Fans of the Turkish Bath...

The website for our hotel in Istanbul said we’d have a Turkish Bath in our bathroom. This meant nothing to us before we arrived, but we quickly became big fans and skipped showers for the rest of the week. Basically, we filled up a marble sink without a drain with hot water. We then used a bowl to pour the water on ourselves before and after soaping up. Once we got to the resort, there was a large public bath with heated slabs of marble and multiple sinks that we could use. While the family was in the sea, I had a foam and massage (sorry had to borrow these photos as I didn’t bring the camera in that steamy room). Wasn’t crazy about the loofah, which felt like sandpaper scraped across my skin, but loved the foam. Was surprised that the masseuse was male since I was topless, but when in Rome...

Getting Wet in Turkey...

As soon as the girls saw the two pools at the resort, they couldn’t wait to start swimming. Unfortunately, the pools weren’t heated and it was still a little early in the season, so I thought they were too cold for anything other than a quick dip. That didn’t stop the girls from spending most of each day in them. We got in trouble when we all raced down the center yellow slide and screamed the whole way. They also went into the sea with Jimmy. Surprisingly, he was able to talk Ashlynn into diving off the pier twice, but Veronica stuck with going in feet first. I stuck with staying dry and reading my book.

Vying to be the Best...

After losing an informal couple’s game involving a pingpong ball between our foreheads and being tossed into the pool, Jimmy and I were recruited to be in a Best Couple competition on stage that evening. Another American hash couple joined us to compete against two Russian couples. We had to complete four tasks. I had to wrap up Jimmy in toilet paper, which I really stunk at. We had to pop four balloons using our body in a variety of positions including laying down on a mattress. Our best task was when I had to talk a blindfolded Jimmy across the stage to put a straw into a bottle between my legs. He was much faster than the other contestants as he crawled rather than stumbled across the stage. By far, his favorite task was the last. Not only did I have to push a pingpong ball up one pant leg and down the other, but two of the other ladies used Jimmy as a stand-in husband as theirs were wearing shorts. We didn’t win, but we had a great time.

Our First Eurohash...

We weren’t the only hashers that arrived two days early for Eurohash 2009 to take advantage of hanging at the resort. We were outnumbered by the Russian guests until the event officially started on Friday night and 500 hashers invaded our resort. It was fun running into hashers that we’d met at nash hashes in Holland, Germany and Switzerland over the last few years.

Off to the Coast...

After four nights in Istanbul, it was time to head to the Mediterranean coast near Antalya for four nights at a resort. Strangely enough, having the kids along actually benefitted us as we got a large corner room with views in two directions. The sofa bed was the worst I’ve ever seen in my life, but the girls hardly noticed they were so exhausted each night from all the fun. They’d never stayed in an all-inclusive before and could hardly contain themselves that everything was included. Neither could most of the Russian clientele from what we could tell by the huge plates of meat they piled up at every meal.

Whirling in Istanbul...

On our final night in Istanbul, we ate at a rather touristy restaurant (luckily the food was excellent) in order to see a performance by a Whirling Dervish. It was an unusual ritual to witness as the performer (I assume that real followers of the ancient Mevlevi Order wouldn’t whirl outside of the monastery) went into a near catatonic state while whirling, always in the same direction. Apparently the goal is to get closer to God by turning towards the truth.
I don’t think Veronica’s motives earlier in the week were as noble. She wasn’t seeking truth; she just loved seeing her pretty skirt whirl around.

Heading to Asia...

Ashlynn recently commented that she thought that we’d spent enough time exploring Europe and that it was time to head to Asia. Although this just made me laugh (especially since I didn’t leave North America until I was 27), she actually got her way as we headed up the Bosphorus on a ferry over to Asia. Turns out that 97% of Turkey is actually in Asia and the river is the dividing line. There was some interesting scenery along the way including a 15th century fortress and a 19th century palace. Also got an excellent view of the Galata Bridge. Built in 1994, this bridge opens in the middle for tall ships, but otherwise is double deckered with restaurants on the bottom level (we enjoyed a drink there) and a road on top. We stopped in Anadolu Kavagi, the last stop before the river meets the Black Sea. Had a nice lunch along the river’s edge, then caught a bus to the top of the hill to see the ruins of a 14th century Byzantine fortress. Saw some hash marks on the way down.

