Istanbul again!

Hello, lovelies!

Well, we've been in Istanbul since I last updated, and this portion of the trip has matched my style of traveling much better than the other three weeks. For the first couple days, we did things as a group. We visited Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans until around 1900. There, we saw, supposedly, the sword of the Prophet, the swords of all four Sunni caliphs, and strands of the Prophet's beard (think the bones of saints in the Catholic tradition and it'll make sense). The next day, we visited the Dolmabahce Palace, the second major palace for the sultans in the rococo style. Our tour guide (you have to have one, probably because Ataturk died in that palace and they revere Ataturk intensely) was hilarious, saying things like, "And you will now experience the crystal staircase" or "these windows were very practical for having the ladies of the harem to see what was going on." My friend Maryam and I had a riot making fun of him and the place in general, because it's the most obnoxious, tacky place you've ever seen.

We also visited the neighborhood of Taksim, home to Istiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street. It's packed with American-like stores and embassies and nightclubs; not really my scene, but we managed to find a few really cool antique stores. One had little grammophone pick containers from Nazi Germany; they had Hitler and Hitler Youth and swastikas all over them. I couldn't believe such things were still around and being sold. We also found a September 11th chess set, with Rumsfield as the queen, Condi as the bishop, the Twin Towers as rooks, and Blair as the king. They will sell ANYTHING in this country.

Our Lehigh friends left last Thursday, and from that point on, we've pretty much had free time. We have classes on the Qur'an and Rumi in the morning and evening, but the day is ours to explore. One day, I revisited several mosques that I had wanted to take better pictures of and because they're just plain gorgeous. Another day, I went exploring in the Fatih neighborhood, which the guidebooks call the "fundamentalist" neighborhood, but really it's just where the devoutly religious people live. I like it because I don't get catcalls and everyone is really polite. Trying to buy stamps there, however, was a challenge since no one knows English because there are no tourists to bother knowing English for. Oh well.

On Sunday, the whole group went to visit this guy's house on the Asian side of the Bosporus (meaning super expensive real estate, as it was RIGHT on the water). Our professor had only told us that he was a spiritual leader in Turkey, nothing else. As we were asking him questions, he revealed that he thinks evolution and Darwinism are complete lies, that Jesus Christ and the Mahdi (Muslim figure) will return in 15-20 years for the end of times. He was dressed all in Versace and was as big as a house, with his henchmen loitering in the background, doing things at his bidding. Turns out that this guy we visited is the leader of the largest cult in Turkey. Yup, I visited a cult. How many people can say that?

After a day of wandering around, a group of us met up for dinner under one of the bridges that span the Golden Horn. We watched the sun set over the Aya Sophia and the water; it was absolutely beautiful. Today, I went to the Archaeological Museum, which has some absolutely amazing stuff. I enjoyed seeing the artifacts recovered from Troy and the marble statues built by Greeks and Romans.

Tomorrow, we head to the Prince's Islands just of Istabul's coast. I'm excited. :)

We leave on Friday, and that's hard to believe. I've absorbed the rhythm of this place; I know its sounds and smells and atmosphere. Right now, I can wake up and decide to go see the Aya Sophia or shop in the Grand Bazaar, but once I go home those things aren't physically possible. Plus, this place is just so PRETTY that I can't get over it. Yet, I want to see people and sleep in my own bed and not spend any money for a very long time.

I'll write once more before I leave, so no worries.

Check out my pictures of Istanbul and Bursa (so far, those are the only two cities loaded. I'm working on it).
Istanbul part 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/kclocke2011/Turkey1?feat=directlink
Bursa: http://picasaweb.google.com/kclocke2011/Bursa?feat=directlink