It's pretty obvious by now that I'm not coming back to this blog anytime soon... I didn't drop it for any particular reason, I simply lost the initiative (and the discipline) to post regularly. A lot has happened since then -- I lost my job, got a new one, and made the decision to go to grad school this fall (for a Master's in Public Policy). I've also grown into some wonderful new friendships, and a serious relationship, and, well... life happens that way :-)
Anyway, far be it from me to completely abandon life on the internets. You can follow me on Twitter (at least until the next shiny new thing comes along) at @athena_ak. Hope to see you there!
Tweeting
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Monday, November 19, 2007
I'm not dead
I've actually been back in NYC for almost a month now, but it's been so insanely busy that I haven't had time to finish writing about my trip. (Though the photo album is almost done.) Soon, soon.
In the meantime, here's a picture of me playing goddess/statue at the top of the Acropolis, which overlooks Bergama, near the end of the trip. Photo courtesy of Clemens and Gerd, the two German guys from my hotel who so graciously drove me up there and then kept me thoroughly entertained for the rest of the day.
(And yes, the weather was that perfect for 99% of the trip.)
In the meantime, here's a picture of me playing goddess/statue at the top of the Acropolis, which overlooks Bergama, near the end of the trip. Photo courtesy of Clemens and Gerd, the two German guys from my hotel who so graciously drove me up there and then kept me thoroughly entertained for the rest of the day.
(And yes, the weather was that perfect for 99% of the trip.)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Selçuk, Oct 15 - 17
And now we return to the present, where İ currently find myself just over the two-third mark of my vacation / journey / adventure. İ have so much more to tell beyond the things İve done and the escapades İve had -- thoughts about the Turkish people, about Turkish food, about traveling alone, about traveling alone as a woman in a (pretty liberal) Muslim country, about not understanding a word of what anyone says around you, just to name a few -- but for tonight İ think it will be enough to catch up on these posts and maybe make a small dent in the small mountain of emails eagerly awaiting my attention.
On Monday İ arrived in Selçuk, a small (25000 people) town mostly notable for its proximity to one of the most legendary sites of the Greek & Roman empires: Ephesus (called Efes in Turkish)! İ hopped off the bus around midday, dropped my stuff off at the hotel around the corner from the bus station, and ignored the quizzical look from the (otherwise really friendly) guy at the desk (youre sure you dont want a tour?). No, I wanted to get on with it! :-) İ decided to walk there, and take the "long" way (5km) to the top gate. After the requisite confusion and disorientation -- İ dont have the best sense of direction, to say the least, and it doesnt help that in Turkey you can rarely tell what street youre on anyway because there are hardly any signs -- İ finally set out in what İ was reasonably sure was the right direction. After about 15 minutes walking along the shaded sidewalk by a new highway, İ followed the signs and turned right onto a two-lane road and strolled the rest of the way under the shade of mulberry trees and accompanied only by the sound of the birds and bees (and the occasional motorcyclist offering me a ride). Finally, I was there -- and it was every bit as magical as İ had imagined. Ruins, ruins, and more ruins, not a lot of statues because theyre all in the local museum, but just enough of them and of old cornices and bits of friezes to help you imagine the grandeur of the city that once housed St. John the Baptist and countless great thinkers and some really rich Roman people. İ was there until it closed and then hopped the dolmuş back into Selçuk, exhausted.
The next morning İ set out on another walk to the Basilica of St. John, an old Classıcal and Byzantine ruin of a thing (only a few of the walls and columns remain) that boasts the tomb where he was supposedly buried. The baptismal font, shaped like a cross, faces Rome in one directıon and Jerusalem in the other (or so İ overheard one of the French guides telling his crew... I may not do many tours but İm not ashamed to eavesdrop on them, hehe). Next door is the 14th-century İsa Bey Camii (mosque), where İ was both amused and upset by a tour guide who was telling her Western European group about Muslim women, about their headscarves and the separate prayer sections (in the back of the mosque). On the one hand she was right to point out that these customs are not dictated anywhere in the Koran -- but it also made me upset that she seemed to suggest that it was ok to break them or counter them, or that they were worth less, because İ believe there is a tremendous value to tradition and it is also not our place, as visitors, to barge in and tell others that we dont agree with what theyre doing (evident human rights violations aside). Something to think about, I guess...
