July 16, 2007
Boston, MA, USA
Arieh here. We are now in Boston having “survived” a 12-hour flight from Istanbul to Chicago, a 2-hour stopover and then a 2-hour flight to Boston. We had plenty of time between flights and the only mishap was Val’s backpack disappearing. This was the FIRST time that any of our luggage went missing and it was delivered the next morning to our friends’ house in Canton (Boston) MA.
Istanbul was great and we almost didn’t go there. The 9 weeks in Israel was a wonderful way to end the trip and very relaxing compared to the rest of our trip. We usually knew where we were sleeping well in advance (in fact, our friends in Jerusalem were fighting with each other about us staying with them), we/I could read and speak the language, and there was not much opportunity to get lost. Public transportation was great and pretty efficient, car-driving behaviour was predictable (albeit not “Canadian”) and the weather was perfect (except for a few days here and there). Despite all the above, we were tired of traveling and we finally decided to cut out Turkey and Greece and return to Toronto around the end of July (through Boston).
Istanbul, Turkey—city on two continents (Europe and Asia). It was the only way, due to our change of itinerary, we were getting to Europe. We stayed for 4 nights. One of the days we went “back” to Asia and the rest was spent in Europe. Istanbul is a very friendly city and not just because we are tourists and have money to spend. Entering into stores one is greeted as a long-lost relative. Would you like Turkish coffee, hot apple tea or something else to drink? Even if we decline or don’t buy anything, no hard feelings. This was in stark contrast to the “guilt” feeling one got in East Jerusalem when one said “no thanks” to the store owner. One of our very fortunate experiences was eating dinner the first night.
One of the young female students at the next table started talking to us (left female) and before we knew it, she and her female friend were sitting at our table. We then went out together after dinner to listen to some music in an outdoor café and share stories. The next day I went to give each of them a Canada pin (which I had forgotten to do the night before) and Hatace then suggested she and her boyfriend take us to Asia (across the Bosphorous) to show us their city. We agreed and had a wonderful time with her and Unal, a young lad who is finishing off his law studies and will be in Stasbourg for 4 months in September. (Hatace is studying communications and has a summer job with CNN). They took us to their favourite lighthouse-island watching spot and then up to the top of the highest hill in Istanbul where we had lunch and conversation. The hill-top park was full of people sitting around small low tables enjoying a Turkish coffee and picnicking. Hatace and Unal then accompanied us on a little Bosphorous boat tour. Very beautiful city and setting.
Boston, MA, USA
Arieh here. We are now in Boston having “survived” a 12-hour flight from Istanbul to Chicago, a 2-hour stopover and then a 2-hour flight to Boston. We had plenty of time between flights and the only mishap was Val’s backpack disappearing. This was the FIRST time that any of our luggage went missing and it was delivered the next morning to our friends’ house in Canton (Boston) MA.
Istanbul was great and we almost didn’t go there. The 9 weeks in Israel was a wonderful way to end the trip and very relaxing compared to the rest of our trip. We usually knew where we were sleeping well in advance (in fact, our friends in Jerusalem were fighting with each other about us staying with them), we/I could read and speak the language, and there was not much opportunity to get lost. Public transportation was great and pretty efficient, car-driving behaviour was predictable (albeit not “Canadian”) and the weather was perfect (except for a few days here and there). Despite all the above, we were tired of traveling and we finally decided to cut out Turkey and Greece and return to Toronto around the end of July (through Boston).
Istanbul, Turkey—city on two continents (Europe and Asia). It was the only way, due to our change of itinerary, we were getting to Europe. We stayed for 4 nights. One of the days we went “back” to Asia and the rest was spent in Europe. Istanbul is a very friendly city and not just because we are tourists and have money to spend. Entering into stores one is greeted as a long-lost relative. Would you like Turkish coffee, hot apple tea or something else to drink? Even if we decline or don’t buy anything, no hard feelings. This was in stark contrast to the “guilt” feeling one got in East Jerusalem when one said “no thanks” to the store owner. One of our very fortunate experiences was eating dinner the first night.
