Istanbul, Turkey

Arriving in Istanbul I wanted to see nothing else other than a pillow. After having been up (with short naps here and there on various planes and in the airport) dad and I had been up for over 36 hours.

We were greeted at out hotel with a long mirror and a security officer checking for a bomb beneath our cab. Not quite the welcome we had expected. We got inside our room made a quick call to mom via skype and showered. It was not long until we quite literally fell into bed just after 3am.

The next morning (or more accurately later that morning) we met our group leader Bilal. Bilal is a man who lives in the United States, Indiana and comes to Turkey about 3 months out of the year to run these trips. He is Turkish by birth. He works for the Niagra Foundation which is the company that puts these trips together. The Niagra Foundation works in bridging the gap between different cultures within the United States and Turkey.

After we ate breakfast we were introduced to our tour guide for the day Ali. Bilal had to stay by the airport to be there for the rest of our group to arrive. Ali, a mechanical engineer works as a consultant for an irrigation company (amongst other things).

Ali took us to the local hangout. There were thousands of people walking through the streets in “Old Istanbul”. After witnessing a theft while driving by I kept a tight grip on my purse the entire day. Luckily we did not have any problems.

There were shops and restaurants everywhere. After walking quite a while we were famished. Ali kept us walking though. He wanted to get to a particular restaurant which we came to find out was his favorite restaurant from his college days. While at lunch Ali left two times to go to the Mosque and pray. I learned quite a lot about the Muslim culture. Ali was very open and encouraged us to ask questions. He asked questions to dad and I as well.

Walking back to our car we came across an authentic dress maker’s shop. It was AWESOME! I loved the craftsmanship of each piece as well as the creativity. Last night I even dreamed about going to the shop and having them make me something.

This morning waking up was a bit difficult. I was rather tired. Part of this is due to the fact that I do not have a watch! The room does not have a clock and my phone is not receiving the time. Also last night I took the wrong medicine, realized it and then took the right medicine. Wondering if they did not mix right.

We ate breakfast with about half of the group. The other arrived today. And I found CHOCOLATE CEREAL!!!!! It was definitely different chocolate than I am used to but it was very good! It completely made my morning. After breakfast I went to the concierge to exchange money. Wondering what exchange rate I would get because one lady Mrs. Arnold got 150 turkish money for $100 and another lady, Kelly got $148. I got $152! I’m not sure what that was due to, but I was not complaining! Later we all laughed about it.

Senator Arnold and his wife, Kelly Mitchell, Rich Bramer, Dad and myself embarked on a wonderful journey after breakfast, the Grand Bazaar. A enclosed market place dating back to 1461! I bought several things. None which I will mention because some of you reading this blog will receive some of the things. It was fun to haggle with the sellers trying to barter a much more reasonable price. One item I got for 25% of the original price. The vendor said I had very nice eyes. It was definitely an experience that pushed me past my comfort zone. But once I got into it it was addicting. I would walk away from a store and vendors would follow me trying to talk the price down. They were doing the job for me.

Following the Grand Bazaar we went back to the hotel and met the rest of the group. Finally we were all together. Our first destination was the Museum of 1453. It was a museum of how the Muslim culture took over the city. They had a panoramic dome which displayed a beautiful huge painting of that day’s attack.

After the museum we went directly to the Newspaper Zaman. It was interesting to hear their take on the Gaza incident last week with Israel. Zaman claims to be a paper that is unbiased. Quite a different take on the American newspapers. No political party is pushed further than another. Rather they offer all sides and also put their own advice in. I can see many pros and cons in this newspaper but I did find it refreshing to find a paper that offered all sides of the argument.

That evening we went to the first of a family dinner. We were welcomed by the Deputy Editor of the Zaman paper. For our group of about 15 people they have over 30 dishes of food for us to eat! Amazing people. They did not speak English but their smiles and generosity spoke louder than words ever could.

Whew....what a great first few days in Istanbul!