Anyway, the day, though chilly, was too nice to spend inside so İ scrapped my original plans to see the statues in the Efes Museum and instead hopped a dolmuş to Şirinçe, an impossibly picturesque, tiny little village nestled into the hills outside of Selçuk among the grape vines (the wine here is great) and olive trees. İ spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around aimlessly and enjoying several servings of gözleme (a Turkish cross between a pancake and a crepe), which is quite possibly my favorite food here. To top off the gastronomical extravaganza, İ came back to Selçuk as the sun set and, heeding the advice of a carpet-seller İd been chatting with earlier that day, hit up a local joint for some of the best, juiciest, most delectable chicken kebap İ have ever tasted. In fact, thats where İm goıng to go now right after İ finish this post :-)
And fınally, catching up, today İ took another (and my last) tour to the old Hellenistic and Classical sites of Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. My guide book said that Miletus was the one to miss of the three, but İd have to disagree. Though little besides the enormous theater remains intact of the town, which once lay on a peninsula into the Aegean but from which the coast has since receded several kilometers (but it still floods every winter), İ thought ıit was much more atmospheric and imaginable than Priene, where the disordered jumble of old columns and stones virtually obscured any sense of the town as it was once laid out. Still, it was an enjoyable day spent doing exactly what İ came here to do -- clambering over old ruins, taking way too many pictures (even of Roman-era graffıttı!) and basking in the brilliant Turkish sun.
And now, about that kepab...
On Monday İ arrived in Selçuk, a small (25000 people) town mostly notable for its proximity to one of the most legendary sites of the Greek & Roman empires: Ephesus (called Efes in Turkish)! İ hopped off the bus around midday, dropped my stuff off at the hotel around the corner from the bus station, and ignored the quizzical look from the (otherwise really friendly) guy at the desk (youre sure you dont want a tour?). No, I wanted to get on with it! :-) İ decided to walk there, and take the "long" way (5km) to the top gate. After the requisite confusion and disorientation -- İ dont have the best sense of direction, to say the least, and it doesnt help that in Turkey you can rarely tell what street youre on anyway because there are hardly any signs -- İ finally set out in what İ was reasonably sure was the right direction. After about 15 minutes walking along the shaded sidewalk by a new highway, İ followed the signs and turned right onto a two-lane road and strolled the rest of the way under the shade of mulberry trees and accompanied only by the sound of the birds and bees (and the occasional motorcyclist offering me a ride). Finally, I was there -- and it was every bit as magical as İ had imagined. Ruins, ruins, and more ruins, not a lot of statues because theyre all in the local museum, but just enough of them and of old cornices and bits of friezes to help you imagine the grandeur of the city that once housed St. John the Baptist and countless great thinkers and some really rich Roman people. İ was there until it closed and then hopped the dolmuş back into Selçuk, exhausted.
The next morning İ set out on another walk to the Basilica of St. John, an old Classıcal and Byzantine ruin of a thing (only a few of the walls and columns remain) that boasts the tomb where he was supposedly buried. The baptismal font, shaped like a cross, faces Rome in one directıon and Jerusalem in the other (or so İ overheard one of the French guides telling his crew... I may not do many tours but İm not ashamed to eavesdrop on them, hehe). Next door is the 14th-century İsa Bey Camii (mosque), where İ was both amused and upset by a tour guide who was telling her Western European group about Muslim women, about their headscarves and the separate prayer sections (in the back of the mosque). On the one hand she was right to point out that these customs are not dictated anywhere in the Koran -- but it also made me upset that she seemed to suggest that it was ok to break them or counter them, or that they were worth less, because İ believe there is a tremendous value to tradition and it is also not our place, as visitors, to barge in and tell others that we dont agree with what theyre doing (evident human rights violations aside). Something to think about, I guess...
