Began our day with a drive over the Intercontinental Bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul, and stopped near the Bosphorus for photos. The Asian side was less developed and rather prettier than the European side, and apparently, land values reflect that change. Also found it interesting that they have outdoor exercise parks, like playgrounds, but with public exercise equipment near the river. Was wondering how long that would last in the States (would the equipment be stolen, or would it just perish from lack of use?) when two rather garish and overweight twins from the ship appeared and began to pose for photographs on various apparatus. Giggling girlishly, these youngish ladies(whom I have dubbed Lula Belle and Lula Mae) epitomized ridiculous Americans: "Hey Ma, look at me on this ridik-ilis contraption! Snap my pitcher, ma! When do I get my Big Mac?" It was straight out of King of the Hill, and I am beyond embarrassed for us.
Anyhow, we re-boarded bus #22 and headed back to the Blue Mosque, where today we were able to enter. It was, of course, lovely, but honestly it was nothing compared to the Hagia Sophia, or even the Citadel in Cairo. (We had a long discussion this evening about the fact that we are perhaps a bit jaded, as we have been fortunate enough to see some of the greatest wonders and antiquities in the world. I suppose it is only to be expected that one would begin to be less impressed with a thousand year old sculpture in poor condition, when you have seen those that are 4000 years old and flawless, etc. It is always best to appreciate each place and experience for what it is , but it is difficult not to make comparisons, no matter how hard you may try. Perhaps that is why I am so keen to see Asia? I have seen and know so little of their history and culture, so it would all be very different and new....)
Anyways, after the Blue Mosque, we were taken for the obligatory rug and carpet weaving demonstration... a high pressure sales pitch disguised as cultural enlightenment. The pieces were truly beautiful, and were we independently wealthy I would have gladly sent home more than one, but they were far (FAR) beyond our means. A small silk rug (2' x 4') of a hunt scene particularly caught my eye, but this alone was somewhere around $4200.00. The salesman showed me a framed piece that was approximately 8" square, a Tree of Life woven so tightly that it lists in Guinness as the third most knots per square inch for silk rugs. It was honestly one of the most amazing pieces of artistry I have ever seen. And the price tag on it was $26,000.00. Needless to say, we left the store empty handed...
When we were finally able to herd our group out of the flooring dealership, we headed to the Grand Bazaar, which we had all been greatly looking forward to. I was hoping to bring home a few gifts from Istanbul (which seemed to me to be the most exotic and exciting place on our trip) and this would seem be the perfect opportunity. Right?? Oh, how the scales fell from my eyes, my friends. It was an indoor bazaar, which already lends a rather claustrophobic air to the atmosphere, and once you begin your wanderings through the various narrow passageways, harried by vendors at every turn, you soon begin to feel like a desperate rabbit being pursued by ferrets through an endless warren. You dodge this way and that, but sooner or later you know that you will come to a blocked run and you will be cornered by a ferret who will try to sell you a variety of scarves all of which are must haves for the fashionable rabbits of this season. It is nerve-wracking, to say the least, and the four of us dodged and wove with a glassy headlamp-in-the-eyes stare.
In all honesty, we learned very quickly not to make eye contact with either the vendors or their goods, as this would bring on an onslaught of frenzied selling and harassment. And being the rabbits that we are, this made us want to run, and run fast. So, in an hour's time, Dan purchased some scarves (a must have for this season) and a silver tray (genuine antique!), and James bought some tea for the neighbor who is looking after Alice ...and I believe that was about it. Besides the immense stress of the experience, the prices actually seemed rather high in general, and there was really very little that seemed worth both the money and the hassle.
As we made our way out of the Hell that was the Bazaar, we (of course) got lost, but miracle of all miracles, Dan "Shortcut" Tudor, actually got us back on the right path and we made it back to #22 in good time. (We had been warned that it was very important to be back to our designated meeting place at the correct time, as our schedule was very tight due to our lunch reservations and our need to be back to the ship before sailing. These trivialities, however, did not stop two female members of our group from being 10 minutes late, and we subsequently left them there, which I thoroughly applaud.)
