Saturday we were assigned groups for a CIEE scavenger hunt that was taking place all across the city of Istanbul. Each group had a different region and we were spending the most time in Sultanahmet where the Grand Bazaar and Blue Mosque are located (it's a tourist hot spot). Our traveling for the day involved FIVE different types of public transportation. As usual our day started by taking the Dolmus from Koc to Sariyer and from there we hopped on the City Bus from Sariyer to Taskim where we found an Underground Metro which took us from Taskim to a via point where we took photos with one of the city's countless statues of Ataturk (basically the guy who founded Turkey). After finishing up in the park there and getting a bit lost due to getting distracted by the numerous shops that were surprisingly affordable (I snagged a couple souvenirs) we made our way to our third type of public transport, the above ground Tram. We rode that a couple of stops down the road until we saw the Blue Mosque and took an outdoor tour because we were not allowed inside during one of the prayer hours. It was the size of a fortress, moat included.
...and also a photo shoot with one of the squirrels in a public park.
From there we walked to the Spice Bazaar and bought some fresh Turkish Coffee. Next door there was another Mosque and seeing as the prayer hour had passed, we took advantage and peeked inside. We removed our shoes and borrowed head scarves before entering. The walls were tiled from floor to ceiling and the lighting added a spiritual element that made the prayer room feel even more spectacular than it already was.
Our final stop was dinner was on the Asian side of Istanbul (that I have never been to before) that required taking a twenty minute ferry ride across the Bosphorus. The ferry ride over was packed and there were a couple groups of salesmen (I guess you could call them) that were playing the recorder and asking for tips and another man did a demonstration of a lemon juicer that only cost 1TL so I had to buy one. After walking the streets of Asia for a while and asking directions multiple times, we found the restaurant and were the first team to arrive! Winners! All of the food was obviously foreign to me but what took me by surprise was the fact that when trying to identify the flavors I could hardly pin any of them down. The hummus was some of the best I ever had. After dinner came a glass of traditional tea and sugar cubes.
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