(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Like A Rolling Stone

What Lies Beneath

Looking down a length of marble columns

Architecturally, Istanbul is an amazing city. This is the place that East meets West, old meets new, and religions intertwine producing an amazing skyline. Modern skyscrapers cast shadows over ancient hamams, historic buildings have simultaneously been painstakingly preserved and allowed to fall to ruin, and buildings have been re-purposed into uses I'm sure their builders never even dreamed about. Yes, the city is amazing above ground but by far, my favorite Istanbul site is one that lies below the surface. The Yerebatan or Basilica Cistern, is an amazing architectural feat that Glenn and I literally stumbled upon during our first trip to Istanbul and I knew I wanted to introduce Sidney to this subterranean water wonderland during our return trip.

The cistern itself is one of hundred that lie beneath the city dates to the 6th Century (another really cool  but now dry cistern has been re-purposed into the Sarnic Restaurant, which is well worth visiting while in Istanbul). Records claim that 7,000 slaves were used to construct the cistern under the site of   what was originally a large public square. At over 100,000 square feet the cistern can hold 2,800,000 cubic feet of water which was piped into the cistern from a water distribution system twelve miles away. The cistern provided filtered water for the Topkapi Palace and the Great Palace of Constantinople from the mid 1400s up until modern times. Three hundred and thirty six marble columns set in twelve rows of twenty eight support the cistern's ceiling. Of particular interest are the columns whose bases are carved with the images of Medusa.

Medusa 

Even if you have never visited the cistern it may still look familiar to you thanks to the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love, 2009's The International or in Dan Brown's Inferno. But if possible, seeing it in person is a must, and as I said earlier, my favorite place in Istanbul.

Visitors enter the cistern through a modest brick building then wind their way down a narrow set of fifty-two stone steps before entering the dimly lit chamber. Although much of the cistern has been rebuilt or restored--most recently in the mid 1980s when silt was removed and wooden walkways replaced the boats that had moved visitors through the cistern-- its construction is testimony to the amazing engineering skills that date back to the Byzantine Empire. To think that all of this was created by hand (yes, the hands of slaves but by hand none the less) is truly awe inspiring. The cistern chamber itself is cool and damp with the audible sound of dripping water echoing through the space. I've visited on two occasions and both times, despite the crowds, noise levels are minimal with people whispering. Once your eyes adjust to the dim lighting you can wandering the length of the cistern along wooden planked walkways. Today the water is shallow and filled with an array of well fed fish. Somehow the fish only add to the serene and almost eerie feeling that permeates the area. The Medusa heads are located in the far corner of the cistern making trekking all the way to the end well worth the effort. They are just that cool.

But then again whole cistern is cool. So if you find yourself in Istanbul, go visit the cistern. You will be able to briefly escape the heat and discover a piece of what is going on under your feet. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Revisiting The Grandest Bazaar Of All

One of the long halls

Spices, spices, spices

I first visited Istanbul's Grand Bazaar two years ago during our first, post-child couple's getaway weekend. This week we're back with a four year old in tow and introducing Sidney to the sights, sounds, and smells that make Istanbul Istanbul. And since no trip to this city would be complete without a stroll through the Grand Bazaar, this is where I spent an afternoon with Sidney. My impressions remain the same but visiting with a child only magnified the lights, sounds, and colors. It was once again overwhelming to the senses but exciting at the same time. In honor of this visit I'm reposting my original blog entry....

While in Istanbul we succumbed to what all first time visitors do and visited the Grand Bazaar.  Having visited sauks in Dubai I thought I knew what to expect but nothing could have prepared me for the epic scale of Istanbul's great bazaar.  There are numerous smaller shopping areas throughout the city and we inadvertently wandered through several of those during our stay.   The Grand Bazaar, however, is the granddaddy of them all.

The bazaar itself dates back to 1461.  It was originally designed to be a local shopping market and in some cases it still is today.  However, I doubt any of its original architects would recognize it as such.  Today's bazaar encompasses over 60 streets and 5,000 shops and attracts upwards of 350,000 visitors a day.  Fortunately we visited on a "quiet" Monday but I still found the crows overwhelming.

