Istanbul - pt. 5
By Friday I'd have enough of the Man Hos* in Sultanahmet, and wanted another day out of the city. Besides, after 2 weeks of using almost nothing but my feet for transportation, I needed a break from all the walking. It seemed the perfect day to cruise up the Bosphorus, to wear it meets the Black Sea. I filled up on my daily hotel-provided breakfast of crusty wheat bread with butter and fresh strawberry preserves, yogurt with honey, fruit and a hard boiled egg for protein before heading to the Galata Bridge, where the ferry terminals are located.
the ferry departs at 10:35 am or noon, returning at 3:00 or 5:00 pm. It takes just under two hours, zig-zagging its way across the Bosphorus to terminals along both the Asian and European shores. The return trip saves 20 minutes by making fewer stops.
I had plans to meet a Swedish girl I'd met in San Francisco near the Obelisk of Theodosius in the Byzantine Hippodrome of Sultanahmet Square at 7:30 that night. Anna is a Swedish woman, also 30, who has been living in the Bay Area for some time. She responded to a post of mine on the travel forum about her Istanbul dates overlapping with mine. We had lunch in SF to get acquainted, and made the plans described above. Today, she should be having her turn in a Hamam**, before departing for Bodrum & Ephesus (where you can see the Virgin Mary's house), and eventually Greece.
Given the plans with Anna, I opted for the 10:35 ferry up, with a 3:00 return. On my way to the ferry, Danger approached me.
Danger wore faded jeans with parts of the legs worn partly to holes. He had a white v-neck undershirt, sporting a hole about 3 inches beneath his right nipple. His arms were tattooed, and like Hasan, he'd gotten those tatts the hard way - the old school, non-electric method of tapping the ink into the skin, like this Maori practice. He had dark, short, curly hair, was fair skinned for a Turk, and had those really pale turquoise blue eyes some of them have. He was tall and muscular, but not abnormally so. His voice was raspy and gravelly. Total bad boy type, different than the other men I'd encountered. He just oozed the vibe that suggested he may as well have "danger" written on his forehead.
Really, his name was Oman.
We talked for a bit, and part of me really wanted to accept his invitation of drinks later that evening, because he seemed the sort that would throw me up against the wall. But I decided I'd gotten myself into enough trouble for one vacation.
He gave me his phone number, saying "I don't think you're going to call me".
He was right, *sigh*, although I had quite a lot of fun thinking otherwise on the ferry.
* * *
On the way up the Bosphorus I saw dolphins! Unfortunately, I couldn't get the timing right to get a picture. I also saw a lightening storm over the European shore, while the Asian shore remained sunny. As you move further from Istanbul, the towns and ferry stops take on more and more of the look of old fishing villages, old as in from previous centuries and run down over time. Modernity hasn't invaded to the extent it has in Istanbul, which in addition to being a fusion of east and west, is also a fusion of old and modern.
At the end, you arrive at Andalou Kavagi on the Asian shore. Immediately off the ferry you encounter a string of fish restaurants serving up the fresh local catches and a sign that says "to the castle" the draw of the island. It was built in the 6th century by the Byzantines, on the site of a former Greek temple to Zeus. From it, you see the mouth of the Bosphorus, the Black Sea flowing into it. You can peer out over the Asian and European shores of the Black Sea, as far as the horizon will allow.
It's a steep 20 minute climb up the mountain to the castle. I managed to beat the rest of the people from the ferry up the hill and had maybe 10 minutes to myself to walk around the ruins. There were formally 13 battlements, now only 2 are standing, with other bits of structure around. I admired the view (and cried), and soon was joined by others from the ferry.
A couple of the guys started climbing the castle. I had the thought before the others joined me, and seeing them do it, I knew I could, too. Something most of you don't know about me is that growing up, I was equally comfortable playing tomboy as well as barbies. I built forts (with wood and hammers and nails). I've always thought I'd enjoy rock climbing, but have only done some amateurish stuff climbing around on the cliffs of Santa Cruz, without any kind of harness. I like to climb. I like the methodology of it, and the physical challenge. I just don't like to look down when I get to the top of something steep with a shear drop.
Side note: It's a little hard to climb with a seal on your back. I'll posts pics of Niblet on the castle later.
It was fun, in sort of a pure, childlike enjoyment way. I got to play on a castle!! Not just walk around inside of it and look at things, but actually put my hands on and climb through holes in the structure!!!