Anyway, the day, though chilly, was too nice to spend inside so İ scrapped my original plans to see the statues in the Efes Museum and instead hopped a dolmuş to Şirinçe, an impossibly picturesque, tiny little village nestled into the hills outside of Selçuk among the grape vines (the wine here is great) and olive trees. İ spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around aimlessly and enjoying several servings of gözleme (a Turkish cross between a pancake and a crepe), which is quite possibly my favorite food here. To top off the gastronomical extravaganza, İ came back to Selçuk as the sun set and, heeding the advice of a carpet-seller İd been chatting with earlier that day, hit up a local joint for some of the best, juiciest, most delectable chicken kebap İ have ever tasted. In fact, thats where İm goıng to go now right after İ finish this post :-)
And fınally, catching up, today İ took another (and my last) tour to the old Hellenistic and Classical sites of Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. My guide book said that Miletus was the one to miss of the three, but İd have to disagree. Though little besides the enormous theater remains intact of the town, which once lay on a peninsula into the Aegean but from which the coast has since receded several kilometers (but it still floods every winter), İ thought ıit was much more atmospheric and imaginable than Priene, where the disordered jumble of old columns and stones virtually obscured any sense of the town as it was once laid out. Still, it was an enjoyable day spent doing exactly what İ came here to do -- clambering over old ruins, taking way too many pictures (even of Roman-era graffıttı!) and basking in the brilliant Turkish sun.
And now, about that kepab...
Bodrum, Oct 13-14
After the previous days' culture and excitement, İ knew İd need a break, and Bodrum was just that. Its a smallish beach town nestled in a bay right where the coast turns up from the Mediterranean to the Aegean Sea, popular with British beach-goers (and partiers) and İ was staying in a hostel just a few short blocks from the water. With the end of tourist season the town was quite a bit quieter than its reputation suggests, which was just fine with me. I did get my share of boisterous Anglo-Franco rivalry when İ watched the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final in the bar downstairs (England beat France), which was thoroughly entertaining and amusing. And, of course, a few drinks at a few local (Turkish, not touristy) haunts with Tarik, who helps run the hostel, turned into a 5am adventure of its own!
The next day was spent mostly reading by the water and staring aimlessly off into the distance... perfect! İ did break out the running shoes for a mid-day run on a low-traffic road along the coast, which was warm but picture-perfect (and a good way to finish off what lingered of the previous nights beers!). Batteries recharged...
The next day was spent mostly reading by the water and staring aimlessly off into the distance... perfect! İ did break out the running shoes for a mid-day run on a low-traffic road along the coast, which was warm but picture-perfect (and a good way to finish off what lingered of the previous nights beers!). Batteries recharged...
Fethiye, Oct 11 - 13
Finding a bus to my next destination along the Mediterranean was a bit of a stressful experience because after Ramadan (with whose last couple of days İ had intentionally planned my trip to coincide) the Turkish celebrate three days of Bayram, a candy festival when total strangers offer you sweets (yum!) but also people travel like they do on Memorial and Labor Day in the US. Agh! Anyway, with the help of my hosts in Antalya İ was able to score a seat on a smaller bus, complete with random by-the-side-of-the-road pick-ups and drop-offs, and was on my way.
On my first afternoon İ explored the town, with its ancient Hellenistic theater surrounded by a main street on the front and houses all around. It was pretty neglected, overgrown and covered in graffiti, and kind of depressing. Turkey is a lot like Mexico this way -- there is so much history, literally thousands of ruins everywhere, that no amount of government or private funding will ever be enough to adequately reconstruct and/or preserve even a small part of it. Life just goes on... İ did see some Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs above the city, though, so those were pretty cool.
The next morning, I set out with some newly made friends (an American girl and a British guy) from the Pension where İ was staying to Kaya Köy, an old Greek village that was abandoned during the compulsory population exchange of the early 20th century and which now remains only as a ghost town. We ended up tooling around the quiet ruins, the old houses with their cold chimneys, the churches with their empty windows, for several hours. Next on the agenda was a longish hike/walk over the hills to Oludeniz, the impeccably blue & green bay that features on practically every Turkish travel poster... but we took a wrong turn practically from the start (why didnt my guide book tell us there were two divergent sets of red dots marking a path?!) and ended up about an hour later at a small, pristine lagoon -- which we soon found out was called Cold Water Bay -- but nowhere near our intended destinatıon! We tried to convince the two lone Turkish guys we came across to drive us to the right place on their motorboat, but they wanted a ridiculous sum of money to do it... so back we went, over the same hills, past the same old tomb at the top, down through the same ghost town, right back to the spot where wed had lunch about 5 hours earlier. Parched (none of us had brought along quite enough water), we chugged a beer, munched on some just-picked pomegranate seeds, and hopped the dolmuş (locla minibus) back to Fethiye. Fortunately İ had some very amicable, interesting and most of all patient travel companions so İ think it counted as a good, if misguided, adventure!
