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Daily Archives: April 30, 2012

A rainy day

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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I needed a rainy day. Finally. A day to rest and re-group. And blog. I did nothing except that and it was perfect.

In the evening I went for an authentic Ottoman dinner at a place called Topaz. It was very good and very romantic. The view overlooking the Bosporus was amazing and it was great to watch the sky darken and the lights of the Asian side of Istanbul light up. And the suspension bridge between Asia and Europe (built-in 1973, I later learned) lights up in a variety of colors that change every few minutes. I really enjoyed it. The food included the following courses: Turkish yogurt soup w chick peas and meat ball, Fresh vegetables in olive oil, traditional film pastry w Turkish cheese “Ezine”, stuffed Swiss chard w minced meat and cracked wheat, sorbet to cleanse the pallet, baked lamb mastic flavored chargrilled eggplant w wild mushroom lamb gravy, finished with sour cherry compote! That’s what, 7 courses!? By the end I could hardly finish but am proud to say I finished it all except the dessert, which I’m never a fan of anyway. After finishing with mint tea to remind me of Morocco, I headed back to the hotel.

Stepping in to the taxi I fully intended to have the maitre de tell the driver the name of my hotel in Turkish but forgot. Consequently my 2 minute taxi ride turned in to a 20 minute one around and around with me getting frustrated at my lack of foresight to get the address in Turkish. That was the first of many frustrating taxi rides and I now know that I was powerless to make the situation better under any circumstances, Turkish or no Turkish. My hunch is those drivers are out to get me no matter what.

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More touring, day one

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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holy relics, marmara sea, unesco world heritage site

The tour group ate lunch at a place that’s open just for tourists and tours. The food is marginal and the only beverage included with the meal is water and every other beverage is exorbitantly expensive. I had water. We sat at tables of 8-10 and had to force conversation with people we either didn’t care to know or someone who didn’t speak our language. Or we remained silent (that’s what I chose). The guides all sat outside and smoked whilst they waited for us to finish eating. Everyone smokes. Up a storm. I wanted to go outside immediately since it was so warm and sunny but if I wanted to wait in the courtyard at the tables I was smoked out. And if I left the confines of the restaurant and its courtyard, I was accosted by merchants trying to sell me stuff. The best part of the whole thing is that it was across from the Marmara Sea – – a beautiful bit of scenery, especially with the sun. So I waited outside in a corner away from the smoke and watched the sea. Then they told us which bus to board. “You! Lady! You get on that bus!” So I’d board, find my spot in the back left of the bus, and wait to go to the next destination. In a way I liked being shuttled around, not thinking at all and not feeling the need to talk to people.

Next we went to other parts of the city: a little mosque near the Spice Bazaar. Beauty everywhere! And it doesn’t hurt that the sun was shining brightly. Here are some photos around the little mosque.

The tour ended with a visit to the Topkapi Palace. As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world including the Prophet Muhammed’s cloak and sword. The Topkapı Palace is among the monuments contained within the “Historic Areas of Istanbul”, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described as “the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces […] of the Ottoman period.” From the end of the 17th century the Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1856, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace (I saw this on a different tour), the first European-style palace in the city. Some functions, such as the imperial treasury, the library, and the mint were retained in the Topkapı Palace.

Following the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, the Topkapı Palace was transformed by a government decree dated April 1924 into a museum of the imperial era. The Topkapı Palace Museum is administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public today. The complex is guarded by officials of the ministry as well as armed guards of the Turkish military. The palace includes many fine examples of Ottoman architecture. It contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasures and jewelry.

It’s a beautiful place. The grounds are gorgeous with an excellent view of the Bosporus. I saw many of the things mentioned above; it was beautiful. But I preferred to walk outside on the grounds and to look at the people and the views.

After the tour ended and I was delivered to my hotel, I decided to head over to the Ritz Carlton and enjoy some high living in the bar there. It was beautiful and I had a great experience sitting in the bar blogging, listening to music, watching the view on the Bosporus, and being treated like a queen! That’s always nice, temporarily.

