Istanbul is the most unique city I have ever been to. Ever. I had a lot of assumptions as to what the city would be like before I came, and I must say I was way off. I knew that East and West would juxtapose each other in the people, culture, and architecture of the city...but the vibe of the city is mostly Eastern: more conservative, religious, and extreme. Unlike other European cities, it can take hours via public transportation to get from one side of Istanbul to the other...as for walking--forget about it.
It may seem like I am harping on about Istanbul in a negative manner, but I am not. The city is fabulous and has so much to offer. The history here is magnificent, the people charming, and the food extraordinary. It is due to the slacking economy here that the old has been built upon and surrounded by the new so thoroughly. Of course, Old Istanbul is a presence everywhere, but modern buildings are pushing the city out even farther. That is what I mean when I say juxtaposition of East and West...it is amazing.
Other large cities in the world, notably in Europe and the Americas have a pigeon problem. I loathe pigeons. I think they may be the worst animal on the face of the earth. Seriously, when I think about them I think about that freak pigeon-lady in "Home Alone" and shudder. Like, the diseases the all carry...ugh, I don't even want to go there. But Istanbul is relatively void of these nasty, winged creatures from Satan! The reason being is that Istanbul has another animal that is prevalent on the streets: cats.
Normally, I don't like cats either. Mostly because I am allergic to them, but I love all of these cats! They kill pigeons, rats, and mice. The are pretty (not nasty) and they add a nice decor to the city! The watch over everything, especially in the grave yards, which I will get to later.
My week has been amazing thus far. Serin works most days, but I have been fortunate enough to meet up with her friend, Will, and be shown the city by someone who lives here, too. Will and I have seen a lot of the ancient sites here, including the 3rd most holy place in Islam--the Tomb of Mohammad's Staff bearer. No, I do not know what that means either, but it was cool to see. The tomb was ornate and detailed as anything and there were countless people surrounding it in prayer. I have never seen Christians pray like that. The devotion to religion here is awe-inspiring.
The tomb and mosque is surrounded by a giant graveyard that stretches up a mountainous hill. Will and I climbed it and had tea overlooking the city. The view was amazing, but the weather sucked so I did not get any good pictures. The cats of the city danced along the tomb-stones keeping them clean of birds, rats, and anything else that might harm those who rested below the soil. It was fascinating. If it were not for the fact that I demand cremation, I would like to have a cat guard my rotting corpse, too.
The city is so gigantic and the history so rich that it is hard to see everything here--even in 9 days. I have 3 full days left in the city and a lot more ground to cover, so I hope I can see some more historic sites. Of course, everything here is a historic site, so that should not be hard. Our good friend from Minnesota, Lauren, is flying in today from Barcelona to join us for the weekend. There should be some crazy stories coming up soon.
Obviously, the night life has been a bit insane, but I will write about that later. Lauren just arrived so it is off to see more of the city!
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