, but then when I checked my ipod, it was 9.30 in the AM.  My window was a lie.  It really messes with you.

Hagia Sophia

The first day I decided to go check out the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.  As luck would have it, my hotel was a ten minute walk from both of these.  As soon I as stepped outside I was bombarded by sales pitches.  Every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street seemed to have something to say or sell to me. Having lived in France for the last two months, where a salesperson won't give you the time of day and follows you around because you don't look rich enough to shop in their store, this was a shock.  I couldn't handle it and I wanted to run back inside and stay there for the rest of the trip.  But, being the amazing trailblazer that I am, I kept on going.  I was walking around inside the Hagia Sophia, when I saw someone I knew.  Weird, right?  It was a guy who had been on both of my flights to Istanbul, and in front of me in the visa line once we got there.  I heard him speaking English, so we chatted for a few minutes in the airport and went our separate ways.  When I saw him in the Hagia Sophia, we again chatted and separated.  We ran into each other again in the gift shop.  We finally introduced ourselves, and found out we are both from Minnesota and know some of the same people.  The world really is tiny.

MN takes Turkey

I spent the rest of the day exploring with my fellow Minnesotan and his friend.  We checked out the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque.  Both were simply beautiful.  Turkey has this amazing fusion of cultures, completely unique in the world.  They have greek, roman, and Arabian influences.  Today, Istanbul is a total mix of east and west, old and new.

Never wearing a head scarf ever again, I look like a chipmunk

I went home at about 5 pm each night, so my days were pretty short.  It is not because I am a weird shut-in.  Despite being a very friendly city, Istanbul can still be a bit sketchy, so as a single, American female, I tried to avoid being out after dark.

The next day, I braved the Grand Bazaar.  This is no small feat.  It's this maze of little booths selling so many things.  The big items are: Turkish carpets, spices, ceramics, and jewelry.  Most of these vendors are essentially selling the same selection of items, so it's in their best interest to get you to look at them first.  Their main tactic is yelling at you.  This is where the identity crisis comes in.  In one afternoon I was asked if I was:

-Russian
-Italian
-Swedish
-Norwegian
-Finnish
-German
-Dutch
-Polish
-British
-Australian

Never once was I asked if I was American.  Which is odd.  Not that I would have said yes, since apparently this causes a bump in the price of their wares.  Nor was I asked if I was French.  Probably because I looked like I still enjoyed being alive, and not like I had just endured a thousand years of drudgery.  Sorry France.

Anyway, any time you so much as glance at a shop, it's too late.  They invite you in, they drop the prices, the whole deal.  If you walk away, they yell after you.  These people have good memories, too.  I got lost and walked down a row I had already been down, and one of the shopkeepers asked me why I had walked away before and would I like to buy a carpet for only 200 dollars?  Still, all in all, it was a cool experience, and not one I'm likely to have the opportunity to repeat.

That afternoon, I crossed another item off my Turkey bucket list, the famed Turkish baths.  I went to the Cemberlitas Hamami, which was built in 1584.  This experience was by far the highlight of my trip.  You put your stuff in a locker and change into a soft cotton wrap and sandals.  Then, an attendant leads you into a huge sauna, with a large marble slab in the center.  This is where you really have to embrace the experience with no inhibitions, because the attendant takes off your towel and puts it on the marble and has you lie down naked.  Yikes, it was like ripping off a band-aid.  Just go for it.  You sweat for a while, and then your person comes back.  This is where the loveliness begins.  First, she exfoliates your entire body, leaving you feeling warm and tingly.  Then, you get all soaped up and massaged.  She even washes your hair.  Afterwards, you're free to chill out in the sauna for as long as you want.  Oh yeah, and the whole time the attendants are singing traditional Turkish chants.  It's an unreal experience, one that I'll definitely remember forever.

Don't worry, I'm not a perv who brought a camera into where people are naked.  This is from the internet.

OK, there Mom, I wrote a blog post.  Geez.  This was only half of my Istanbul adventure, so I'll try to put the rest up soon!