Istanbul detour

Ankara to Istanbul

Distance: 65 km
Time elapsed: 4:23:00
Average speed: 14.9 km/ hr
Max speed: 41.6 km/ hr
Temp: 27 C
Weather: Nice day, chilly evening

Leaving our bags at Hamdi's house, we biked about 45 km out of Ankara city, then hitched our way along the highway into Istanbul. Before leaving town we met a Canadian guy who retired from the US Embassy and is now opening a creperie across the street, called the Lemontree. Super nice and soon offering free Wi-fi; I recommend going there for some cheap eggs and good conversation!


Bye Hamdi! See you in a few days!


Steve and his wife outside the Lemontree

Chris and I reached Istanbul 9 hours and three drivers later, biking the final 16 km along the crowded highway at night to reach our friend's house in Üsküdar. Actually, we accidentally biked passed Üsküdar to Kadiköy, then had to backtrack, arriving around 10 pm. Neşe, our CS friend we met and stayed with last time, is an English teacher at a Muslim school. We stayed a few nights again with her, visiting her classes (2nd time) to speak English with the öğrenciler (students), cooking and eating dinner (I showed her how to make meatless veggie balls/ pancakes), and this time we got to visit her marbling studio and meet her teacher.


Posing with Neşe's students


Veggie qofte night

Paper marbling (Ebru) is a traditional Turkish artform, something Neşe has been practicing for a year or so, filling her home with colorful marbled scarves and framed marbled tulips. Her teacher's studio is quite elegant, a restored home full of beautiully framed pieces, most of which he paints in scenes of Istanbul. He and his collection often travel the world, soon heading to Syria (maybe we'll see him again?).


Team Jassler with artist Hikmet Barutçugil and our friend Neşe


Back room at the studio

I didn't feel as much like a sightseeing tourist this time. Instead we biked around the city, often riding the ferry or twice crossing the Bosporous on the bridge. We met some artists at a fair representing the Turkish Karikatür Association; Chris impressed them with some quick sketches of Nesreddin Hoca, the jokester whose wisdom is passed down through anecdotes and children's stories.



At the Turkish Karikatür booth


Back to the Bosporus, this time slightly warmer


So legend says a prophet told a king his daughter would be killed by a snake...

Two nights we also couchsurfed with an Arizonan, Drew, who recently flew over to work for Shell's HR department. He's staying in a shwanky skyrise apartment overlooking the business district, comfortably set up with highspeed ınternet and two large flat panel tvs. The first night Drew threw a party, inviting a handful of Ohio expats and some Europeans to watch the Ohio vs Illinois football game. He also cooked up some Velveeta nachos, and after the game most of the group played beer pong. I swear I went into reverse culture shock mode-- American drinking party! Never ever did I expect this.


Beer pong anyone? Arizona meets Ohio State

Despite the night's activities the people who came are really smart and friendly, working interesting jobs here in the city. I learned a lot about the Fulbright process (really hoping someday...) and other opportunities for expats-- really glad to have met them.


View from Drew's apartment

The biggest mistake we made was staying an extra day to visit the Topkapi Palace, something we put if last winter and almost again.

I am extremely disappointed and almost downright angry at how terrible it is! Without going on too long of a rant I will just say that, despite all the advertisements and books raving about the palaces' Ottoman luxuries, in fact most of the interior decor is either blase white cement or painted with fluffy European motifs. Also, the main artifacts on display consist mainly of gaudy jewel-encrusted broaches and whatnot, given to the sultans by European ambassadors, making it feel like a tacky French museum.


The ONLY good exhibit, a 3rd courtyard pavilion

The worst thing about the palace are the hoards and hoards of tourists crammed into the tiny spaces. A majority of the grounds are off limits, leaving only select areas for large tour groups to be herded, resulting in queues 30 min or sometimes longer out the door. Really it felt like Disneyland for old people but without the exhilaration of a 1 minute ride after the long, boring wait.


Queuing up for this long is only worth it if I get to experience near death


And they charge an arm and leg to get in. Swindlers.