My departing bus the next day wasnt scheduled till late afternoon, so what did İ do? İ JUMPED OFF A MOUNTAİN!!!!!!! Seriously! Apparently Oludeniz is one of the top two places in the world to go paragliding, and, well, who was İ to argue with that? İ and about half a dozen brave (or insane) other souls piled into a safari-type truck for the long, long, bumpy, winding, WINDING, oh-my-god-i-dont-even-want-to-know-how-close-we-are-to-the-edge-of-the-road-right-now ride up past the tree line, past the clouds, UP UP UP 1700 meters to the top of the mountain. I met my "pilot," Bayram, who laughed as İ slipped, shaking (from nerves and also because it was really cold up there) into my flight suit and into the bulky harness that would also serve as my eventual seat. He strapped himself into the parachute-like contraption spread out on the rocks behind him, strapped himself to me, and then instructed me to RUN RUN RUN! Which was really more like a jog-waddle, because the harness is strapped behind your knees and so you feel like a turtle tripping over rocks and (did i mention?) RUNNİNG OFF THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAİN! Straight into the clouds we went, over the trees, and İ have never been so terrified and exhilarated and glad to be breathing every last molecule of air in my lungs in my life. After a few minutes we finally broke free of the clouds and there it was, this impossibly blue, turquoise, pristine bay below me. He took off my helmet and let me snap a dozen pictures (with my feet in them, of course :-) ) and then asked me if İ wanted to "spin." Um, ok, sure! so we leaned right, and right, and right, and we were spinning in a big circle and if İ werent so deliriously happy İ think İ might have passed out from the lack of air in my lungs! We were flying! İt was absolutely amazing, beyond even the babble İm putting on this screen. After some time (25 minutes? İ have no idea) we finally began our descent onto the sidewalk behind the beach, and İ swear İ think it took about an hour for my heart rate to even begin to go down. İf it hadnt been for the time difference (7 hours to NYC, making it about 5am there) İ think I would have called every person in my phone book... as it was İ just savored the memory and am looking forward to these pictures most of all :-)
On my first afternoon İ explored the town, with its ancient Hellenistic theater surrounded by a main street on the front and houses all around. It was pretty neglected, overgrown and covered in graffiti, and kind of depressing. Turkey is a lot like Mexico this way -- there is so much history, literally thousands of ruins everywhere, that no amount of government or private funding will ever be enough to adequately reconstruct and/or preserve even a small part of it. Life just goes on... İ did see some Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs above the city, though, so those were pretty cool.
The next morning, I set out with some newly made friends (an American girl and a British guy) from the Pension where İ was staying to Kaya Köy, an old Greek village that was abandoned during the compulsory population exchange of the early 20th century and which now remains only as a ghost town. We ended up tooling around the quiet ruins, the old houses with their cold chimneys, the churches with their empty windows, for several hours. Next on the agenda was a longish hike/walk over the hills to Oludeniz, the impeccably blue & green bay that features on practically every Turkish travel poster... but we took a wrong turn practically from the start (why didnt my guide book tell us there were two divergent sets of red dots marking a path?!) and ended up about an hour later at a small, pristine lagoon -- which we soon found out was called Cold Water Bay -- but nowhere near our intended destinatıon! We tried to convince the two lone Turkish guys we came across to drive us to the right place on their motorboat, but they wanted a ridiculous sum of money to do it... so back we went, over the same hills, past the same old tomb at the top, down through the same ghost town, right back to the spot where wed had lunch about 5 hours earlier. Parched (none of us had brought along quite enough water), we chugged a beer, munched on some just-picked pomegranate seeds, and hopped the dolmuş (locla minibus) back to Fethiye. Fortunately İ had some very amicable, interesting and most of all patient travel companions so İ think it counted as a good, if misguided, adventure!
