May 21 - Istanbul: Fancy Footwear and The Best Apple is the One that Flavors the Shisha

Dolmabahce, a European inspired palace as seen from the Bosphorous.





No photos and we were required to wear stylish footwear to protect the floors.



We toured through the extravagant palace and at times the interior made Versailles look humble. Every detail was ornate, that's about the only way I can describe it. Everything in the palace was imported from western Europe, including multiple giant crystal chandeliers. The only things in the palace that were Turkish were the rugs.

We also toured the Harem, the less luxurious, more comfortable living quarters for the Sultan, his wives, children, and mother. The mother ran the house. It was still gigantic and fairly luxurious.

One of the palace's lovely courtyards.











The crows in Turkey are grey and black.



Entrance to the palace as we were leaving.



For lunch, we headed to Taksim Square. We bought burgers and Aryan (yogurt drink) from Kizilkayalar. It's kind of like a White Castle Burger soaked in tomato sauce. Nothing wrong with that.




We ate in the little park above Taksim Square so we could have a shady view.



After lunch, we walked down the busy shopping street, Istiklal. We stopped at Mandabatmaz for THE BEST Turkish coffee I drank in Istanbul. Also, I am a sucker for cute signage, and there is a bull standing atop of a coffee cup, so I am won over already.



Ah, look at its glory. Just like hot chocolate...but coffee. Heaven.



The fish market street as seen from busy Istiklal Street.



Walked through Tophane, an artsy neighborhood which I highly recommend. If I go back to Istanbul, or if anyone I know is traveling to Istanbul, I would tell them to stay in a hotel here. There are tons of restaurants and clubs, everyone is young, it's not overrun with tourists, and there are art galleries here and there for some free culture.

We only went to two galleries, but they were both cool, so I felt fulfilled. My favorite was Daire, which at the time we went was showing a great photography exhibit called THIS WAS by Cemre Yesil. Due to the glory of the internet, some of the exhibit can be seen here. Cemre is extremely talented and inspires me to become a better photographer.

After art, dessert. Baklava at Karakoy Gulluoglu.



Then, onto the craziness, the Grand Bazaar. We kept getting lost and then going in circles. You can see why.





Every way you look it stretches as far as you can see.



Dinner break at the edge of the Market at Aynen Durum. The best part of the meal was the pickle and pepper plate that came with the chicken durum. I do enjoy good pickles.



Hubs took this great photo of a group of friends laughing.



There are lots and lots of stray dogs and cats in Istanbul (and Greece). At first, it seems depressing, but then you realize that they're healthy, for the most part, and you become accustomed to seeing them sleeping in shady nooks throughout town. A popular place for dogs was in the park between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. One dog found the ultimate sleeping spot.



We passed this hookah bar on our first night and I vowed to come back. It's on Sogukcesme Street, right behind Hagia Sophia. Just walk down until you are almost to the bottom of the hill and you arrive at Gulhane Sure Cafe.



It's outdoor, but covered, and completely peaceful at night. I had never smoked before but our server gave us some pointers and it was a wonderful, relaxing time with our apple shisha (and, no, it does not get you high, it is merely sweet, flavored tobacco that tastes and smells amazing in a way that only things that are terrible for you can).



Late night snack curtesy of a van with a grill in it parked across from our hotel. This man grilled some sliced sausage while we waited.



Probably the best sandwich of our trip.

May 20 - Istanbul: Two Mosques, Two Continents

After walking past them for days on our way to and from our hotel, we finally went inside the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia.

First, Hagia Sofia. Once a church, then a mosque, now a museum.







The crosses are kind of, sort of covered up.







Some Viking carved on the rail, just like that annoying kid who sat behind you in study hall who couldn't stop carving on the back of your chair.



My favorite creepy angel in the corner.













The circle where Popes were once coronated.







Across the street, The Basilica Cistern. It feels like a beautiful dungeon, still dripping.







Medusas in the Basilica Cistern.





One last shot near the exit.



The Blue Mosque.











Simit, bread rings with sesame seads, available on every street corner. We got ours with Nutella because, why not?



We had enough time to ferry back over to the Asian side. We had lunch at Kebapci Iskender, the inventors of the Iskender or Iskander kebab that you see on restaurant signs and menus all over Istanbul. This Iskender kebab is shaved meat served over sliced pita and then doused in tomato sauce. The dish is finished at the table as the server pours browned butter over the meat. So, you can imagine how delicious this was. Perfect with the yogurt and eggplant served on the side.



We also ordered a Turkish drink that was both sweet and tart, and I have no idea what it was called, but it tasted good.



Near the Kadikoy port, there is a large shopping district. We hopped around going from candy store to candy store, seeing the rainbow of colored candies and Turkish delights, hunting for a spot to relax for a few minutes. We ended up settling on Haci Bekir since they had some quiet tables in the back.



Ordered a brownie and two Turkish coffees.



That pretty much did it for the Asian side.

And more sweets, Turkish coffee, and tea when we got back to the European side. We ate at Hafiz Mustafa. Sugar overload.



Typical crazy Istanbul intersection. View from the second floor of Hafiz Mustafa.



After our snack, we went to see a Dervish show. No photos allowed, it was a spiritual performance of men...whirling. It's difficult to describe. It's almost trance-like to watch. Just spinning and spinning and spinning. There were live musicians playing beautiful music to accompany and that was my favorite part.

Exhausted, we ate near our hotel, and it was the worst meal of the trip. It wasn't even terrible, it just wasn't anything I want to post about.

After dinner, we had another rooftop drink over the Blue Mosque and listened to the last call to prayer for the night.