Every time we come to Africa we have to do it in two separate flights; one to Europe, then from there on to Entebbe, Uganda. The first two times I came, we flew through Heathrow Airport in London. We went into the city once or twice in the four layovers we’ve had there. I don’t recall it being all that memorable, but that could have something to do with my very young age at the time, and the extremely short duration of our visit. Last year we flew through Amsterdam, and on the way back were able to spend a few hours in the city. It was a beautiful city and I’m glad we took the time to leave the airport. However, nothing can compare to our stay in Istanbul a few days ago.
This may be due in part to the fact that we had a layover of over 24 hours, so we were able to see the city much more extensively. We arrived at our hotel in the evening, and were soon met by my mom’s childhood friend, Dr. Karakas (He was a foreign exchange student who stayed with her family while she was in high school). He took us to an absolutely amazing restaurant with an incredible view of the city skyline. We ate a traditional meal that was absolutely fantastic… as well as interesting. Note: sheep cheese is actually very good. So is bacon-but-not-bacon-because-its-from-a-cow. I have no idea what it was called. All in all it was a wonderful cultural experience.
The next day we managed to do a few touristy things before we had to return to the airport, namely visiting the Haggia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. The Hagia Sophia was MAGNIFICENT. The mosaics (by the way, the Byzantine Emperors had a notable habit of placing themselves next to Jesus or the Virgin Mary in several mosaics-although I suppose when you rule over an empire you can tend to feel a bit God-like), the huge dome, the sheer knowledge of how old the building was and all the history it had seen was just mind-boggling. Also, I have decided that since my parents lived in Turkey about 3 years before I was born, the Haggia Sophia was the inspiration for my name. The Grand Bazaar was also impressive, although not nearly as much so. It was complete chaos, and I have no doubt I would get lost in there and possibly never come back out. It’s a seemingly never-ending labyrinth. I’m convinced if you wandered long enough you could find an entrance into Narnia, a vanishing cabinet into the room of requirement, and probably a wormhole leading to some alternate dimension.
Speaking of Narnia, I tried Turkish delight for the first time, which I have been dreaming of doing for ages. Sadly, this was a bit of a let down. In retrospect it never could have lived up to the expectations I’ve been building up since I first read the chronicles about 7 years ago. I mean really its supposed to represent the ultimate temptation in food form! Turkish Delight is no where near sufficient… Sorry C.S. Lewis but it’s just my opinion. Edmund has poor taste in food.
In other news… If you are ever in the position to eat at Burger King in Turkey, be warned that the chicken nuggets contain curry. It’s not overpowering, or even bad. It was an interesting flavor, and definitely a surprise. :) Please note that we NEVER would have eaten at Burger King had we been able to get Liam to eat any of the amazing Turkish food that was all around us.
Liam Quote of the Day: “It tastes like old shoes! No… new shoes! :P” - talking about Turkish orange soda. In his defense it was pretty bad.
I really can’t say enough in Istanbul’s favor. The city is literally built in and around ruins-we drove under an ancient Roman Aqueduct! The highway literally goes through the arches. Hundreds and hundreds of years old! If that isn’t amazing I don’t know what is.
Side note/preview of future post: It’s one heck of a reality check to be driving around the historic splendor of Istanbul one day, visiting an ancient church/mosque and eating at a rooftop restaurant, and driving around the trash ridden streets of a 3rd world city the next, where the smell of burning plastic fills your nose and the sound of crying children and beggars fills your ears.
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