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The Spice Bazaar: stuff

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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The Spice Bazaar: the view

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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The Spice Bazaar: food

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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food

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Beware the Turkish man…

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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burqa, hotel coffee, room coffee, vacation

…with the glint in his eye, the guidebook warned. Their flirting can’t be that drastic, I thought. How wrong I was! A visit to the Spice Bazaar that first day gave me a small taste of it. I had already experienced extreme flirtation earlier in the day but it was manageable. The Spice Bazaar showed an entirely new extreme. The shopkeepers, while charming and clever, flirt to the enth degree. For example, one guy smiled and walked backwards in front of me facing me while I kept walking. “Are you looking for me? Because here I am!” I laughed and smiled and nodded all friendly-like and kept walking. A block or so down he appeared again in front me, “It’s me! I’m here again! Don’t you want to stop and talk with me?” Again I laughed, but kept walking. Down another block or so, there he was. “I am before you again! I just keep being with you! Won’t you marry me?” Never once did I feel scared or nervous, just awkward and at a loss for words and impressed at their tenacity! And honestly, after day three of this, it became tiresome and something I had to build myself up for when thinking of going out. I contemplated a burqa at one point but was told by a man I got to know fairly well one day that a burqa wouldn’t help because of the light eyes – – and that I would just move differently through the market and they’d know I wasn’t Turkish, somehow.

More of what I heard: my angel, come back! “Do you love me? Because I love you!” “I must be in heaven because you are an angel!” “Please, don’t leave me! Come back by dear heart!” And more explicit requests and suggestions, but still never lewd or scary. Except when it was my hotel manager and he kept hounding me to go to my own room with him and to “make coffee for him by my own hand.” !! “You want hotel room coffee?” I asked him. “Hotel coffee sucks,” I said. “Not ours. Ours is very good coffee. Dark and robust,” he argued. (As if that might entice me!) This was my hotel manager! And he didn’t let up. I had roughly 15 minutes before being picked up by the taxi to take me to the airport when he suggested we go to my now-vacant room! It was crazy. That’s the situation that could have been potentially scary considering he’s in charge of my lodging. But even he was charming and sweet – – and incredibly hot.

But how would I like to be involved with men that are doing this every day, I wondered? While it was very fun and flattering and provided fodder for the blog and for my stories to friends (most stories I can’t write about here), I found myself thinking about the subtlety of some American men I know and the fact that you might know them for years and never know if he likes you as more than a friend or not! Ha. (these men shall remain nameless!)

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30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Morocco

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This blog is amazing! I have some of the same shots – – just not with the skill of photography this blog captures! Love!

Morgan Rana Photography

It’s been a month since I arrived back from Morocco and I think I’ve just about recovered! In my first post, Monkeys mountains and the Medina, I mentioned that everything in this diverse, vibrant place was enchanting and beautiful. As a result, I thought I should probably share a few more of my 4000+ photos.

I’ve gone for a less intense location for my next trip abroad, Berlin, but I’m sure it will still have plenty to offer my lens!

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Hey Laaaady!

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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expressions, istanbul

In Istanbul they call you lady. All the time. It was shocking the first time because it sounded so rude by our standards. We never call anyone lady in this country – – at least not really to their face. But in Istanbul they point at you and address you as ‘lady’. For example: You! Lady! Move! Or: Lady, you go there. It was off-putting at first and I never quite got used to it. Neither, apparently, did other women. I watched it happen to a few women and the expressions on their faces showed they didn’t appreciate it. After awhile it amused me but I can’t say that I miss it now that I’m home…

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More of Istanbul

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Istanbul

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blue mosque, grand bazaar

After viewing Hagia Sophia, we walked over to the New Mosque, or the Blue Mosque, so called because of the blue tiles adorning its interior. While the Ayasophya is gorgeous and I loved it, I think I liked the New Mosque better. It is breathtaking inside with its blue tiles – – in various shades. And there are gigantic carpets inside that must have taken years to weave! Very impressive. And the thing is, this is still in use. So we had to remove our shoes and place blue paper shower caps on our feet. The domes of the thing are spectacular and the way the light shines in is brilliant. But what was also impressive to me were the thousands of black electrical cords hanging down to bring light to the massive chandeliers all over the place. Massive chandeliers! Spectacular! It was built in the late 1500’s. It all is just so amazing. And now since I’ve come home I’ve seen the image of this mosque in multiple places, including on the cover of this month’s Travelsmith mail order catalog for travelers. It’s like driving a certain car: once you get that kind of car you see them everywhere!

After walking around the grounds of the New Mosque it was time for the group visit to what I learned was customary for these tour groups: the set up. Today’s set up was to a rug shop where authentic rugs are sold “because you can’t guarantee the authenticity of rugs sold in the Grand Bazaar,” they told us. That was all just fine with me because 1. I knew I was going to buy one or more rugs, and 2. I didn’t want to tramp all over Istanbul talking to every shopkeeper before I found the right price for the right style not to mention the right design and color. So I happily sat through the formal session explaining rugs and quality and materials used, etcetera. And the whole while I sat there I knew, just KNEW that I was a mark for every sales guy in there.

