Totality in Turkey

Istanbul

Istanbul is a huge city that spans 2 continents and is filled with Mosques, a handful of rivers, urban sprawl, and a unique nightlife. There is far too much to see on your first visit in this immense city steeped in history. Here are some of the sites we saw on in a few days.

	Castle on the River.
	Urban sprawl that goes on forever on the banks of the rivers.
	Taken from the top of the point hotel in the tourism district
	Outside market next to the spice market
	Inside the Grand Bazaar
	The blue mosque, which is now a museum more than a place of worship. I promise I didn't "Photoshop UP " this pic.
	The ancient underground water reservoir
	I did "Photoshop Up" Medusa, she was standing on her head

The Mosques and The Imperial Palace

The blue mosque is one of many temples in Istanbul. The buildings are truly remarkable, but a little difficult to photograph. All of the mosques sort of look the same so it got old for me pretty quick. The Imperial palace is also remarkable, but your can't take photos inside. They have the head of Jon the Baptist among other things.

The Grand Bazaar and spice market

No trip to Istanbul is complete without a trip to the collection of shops that is referred to as the grand bazaar. It used to be a grandiose flea market but now has actual store fronts embeded into this large structure. Most of the stores sell the same assortment of touristy items. You can find some OK leather and other clothing. The rugs are very nice, adeptly made, following a tradition that is centuries old. It is certainly worth seeing. I personally only made out with a party pack of oriental spices and an ice cream cone.

The party strip

There is one huge street with all sorts of back alleyways and other small walkways that is filled with bars, restaurants, dance clubs, shops, and even a handful of foreign embassies. Like everything else in Istanbul, the sheer size of the strip is breathtaking. The buzz of this beehive dwarves the quarter in New Orleans, though the vibe is very similar. I spent two nights on the town in this district with some of the other young members of our travel group. Many of the small streets are packed with outside bars that feature miniature tables and chairs. The last night we ate dinner and listened to traditional Turkish music at a local hang out. The lead singer, while we could not understand him, sang and danced with remarkable energy. He kept winking at me too, instead of the young ladies I was with. A little odd...

More Facts about Turkey

Turkey is one of the few secular countries in the Moslem world. They have great bars, live music, and most all the luxuries of the Western lifestyle that I'm familiar with. Don’t poke fun at the national hero, Ataturk! it can get you escorted out of the country for good. The food is wonderful. The people are very friendly, and most of them speak some English. The women are also very independent and beautiful. The cost of goods and services are reasonable, except in Istanbul, where prices are comparable to New York City.