Istanbul: Spice Bazaar

We also went to the Grand Bazaar, which may appear in another post, but the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar was our favorite. Smaller, a little less touristy (but still touristy), with shop owners who didn't accost you nearly as much and a little better prices. Poor shop owners...they see me and think "Ah! A crazy Australian! I can make a good sale off of her!" (yes, we are constantly asked if we're from Australia...sorry about that, Aussies...), but then my Doha Souq bargaining skills kick in and the shop keepers goes through visible signs of surprise, annoyance, and defeat. I'll pay a fair price...not a rip-off-the-tourist price.

I had many nice interactions here--the shop keepers were very friendly, even after the bargaining.  Really nice people all over Istanbul.  In various stages, we sat for a long time in the shade of an outdoor cafe as some of us would shop and others would just enjoy the lovely breeze and people watching.

At one point, a young father brought his 5 year-old daughter to sit at the table next to us.  People seem to really listen to our accents, and then, after discovering (1) we speak English (good for practice) and (2) we're American (after they ask), they love to just chat.  This Dad was trying to teach his daughter to say "My name is Leifa" in English (he spoke good English, she did not).  Thankfully, my sweet friend Joseph had lent me his Turkish phrasebook, so I pulled it out and got Hannah to say hello and "my name is Hannah" but in Turkish.  Lots of fun.  Then I found the phrase book page where the dirty word slang was listed...

Another nice interaction at the spice bizarre--I was in a spice shop to buy some apple tea.  We'd been looking for the WC (toilet), and the shop worker had helped me avert Jack watering the plants, so I went back for a small purchase.  An older couple was there, too, the woman in conservative Islamic dress (everything except the face veil) and the gentleman in conservative pants/shirt but nothing "traditional."  They both had heavy accents but spoke English, and we struck up a conversation.  They were Palestinian but through his job had located to Santa Clara, California.  They were then surprised when I told them I was from Texas but was living in Qatar.  The man laughed and said, "We've switched places!"  Then, as we said our goodbyes, he said (in the heavy accent), "It's good to see another American!"  Yes, that it was.

Photopalooza...

Twirling wherever we can.  Cause that's what we do when we're not skipping: twirl.

Feeding the pigeons outside the bazaar. A beautiful elderly lady sold us the plate of feed and said "one lira."  Then she really tried hard to hand us another plate.  I thought she was being pushy and politely but repeatedly refused.  She spoke no English.  I was useless with the Turkish.  Then I found out later it was two plates for 1 Lira.  She was trying to give me the rest of what I bought, but I refused to take it.
FAIL.

One of the Spice Bazaar entrances...it spills out onto streets behind it, too.  Boys underwear were a bit sale item this day, but for some reason, I couldn't get Hank or Jack interested?

Busy, crowded day.

Spice shop.  Smells like Souq Waqif.  I'll never get tired of that smell.
They had something that looked like a big ol' yummy bonbon rolled in chopped pistachios...it was marked "Turkish Viagra."  WE DID NOT PURCHASE THIS.

Plants for sale next to our cafe table.

Turkish delight.

The gorgeous "New Mosque" ("Yeni Camii") next to the bazaar.

Nazar bracelets to protect Hannah from the evil eye.

Istanbul: The Dress

Day 2 for the tourists...

Somebody is totally into picking out her own outfits.

Istanbul: Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia is an incredible sight.  It has been a church, a mosque, and is now a museum.  It has been the site of incredible beauty and terrible acts of horror.  More on it is here.  Beyond its amazing size and breath-taking architecture, what was most moving to me about it (and I'm only speaking for myself) was to see important symbols of Christianity and Islam together under one roof.  Part of being a museum is the architectural restoration of the church markings that had been covered once the building was converted to a mosque.

So now, much like the incredible citizens and tourists and flavors of Istanbul itself, the Hagia Sophia demonstrates the beauty of diversity and the possibility of co-existence.  I. loved. this. building.

Much like the Blue Mosque, pictures cannot capture the actual feel, but here's a sampling...

Incredible size and scale.  Notice how the lights are hung low via cables.

Above the main entrance, a mosaic of Jesus; just inside an Islamic inscription.

Christian markings recovered from behind later patterns.

The center dome is inscribed with an Islamic prayer in amazing Arabic caligraphy.

This is very close to the holiest point in the building--it's above the front where the Christian alter would sit (thus the huge gold mosaic of Jesus and the Virgin Mary), and it's almost at the point that faces Mecca (so Muslims face almost this direction to pray).  Again, two sets of religious symbols in one space.

This part has been restored, and I didn't hear the tour explanation of it very well, but I believe it long ago might have served as a pulpit but then more recently served as the mosque's minbar. For more on the architectural elements of a mosque, please see here.

A third Christian mosaic being restored on the upper balcony.

At the edge of the upper balcony...Viking graffiti carved in the marble. Seriously.

