Istanbul-Chapter 3

One of my favorite things that we did in Istanbul was going to the hamam, which is the Turkish bath. (For those of you that I have told about the Korean "Spa World" in D.C., this is similar.) First let me give you some background info. Turkey is 50% Muslim and part of the Muslim religion focuses on cleanliness-of person, mind, work, home, etc. So before the days of indoor plumbing, Muslims went to the hamam to get clean before going to the mosque. (Sidenote-there are washing areas outside of the mosques where Muslims sit to wash their hands, feet, and face before entering.

It was COLD outside and they were washing away. I'm guessing that it was cold water because barely any places in Turkey had warm water. I immediately thought that I would be far too much of a sissy to be Muslim.)

The hamam is a building that is at least 1000 years old. You walk in to a reception area, pay your money and they take you to a private changing room where you leave your items locked up. The women change in to a triangle bikini top (ill-fitting, zero coverage) and essentially boxer shorts made of madras. The guys get a large rectangle of madras to wrap around their waist. (Traditional hamams kept the men and women separate, but now some of them are co-ed because so many non-Muslims like to go.)

Once you've got on your madras and horrible wooden flip-flops that are a danger to yourself and others, you head in to the steam room, which is incredible. The entire room is light grey/

white stone. There is a giant circular altar that is about 15'-20' across and 3 1/2 ' high where everyone is laying and sweating. There are low sinks with hot and cold water and bowls so that you can pour water on yourself to adjust your temperature. One of the most interesting things is that there are gutters built into the stone floors so that all of the water is draining away from the room. The entire thing is an engineering miracle for being so old. Once you have become weary from the heat, the massage boys come in and direct you to a small open room with two stone slabs (still part of the steam room) where you receive a vigorous scrub and massage. They take exfoliation to a whole new level and cover you in a blanket of lovely smelling warm suds. When you've had your fill, you head to the drying room where they wrap you in towels (including your head-like the Queen of Sheba) and lead you to the resting room where you can enjoy beverages until you are ready to get changed and leave.

People! Why do so many countries have steam-room activity centers and not us (and the steam room at the YMCA doesn't count)! This place and the place in D.C.(which is Korean, not American) are like family/community gathering areas where everyone goes to hang out and relax. We need more of these-Americans are an uptight group of people, (self most definitely included) who would definitely benefit from these activities.

The uptightness (not a real word) of Americans was obvious when we saw another American couple, about our age, in the steam room. There were plenty of other people in the room who were enjoying themselves (including grandmas whose bikini tops were under alot of strain). But when this couple came in, they weren't quite sure what to do. Dave gave them some pointers (as you know, he loves to talk to strangers) and the guy seemed to jump right in. However, the female sat ram-rod straight with her towel wrapped tight and a scowl on her face. 30-45 minutes later she had not moved. She hadn't even loosened her towel and it was HOT! She had on the same outfit as the rest of us, so I can't imagine what the problem was. It must be fun being married to her.

So if I haven't told you about Spa World, google it. It's in Virginia just outside of D.C. and it is one of the most amazing places that I have been. You pay $30 and get to stay up to 24 hrs. It is a mecca of relaxation-go there if you are ever in the area.

Istanbul-Chapter 2 Cont.

Another driver takes us to the family restaurant, which is really nice. This family obviously knows a thing or two about business. They are staying open late for us and we are the only people there. The rug man orders INSANE amounts of food and alcohol for the three of us. They bring out the fish selection, (which is 10-20 whole fish) and ask us to choose which we would like and how we would like it prepared. We decide on a fish and the rug man suggests a method of preparation where they pack the fish in salt, bake it, bring it to the table, light it on fire and chip away the salt with a small hammer. It was incredible. This was after we had eaten the largest prawns I had ever seen, anchovy salad, vegetable salads, small fried fish, bread and probably alot more stuff that I don't remember. The rug man had been talking non-stop about himself and all of the money he makes in his business dealings (questionable), but had started to yawn and was visibly tired. But we MUST have desert and then he can take us to the disco! This man is a maniac! We already bought the rug! What more do you want from us-it's 1:00 a.m.! We opted not to go to the disco and took a cab back to the hotel. Buying a rug took us about 10 hrs.