I wanted to follow the guidebooks suggestion of not taking the road back down, but instead following the dirt path through the heath, but as I started down, I noticed the bees. There were flowers growing in the heath so sticky with pollen you could see the liquid glistening in the sun. I kept going, not frightened of a few bees. Eventually I came to a place where for about 20 feet, the path led by a wall of those sticky flowers, and I could see dozens of bees in the path. I'm not allergic, but that's not to say being stung many times simultaneously wouldn't cause a reaction, and no one knew where I was, and there was no telling when someone else would come along to help.
At the bottom of hill, I had a delicious lunch of a pita and minted yogurt meze, calamari, and 1/4 of a melon.
This day trip was easily one of the best parts of my vacation.
* * *
Dinner with Anna was nice. We ate at a restaurant under the Galata Bridge (there is a level under the main bridge that has a row of restaurants on each side, one facing up the golden horn, the other across the Bosphorus to the Asian shore.
We opted for the Golden Horn side, because it was sunset, and sunset on the Golden Horn is one of those things on my list of things to see before I die.
I almost cried, again. I probably would have if Anna hadn't been there.
After dinner, we rode in a taxi to Taksim and walked around. I bought a cool t-shirt in a trendy jeans store called Rodi. During dinner, Anna had been flirting with our waiter (after the 2nd glass of Raki he'd given her for free), and also this guy at the table next to us (I was over it, and just sat and watched bemused), and we ran into the other table guy on the main drag in Taksim several times. At one point, he bought and gave her an Evil eye bracelet (they cost 1 lira).
Eventually we took a taxi (they spell it "taksi") back to Sultanahmet, and Anna got her first glimpse of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya at night. We made plans to meet for the light show at the Mosque the next night, and headed back to our hotels (I had the kitty-in-the-tree incident on the return).
The evening was quite pleasant. It was nice to have company and conversation with someone who didn't want anything else from me.
*I've since figured out the scheme. Some are interested in foreign women for the novelty, and the perceived high chance of sex. Some are trying to hustle you into a shop, because it's their job, and they make a commission off of anything you buy. Some are honest-to-goodness gigolos. You can usually tell these by the expensive designer Italian clothes, presumably given as gifts. (heh, I saw one who must have been new. He was still wearing dockers and a polo shirt). Please note, Hasan fell into the first category - he "romanced me" and paid for everything.
**I will explain later.
the ferry departs at 10:35 am or noon, returning at 3:00 or 5:00 pm. It takes just under two hours, zig-zagging its way across the Bosphorus to terminals along both the Asian and European shores. The return trip saves 20 minutes by making fewer stops.
I had plans to meet a Swedish girl I'd met in San Francisco near the Obelisk of Theodosius in the Byzantine Hippodrome of Sultanahmet Square at 7:30 that night. Anna is a Swedish woman, also 30, who has been living in the Bay Area for some time. She responded to a post of mine on the travel forum about her Istanbul dates overlapping with mine. We had lunch in SF to get acquainted, and made the plans described above. Today, she should be having her turn in a Hamam**, before departing for Bodrum & Ephesus (where you can see the Virgin Mary's house), and eventually Greece.
Given the plans with Anna, I opted for the 10:35 ferry up, with a 3:00 return. On my way to the ferry, Danger approached me.
Danger wore faded jeans with parts of the legs worn partly to holes. He had a white v-neck undershirt, sporting a hole about 3 inches beneath his right nipple. His arms were tattooed, and like Hasan, he'd gotten those tatts the hard way - the old school, non-electric method of tapping the ink into the skin, like this Maori practice. He had dark, short, curly hair, was fair skinned for a Turk, and had those really pale turquoise blue eyes some of them have. He was tall and muscular, but not abnormally so. His voice was raspy and gravelly. Total bad boy type, different than the other men I'd encountered. He just oozed the vibe that suggested he may as well have "danger" written on his forehead.
Really, his name was Oman.
We talked for a bit, and part of me really wanted to accept his invitation of drinks later that evening, because he seemed the sort that would throw me up against the wall. But I decided I'd gotten myself into enough trouble for one vacation.
He gave me his phone number, saying "I don't think you're going to call me".
He was right, *sigh*, although I had quite a lot of fun thinking otherwise on the ferry.
