Mosque Times

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to try to post two diaries. This one will be the shorter of the two. 

Also wanted to let everyone know, I did some serious editing to my last post. Holy cow, tense errors or what! That’s what happens when you are intent on posting at 2 a.m.

So just under two weeks ago Sarah, Megan and I met up. We went to lunch and visited some mosques in the Eminönü district. The first mosque we visited was the Süleymaniye Camii. It was a further walk than anticipated, and of course all uphill, so we arrived breathless and sweating. Prayer time had just ended so the three of us were happy to catch our breath outside the mosque. This mosque is the second largest mosques in Istanbul, yet not frequently visited by tourist. However, I recommend seeing it if you have time. Definitely check the view out back. 

Walking to the mosque. Megan and Sarah under Turkey's current football champ- Galtasary

Outside them mosque, the men leaving after prayer time

Shot from the interior courtyard. This mosque is HUGE

Beautiful dome

The most amazing view out back!

The Süleymaniye mosque began construction in 1500 B.C. under the orders of Sultan Süleyman (a.k.a Süleyman the Magnificent). Any guesses as to how it got its name? The architecture of the mosque is significant because it is a blend of both Islamic and Byzantine styles. Translation: the minarets (those skinny towers on the side), the Islamic style, are combined with small domes surrounding one main larger dome, the Byzantine style.

The second mosque we visited was the Yeni Cami, The New Mosque. Despite its name, it really isn’t that new, built in 1599. This mosque has amazing tiles! I was not expecting them to be so colourful or detailed. 

From the inner courtyard

Stunning blue tiles! Reminds me of the blue mosque

Sarah with her new scarf

Megan by the tiles

Shot of took of the prayer beads for sale outside the mosque 15 TL

Shot I took of the new mosque a couple weeks ago

The best part about the mosques is that they don't charge an admittance fee! However, we always make sure to donate on our way out!

We ended our day at the spice bazaar, visiting our favourite vendors, then the grand bazaar to look for some leather. 

Our favourite store in the Spice Bazaar

Oil lamps in the antique section of the Grand Bazaar

Beautiful lights in the market

Ramadan ended about last week. The last day of Ramadan is called Byram. Basically its a four day feast. I’m so not complaining. We’ve had lamb, we’ve had fish, we’ve had chicken. I’ve had tons of desserts. Urg, I went to bed full every night. 

Well that is all for this post. Going to try to do my Ephesus/Pammukale post right now!

Update it is now 2 hours later, and my post failed and I had to reimport all my photos. Sad reality: Ephesus post is going to have to wait. 

RAAAAAAGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Let's Get Nekkid!

First of all I would like to address the “older generation”. For those of you that are technologically inept and have messaged me on how to post a comment *cough* Aunt Kathy *cough* here are step by step instructions

Click on the little "no comments" part at the BOTTOM of the post. It might have a number if there is a comment

Scroll to the bottom again. Write a comment. Select your "status" in the comment as section. If you don't have a gmail account just click name/url or go anonymous. Then click publish. TADA!

Secondly, I want to apologize for the content of this post- both the story and the grammar (it’s late, give me a break). 

Well things are starting to wind down. I’m beginning to count down the days I have left here. I am SO looking forward to going back home (even if it is only for a couple of days) and getting back to school. 

These past two weeks I have had lots of time to myself. Lal and Can at are summer camp, so I have from 8:30- 3:00 off. I’ve been trying to get my last minute shopping and site seeing done during this time. Last week I decided to visit a Hamam or Turkish bath. I was making a list of things I still needed to visit when I realized I still hadn’t visited a traditional Turkish bath. Lal insisted that I go, “If you leave without going to a Turkish bath it will be like you never came to Turkey at all!” Zeynep helped me select the place because some of the baths can be pretty grundgy. The one I ended up going to was called Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı in the Sultanamet district. In fact it was right between the blue mosque and Hagia Sofia. It is pretty old (1556) but absolutely beautiful.

