Turkey for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgving I took a break from my “migration across western Europe” and met my good friend and former colleague, Darren, in Istanbul, Turkey.

It was readily apparent when I arrived in Istanbul that the city truly fulfills its proclaimed status of the place where the East meets the West. The modern day office buildings, the night clubs with pulsating dance music, the numerous bars, hotels and movie theaters, the rows of familiar stores like Benneton and Armani lining the main drag of Taksim Square clearly nod to the West. Yet the ever present street vendors selling hot food (like milky corn and fish sandwiches), the ancient mosques dotting the city skyline,the local women (not all) dressed in Burkas, the narrow streets jammed with traffic with no apparent lanes, the turkish baths, the numerous entrepreneurs packing the markets and the the street trying to sell you EVERYTHING – from jeans and IPhones from socks to tissues and the air permeated with the smell of kebabs, and Turkish coffee are totally reminiscent of the East. In fact, the spirited hustle and bustle described in the latter aspects remind me so much of my last visit to India over a decade ago.

During our stay Darren managed to see and eat everything. A couple hightlights:


Our first stop was the famous Blue Mosque (actually named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque). The only thing more awe inspiring than the majestic exterior was the vast prayer room (which can hold up to 10,000 people) lined with blue themed tiles inside.

Muslims are not allowed to use the human or animal form in art works. So the Mosque's walls are covered in over 20,000 tiles depicting picturesque Arabic lettering and whimsical flowers. Along these walls are are also sets of tiles with different patterns of flowers. Each pattern represents a different family or patron of the Mosque.

In 2006 Pope Benedict the XVI visited the Blue Mosque and prayed in silence alongside Muslim Clerics. During his visit The Pontiff declared that Turkey “will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West."

On our second day we took the ferry from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side. The ride over provided us with some unforgettable views of Istanbul’s skyline.

Once we were on the Asian side, I enjoyed some great Turkish coffee (which kept me going for at least the next 12 hours) and Darren tried some fruit flavored water which was pretty good! After a tasty kebab lunch we headed to the fish market.

Later we strolled down a bridge lined with seafood restaurants, each promising us the best deal. One thing was for sure, the fish were about as FRESH as possible. Rows of men were fishing on a bridge right above the dining establishments.


Picture One by Jaya Bird: Darren and I enjoying some Turkish Tea and Pomegranate Juice
Picture Two by Jaya Bird: The Blue Mosque
Picture Three by Jaya Bird: Interior of the Blue Mosque
Picture Four by Jaya Bird: A view from the the Ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul
Picture Five by Jaya Bird: Fish Market on the Asian side of Istanbul
Picture Six by Jaya Bird: Fisherman on a bridge on the Asian side of Istanbul