* * *
On the way up the Bosphorus I saw dolphins! Unfortunately, I couldn't get the timing right to get a picture. I also saw a lightening storm over the European shore, while the Asian shore remained sunny. As you move further from Istanbul, the towns and ferry stops take on more and more of the look of old fishing villages, old as in from previous centuries and run down over time. Modernity hasn't invaded to the extent it has in Istanbul, which in addition to being a fusion of east and west, is also a fusion of old and modern.
At the end, you arrive at Andalou Kavagi on the Asian shore. Immediately off the ferry you encounter a string of fish restaurants serving up the fresh local catches and a sign that says "to the castle" the draw of the island. It was built in the 6th century by the Byzantines, on the site of a former Greek temple to Zeus. From it, you see the mouth of the Bosphorus, the Black Sea flowing into it. You can peer out over the Asian and European shores of the Black Sea, as far as the horizon will allow.
It's a steep 20 minute climb up the mountain to the castle. I managed to beat the rest of the people from the ferry up the hill and had maybe 10 minutes to myself to walk around the ruins. There were formally 13 battlements, now only 2 are standing, with other bits of structure around. I admired the view (and cried), and soon was joined by others from the ferry.
A couple of the guys started climbing the castle. I had the thought before the others joined me, and seeing them do it, I knew I could, too. Something most of you don't know about me is that growing up, I was equally comfortable playing tomboy as well as barbies. I built forts (with wood and hammers and nails). I've always thought I'd enjoy rock climbing, but have only done some amateurish stuff climbing around on the cliffs of Santa Cruz, without any kind of harness. I like to climb. I like the methodology of it, and the physical challenge. I just don't like to look down when I get to the top of something steep with a shear drop.
Side note: It's a little hard to climb with a seal on your back. I'll posts pics of Niblet on the castle later.
It was fun, in sort of a pure, childlike enjoyment way. I got to play on a castle!! Not just walk around inside of it and look at things, but actually put my hands on and climb through holes in the structure!!!
I wanted to follow the guidebooks suggestion of not taking the road back down, but instead following the dirt path through the heath, but as I started down, I noticed the bees. There were flowers growing in the heath so sticky with pollen you could see the liquid glistening in the sun. I kept going, not frightened of a few bees. Eventually I came to a place where for about 20 feet, the path led by a wall of those sticky flowers, and I could see dozens of bees in the path. I'm not allergic, but that's not to say being stung many times simultaneously wouldn't cause a reaction, and no one knew where I was, and there was no telling when someone else would come along to help.
At the bottom of hill, I had a delicious lunch of a pita and minted yogurt meze, calamari, and 1/4 of a melon.
This day trip was easily one of the best parts of my vacation.
* * *
Dinner with Anna was nice. We ate at a restaurant under the Galata Bridge (there is a level under the main bridge that has a row of restaurants on each side, one facing up the golden horn, the other across the Bosphorus to the Asian shore.
We opted for the Golden Horn side, because it was sunset, and sunset on the Golden Horn is one of those things on my list of things to see before I die.
I almost cried, again. I probably would have if Anna hadn't been there.
After dinner, we rode in a taxi to Taksim and walked around. I bought a cool t-shirt in a trendy jeans store called Rodi. During dinner, Anna had been flirting with our waiter (after the 2nd glass of Raki he'd given her for free), and also this guy at the table next to us (I was over it, and just sat and watched bemused), and we ran into the other table guy on the main drag in Taksim several times. At one point, he bought and gave her an Evil eye bracelet (they cost 1 lira).
Eventually we took a taxi (they spell it "taksi") back to Sultanahmet, and Anna got her first glimpse of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya at night. We made plans to meet for the light show at the Mosque the next night, and headed back to our hotels (I had the kitty-in-the-tree incident on the return).
The evening was quite pleasant. It was nice to have company and conversation with someone who didn't want anything else from me.
*I've since figured out the scheme. Some are interested in foreign women for the novelty, and the perceived high chance of sex. Some are trying to hustle you into a shop, because it's their job, and they make a commission off of anything you buy. Some are honest-to-goodness gigolos. You can usually tell these by the expensive designer Italian clothes, presumably given as gifts. (heh, I saw one who must have been new. He was still wearing dockers and a polo shirt). Please note, Hasan fell into the first category - he "romanced me" and paid for everything.
**I will explain later.
posted by Serrephim | Tuesday, June 13, 2006
1 Comments:
Hagia Sophia is like a medieval miracle.
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