Traveling and Istanbul, Part One

Sept 9th:
Today was traveling day, which equated to stress central in my book. Aside from the fact that we had more luggage that we could shake a stick at, getting to the Izmir train station, dropping off the rental car, going approximately 8 hours by train to get onto a ferry, then traveling another 2 hours, finding a taxi and managing to make it to our hotel was just TOO MUCH. It's a wonder I wrote anything at all! However, I knew that the next day would be a trial itself - after all, Istanbul is huge!
The highlight of the day was the bellydancer at dinner and the amazing video footage of a waiter dealing with a flaming meal. It wasn't something you'd see every day - plus, if I recall correctly, he was using a sword.


Sept 10th:

Royal Harem in Palace at Istanbul

I seriously can't believe that one week from today, I'll be with people my own age, going through orientation again. I hope I'm ready to live on my own....anyway, we started out the day by going upstairs for breakfast. There was a fantastic view of both the Hagai Sophia and the Blue Mosque. After coming down off the roof of the hotel, we went to the Hagai Sophia and saw the 27 sarcophagi of the royal family (in order to view the tombs, you had to take off your shoes).

Mysterious Creature in Archeological Museum

Note: In Turkey, women do not wear black scarves, like Greek Orthodox women, but rather, they prefer colorful arrangements to adorn their scalps. I wasn't expecting to see so many covered women. It shocked me, but, I suppose, if I were born in that society, I wouldn't know that women could be treated differently, so I wouldn't be feeling a slight resentment and anger towards the men here....oh well. Anyway, we wanted to go see the weapons room and the Palace's infamous Harem, but the weapons room was closed, so, instead, we chose to visit the Archeological Museum that was right next door. It was spectacular! Who knew there were so many ancient civilizations, from the time of the Byzantine Empire to Muslim and Christian rule. It really blows the mind.
In fact, there were a few carvings that resembled what we know as a sphinx today. One creature, however, I could not identify and, coming from me, that's saying a lot. Also, they had a miniature Trojan Horse specifically for children to play in, sort of like your local McDonald's playroom. I took a picture in front of it, but refused to climb the ladder (I may be the 2nd World's Oldest preschooler, but I have my pride to think about as well, dontcha know?).

Other interesting artifacts: they had a replica of Alexander the Great's supposed "tomb", but, from the recent trip to Vergina, I think I can safely say that Alexander is probably buried near his father, Philip, in the ancient mounds surrounding the city. We found some bones shining through the floor while at the museum, dating from approximately 2,000 BC. It was interesting, but, at the same time, it gave me quite a scare!

Tucker Apparently Got Me. 

After the museum, we headed over to a museum that featured blue tiles, like found in the Blue Mosque. I have a couple of pictures, which should be in this post somewhere...Tucker ended up locking me in the entrance-way, something, apparently, that Mom found funny enough to take a picture of. Grrr.
On our way back from the museums to our hotel, we were blocked by the police, who claimed that the road we wanted to walk on was dangerous because of the "violent winds". Then, of course, the one speaking to us just had to pull out one of those 'pretty, nice guy' poses. I snapped. I had had enough of their cultural ideas. Just because I'm a woman does not mean that I can't handle a little wind. It can be blustery and the wind can pick up to, say, 10-20 mph in Georgia, yet pedestrians are free to walk where they wish, regardless of the danger. The point is, I was tired of being treated like a child or second-best, like I was too weak to care for myself. So, I gave him a look of loathing and stormed off, with Mom and Tucker in tow. The rest of the day, I basically steamed it off. Luckily, we found lunch soon after, so I did not lash out more than was necessary to vent my frustration. Actually, the lunch spot in question was so good and had such an impression on the three of us that we came back again two days later. In fact, the staff had a charming way about them (at this point, I could see right through their act), for instance, they kept bringing Tucker the bill, which I did not appreciate, seeing as I was the one playing the bill. Typical Turk, I suppose. While at the restaurant, we ordered tickets to watch Whirling Dervishes with dinner. Cool beans!