And so below is a photo that gives me enormous joy...up close is the mark of Vikings, and further away are central Islamic and Christian insignia.  None of these "markings" came without a price to others, but now I can stand peacefully in awe at the layers of faith that are here.

I really wish that even just a few times per year some sort of joint prayers could be held here.  Being filled with polite but bustling tourists is fine and good, but the real power of this building would seem to be in the indescribable thing that must emanate from it when its occupants are gathered in worship.

Istanbul: Skipping Goofies

Overall, there's a lot of silliness going on during this vacation, and it is a much-welcomed change from being imprisoned inside the house as I scream at them to hush so I can read/study/write about feminist rhetorical theory and try to get something even anything else productive done for work and they pick at each other and snap and mope about being bored and wanting to have KFC or Pizza Hut delivered and why do they have to take off their 3-day old pajamas and perhaps even bathe and cut their toenails if there's nothing else remotely interesting to do anyway.

To the side of the Blue Mosque is a carpet museum, but it was closed. However, the kids had quite a time skipping down the ramp. 

And this is a park between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia (you can see it beyond the fountain), which is coming up next.  There's Hannah next to the bench, enjoying the fountain as we stand in the shade.

Istanbul: The Blue Mosque

I wish I could show you everything we saw at our major stopping points, but that would involve about 500 photos so far, and we're only in our fourth day of adventure as I write this. You and I both know that there's no way you really want 500 photos, so a tasting is the best I can offer.

The Blue Mosque is an incredible holy building and very famous site in Istanbul. Here's a link to more info about it. So this was easily our first major stop and only about 7 minutes walk from our flat. This is a "working mosque," which has one entrance for tourists and another for those coming to pray. Women and men are required to be "modestly covered" out of respect (a.k.a., don't act like an fool in a church), and they offer shawls to anyone who wants them. I saw men with shawls around their waists if they were wearing shorts, for example. We were all barefoot as well--no shoes in a mosque. And I have to say, from my outsider's point of view, that there is something particularly wonderful about being barefoot in a holy building. There's something about your body--the soles of your feet--being in actual contact with the place that I think is wonderful. I didn't have to cover my hair, so my shawl (brought from Doha) is over my shoulders. Hannah likes to cover her hair, so that was her choice (and as a small child, she isn't required to follow the same level of modesty rules...mainly barefeet and respectful behavior for her, which is normal in one way and not in another).

Thank you, kind fellow tourist, for taking a photo of the freakshow.

Trying to describe the feeling inside this mosque and the architecture is only going to result in a let down.  Suffice to say that it was amazing in all ways--its size, its magnificence, its sense of peacefulness, the crowds, everything.  You can get a sense of the scale from our photo above.

Here is a photo taster of some other views, mainly from the inside (one from the outside at the end):

Istanbul: Initial Explorations

Let me tell you that having three or more kids is not easily compatible with traveling in Europe. Hotel rooms can be affordably located for up to four people, but that fifth person--even if she's only 5 years old--blow the whole thing to hell. Then suddenly you have to have two rooms. And when the rooms EACH cost over 150 EU per night, well, then you either draw straws to figure out who's staying home or you look for alternatives. Friends here have taught us about Vacation Rentals by Owner. People all over the world rent out their own vacation places (tiny flats to whole houses) via this site: http://www.vrbo.com/. It's sort of like a time share only there's no time share "set up" or fees. You just contact the owner and work through the details. I also love this because you can position yourself in neighborhoods rather than in hotel districts. We used VRBOs for Istanbul, Athens, and Mykonos, so you'll see bits of each one as we go.

We landed on time, bought our visas with no problem, and had an airport transfer service meet us to take us to our place. After a nap, we were out by around 10:00 AM.

You may not understand how many times we appreciated the trees, flowers, and fresh air.  Yes, it has been "hot," but "hot" is relative, and when you've gotten "used" to over 120 degrees each day, then suddenly 90 ain't so bad.

The streets are narrow and busy, so we were constantly on the lookout for cars, motorbikes, even huge buses!  To get more business or to accommodate the business they already have, the shops and restaurants spill out across the sidewalks, which means you either walk through them or have to walk in the street.  Amazing to think about how long this place has been here.

Some day, I'll have at least one of these lights. They sell them in Doha, so I don't need to cart one home...but for as much as John loves rugs, I love these!

View of The Blue Mosque and some of the street vendors.  The city was very busy with tourists...and rug salesmen.  Everyone we met (the people working and most of the other tourists) were so very nice.  Even with some occasional language issues, people tried to help and were kind and good lord fawned over Hannah. More on that later.