My departing bus the next day wasnt scheduled till late afternoon, so what did İ do? İ JUMPED OFF A MOUNTAİN!!!!!!! Seriously! Apparently Oludeniz is one of the top two places in the world to go paragliding, and, well, who was İ to argue with that? İ and about half a dozen brave (or insane) other souls piled into a safari-type truck for the long, long, bumpy, winding, WINDING, oh-my-god-i-dont-even-want-to-know-how-close-we-are-to-the-edge-of-the-road-right-now ride up past the tree line, past the clouds, UP UP UP 1700 meters to the top of the mountain. I met my "pilot," Bayram, who laughed as İ slipped, shaking (from nerves and also because it was really cold up there) into my flight suit and into the bulky harness that would also serve as my eventual seat. He strapped himself into the parachute-like contraption spread out on the rocks behind him, strapped himself to me, and then instructed me to RUN RUN RUN! Which was really more like a jog-waddle, because the harness is strapped behind your knees and so you feel like a turtle tripping over rocks and (did i mention?) RUNNİNG OFF THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAİN! Straight into the clouds we went, over the trees, and İ have never been so terrified and exhilarated and glad to be breathing every last molecule of air in my lungs in my life. After a few minutes we finally broke free of the clouds and there it was, this impossibly blue, turquoise, pristine bay below me. He took off my helmet and let me snap a dozen pictures (with my feet in them, of course :-) ) and then asked me if İ wanted to "spin." Um, ok, sure! so we leaned right, and right, and right, and we were spinning in a big circle and if İ werent so deliriously happy İ think İ might have passed out from the lack of air in my lungs! We were flying! İt was absolutely amazing, beyond even the babble İm putting on this screen. After some time (25 minutes? İ have no idea) we finally began our descent onto the sidewalk behind the beach, and İ swear İ think it took about an hour for my heart rate to even begin to go down. İf it hadnt been for the time difference (7 hours to NYC, making it about 5am there) İ think I would have called every person in my phone book... as it was İ just savored the memory and am looking forward to these pictures most of all :-)
Antalya, Oct 9-10
İ made it to the Mediterranean! On Tuesday İ hopped a short flight slightly east and then south to the port city of Antalya, where İll be staying with some family of a friend of a Houston friend. They have an English-speaking daughter whos around my age, though she has been working crazy hours at her veterinary clinic so İ ended up having to depend largely on her mother, who understands only a little bit of English and speaks even less. İt was a challenge, to be sure, and on more than one occasion made me wish Id just been left to my own devices rather than feel like a burden. But it worked out in the end, as they were extraordinarily patient and hospitable with me and I really enjoyed my stay.
On the first day İ wandered around Kaleici, the old city by the old harbor and savored my first glimpse of the Mediterranean in the hot afternoon sun (seriously, why anyone would plan a vacation here in the middle of summer is beyond me -- youd be roasting the entire time). When İd had enough, I wandered into the local archaeological museum, which is truly wonderful and very complete, where İ passed a blissful few hours ruminating over the statues and artifacts and learning what would turn out to be very useful tidbits about the various civilizations -- Hittite, Hellenic (Greek), Classical (Roman), Selçuk, Byzantine (Middle Ages, Christian), Ottoman (Middle Ages, Muslim) -- that have left their imprint on these shores.
The next morning İ hopped a tour bus to visit the old sites of Perge, Aspendos, and Side... and İ remembered why İve been wanting to come to Turkey for the past 10 years! There is so much history, so much old life, here, you can hardly believe it. Perge, for example, a city that reached its peak during Roman times was actually established as early as 1500 BC, and saw the pass of 9 different civilizations before it was finally abandoned. All you have to do is close your eyes, quiet your mind and you can practically hear the passing, the bustle, the changing of hundreds of generations before you as they went to market, worshipped their gods, defended their cities and lived their lives. Its awe-inspiring and humbling. İ was also very lucky to end up with a small, really great tour group (including a guy who used to be a guide too, and so added to our guides stories) and we all got along fabulously. The last stop, Side, rewarded a 10-minute walk past interminable souvenir shops hawking gold, evil eyes and fake designer goods with an image straight out of myth and imagination: four pristine white marble columns, topped by an intricate frieze, literally at the foot of the ocean. Breathtaking!