I arrived at the baths to find out that my appointment was not penciled in, so I had about three hours to kill. Without having even entered the baths I was impressed. Take a look at the reception area.

The sky looked pretty stormy so I just ran into the first tea shop I could find. I’d actually ended up walking into a dessert shop. Since it was about 10a.m and I didn’t find myself to be craving baclava or Turkish delight, I ordered some Turkish bread and tea. The restaurant was pretty dead so the manager ended up delivering to me. He was shocked to find out I wasn’t Turkish since I had ordered a typical Turkish meal and I looked Turkish (I get this ALL THE TIME). He saw my kindle and asked me what I was reading (Game of Thrones) and we got to talking about books. I was pretty impressed by his accent, and he said “yes, well I lived in Canada for 10 years, I am a citizen.” Turns out he worked for P&G in Toronto! Such a friendly older man, I got my meal for free!

I still had some time to kill so I decided to go to the Grand Bazaar. I wanted to buy a tea pot. If you remember the last time I went to the Grand Bazaar, Sarah, Alix and I were not too impressed. It is far more commercial than the spice bazaar and EVERYBODY is vying for your attention. Going by myself was a completely different experience. Since Alix’s flaming red hair and Sarah’s golden mane were absent, people just took me for Turkish (which made it much easier to ignore the vendors). However, there is a certain amount of protection that is offered in a group. Entering a shop by myself is (for some reason) read as a romantic proposition instead of a business opportunity. One such conversation went like this:

Me: So I am interested in getting a teapot

Vendor: And I am interested in you

Me: I think you misheard me, I said teapot *gesturing to teapot*

Vendor: When are you free for dinner?

Me: How much is this teapot? *now holding up teapot*

Vendor: Do you like seafood?

The conversation went on like this for some time. I left with his business card and number (he insisted), but SANS teapot. After half an hour, I finally got fed up and left (5 numbers richer, but still no teapot). 

All the numbers from the bazaar. I'm pretty popular!

Finally its time to go into the Turkish bath. The Koran dictates that cleanliness is not just an important for personal health, it is religiously essential. This is why the baths were, and are so culturally significant. In addition, the baths were important socially, especially to Ottoman women, who spent much of their lives living behind closed doors.  

When I got there they gave me a little package with a bar of olive oil soap, lavender shampoo, conditioner and moisturizer, an exfoliating glove, a wrap and slippers. However, I noticed one crucial thing was missing. I had read Sarah’s post earlier and expected them to give me some sort of underwear. I was standing in the change room with a dilemma. Go into the baths commando or wear what I have on? Well it was pretty cold that day and I decided to save em’ for later. Commando in denim pants was just not an option, yuck. Some lady led me into the actual spa area. It’s big white marble domed room. The centre is a raised platform and off to the side are little domed antechambers with golden faucets. I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone was sporting their birthday suit - and when I saw pleasantly surprised I mean visually harassed by the vast vast quantities of nudity. I was easily the youngest person in there, the average age being about 50. One of the attendants led me to the antechambers, also known as the “warm room”, where I just sat relaxed on the hot marble. Your supposed to pour the warm water from the fountains on you to get your skin all nice and soft and ready to be washed. I started to doze off about 20 minutes in. I was startled awake by a nice young lady named Leila. She held my hand  and led me off to the washing section. It felt very... maternal. That is until the washing began.

one of the anti-chambers

The entrance to the Hamam

The hot platform where you get the massage

Leila brought me into a room with three other ladies, all about 40 or 50 who were getting scrubbed down. They use this exfoliating glove to take off all your dead skin. I was taking a look around and on closer inspection, I noticed that all of the other women in there had something in common, small telltale scars under their breasts. The very observant Leila noticed my gaze and immediately understood. She grabbed my breast like it’s the most natural thing in the world, giggled at me and said “Real!” Now I was just getting used to a stranger touching my body...so I was pretty startled. The first thing that popped into my mind is My god, she just picked it up like it was a tomato in the market! Haha, but all I did was nod. She kept scrubbing away, and let me tell you they scrub everywhere: face, armpit, butt. I was starting to relax and get used to it. Then Leila piped up again “You must be about 20” as she was scrubbing my butt. I looked down at her: Is she guessing my age from my butt?! I was starting to get used to Leila’s nothing’s-off-limit attitude and I just laughed and told her yes. 