The one obnoxious thing (from our perspective) about Istanbul were the carpet dealers.  They would stand on the sidewalk and wouldn't let you pass without forcing you to be rude.  The dealers were cheerful and inviting and never rude themselves, but they would do everything in their power to engage you and force you into being the one to walk away.  So we developed two strategies:  (1) I would walk a little ahead with Hannah and just keep going...the dealers were harder on John's attention, so we would give him an excuse to break away as we moved on, and then later in the trip (2) Jack would (after a couple of minutes) interrupt them by trying to talk them into buying a "flying carpet" he had for sale.  When they heard Jack start in using the exact same pitches they used, they would laugh and leave us alone.  And there are a LOT of these salesmen (always men--never saw a woman).  On any given walk, we would pass 4-5 of them. After the first day, they recognized us, so if we promised to "come back later," then they would harass us even more.

Everything else about Istanbul was so fantastic.  I wish the rug dealers would give people a break. Yes, they're trying to make a living, I understand, but those tactics push me into refusing to look because I don't want to make the obnoxiousness worse.  At the bizarre, this was much less dramatic, but I still bought things only from vendors who backed off and let me have a moment of peace to look around and think.

 Lots of cats around Istanbul.  None were tame enough to touch, but we loved seeing them.  This guy had some great coloring.  We called him Cow Cat.  Cause we're crazy like that. We also tended to break out into the "Debbie on eHarmony I Love Cats Song" at random times.  The three kids and I all sing various lines.  John just looks embarrassed.

My newest and now-that-we're-out-of-Istanbul sadly unavailable favorite thing: roasted chestnuts.  These--along with boiled or roasted ears of corn and ice cream--are sold all over the place in the historic district of Istanbul.  They have a wonderful flavor, a lot like meat.  I could definitely see being a vegetarian full time if I had access to these...Jack loved them, too.  We miss them already.

The Griswold's Mediterranean Vacation Begins!

So here's our crazy gamble...we know we're going to be walking with our luggage a lot...taking public transport, walking through airports, yadda yadday...so instead of taking 2-3 suitcases for our three-week journey, each person got one rolling backpack to carry on the plane.  Then everything else had to fit in one rather mid-sized suitcase (without the expander opened).  The suitcase was jamb-packed.  I'm still taking a summer grad course, so I had to take along two books, a computer, and some printed articles. We each got 6 changes of clothes, and we have basic access to washers along the way.

Being the logical and thoughtful cheap parents that we are, we booked a red-eye from Doha to Istanbul, leaving at 2:30 AM and arriving at 6:45 AM.  So, yes, we all pretty much stayed up all night--just some light napping on the plane.  Back at the airport however, my Mom Ratings got a significant boost when, at 1 AM, I pulled the leftover Pizza Hut out of my backpack.

Hannah pole-dancing on the airport bus.

Sunrise at 30,000 feet.

Hank's Summer Hobby: Cooking

With the kids out of school and all of their friends gone for the summer, I was facing a barrage of "I'm bored!" and desire to play video games 24/7. So I instituted summer rules. Three days a week are "electronics" days. The other four days of week offer instrument practice (guitar, piano, or violin), swimming, exercising with Mom at the gym, reading, and a hobby of each kid's choice. Hank chose cooking, so in the two weeks before we left on our travels, he planned, shopped for, cooked, plated, and served dinner twice (once each week). He seems to really enjoy cooking, and he's a lot of fun to have in the kitchen!

Here are a couple of pictures...

Meal #2: Frito pie, fresh green beans, and sliced apples.  (Meal #1 was hotdogs, green beans, and grapes.  I didn't get a picture of it, but the hotdogs were really good--I think BallPark all beef?)

Then he enjoyed his two "hobby assignment" meals so much that he woke up on Saturday morning and made (without a recipe) nutella pastries!  He used packaged croissant dough, put a spoon of nutella in each, folded and sealed, baked, then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  They were fantastic!

I ran to get the camera, yelling "FOOD PORN!" but he really didn't appreciate that.

Piano!

I've missed having a piano in our house for so long--even the out-of-tune, missing-a-foot, no-tops-on-the-keys antique that we had in Calvert was a joy compared to not having one. So I got a little extra money from some consulting work and splurged on this one.  It's an electric piano made by Yamaha.

The "cabinet" is "real wood" (pressboard I would image), but the keyboard is full-size, it has three functioning pedals, and it plays exactly like a "real" piano.  I'd tried electric pianos before but hated the slight delay between pushing the key and hearing the sound.  I also didn't want all that fancy schmancy 68 instruments and a mamba/disco back beat crap that typically goes on a keyboard.  This one does have six "voices," but two of them sound exactly like a perfectly tuned piano. It also has a built-in metronome. 

We are having way too much fun with this!  Jack is learning to play "Heart and Soul," and I've downloaded a bunch of sheet music to try to refamiliarize myself with playing.  I think we'll sign Hannah and Jack up for lessons this fall.

The excellent news is also that this is light and "travel safe."  It can go to a new home via shipping container (and a real piano most likely couldn't have weathered that journey very well).

It's perfect for our needs right now.