On the first day İ wandered around Kaleici, the old city by the old harbor and savored my first glimpse of the Mediterranean in the hot afternoon sun (seriously, why anyone would plan a vacation here in the middle of summer is beyond me -- youd be roasting the entire time). When İd had enough, I wandered into the local archaeological museum, which is truly wonderful and very complete, where İ passed a blissful few hours ruminating over the statues and artifacts and learning what would turn out to be very useful tidbits about the various civilizations -- Hittite, Hellenic (Greek), Classical (Roman), Selçuk, Byzantine (Middle Ages, Christian), Ottoman (Middle Ages, Muslim) -- that have left their imprint on these shores.
The next morning İ hopped a tour bus to visit the old sites of Perge, Aspendos, and Side... and İ remembered why İve been wanting to come to Turkey for the past 10 years! There is so much history, so much old life, here, you can hardly believe it. Perge, for example, a city that reached its peak during Roman times was actually established as early as 1500 BC, and saw the pass of 9 different civilizations before it was finally abandoned. All you have to do is close your eyes, quiet your mind and you can practically hear the passing, the bustle, the changing of hundreds of generations before you as they went to market, worshipped their gods, defended their cities and lived their lives. Its awe-inspiring and humbling. İ was also very lucky to end up with a small, really great tour group (including a guy who used to be a guide too, and so added to our guides stories) and we all got along fabulously. The last stop, Side, rewarded a 10-minute walk past interminable souvenir shops hawking gold, evil eyes and fake designer goods with an image straight out of myth and imagination: four pristine white marble columns, topped by an intricate frieze, literally at the foot of the ocean. Breathtaking!
Istanbul, Oct 8
So you may have noticed an eerie quiet around these parts... I havent been online since the last post, for which youll have to excuse me (though İ didnt miss struggling with the Turkish keyboard... so youll have to excuse the typos and lapsed punctuatıon too.)
Anyway, here go the quick and dirty accounts of everything Ive been up to, hopefully in some sort of intelligible order.
On Monday I wrapped up Istanbul, Part 1. Im excited to embark on the next 10 days outside the city -- which is as bustling, full of life and energy as New York (and even more so Mexico City, of which it constantly reminds me), but consequentially also as maddening -- but İ also couldnt be happier to know that İll be returning for a few days at the end of my journey. A handful of days may be enough to get in the main sights and even an apple tea or two with the locals, but it isnt nearly enough to really get a sense for what is truly the nerve center of this country.
Anyway, İ took my first tour this morning. Im really not one for tours, and will be trying to keep them for a minimum throughout this trip because they drive me kind of crazy (and theyre also expensive!), but some things you really cant experience on your own. So I hopped into the empty van that picked me up from my hostel and which proceeded to drive me exactly 2 minutes to a bigger van that was actually shepherding the larger group around (see what I mean?). ANYWAY. The plan was to take a boat cruise up the legendary Bosphorus, the wide body of water that divides the European and Asian halves of İstanbul and figures so prominently in the life and legend of the city. İt was a slightly overcast morning, perfect for the leisurely ride up and down that gave me plenty of time to admire the centuries of changing architecture lining both coasts. İn his memoirs of the city, Nobel Prize-winner and native son Orhan Pamuk talks at length about "huzun" (I think thats how its spelled), which translates roughly as "melancholy" -- this pervasive sense throughout İstanbul, on every street corner, in every mosque, in houses and apartment buildings old and new, that this is a city that was once great, but then fell precipitously and now is trying to pick itself back up without having a clear sense of who it is now and who it wants to be. Today, İ could see it so perfectly. The lovely old wooden Ottoman houses lining the river on land that is now worth millions, some of them impeccably maintained (or restored) and others still crumbling from the years, and especially from the massive earthquake that hit here in 1999. The one shining 19th century palace converted into $7000 a night hotel suites (breakfast not included!), the other maintained by the Turkish government as a museum for the public to see and own. The bridges over the river choking on traffic, the commuter ferries bustling past a dozen or so of the 50,000 massive container ships that pass through every year, the 20th century apartment buildings with their colorful, clean but completely uninspired square façades. Truly fascinating.
