Is the Turkey in Me or Am I in the Turkey?

Topkapi Palace

Sultanahmet Mosque

Many cats in Istanbul

It's Thanksgiving and we had a feast of fava beans, cooked artichokes, marinated mushrooms, and dolma from a neighboorhood deli near the apartment where we are staying. We turned the corner after visiting the deli only to see a large goose being fed small fish by a shop owner. This neighborhood had no car traffic, fortunately.

Today, we visited Topkapi Palace which includes the HAREM! The entrace fee was 10 Turkish Lira and then they slap you with another 10 YTL since they know you want to see the forbidden chambers of the harem. We learned that women could enter freely but once inside, they could never leave. The violence of the harem occurred primarily between the women, fighting for power within the harem hierarchy.

Then, we visited the Istanbul Modern to learn about the making of the Turkish Republic through photography and painting. Our favorite piece was a huge reproduction of a million lira note showing Ataturk with his eyes covered by his hands, symbolizing his disbelief at the devaluation of the currency.

Kicked out of a Cab

After visiting his cousin, A and I got in a taxi en route to the ferry back to the apartment. The driver was an older man with a white mustache. A's relative gave him directions to our destination, Besiktas port. Traffic was heavy since there was a soccer game. A gave me a kiss on the cheek and the driver stopped the cab. The driver said: "Find another cab." A asked him (in Turkish): "Why?". He responded: "Because I said so."

We got out out the cab grinning after our flagrant display of public affection. It was easy to find another cab but we couldn't believe we were kicked out for a kiss on the cheek!

A told his Dad the story and he said that when A was a child, he was speaking English in a cab in Turkey and the driver told him to shut up. His father made a retort to the taxi driver and they were then asked to leave the taxi. So it may have been our English that was offensive to the driver and the public affection was the last straw for him.

In other news, we visited the Grand Bazaar and Sultanahmet Mosque. GB is a crazy maze of ancient market commerce with evil eyes and hookahs in every shop window. At the Sultanahmet, we found the largest indoor rug ever! The first thing our senses detected walking into the mosque was a strong scent of mothballs.

I am still enjoying the food. In fact, I just polished off a bowl of Turkish ice cream called Halis Kaymak. "Kaymak" is milkfat skimmed from the top and let me tell you, it really improves a bowl of ice cream.