Istanbul Proper

I have a moment to update again before we go out for the night, and I want to get everything I experienced today down before tomorrow adds another million new things to my already overwhelmed brain.

Our first stop of the day was the Kadikoy friday market, which Max aptly described as, "Kensington Market [in Toronto] on crack." There were rows upon rows of knockoff clothing and shoes, hanging from the stalls and heaped in colourful piles, and the vendors yell at you as you wander by, trying to convince you that their wares are the best. The 'stuff' section of the market was amazing, but then we went to see the produce. I've already talked a little about the food in Turkey, but seeing the stuff they had at this place made me want to stay just so I can do some cooking of my own. There were pyramids of perfect tomatoes, mountains of ripe strawberries that you could practically taste in the air when you walked by, and artichokes the size of my head. Absolutely wonderful.

After the market we wandered down to the ferry across the Bosphorous so Josh could show us around historic Istanbul. Our first stop was the Haiga Sophia, one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. When you walk into the main room of the mosque the sheer vastness of the space makes you gasp. Painted patterns adorn the ceiling and upper walls, the columns are carved with intricate designs, and Byzantine mosaics are scattered throughout the building. There was scaffolding covering a quarter of the main dome in the interior, but the place was still incredible.

The rest of the day was spent walking through the neighbourhood, just soaking the city in (and inhaling a large amount of car exhaust on the busier streets). We went to the Egyptian Market, a spice bazaar located in a grand hall and packed with vendors selling spices and dates and other Turkish delights (including Turkish delight, of course). We passed by a crowd of men praying outdoors, the Imam (hopefully that's the correct term) reading the prayer over a loudspeaker so it echoed around the narrow streets. Hearing the regular calls to prayer is one of my favourite parts of being here - it's just so evocative of Eastern culture, something you see in movies or on television and don't expect to experience in 'real life'.

The sound of the calls to prayer as they move from minaret to minaret in almost a call-and-answer pattern is a part of the constant symphony of city noises here - cars honking, merchants hawking their wares, ferries rumbling in the harbour, birds singing - everything blends into an almost musical rhythm. This strange song, combined with the sight of minarets on the skyline has me in a state of not culture shock, but culture wonderment. So much is unfamiliar here, but I love being so removed from what I'm used to, in constant amazement at the sights and sounds around me. I've managed to learn one or two words so far, the one I use most being tesekuller (thank you).

Now I'm feeling a bit dazed after so much sightseeing today (and the delicious fresh-caught fish dinner our hosts just cooked us - they really are the best!), so I'll sign off for now. Much more to see and do tomorrow!