On the way to lunch, we were lucky enough to see a few pods of black porpoises leaping through the water, which was thrilling. Sorry that Ton wasn't there for those, but frankly it was the only part of today that I think she would be terribly disappointed to have missed.
Lunch was good, five courses of different traditional Turkish cuisine (much like what we think of as Greek food: hummus, gyros, etc.) Was a little startled by the fake Turkish waiter who stood in one corner, and am still unclear on what appeared to be very British Tudor architecture on the building, timbering and all, but the whole thing was enjoyable none-the-less.
The two women who missed the bus at the bazaar showed up at the restaurant about halfway through, angry that they had not been allowed to just get on someone else's tour bus and take lunch with them, and clearly not understanding that they had made any sort of transgression by refusing to keep an adequate time schedule. (So yet again, we are embarrassed by idiotic Americans. Maybe they are related to Lula Belle and Lula Mae?) They apparently decided to take a cab to the restaurant, as they were not willing to give up a free meal, but I am quite sure that they will be complaining to the ship about the extra cost. Classy.
After lunch we headed back to the ship, where Chris somehow managed to drop his boarding card UNDER the bus without even noticing. Classic C. Stricklin, all the way. A little man from Hong Kong made a very pretty and rather formal presentation of a tip to Salem "for his services and information" which was terribly kind and sweet, considering Salem had been rather short with him throughout the entire two days. Then again, Salem wasn't necessarily the friendliest of guides to much of anyone, so hopefully he wasn't singling the poor little fellow out...
Once back on board (after Chris made an extensive search and retrieval for his boarding card) we all went to see Ton, who spent an exciting day in a Turkish hospital. (A Turkish hospital may not be as exciting as a Turkish prison, but I am sure it will be well worth hearing about....) She apparently received extremely good care due to a mistaken belief that she belonged to the Romanian Tudor family, so that is all to the good, but am a bit concerned about who these Romanian Tudors are and why they are so well known? Really would hate to find that we are suddenly being shot at for crimes against humanity... The Tudors throughout history haven't really been known for their philanthropy... Anyhow, for right now, her ankle is doing quite well (she can walk carefully, as long as she avoids inclines and stairs) but her toe on the other foot is still in a good bit of pain. Apparently, they considered "drilling" into the nail to relieve pressure, and as to that I am afraid I will have to leave off, as it rather gives me the screaming meemies. The main point is that she will be able to get up and out in Ephesus and Athens, although she will need to temper her activities a bit.
So, 9:00 am tomorrow, James, Chris, and I head out on a walking tour of Ephesus; Dan and Ton will be joining the elderly and disabled in a short bus, tooling around and discussing their various surgeries and health issues.
Have heard from numerous sources that Ephesus is supposed to be THE highlight of the trip, so we'll have to do our best to appreciate what it has to offer without saying something obnoxious like "Well, you know, in ASWAN..." Hoping it is more impressive than Delos, although with the earthquakes they have had here it is surprising that they have much standing, anywhere.
Notes from today:
-Boys both tried escargot in an attempt prove their sophisticated palates, but no one was brave enough to have a go at the sweetbreads...
-Dan keeps calling Ephesus "Emphasis" so tomorrow should be interesting when he gets in amongst the rest of the old dodderers. Wish we could attach a tape recorder to him for that one.
-Dan also very kindly explained to us that "most of the big shipping magnates are from around here... you know, are Greek." We then had to explain to him that most Greeks come from Greece, not Turkey...
Intercontinental Bridge... Apparently it takes more than a few continents to get away from idiots...
Inside the Blue Mosque. Yeah, it's pretty. Ok...
Carpets-R-Us, your rug weaving Super Center of Greater Istanbul
Who thought this scary mannequin was a good idea?? It's like Turkish twilight Zone...
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