It was obvious I was going to buy and I knew it. I wasn’t smiling or nodding or doing anything like that but I could tell those sharks were smelling my blood from the second I walked in. And it wasn’t until later that a woman who worked there told me I had a certain quality unlike my fellow travelers; a friendliness about me. While I’ve heard that before in other settings, I knew in this setting that that meant I was an easy mark for a sale! No matter how hard I try, I cannot remain expressionless. So be it. There was this older guy that kept giving me the glitter-eye. Ugh. I did not want him to help me. Then there was this younger guy with an engaging smile that I thought would be more fun. He’s the one who approached me as soon as the presentation was over. “Where are you from?” he asked. “Minnesota.” “My girlfriend lives in Minnesota!” he excitedly exclaimed. ‘Yeah, right,’ I thought. So thinking I was going to catch him in his own fib I taunted him with, “Where exactly does she live?” To which he replied, “Brooklyn Park! Where do you live?” What?! He really knew the area. He went on to talk about his recent visit last autumn where they visited the zoo with her nieces. I told him about my nieces (which I used in the bargaining of the rugs in the end) and he described more about the places in Minnesota he has visited, including Stillwater, St. Anthony Main, downtown Minneapolis, and the Mall of America. We actually had a nice little connection going and our enthusiasm with one another drew attention from all the other workers in the place. They gathered at the door 5-6 deep staring in with big smiles on their faces watching this sale go down.

Then the piling of the rugs began! Rug after rug was brought before me and piled upon the next whilst I sat sipping tea they brought me. I said ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ for each rug as it was spread out before me and soon I had the two I knew from the gitgo that I was going to buy along with three others “for the nieces” that they would throw in for free. I got a price I was happy with and one I’m sure they were happy with – – and one I’m sure my tour guide was happy with, since she gets a cut of all sales – – and they packed me up to go, all the while trying to pressure me in to looking at jewelry. I get what they’re doing and I’m all for it since I’m in sales, too. But finally I had had enough and told them I was starting to feel trapped and pressured and I didn’t want that so I was going to leave. I got the nod of approval from the head honcho when I said that so they let me go. He could tell I’d had it.

So I left and stood outside waiting for the bus to arrive along with fellow tour takers. It was then that the older man who had been giving me the googly eyes approached me and asked me to spend the day with him the next day. He’d “love to show me around and give me the desires of my heart in Istanbul” he promised. Ew. I muffled an uncomfortable or grossed-out laugh and thanked him as I took his business card with his cell phone scrawled on it. I reminded myself to be gracious and then waited a polite amount of time before rushing off to get out of his presence. I was able to walk around and take a few pictures of the surrounding area on a sunny day before getting back on the bus and heading to our lunch at a restaurant set up purely for tourists… Ah, a Gray Line Tour.

Of the pictures below the first two are the two rugs I purchased; the rest are ones I looked at.

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The Calendar

April 2012
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The recent past

  • Living above my means
  • The broken palm tree and a hug
  • The little old man of Bab Doukkala
  • The kindness of a stranger
  • Walk gently on this earth
  • Love everlasting
  • And suddenly it hits you…
  • It’s not what you’re given, it’s what you do with it

Stuff from my past

See Jane Travel

  • @BravoObsessed6 He sure has a type. 3 months ago
  • @bmvwood @debbie_bros Same! 5 months ago
Follow @seejanetravel

Blogs worth reading

  • Moroccan Sahara Tours on Facebook
  • My trips: Argentina, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica
  • My trips: Tibet, China and Vietnam
  • Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
  • Susan Atherton's blog
  • Travel Notes by Mr. and Mrs. Globetrot
  • Turkey Travel Guide

Food! Glorious food!

  • Street food in Marrakech

Stuff worth knowing

  • Barbara Robinson's Trip Report – Istanbul
  • Definition 'kasbah'
  • Definition 'riad'
  • Definition 'souq'
  • Morocco Travel Guide
  • Turkey Travel Guide
  • Volubilis, Morocco: about it

My traveling past in Flickr photos

Autumn MemoriesSneak PeekPoppies in TuscanySomething's brewing in the SkyPuesta de sol entre palmeras //Sunset between palm treesMilky Way at Lake Norring, Western AustraliaDivergenceMemoriesPassage...Kirkjufellsfoss - Iceland - Long Exposure
More Photos

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