We realized that this was just their mode of doing business-they take tourists around town and sell them rugs. But here's the interesting thing: we ran into the carpet man two more times and both times he invited us to do an activity. We ran into him on his way to the gym, and he invited us to come along. We ran into him near the store, and we HAD to go in and have some tea. These people are nothing if not hospitable-I loved Turkey. The Czech Republic could learn a thing or two from their Turkish neighbors.

Istanbul-Chapter 2

Our first full day in Istanbul started like this: Dave woke up early and went to investigate the city while I slept late (the only REAL way to start a vacation). He was walking around the park and met a Turkish man about our age, named Sabri. They started talking and Sabri told Dave that his family owned a rug store just around the corner. (I know, it sounds like the beginning of an international murder-mystery movie. Dave does not believe that you are not supposed to talk to strangers.) So Dave went with Sabri to the rug store and of course they had tea. Sabri wanted to tell Dave about the rugs, but Dave said that they should wait because I would want to hear about them too. Dave comes back to the hotel, we eat lunch and go back to the rug store to talk about rugs, or so we think. First, of course, we must have tea and conversation. The rug store is a huge operation and really nice-not a basement in a back alley. Sabri wants to know how we like Istanbul, what we've done so far (not much yet), and what are some of the things we want to do while we're there. He also has some suggestions of things we might enjoy that aren't quite so touristy. He says he'd love to show us a few of his favorite places. He has time right now, if we're not busy. Don't worry, we'll talk about rugs later and we shouldn't feel obligated to buy one. He's going to call the store driver and set it up.

Time out. Everything about who I am says RED FLAG. This man is way too nice. We don't know anything about him and he's ready to drop everything to take us sightseeing? Shouldn't he be working? We are definitely going to be kidnapped and sold into prostitution. However, I actually think that I might be over-reacting. This is a REALLY nice store with plenty of customers. Everyone speaks English. Nothing sketchy has happened-not even close. You can't build a reputable business in a touristy area by kidnapping all of your customers and selling them on the black market. Fine. I'm going to have to live outside my comfort zone today-that's why I married Dave.

The store driver picks us up and takes us to a beautiful mosque in a non-touristy part of town. Then we take a ride up the side of a mountain (in one of those ski-lift things that holds a bunch of people). At the top is a beautitul view of Istanbul and a restaurant that overlooks the city. (I wonder if he's going to push us off the mountain and leave us for dead?) We sit at an outdoor table and have tea and coffee. It's getting dark and cold, so we decide to head back. The driver picks us up and drops us off at the store. It's probably 7:00 and we started at 2:00. We must come in and enjoy a glass of wine while we talk about rugs. Are we hungry-maybe we need some snacks? Sabri introduces us to his boss (whose name I can't remember) and we drink wine and talk about rugs for the next 3 hrs. He has 3 helpers who bring out rugs of ALL varieties, beginning with an 18"x18" silk rug that costs $35,000. It takes 6 or 10 years to make (I can't remember). It's amazingly beautiful, but this man is barking up the wrong tree-we are SO far away from purchasing $35,000 rugs at this point in our lives! I try to explain this, but he's not interested (this man could sell swampwater to Floridians). He tells me that I must take off my shoes and socks and walk on the $35,000 rug. Telling this man 'no' is no longer an option-he never gets tired of the challenge of wearing you down. Fine. I walk on the rug.

Eventually, they start bringing out less expensive rugs, and Dave is having a blast. He is wheeling and dealing with the rug man. Now the rug man is telling me how beautiful and fantastic I am because he knows that Dave probably won't be buying a rug unless I'm on board. I don't really want a rug (although they are amazing) because we are on a grad-school budget. But now Dave AND the rug man are trying to sell me a carpet. "It will be a family heirloom!" Also, we are on our 2nd or 3rd bottle of wine (again, it doesn't matter if you say 'no' they fill your glass anyway) and my resolve is wearing thin. At this point I realize that we WILL be leaving with a carpet, so it might as well be one that I REALLY like.

We have purchased a rug, and assume that we are headed home, but we would be mistaken. Now we MUST join the rug man for dinner at his family's restaurant. Holy smokes. This day has not gone even REMOTELY like I thought it might when I woke up this morning. Cont.