That's a lot of silver

So what did we find?  A mix of locals and fanny pack wearing tourists wandered the catacomb of hallways lined with everything from spice, leather, and carpet vendors to suave looking young men hawking fake Levis, perfumes, and knick-knacks with unidentifiable purposes.  It was loud, chaotic, and truly an experience.

Bright lights

We could hardly walk a few feet without someone calling out a sales pitch to us.  We were undeniably recognizable as Americans; so much so that when people asked us where we were from we started answering with "Albania".   That would usually throw them off long enough for us to make a hasty escape.  Carpet salesmen were the worst.  It was hard to admire the beautiful Turkish carpets on display in windows without being pestered by pushy salesmen.  The more aggressive ones chased us down the hallways using sales pitches that made me want to run rather than linger.  Salesmen at silver and diamond stores looked more distinguished but used equally cheesy pick up lines.

Some body's watching you

It seemed as though the infamous "evil eye" was sold in every other booth.  Those salesmen appeared particularly desperate.  My favorite sales pitch started with the words "I've been waiting for you."  Really?  Do people really fall for this?  I felt an incredible urge to go back to the hotel to shower after some of these come-ons.  Unfortunately when I browsed at a local soap vendor I was so turned off from the sales pitch that I just couldn't bring myself to purchase any of the olive oil soap.

We did walk away with a few small sales. It turns out that Glenn is a haggler.  Who knew?  I knew I wanted to purchase some saffron from one of the spice vendors.  Glenn stepped up to the plate and haggled our way into a significant purchase that would have broken the bank had I ordered it from my regular on-line spice store.  I also scored a kilogram of delicious apple tea.  We had tried it on several occasions and I wanted to recreate our Istanbul experience back in Tirana.  We also bought a few other items which I will refrain from discussing since the lucky recipients just might be reading this.

Bling

We think we roamed most of the hallways of the bazaar but after a while everything began to look the same and we had reached our saturation point.  It was a truly Istanbul experience which I'm glad we braved.  Will I return on our next trip to Istanbul?  I just might.

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Istanbul

Because some places are just worth revisiting; yes we're on the road again!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: All Eyes Are Watching God

Krakow, Poland

Budapest, Hungary

Vienna, Austria

Prague, Czech Republic

Ohrid, Macedonia

Christmas preparations in Dubrovnik, Croatia

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Ayasofya, Istanbul, Turkey

Voskopoje, Albania

Cathedral of Toledo, Spain

Corfu, Greece

Meteora, Greece

Bucharest, Romania

Sofia, Bulgaria

Taking A Turkish Hamam

Looking across the rooftop of the Suleymaniye Hamam

Istanbul is known for many things.  As the point where the East meets the West it is a giant cultural mixing bowl.  It brings together christian churches and grand old mosques while masterfully blending the old world with the modern and new. Ottoman, Turkish and Asian cuisines combine to grace tables with some of the best food combinations I have ever tasted.  Istanbul is also known for its hamams, or Turkish baths.  Because of this, Glenn and I decided that our own Turkish vacation wouldn't be complete without partaking in this tradition ourselves.

On the recommendation of our hotel, we made reservations at the Suleymaniye Hamam and set off not knowing exactly what to expect.  Truly traditional hamams are separated by gender but the Suleymaniye billed itself as a hamam for couples and families so we were immediately skeptical of its level of traditionalism. A check of online reviews of the hamam revealed mainly positive comments and we did like the idea that we could experience this together so we decided that this was the right choice for us.

Save the impressive domed rooftop, the outside of the building was non-descript, so much so that it was almost sketchy.  What we found inside was a totally different story.  (I would have taken pictures but didn't bother to bring my camera since the only place cameras were allowed was in the lobby area.  Besides, I'm not one to post pictures of myself in a bikini).  The lobby had a rustic feel with its wooden beams but it was also welcoming with lush greenery and lounge chairs scattered throughout the cavernous room.  More importantly, it looked immaculately clean. 

Our money was collected and the entire hamam experience was explained to us.  After being handed traditional wraps (pestemals) and wooden slippers (takunya) we were escorted into private changing areas. Once changed we were then lead through a series of marble lined hallways into an even more cavernous steam room where we were told to sit, or lay if we chose, on a marble slab for approximately 40 minutes.   This is supposedly where the Sultan took his baths.  The hamam is heated with a wood fed fire and kept at a temperature between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius.  There were a handful of other couples in the room so we found our own little spot and settled in. 

