Hello everyone! It’s been more than 2 weeks since our last posting, and life has been extremely busy. We are fully moved in but still getting settled. Living together is wonderful and day-by-day, we learn something new about each other. Who would have thought that after almost 6 years of dating, you’re still learning. Also, Christina is now officially Christina Nguyen White according to the powers that be (Social Security Office, Georgia DMV, and Sapient).
So back to our honeymoon: our second stop was ancient and mysterious Istanbul, Turkey (the city previously known as Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, aka the Easter Roman Empire). Istanbul is the only city in the world that bridges two continents – Europe and Asia. It is a melting pot of cultures with a history going back 2500 years. Unlike Rome, Athens, or other ancient Western cities, Istanbul is relatively well-preserved and has some amazing sites.
Overall, Istanbul was a whirlwind tour. Most people spend 5-10 days visiting the city. Every time a Turk asked us how long we were in town, they would laugh or look astonished/offended when we replied “Uh… 3 days”. In reality it was only 2.5 days with travel, so the agenda was quite hectic. I was forced to create an hour-by-hour itinerary with the hotel concierge to make sure we hit all the major highlights and maximized our time. Needless to say, this was quite a shocker after the relaxing idyll of Crete.
Check out the Istanbul pictures.
Highlights of Istanbul:
| … | ** Visa line at immigration was a microcosm of geopolitics. Depending on your country you pay a different amount for a tourist visa. This is all displayed on HD TVs while you wait in the long long line. Americans pay half as much as Canadians. Poor citizens from Greek Cyprus have to pay the most and only get a single entry visa. Great job fixing that problem European Union in the 2004 expansion! (insert sarcasm here)
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| … | ** W Istanbul was the most outrageous W property ever, and that’s saying a lot. A total hyperbolic play on Turkish culture mixed with crazy night club. Upgraded to a big room with 8 different lighting schemes. They gave us a giant heart shaped cake with roses as a welcome. |
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| ** Even Istanbul has a celebrity chef, and his amazing restaurant is Mikla on the rooftop of a giant hotel. Had the most expensive Vodka soda in the entire world (roughly $24 US for a single cocktail). We could have bought a bottle of good vodka for that price. However, the lamb entrée was the best we have ever had in the world. ever.
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| ** Visited home of the Ottoman Sultans, Topaki Palace. One of the most amazing sites in the world, similar to Louvre or British Museum. So much to see and so little time. Harem – where the many ladies of the sultan resided, treasury, religious artifacts from Mecca, unbelievable views of Golden Horn. Truly amazing. , | |
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| ** Chora Church – (Sorry mom, no vaulted ceilings). Old Orthodox church from Byzantium. So many frescos with intricate scenes from the bible. Bought a guide book, and Christina gave an ad-hoc walkthrough. Parents, you will be happy that we guessed >50% of the Biblical scenes. Go Catholic educations! | |
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| ** Asistane Restaurant – serves “revived Ottoman food” with rediscovered recipes from the Sultan’s palace dating back as early as the 13th century. The Ottoman Empire stretched from Austria to Iran and down through Egypt and North Africa. Ottoman cuisine was unlike anything we have ever tasted. We ate like Sultans and enjoyed every bite. | |
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| ** Attended a show of “Whirling Dervishes“, the Mevlevi order, sect of Sufi Islam. We realized it was a tourist trap when there was a blue backlit stage, and that this wasn’t the most authentic location for a prayer ceremony. After an hour of whirling dudes, we took a nap and woke up and applauded. | |
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| … | ** Visited the Blue Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world built as a rival to the Hagia Sofia. We could only enter at certain hours because the mosque is actively use for prayers, which means we had to took off shoes and cover up. The architecture was beautiful – tile work from floor to ceiling. It was truly unlike nothing we’ve scene when it comes to detailed artwork within an already fascinating structure. |
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| ** Toured the Hagia Sofia, the largest basilica built by Emperor Justinian that was converted into a mosque upon the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Mehmed II kept the beautiful Christian mosaics and much of the architecture – so the overall experience was an unique blend of Muslim and Christian. After all, Christians & Muslims are both People of the Book, so the continuity is appropriate. | |
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| ** Walked around the Hippodrome – the Byzantine stadium for chariot racing. This wasn’t quite Ben-Hur, as none of the track remains. The highlight was several different columns, obelisks and statues. Nothing like a good obelisk to get you going. | |
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| ** Climbed deep under the earth into Basilica Cistern, the water storage system of the Great Palace and Churches. Lost during the conquest of Istanbul, the underwater cave was wonderfully preserved though a bit spooky, especially the statues of Medusa.
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| ** Grand Bazaar , one of the largest markets in the world. We wandered through the mazes of stalls, much nicer and cleaner than in Asia, but still a mad house compared to a US mall. Spent time buying porcelain with Mustafa, a salesman who seemed drunk/high. Apparently everyone is named after Mustafa Kemal (aka Attaurk), the founder of the Modern Turkish Republic. Christina became an expert in the Turkish language, especially in saying “thank you” – “tesekkur ederim” in Turkish. Too bad that didn’t get us cheaper prices
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| ** Wandered through the Spice Market enjoying the sites and smells of exotic cuisine. Everyone let us try different spice samples, candies, and cheeses. We saw an Eastern European girl count out five benjamins for some exotic oil that helps with cellulite, quite a pricey purchase. We bought a bounty of spices, but unfortunately the fish spice stunk up the entire bag. Why we bought fish spice? Not so sure. | |
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| ** Our last night in Istanbul was a great night out on the town. We started by going to one of the original Meyhanes, or Turkish Taverns. The food consists of small plates that are brought to the table, then you order exotic meats and other entrees – such as delicious sautéed lamb liver. Then after Turkish wine, Turkish beer, and Turkish raki, we explored the alleyways and found crowds pouring out of bars and clubs. We joined in the revelry and had a great time – all on a Wednesday night and all worth it despite our rough Thursday morning. | |
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Next leg – Southern Turkey! We go from the busy energy and life of Istanbul to a quiet, beautiful small beach town that, wonderfully, felt like the middle of nowhere.
Extremely entertaining and well written! Christina is the next P.J. O’Rourke! You guys clearly make travelling partners, stay safe and keep up that terrific perspective ya’ll have! All the best from Jennifer, Christina, Aunt Noi and yours truly Uncle Mike.