Istanbul - Chapter 1

First we will start with the flight. It's a two hour flight from Prague to Istanbul and they serve a FULL meal, even if it's not a mealtime. There are 20 meal options to choose from (which must be done 24 hrs in advance) and they include every dietary and religious restriction you've ever imagined. Vegetarian, vegan, Jewish, Muslim, diabetes, low-sodium, dairy-free, etc. They even have a "special occasion" option for birthdays and anniversaries. The food was FANTASTIC. They served real cheesecake (not the Jello-brand mix) and real butter. The wine was complimentary. These people are maniacs! You would have to be choking in the aisles to get a soda refill in the US. The last time I flew across the US (6 hrs) I got pretzels! And to put you in a festive frame of mind, there is Turkish music playing as you are boarding the plane. I love these people already!

When we arrive, someone was supposed to pick us up, but that didn't go very well-they were two hours late. Then he drove at least 100 mph to the hotel. These people seem to view traffic laws as a suggestion. We checked in, dropped our bags and went to get dinner. We were in a touristy area, so there were lots of restaurants on the main street with guys out front yelling friendly greetings to coax you in to their restaurant. They are relentless, but very friendly. A welcome change from Prague.

The food is SUPREME. Kind of a mixture of middle eastern and mediterranean. Lots of lamb, hummus, yogurt sauce, olives, etc. Turkish coffee is good, but different-sort of like espresso. It is served in a tiny cup with sugar or black (no milk). Also, everyone drinks hot Turkish tea all the time. No activity of any kind begins before everyone enjoys a cup of tea and some conversation. It's a fine way to start any kind of gathering.

Unfriendly=Understatement Cont.

Next we went to Berlin, and I loved it, despite the weather. It was SO COLD and WINDY! Probably like Boston. It's a huge city with different types of architecture and neighborhoods. The main thing I noticed was how friendly people were, which I would not have imagined. I always thought that the Germans were a stern group, but not true. I didn't realize how much I was enjoying Germany until the train ride back to Prague. The closer we got, the less I wanted to come back. And the reason is that the Czech people have got to be the most unfriendly people on Earth. I hear the Russians are unfriendly, but I haven't met them. For the first month in Prague I was enjoying that no one makes small talk, you don't have to act friendly if your in a bad mood, and not only do you not have to hold the door, they look at you like your nuts if you do. Initially this was working out pretty well for me because I'm not big on mandatory friendliness. However, it has started to wear on me, and I realized it on the train back from Berlin. People in Prague, will NOT look at you or speak to you, and it's not just foreigners. They will push you before they will help you or hold a door. I have not met a single Czech person that I could have coffee with and I'll be shocked if that changes before we head back to the U.S. It's unfortunate because the city is SO old and beautiful. It's a good place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here.

Unfriendly=Understatement

I'm sorry to have left you all for so long. A few things have happened that have kept me from posting any more blogs. 1. I have most things figured out, so my daily life has become really dull. The grocery store and laundromat have become unfortunately routine. 2. We have been travelling on the weekends, and it takes up more time than I realized. Three weeks ago we went to Vienna, last weekend we went to Berlin, and tomorrow we leave for Istanbul, Turkey for Spring Break. (It sure beats my last Spring Break in '94 at Myrtle Beach!) It's sounds so exotic travelling to all these countries and it's awesome, but it's like going to Virginia. All of these countries are so close. The bad thing is that you're constantly saying "please" and "thank you" in the wrong language, and you really need a fanny-pack to keep all of the currencies straight.

Vienna was not at all what I thought it was going to be. All of the buildings are huge rectangles made of white stone-they all look like the capital building, with very little variation. There weren't any eclectic neighborhoods, and the people were definitely not glamorous. Dave was impressed by how many people wore sweatpants. For some reason I had been envisioning the set from "The Sound of Music". So wrong. Our favorite thing was the cafes. They were huge rooms with high ceilings and lots of old decor. The waiters were all men that wore 3-piece suits, and they didn't care if you sat there all day. The food was fantastic. If F. Scott Fitzgerald had walked in I wouldn't have batted an eye. We also went to a show at a national theater/opera house that was amazing. It was an Alfred Hitchcock film with a live symphony playing . Fabulous.

We were glad we went to Vienna, but we probably wouldn't go back, except to stop at a cafe on our way to elsewhere. Cont.