We were informed that this steam session would allow the impurities to escape from our bodies.  All I can say is yikes was it hot.  So hot that it made hot flashes feel like nothing.  It was a dry heat though so periodically we would make our way over to a water basin where we could cool down by dousing ourselves with either tepid water that was sitting in stone basins or more brisk water that flowed from the taps.  Over and over again I found myself opting for the later.  After my body adjusted to the new atmosphere I started to really enjoy the intense heat.

The scrubbing

When our 40 minutes of impurity purging were over, two towel-clad young men ushered us into the semi-private soaping and scrubbing room where we were instructed to lay down on marble slabs that were slightly smaller in size than  twin beds.  We were alternately doused with warm then freezing cold water before being slapped with hot sudsy loofah-like towels.  My body was soon enveloped in copious amounts of olive oil soap.  No one ever told me that a Turkish bath was relaxing and as my masseur set to work I felt as though my body was being scrubbed, prodded, and poked to within mere inches of my breaking point.  I think I was in sensory overload.  There were moments when the entire process hurt but those were quickly replaced with a sense of comfort.  The soapy massage touched on muscles I never knew I had and soon the aches I had developed from our long walks throughout the hilly city were massaged away.  The intense scrubbing and massaging was followed by a dousing of very cold water that rinsed away all of the suds. The brisk water quickly brought me back to  my senses and left my entire body with a tingling sensation.

Post rinse we once again sat in the steam room before being swathed in a new set of dry wraps and relaxing over cups of hot apple tea.  I now know where the expression squeaky clean comes from.  The combination of intense heat and even intenser scrubbing must have removed every dead skin cell from my body. 

This hamam was an experience and I can now cross it off of the list of things to try.  Will I do it again?  Maybe.  But not before I regrow my lost layer of skin.

The Grandest Bazaar of All

One of the long halls

While in Istanbul we succumbed to what all first time visitors do and visited the Grand Bazaar.  Having visited sauks in Dubai I thought I knew what to expect but nothing could have prepared me for the epic scale of Istanbul's great bazaar.  There are numerous smaller shopping areas throughout the city and we inadvertently wandered through several of those during our stay.   The Grand Bazaar, however, is the granddaddy of them all.

The bazaar itself dates back to 1461.  It was originally designed to be a local shopping market and in some cases it still is today.  However, I doubt any of its original architects would recognize it as such.  Today's bazaar encompasses over 60 streets and 5,000 shops and attracts upwards of 350,000 visitors a day.  Fortunately we visited on a "quiet" Monday but I still found the crows overwhelming.

That's a lot of silver

So what did we find?  A mix of locals and fanny pack wearing tourists wandered the catacomb of hallways lined with everything from spice, leather, and carpet vendors to suave looking young men hawking fake Levis, perfumes, and knick-knacks with unidentifiable purposes.  It was loud, chaotic, and truly an experience.

Bright lights

We could hardly walk a few feet without someone calling out a sales pitch to us.  We were undeniably recognizable as Americans; so much so that when people asked us where we were from we started answering with "Albania".   That would usually throw them off long enough for us to make a hasty escape.  Carpet salesmen were the worst.  It was hard to admire the beautiful Turkish carpets on display in windows without being pestered by pushy salesmen.  The more aggressive ones chased us down the hallways using sales pitches that made me want to run rather than linger.  Salesmen at silver and diamond stores looked more distinguished but used equally cheesy pick up lines.

Some body's watching you

It seemed as though the infamous "evil eye" was sold in every other booth.  Those salesmen appeared particularly desperate.  My favorite sales pitch started with the words "I've been waiting for you."  Really?  Do people really fall for this?  I felt an incredible urge to go back to the hotel to shower after some of these come-ons.  Unfortunately when I browsed at a local soap vendor I was so turned off from the sales pitch that I just couldn't bring myself to purchase any of the olive oil soap.