Cool Underground Sight...

Built in 532AD, the Basilica Cistern was the largest of several hundred cisterns built underground to supply water to the ancient city of Constantinople. It is surrounded by walls that are 13 feet thick and coated with a special waterproof mortar. At 470 feet by 210 feet, it is supported by 336 30-foot marble columns. For some unknown reason, two of the column bases have sculptures of Medusa, one with her head upside down and the other sideways. Unfortunately, it was difficult to capture the scope of this ancient room on film.

Some Unique Shopping Opportunities...

I really enjoyed walking through the streets around the Grand Bazaar and seeing the shops that cater to locals and wholesalers. Most stores seemed to be narrowly focused on one type of product. We got a good laugh at the store that sold googly eyes. Others sold zippers, belt buckles, mannequins, bracelets, necklaces or headscarves. These two clothing stores definitely caught my eye. I’d heard of the burkini before, but had never seen one until this trip (although I still haven’t seen anyone actually wear one). The other store was more of a surprise as I got close enough to read the note on the door: This is a special outfit for boys of all ages. It’s worn before the operation of circumsion which is an Islamic tradition. Ouch!

Mosques in Istanbul...

Turkey is a secular nation, although 99% of the population is Muslim and 60% of the women wear headscarves. We were awoken each morning around 5am by the call to prayer over loud speakers from several nearby mosques. Istanbul’s skyline is covered with over 2,900 active mosques. The most famous of all is the national mosque known as the Blue Mosque, shown here. Built in 1617, this massive beautiful structure with six minarets is considered the last of classic Ottoman architecture.
Visitors are allowed in many of the mosques within a roped off area as not to interrupt the prayers. Only in the Blue Mosque were we allowed in without covering our heads, although Veronica was loaned a scarf to cover her shoulders. Here we’re trying to convey how huge the pillars were.

No Turkey in Turkey...

One of the cool parts of visiting somewhere new is trying new foods, although, finding the perfect restaurant is usually the most stressful part of when we travel. Luckily, we didn’t have this problem in Istanbul. Other than our first night when the hotel clerk suggested a restaurant the girls didn’t like, we managed to find lots of great places to eat. On the street our favorite snack was from the cucumber carts; we also enjoyed the pastries, nuts and ice cream.
We splurged to eat at several restaurants with rooftop terraces. The girls especially liked that they could play backgammon while waiting for our food. I thought it was surreal to be listening to Fiddler on the Roof during dinner while sitting in a Muslim country overlooking a giant mosque (technically, Hagia Sophia was built in 537AD as a church and stood as the world’s largest cathedral for 1,000 years, was converted to a mosque in 1453, and then was converted to a museum in 1935).

Turkish Delights...

We eventually wove our way through the shopping district to the Spice Bazaar, which is a small covered market, built in 1660 as the center of the spice trade in Istanbul. The only spice we were interested in was saffron, but Jimmy did want to stock up on some interesting loose teas. We’d never considered ourselves big fans of Turkish Delight, but perhaps that’s because we’d never had it fresh; wouldn’t sell out my family to the White Witch in Narnia for it, but it sure is yummy.

Shop Till You Drop...

No trip to Istanbul is complete without a visit to the Grand Bazaar, built in 1460 and expanded in the 1600’s. This massive covered market has over 1,200 shops all catering to suckers otherwise known as tourists. We mostly bought trinkets, but couldn’t resist buying Ashlynn a belly dancing outfit for next year’s International Day at school. While the girls could have spent all day there, I was quickly burnt out on the shopkeepers trying to hawk their goods. Eventually we made our way out to the streets surrounding the bazaar where the locals shop, which I found much more fascinating.

A Palace Fit for a Sultan...

Istanbul, the former capital of the Roman Empire, is the largest city proper in Europe and with 12.6 million people, is the 4th largest city in the world. We actually only saw a fraction of the city. One evening we ventured outside the historic center across a bridge and ate dinner on a rooftop terrace with an excellent view of Topkapi Palace.
We really enjoyed visiting the Palace, built in 1459 and used as the home of the sultans for 400 years. The harem was especially interesting although the many wives, concubines and eunuchs are long gone. The treasury was impressive with several items belonging to the prophet Mohammed, the hand of John the Baptist and a 86-carat diamond.