One of the young female students at the next table started talking to us (left female) and before we knew it, she and her female friend were sitting at our table. We then went out together after dinner to listen to some music in an outdoor café and share stories. The next day I went to give each of them a Canada pin (which I had forgotten to do the night before) and Hatace then suggested she and her boyfriend take us to Asia (across the Bosphorous) to show us their city. We agreed and had a wonderful time with her and Unal, a young lad who is finishing off his law studies and will be in Stasbourg for 4 months in September. (Hatace is studying communications and has a summer job with CNN). They took us to their favourite lighthouse-island watching spot and then up to the top of the highest hill in Istanbul where we had lunch and conversation. The hill-top park was full of people sitting around small low tables enjoying a Turkish coffee and picnicking. Hatace and Unal then accompanied us on a little Bosphorous boat tour. Very beautiful city and setting.
The hotel was clean, quiet (see the next paragraph) and in a great location. The picture below shows the view from our window or the rooftop café (breakfast included). We were able to see the Sultanahmet or “Blue” Mosque, the Sultanahmet Square (the Hippodrome) and we were right around the corner from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. A further 15-minute walk took us to the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace museum. In a different direction (about a 10-minute walk) we would reach the Covered Bazaar. What more could a body want?
The Blue Mosque is a magnificent structure built between 1609 and 1616. It is very tall, has a tremendous amount of windows and natural light and has over 21,000 ceramic tiles. Of course, there is a huge courtyard and 6 minarets. The Blue Mosque is also the mosque closest to our hotel and this is proven to the guests 5 times a day when the amplified Call-to-Prayer is played. The first one is around 4:45 AM in the summer and the last one is around 10:00 PM. It can be quite beautiful if one is not sleeping. While this may seem an easy problem to fix (move to another hotel), it is not. The city is full of mosques, playing the Call to Prayer, and there is no escape. The Hagia Sophia is a church converted to a mosque converted to a museum. It was built as a church a few times (the first church was completed in 361 AD) and then converted to a mosque by the Turks in 1453. In 1934 Ataturk declared it to be a national monument and museum and so it is today. Well worth seeing.And the Topkapi Palace is not one to be missed. Go early or go at lunchtime and miss the crowds. Again, a very large structure overlooking the Bosphorous—a palace fit for a king. It is a museum now showing exquisite jewellery (the Topkapi Dagger), jewel and gold-covered horse-drawn carriages, an armoury with all sorts of instruments of death from all ages, a huge bakery (not functioning) and beautiful sitting rooms and reflecting pools. Don’t forget the gardens. Oh, there is a special room called the "Circumcision Room". No need to describe what goes on there. What is of special interest are the ceramic tiles (picture)
that are on the wall outside.In all we spent 4 nights in Istanbul. The last afternoon Val went for a nap and I went for my last shave and haircut. This fellow was the best one throughout the 11 months of monthly shaves and haircuts. Very organized and didn’t miss anything. After this experience I then went to a Turkish Bath—one that has been ranked as one of the 1,000 things one must do before one dies. The Cagaloglu Hamam was opened in 1741 and is still very clean. Separate facilities for women. One can buy various packages; I opted for a package with a personal attendant. First one changes clothes in a little room with a little clean bed and a lock on the door. Into the steam room, wait around for about 10 minutes and then the attendant comes in. He gave me a 10-minute massage (not as gentle as those in Bali or Vietnam) and then scrapes me down—ouch. My back tingled for a few days. After the scraping he soaps and rinses me thoroughly. Then I can sit there for as long as I want. This place was not very busy when I was there at 4:30PM but between 2 and 4 they had a private function and it was quite full. Outside the steam room, one is then sat down, brought some tea, offered the opportunity to purchase further services such as shave and haircuts, food, more drinks or merchandise. The attendant didn’t speak a lot of English, but enough to ask me if I was satisfied with his service. He did earn his tip. And that was it. Very refreshing and now I can check this off my list of “Things to Do Before I Die”.
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