We did walk away with a few small sales. It turns out that Glenn is a haggler.  Who knew?  I knew I wanted to purchase some saffron from one of the spice vendors.  Glenn stepped up to the plate and haggled our way into a significant purchase that would have broken the bank had I ordered it from my regular on-line spice store.  I also scored a kilogram of delicious apple tea.  We had tried it on several occasions and I wanted to recreate our Istanbul experience back in Tirana.  We also bought a few other items which I will refrain from discussing since the lucky recipients just might be reading this.

Bling

We think we roamed most of the hallways of the bazaar but after a while everything began to look the same and we had reached our saturation point.  It was a truly Istanbul experience which I'm glad we braved.  Will I return on our next trip to Istanbul?  I just might.

Spices, spices, spices

A Magic Carpet Ride



The "big" one

Some people collect art work, beanie babies, antiques or stamps. We collect carpets.   With this in mind, Glenn and I went to Istanbul with an extra suitcase and the idea of buying a new Turkish carpet.  Glenn owned two rugs when I met him and during his last deployment I flew to Dubai to meet the ship for Christmas.  As a Christmas present to ourselves we bought a carpet together and then he returned from his deployment with another one as a gift for me.  We both love our carpets and against the advise we received, we brought ours  with us to Albania.  After all, what is the point of having nice things if you don't use them?

While we knew we wanted to add to our collection we had never discussed the specifics of what we were looking for.  A specific size, color, and design were all up for grabs.  We figured that we would know the right carpet when we saw it.  Having a full four days to find the perfect carpet, we set out on our first morning in Istanbul to play tourist at the local sites.  During the short walk between our hotel and the Ayasofya we saw several carpet stores displaying their wares.  We looked but out of the fear of being accosted by aggressive salesmen, we didn't linger.

Outside of the Ayasofya we were approached by a local man offering to serve as our guide in the museum. The enticement of being able to bypass the long line led us to accept the proposal that we would normally decline.  The guide was surprisingly well spoken and as our tour wound down he offered to take us to a "special place" for tea since we were friends. We were not one hundred percent sure what we were getting ourselves into as we followed the guide down increasingly narrow streets in Istanbul's Suleyaniye neighborhood. When we abruptly stopped in front of an unmarked storefront I had my doubts but I quickly understood our destination when I saw the rugs lining all of the surface areas.  Small and large, silk and wool, brightly colored or subtly abstract the place was filled with nothing but carpets.

Following some rapid fire Turkish, an entourage of well dressed men escorted us into an elevator which swept us up three floors where we were led into a discrete, but well appointed showroom.  Offers of drinks quickly ensued and we opted for Turkey's famous apple tea.  As we sipped our first cups of tea we braced ourselves for the sales pitch that we knew was coming.  The pitch was delivered as one part sales and one part education with repeated reassurances that we were under no obligation to buy.  The differences between knotted and woven rugs, and wool, cotton, silk or a combination of materials was demonstrated and even the most untrained eye could notice the difference. 

Under the direction of the store's manager, carpets were rolled out on the floor by a series of silent men. Our most subtle actions were observed and reacted to.  I'm a horrible poker player and the minute I had the slightest negative reaction to a rug the carpet was whisked away and replaced with a new one.  The quality and size of the carpets increased with each new one that was rolled out before us.   As the time wore on the whole experience became increasingly overwhelming with beautiful colors, ornate patterns, and materials becoming an unrecognizable blur.

By the time we were drinking our second cup of apple tea, we had narrowed down our selections to a few beautiful carpets.  They were unlike any of the rugs we currently owned and I was surprised that I found myself really liking them.  Up to this time there had been no mention of cost.  (Discussing it later, Glenn and I both knew that we had narrowed our choices down to some of the most expensive carpets in the store). At this point the rug buying dance became more interesting.  Glenn first broached the subject of cost and a number for our preferred rug was thrown out.  We knew it was just an opening offer and Glenn quickly counter offered with a question of currency.  We were talking Turkish Lira, Euro, or American dollars? All were accepted as was cash or credit.



The "little" one

I never realized what a haggler I had married but Glenn's back and forth offers were impressive. With each new rug came a reassurance of how special it was.  Offers became counter offers that were met with polite refusals and explanations that they too needed to make money.   We knew they would be making plenty of money so the dance continued.  At one point the rug rollers brought out a carpet that we were told was in our price range.  It was one of the ugliest things I had ever seen and with just a raised eyebrow on my part it quickly disappeared. 