After the initial wash they take you to the hot marble slab in the middle of the room where they massage you with bubbles. I had about a 35 minute massage, very relaxing. And at the very end they wash your hair and body, with alternating cold and hot water (to open and close the pores and improved circulation). I also got a head massage. The nice thing is that I got to leave with all my stuff- a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, soap and a new exfoliating cloth!

BUBBLES

I definitely recommend going to a Turkish bath. It was wonderful after I got over the  awkwardness. 

This past Friday I met up with a new Au Pair named Megan. She has been in Istanbul for about two months, but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to see the sites. Megan is super friendly. We have very similar taste in books so we had lots to talk about. We met up in Taksim and walked all the way to Galata Tower. Finally, FINALLY I get to walk up it instead of just looking at it. Galata Tower, one of the oldest towers in the world, was first built in 1348. It was first used as a lighthouse. Like almost everything here, it was destroyed in an earthquake (gosh darn earthquake zone). The rebuilt tower was used as a defensive watchtower, a astronomical observatory and a fire alert system. Ironically it was burned down in a fire. Below are some pictures of the the tower and the rest of our day.

Megan on the tower

Storm coming my way

The view from where we had lunch

Wee kitten we found while we were wandering around

Back in the 'Bul

Merheba everyone! Yes I am still alive...

Well Bodrum was as relaxing as ever. No surprise there. I’ve had plenty of time to spend with the kiddies now that they are out of school. I’m proud to say that both of them have really improved with their English. Lal, has become a huge Harry Potter fan. We have been reading from the Philosopher’s Stone every night. Two weeks ago we even made puppets. Below is more artwork I have done with the kids!

The fabulous cast of Harry Potter

Our own characters

A little something Can made for me

Below is a picture of the most amazing moon rise I have ever seen. I took this picture around 10 in Bodrum, and the shot doesn't do it justice. It was the largest brightest moon I have ever seen. Massive and orange, like a second sun!

 Two weeks ago I met up with five other Au Pairs and we took a ferry to Kos (a Greek Island). The ferry took a mere 15 minutes, but we spent a good 45 minutes waiting and getting our passports checked out. I was a little disappointed with Kos, where we got off it was super touristy and expensive. In fact, it wasn’t all that different from Turkey. That particular day it was ridiculously hot! Theresa, another Au Pair, and I were happy to wander around after lunch and just chat in a cafe. That evening we all shared a bottle of wine down by the waterfront in Bodrum city centre. 

Au Pairs excited on their day off! From left to right: Hannah (Canadian), Theresa (American), Theres (Austrian)

Some ruins next to where we ate lunch

Theresa and I

Theres and Hannah

Kitty company at lunch. I think this is pretty post-card worthy if you ask me.

Typical Greek boats

I’m currently in Istanbul (AND SO HAPPY TO BE HERE). Bodrum, while beautiful, lost its novelty fast. Istanbul on the other hand is so historically rich and exciting. I am always bound to have an amazing time. This past week I went to get my visa renewed. It took much less time than anticipated and I was lucky enough to get to spend the rest of my day with Sarah. We just walked around buying souvenirs for friends and family at home. It was so nice to see Sarah. I have definitely missed her. 

This weekend the family went to Antayla and unfortunately I couldn’t tag along because I have to wait for one week for my visa to get renewed. I have spent the past two and a half days by myself- watching movies at the cinema, reading lots and taking buses into the city to walk around. I had a chance to visit the Basilica Cistern (or in Turkish Yerebatan Sarayı meaning “Sunken Palace”). It was really nice going by myself, I spent tons of time wandering around. However, some children’s tv show was being filmed right at the medusa heads so I didn’t get to spend too much time there. 

