Istanbul

To add to Sam's post about our fantastic stay in Istanbul, I thought I would record the visit with a little photo essay. By the way, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! The school where I'm taking the art classes held a grand dinner for everyone. Although we had to wait until 8pm to eat (very Italian), it was an absolutely delicious meal. Apparently an American-chef-turn-Italian-farmer lives amongst the people of Tuscania and was aching to cook a traditional holiday meal. Deliziosissimo!


We arrived in Istanbul after dark on Wednesday. Due to the plane ride Eli missed his nap that day so he was a bit cranky to say the least. We found a great little cafe for dinner, but since Eli had timed out before we even got there, we were weary and the meal was hurried. I'm sure Adrian was panicking about her decision to travel with a one year old in tow. So we decided to cut our losses and call in an early night. This picture, taken around the corner from our hotel, was our first impression of Istanbul.


The next morning we rushed off to the Ayasofia (what the Turks call it). Eli commemorated the occasion by sticking his finger up Sam's nose the minute we crossed the threshold. The building was amazing.





Later that afternoon we hit the Grand Bazaar. Adrian and I were quite the bargaining team. She came away with some great loot at rock bottom prices. The guy she robbed blind agreed to pose for a pic anyway. Sam and I picked up an awesome antique "miniature" of the whirling dervishes.

Dinner that night was at a great place where we had our own private room. They didn't serve alcohol but we sneaked in a flask of raki, the very potent national drink. Since we sat on the floor, Eli had a ball with the heaps and heaps of pillows around the table.



Sam and Eli hanging out on the roof deck after breakfast. Our hotel overlooked the Bosphorus, the Ayasofia and the Blue Mosque.



I was obsessed with the Harem at the Topkapi Palace. If anyone wants a brief history on Sultans, their mothers, their sex slaves, and their eunuch servants, I'm your girl.


Here we are at the Spice Bazaar. Adrian made some good friends here too and was a good guide through the miles and miles of spices to choose from.



While we were in the Bazaar, it began to rain so we took refuge in a bar on the bridge spanning the Golden Horn. We had a great view of old Istanbul and some comfy bean bag chairs to sit in. Though the pictures from our dinner that night didn't turn out very well, it's well worth a mention. We went to a restaurant at the fish market where we had to haggle for the price of our meals. We ate a salt encrusted sea bass. When I say encrusted, I mean encrusted - the fish was under 3 inches of salt. For the final presentation they lit the salt shell on fire and chiseled their way down to the fish to serve. It was delicious!

The next morning we were off to the Blue Mosque. It was impressive. It was the perfect opportunity for Adrian to sport her new muslim-chic look. Mahvelous dahling!



Later that day, a Roman Cistern. This was very cool. It was a former basilica. Three hundred Roman columns were created the structure for this huge ancient well - complete with mutated fish.

That afternoon we headed to the Asian shore and took in the local scene. Sam's third continent. The views of Old Istanbul were beautiful. That night, Sam volunteered to babysit while Adrian and I had a girls night out in Beyolou. Itstanbul 's nightlife is incredible. A great way to end the trip.