Our proposal to pay in cash with Euro and take the carpet with us reduced the cost slightly but not enough to satisfy us.  And so the danced continued with more back and forth on both of our parts.  When it appeared that we had reached a standstill the manager's "uncle" was brought in and with feigned reluctance he proposed a slightly lower offer for the one rug we were looking at.  Glenn said we'd take it if they also included a second, smaller, but even more beautiful rug.  (Two for the price of one!  How I love a great deal).  It was now the uncle's turn to act insulted and to reassure us that they were already offering us a great deal since it was "before the cruise ship season" and after all, we were friends. (Before our trip to Istanbul I never knew we had so many friends).  More polite counter offers ensued before the entire deal reached a rapid conclusion. 

For a few additional Euro our offer for both rugs was accepted.  Within minutes hands were shook, the carpets were rolled up and packed into their own carrying bags, and we were whisked into another room to complete the paperwork.  Glasses of raki were brought out for the men and I was offered my third cup of apple tea.  Soon we were back on the sidewalk with our museum guide lugging our carpets down the street. The sight of our new purchases made us prime fodder for even more aggressive carpet salesmen who shouted to us from their storefronts telling us that we needed to see their even better carpets.  After all, they told us, we were friends and they would give us a great deal.  No, even for us carpet lovers, two new carpets are enough for a single trip.  Besides, we need to save up for our return trip to Istanbul.  We already have several carpets in mind but need to figure out where we will put them.

An Istanbul Mini-Moon

We finally did it.  This past weekend Glenn and I left Sidney in the very capable hands of the best nanny in Albania and flew off to Istanbul, Turkey.  We went under the auspices of an early anniversary gift to ourselves but in reality it was so much more.  This was the first time we both left Sidney and took a mini-vacation for just the two of us. (OK, for full disclosure, when he was just over a year we did leave him with my parents for a week while we went to a mandatory training.  I don't count that as a true get away since spending a week in the western Pennsylvania woods in December is not my idea of a good time).  So after 2 1/2 years we took the plunge and went on our first couples vacation since our Kauai baby-moon back in 2009.

Playing tourist in Istanbul

We chose Istanbul since it is one of the few places that is close by, we wanted to visit, and more importantly, we could fly to directly.  Packing for the trip was heaven since I didn't need to count out diapers, snacks, and travel toys.  Not having to carry matchbox cars, wet wipes and crayons with me, I was able to downsize to a cute purse of non-mommy-size proportions.  Away went my mommy clothes and out came my slightly more fashionable pre-pregnancy clothes that surprisingly enough, still fit.

So what did we do?  We had no schedule and it was heaven.  We stayed at an amazing boutique hotel that shared a wall with the Ayasofya.  We slept in, ate our meals when we wanted to, and strolled at a leisurely pace.  We chose restaurants based on their interesting cuisine rather than their child-friendly atmosphere.  We went to dinner late and my only responsibility during dinner was to feed myself.  We had that extra glass of wine after dinner since we didn't have a babysitter waiting up for us.  We were able to be a part of the vibrant city after dark instead of looking out at it from our dark hotel room window.  We visited many of Istanbul's top sights- the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Galata Tower. We partook in a traditional Turkish hamam, discovered just how cool the Yerebatan Cistern is, and browsed the Grand Bazaar.  I had my first cup of Starbucks coffee in ten months.

Most importantly, Glenn and I were able to reconnect.  We could carry on entire conversations without being interrupted.  (OK, there was the occasional call on Glenn's Blackberry but even those were kept to a minimum). There wasn't any talk of dinner menus, to-do lists or impending receptions.  We were silly and spontaneous and remembered why we had fallen in love in the first place. We were reminded that before we became three we were two.  Unfortunately, these are the simple things in life that so often escape us when we are caught up in the day-to-day activity of living our lives.

I'm now back in my Albanian reality.  I missed Sidney terribly while I was away but realize that taking the trip was the best thing we could have done.  Glenn and I have reconnected and I returned home to Sidney feeling refreshed.  Our next few trips will definitely be geared towards family time but Glenn and I must do more, non work related things as a couple.  In fact, we're already planning a Paris trip for our next anniversary.