The Basilica Cistern is an amazing cavernous underground water cistern and what I consider to be a spectacular demonstration of Byzantine engineering. The current cistern (much like every other piece of architecture in Turkey, the original was destroyed) was build in 532 under the orders of Emperor Justinian to meet the increasing water demands of the Palace. Approximately 7000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern. The cistern is made of  limestone and consists of 366 columns, each just under 9 metres high. For a century after the Ottoman takeover, the cistern’s existence was unknown. It was rediscovered when people were “found to be collecting water, and even fish, by lowering their buckets through holes in their basements”. Pretty neat eh? If you take a look at my pictures you can spot the albino fish. 

See the fishes?!

The weeping column

Don't look at me!

In the north-west corner are two medusa heads at the base of two columns. The heads were originally from another site, but were taken and brought to the cisterns. Medusa is a Gorgon in Greek mythology whose hair is made of writhing snakes. Those who look directly upon her would turn to stone. These heads are thought to mark a nymphaeum or a shine for ancient water nymphs. You will notice that the heads are not upright. This was done on purpose although historians are unsure why. Some believe it is to counter the power of Medusa’s gaze, others say it is for structural purposes. 

In other news, Ramadan has started. Ramadan is a Muslim tradition (holiday?), in which people fast (no food or water) for one month between the sunup and sundown. Children are allowed food and water throughout the day. Zeynep fasted the first day and was pretty tired. I don't know how you could go the whole day without water! In Bodrum they set off this big explosive at 8:40 every night to indicate that people can break their fast. Gave me quite the scare the first time they went off. In Istanbul if you are not in the touristy parts, you will find many of the restaurants are closed. I heard a pun and thought I would share it with you all: Ramadan, putting the "slim" in Mu"slim". Get it? Get it? 

AAAAANDDD just because I love you all so much, I have decided that I will update my post on Domabarche palace. I promised I would put up photos and I still haven't. Check this link later and you can see the rest of the pics at the bottom of the "Where we left off" post. 

Thanks for reading.

That's all for now!

Lazy Days in Bodrum

A sunset picture that Zeynep took on her phone when we were at dinner. We ate right on the beach. Beautiful

I feel like you are all due an update, although there is not much to update you on. 

Well the days in Bodrum have been a blur. It feels like I’ve been here forever. It feels like I just got here yesterday. I guess that’s what its like when you have no agenda. 

I do pretty much the same thing every day, but it doesn’t get boring. I swim in the pool, I swim in the sea. Some days we go out on the boat and find crystal blue coves and I go diving for shells. Some days there are as many as 7 kids here, today there are two. Overall it has been very relaxing. I get about two hours off mid-day and during that time I like to take pictures, swim or read (or in yesterday’s case register for classes...frustrating). I love the slow pace of Bodrum. It is nothing like Istanbul. Everyday in Istanbul was go-go-go, places to see, new things to eat, shiny things to buy. Meeting up with Sarah and Alix. Navigating, getting lost- you get the idea. Here I am quite content to stay in the gated community and read my kindle and get some sun. I’m getting a pretty decent tan despite the fact that I lather myself with SPF 50. Must be all the swimming. After seeing some older super tan ladies, I am pretty careful about the sun. 

The food here is so fresh. I love all the cherries, watermelon, apricots and peaches I get! The fish here is equally delicious. Twice now we have parked the boat, swam to shore and eaten at the first restaurant we can find. Probably my favourite thing to do.

Nothing really worth noting except MY SISTER IS COMING TODAY! She might even be in Bodrum on the 30th fingers crossed. Missing Canadian companionship. 

That’s all folks!

The view from the balcony at the summer home. The pool that we swim in

Where we like to play cards

Where I like to swim and read

the sunset

sunset, my favourite time of day here