We started with breakfast in the hotel which was very good. Luckily, I like Greek yogurt. After a quick game plan session and a room reassignment, we were on our way. We decided to walk the city armed with paper maps instead of navigating public transportation. I am starting to experience iPhone and GPS withdrawals, but I feel like this will be a healthy cleanse for me.
We are staying in Taksim square which is on the Asian side of Istanbul. We headed toward the Bosphorus and stopped at the Galata tower. We paid to take the elevator to the top and took several pictures. It was a great way to see the city from up high. After playing in that neighborhood for a bit, we crossed the Galata bridge to head to the Spice Bazaar.
We arrived on the other side of the river around lunch time and found that we were again met with several initiations to eat. Us girls are getting much better at saying no. One guy even tried to block us from walking past, but I didn't have to push him, thankfully. Personal space is definitely different in Turkey. I'm almost getting used to having strangers in my personal bubble. Almost. We ate at what I would describe as a sidewalk cafe. I had an awesome lamb wrap. Jenny and Alyssa both had grilled chicken and Ayran drinks. It's like a yogurt smoothie. After eating, we explored the Spice Bazaar and purchased a few gifts for our families.
In the bazaar, we got to experience the wonder of Turkish public toilets. Each visit costs 1 Turkish Lire, less than 50 cents. We visited several of these "WC" places today. In the women's bathrooms, there are a mix of western toilets and toilets that are really just holes in the floor that flush. As a semi-experienced former Girl Scout and as a former Boston college student, I was pleased with how my squatting skills have come in handy in my adulthood. Most of these restrooms are pretty gross, not going to lie.
After the bazaar, we wandered to a park on the south end of the European side of Istanbul. The park had a lovely tiered cafe overlooking the Bosphorus. where we had tea and got to rest for a few minutes.
After a walk in the park, we trekked through the city to find the bathhouse we had scouted out the evening before online. I'm blanking on the name right now, but its almost 12:30am here. The bathhouse was an experience. For about 85 lire, we got a traditional bath and a clay face mask. The traditional bath involves lying on a large marble platform in a semi-steam room. When it is your turn, a Turkish woman will call you over to the edge for your bath. I should mention, that we are all lying around on small tablecloths wearing disposable bikini bottoms.....and that's it. The bathhouse is segregated by gender so you sort of pretend to not be embarrassed until you've seen so much nipple, that you forget it's unusual. The actual bath was interesting. You get a full body exfoliation, and then a bit of a massage. After, you are led to a sink and your new Turkish grandmother is washing your hair and rinsing you off with a bowl. You finish by soaking in the hot tubs, without supervision. The clay mask came after and it was amazing. My skin feels very soft and clean.
After the Çemerlitas bathhouse, we took a train across the river and ate dinner near the Galata tower. I had some amazing spaghetti bolognese. We cabbed it back to the hotel, and here we are. I got to Skype with Mom and Jeff for a minute, in case anyone is worried I have a ghost writer and have been kidnapped. Nope, I'm alive and well!!
Tomorrow the program starts, I expect less adventure but am excited nonetheless. Good night!!
Photos: Jenny & I at Galata Tower, the bathhouse from the train station, A selfie from the cafe in the park
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