And it all starts with breakfast.
Eating with my family has always been a large part of my upbringing and when we all sit down together on this trip we learn things from one another and we get to enjoy a deep part of Turkish culture: food and hospitality, both of which have been absolutely excellent!!
The people of Turkey take great pride in their hospitality (and their food), belieiving that guests do not have to bring anything physical to the table, but that they always leave something more substantial. Guests are treated so well here that we have constantly felt extremely welcomed.
The first adventure on which we embarked today was to the Jewish Museum, which was tucked in the back of a long, skinny alleyway.
This was a prime exampe of the importancce of not judging a book by its cover. The alley may have felt as if the walls were about to cave in on us, but the Suleymaniye Museum was absolutely pristine.
The musuem displayed the many different ways Jewish people have long been involved in the history of Turkey. There were numerous influential Jewish folk throughout Turkish history, particularly after the Muslims and the Jews were forced out from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. These religious and ethnic groups needed a place to call home and many of them settled in Turkey, where the Ottoman Empire was significantly more tollerant. They were able settle down and establish themselves comfortably.
While at the museum, a heavy rainstorm graced the streets of Istanbul, bringing down the temperature and bringing smiles to all of our faces.
From the museum, we drove across the bridge to our next destination, the fish market. The market was bustling like a busy bee hive. Everywhere you looked there was movement. Young boys were trying to sell us an assortment of items and men were hollering at us to come eat at their fish sandwich spots. We ended up going to what was the equivalent to a fast food restaurant right beside the water. The kitchen itself was a highly decorated vessel that bobbed up and down in the water about four feet up and four feet down. As experienced as I am becoming on the seas, I don't think I'd be able to cook and successfully stand in that amount of constant movement.
We sat on little barrels that stood no higher than our knees and we ate our mackrel sandwiches. All of us left a healthy pile of bones on our wrappings and while the experience was great, I was glad to be out of that packed and bustling environment.
Behind me in the above shot is the market. The golden domes in the center are the floating kitchens. Far back on the hill is a dome with minarets. That was a mosque that we visited later in the day. The infamous grand bizaar is also in this area. In that small space behind me, there were easily 800 people. It made me think a bit about Time Square, but this market was somehow less stressful.
From there we walked to our next appointment - a boat ride across the Bosphorus. Being on a boat made my feet feel right in their element once more. For those of you who may not know, my growing passion is for sailing. I feel more sturdy and comfortable on ships than I do on land.
While not the best photo of me, it shows the type of ship that we were on over my shoulder. We took this ship northward bound to gaze at the incredible sites along the Bosphorus. One thing that was absolutely amazing was how close the roof of our ship came to the bottom of the bridge. We easily could have reached up and touched the bridge, but for the speed that our ship was moving. I value my fingers and had no desire to leave my digits for the fishies.
Two enormous bridges connect Europe to Asia over the Bosphorus. On the left side of this photo is Europe, on the right, Asia. The Asian side of Turkey is called the Anatolyan side.
Along the banks of the strait were countless historical sites. Once I have my laptop in the States, I'll update this post with more photos, but here are two of the highlights.
This photo does not do this titan of a castle justice, but it was smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Imagine having towers and turrets in your backyard!
This was the second bridge and it shows how the contemporary meets the ancient. That is a running theme here in Turkey. The people in Istanbul are very "Western," yet still very much in touch with their cultural heritage. It is proof that there can be a balance between worlds.
After our lovely boat ride, we hopped back into our bus and drove up the thin, winding streets of the neighborhood. We could not believe how great our driver was. His license deserves to be guilded. The seemingly impossibly tight corners, the traffic, the pedestrians, random holes in the ground - no video game or training could prepare you to drive in Istanbul successfully. We have seen quite a few car accidents so far and traffic can become quite literally a parkinglot.
Our struggles up the hilll led us to the most impressive building I think I've yet seen (that's a highly subjective comment.) The mosque was built in the late 1500s over the course of 8 years and the architecht was an 85 year old man (think on how incredible that is for a moment) who lived to see his projecct complete. Our leader Mesut said that this was not considered his masterpiece, so I cannot begin to imagine how beautiful that one is.
The building was absolutelly breathtaking. On the main dome, the detail was awe inspiring. There were numerous bunches of flowers painted into the dome and beautiful golden patterns that were so discrete, that a quick glance would miss them.
My group and I sat and lay down on the floor to marvel at what looked like windows into heaven.
And this was a small piece of what we saw.
The half circle design on the right side of the screen was a sunrise. These pictures do not do this mosque justice at all - this is one of those places that you just have to experiencce to fully appreciate.
We were all so at peace inside this place. My group and I were talking about how important it is for man to have a quiet place to sit and reflect on life, its wonders, its blessings. To unplug from our electronics and our distractions, and just breathe.
Most of us started to nod off, so we got up and explored some more. Mesut actually fell asleep and we couldn't find him for the longest time, but he was only about 20 feet away from us on the otherside of a wall.
The mosque was not only built to support the soul, there was also a hospital, a Turkish bath, a school, a hospice and a market. It was constructed to support all of the needs of an individual and the community at large.
We walked through the market and I made friends with more local kittens. One of the shop owners tried to get me to take a kitten that had really taken to me free of charge and boy was it hard saying no! But I don't think Bella Tuna Todd would be terribly happy if I brought home a fluffier mini version of her.
After our nice afternoon stroll through the market, we got back in the van and embarked upon a one hour car ride to the house at which we were to have dinner. The unfortunate detail was that the location was less than two miles away, but the traffic situation was down right diplorable! Our poor, but wonderful driver kept trying different routes and eventually we made it to the gracious family's home.
It was a wonderful immersion experience. Several people from the family's network came to meet the Americans and we all had such a wonderful time. This is the point of this adventure. We are not only learning about Turkey, her culture her history, and her people - we are here to engage with the Turkish citizens so that they may learn about us as well.
We all had pictures of our family, our homes, our city to show the people what our lives are like. Everyone thought the photos of my cat were hilarious. They were amazed by how beautiful California is. They were really impressed with the three Turkish words that I was able to use. Honestly folks, if you're going to another country that does not speak the same language as you, do your best to try to learn a few words. You'll be delightfully surprised how much it means to people that you are trying. It is a demonstration of respect. You don't have to be fluent by any means and if you mess up the pronunciation, they'll likely laugh right there with you and help you to figure it out.
While looking at these photos and exchanging jokes, questions, and comments with one another with the wondeful help of Mesut's translating, we ate an enormous meal. The food was phenominal. I do have photos, but again on my camera, which I will post. The whole experiene reminded me much of my mom's family. Our Mexican culture insists that everyone eats (even if they're not hungry) and that everyone feel welcome. I expressed the similarities to the host family after they served us tre lech cake, which I kid you not is the exact same as tres leche cake.
And yes! I finally had a cup of Turkish coffe and ooooohhhhhh baby was it good!
Alright my traveling companions, we are currently waiting for our flight to our next destination. I probably won't be able to post this for a while, so some time may pass before this post is actually up. Where are we going next? You'll have to tune in next time to see!!
Your humble author,
S. Faxon
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