After the tour was over, İ decided to brave the public transit system on my own for the first time to get to the Kariye Museum, an old Byzantine Church out of the way of most tourist haunts (but still a worthy destination). İ had planned on taking a cab but the guy at the hostel convinced me otherwise... WELL, let me tell you, its one thing to be able to ask for directions in Turkish, but quite another to understand the reply! Especially when youve mistakenly ended up one subway stop past your destination, outside the old city walls and beyond the reach of most English speakers. After a frenzied attempt at understanding with the gum- and nut- sellers outside the subway station, they finally just plopped me into a cab and sent me on my way. Fortunately the church, with its detailed and mostly well-preserved Middle Age frescoes and glittering mosaics depicting the lives of Mary (from childhood!) and Jesus, was totally worth the confusion (and occasional desperation) of getting there... and getting back! Because while I did manage to find my way back to the correct subway station without incident, it was a long walk through a less-than-nice and largely quiet neighborhood that İ didnt really appreciate having to make on my own. But İ made it, so thats all that matters :-)
Anyway, here go the quick and dirty accounts of everything Ive been up to, hopefully in some sort of intelligible order.
On Monday I wrapped up Istanbul, Part 1. Im excited to embark on the next 10 days outside the city -- which is as bustling, full of life and energy as New York (and even more so Mexico City, of which it constantly reminds me), but consequentially also as maddening -- but İ also couldnt be happier to know that İll be returning for a few days at the end of my journey. A handful of days may be enough to get in the main sights and even an apple tea or two with the locals, but it isnt nearly enough to really get a sense for what is truly the nerve center of this country.
Anyway, İ took my first tour this morning. Im really not one for tours, and will be trying to keep them for a minimum throughout this trip because they drive me kind of crazy (and theyre also expensive!), but some things you really cant experience on your own. So I hopped into the empty van that picked me up from my hostel and which proceeded to drive me exactly 2 minutes to a bigger van that was actually shepherding the larger group around (see what I mean?). ANYWAY. The plan was to take a boat cruise up the legendary Bosphorus, the wide body of water that divides the European and Asian halves of İstanbul and figures so prominently in the life and legend of the city. İt was a slightly overcast morning, perfect for the leisurely ride up and down that gave me plenty of time to admire the centuries of changing architecture lining both coasts. İn his memoirs of the city, Nobel Prize-winner and native son Orhan Pamuk talks at length about "huzun" (I think thats how its spelled), which translates roughly as "melancholy" -- this pervasive sense throughout İstanbul, on every street corner, in every mosque, in houses and apartment buildings old and new, that this is a city that was once great, but then fell precipitously and now is trying to pick itself back up without having a clear sense of who it is now and who it wants to be. Today, İ could see it so perfectly. The lovely old wooden Ottoman houses lining the river on land that is now worth millions, some of them impeccably maintained (or restored) and others still crumbling from the years, and especially from the massive earthquake that hit here in 1999. The one shining 19th century palace converted into $7000 a night hotel suites (breakfast not included!), the other maintained by the Turkish government as a museum for the public to see and own. The bridges over the river choking on traffic, the commuter ferries bustling past a dozen or so of the 50,000 massive container ships that pass through every year, the 20th century apartment buildings with their colorful, clean but completely uninspired square façades. Truly fascinating.
After the tour was over, İ decided to brave the public transit system on my own for the first time to get to the Kariye Museum, an old Byzantine Church out of the way of most tourist haunts (but still a worthy destination). İ had planned on taking a cab but the guy at the hostel convinced me otherwise... WELL, let me tell you, its one thing to be able to ask for directions in Turkish, but quite another to understand the reply! Especially when youve mistakenly ended up one subway stop past your destination, outside the old city walls and beyond the reach of most English speakers. After a frenzied attempt at understanding with the gum- and nut- sellers outside the subway station, they finally just plopped me into a cab and sent me on my way. Fortunately the church, with its detailed and mostly well-preserved Middle Age frescoes and glittering mosaics depicting the lives of Mary (from childhood!) and Jesus, was totally worth the confusion (and occasional desperation) of getting there... and getting back! Because while I did manage to find my way back to the correct subway station without incident, it was a long walk through a less-than-nice and largely quiet neighborhood that İ didnt really appreciate having to make on my own. But İ made it, so thats all that matters :-)
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