Day Two - Turkey: Yuri Ramocan

Today, we had an action-packed day full of tourism, new-experiences, new foods, and the notorious 'language-barrier.' Waking up at 5:00am, for me, probably wasn't the best way to start off the day. Here at the Green Park Hotel, they serve continental breakfast in the mornings. But mind you that this is no longer USA, and for that matter, North America. Turkey is an interesting country because it is one of the only ones that is stuck between Europe and Asia. Lucky enough, our hotel is on the Asian side; so I can say I've been to Asia and Europe. But anyways, can you imagine the types of food that was served? The only 'normal' food that was served was the scrambled eggs and fruits. Even the drinks were different, and on top of that, warm. As you may or may not know, Turkey has an interesting situation with it's water. It's not drinkable; so they solely rely on imported drinks. Imagine it: warm weather, warm hotel rooms, no ice - so therefore - warm drinks.

After our breakfast, we called a taxi to the ferry station that takes us to Downtown Istanbul, on the European side. Once arriving at the ferry station, I was amazed at what I saw: a blue Mediterranean Sea filled with a myriad of cruise ships, yachts, and ferries. The ferries here are actually very nice. Equipped with cable television, air conditioning, a great view, and a quick trip; all yours for the cheap price of 1,75 Turkish Liras ($1.05 USD)! From the ferry, we walked to the Blue Mosque. From afar, this building looks amazing just as it is, but once you get up close, it's even more awe-inspiring. We walked through the mosque and learned that the reason it was named the Blue Mosque was because of the 21,000+ blue ceramic tiles placed all over the building. At prayer time, by the way, nearly 8,000 muslims gather there to worship. We then visited the Basilica Cistern, one of the only places left from the Christian era of Constantinople. I've never seen anything like that in my life. From there, we went to see the Topkapı Palace, a massive area of land where the great Ataturk last resided.

To conclude my post, I'd like to note that if you plan on travelling to Istanbul, Turkey in the future, bring lots of water, lots of clean clothes, and don't let anybody reel you into the "free tour guide" hustle. These people are cunning. But anyways this concludes Yuri's Day Two in Turkey.



Posted by: Yuri Ramocan