Day 15: Friday, 1/21/11
Two days left in Istanbul, and we are done with company meetings. Cultural activities...here I come! I slept in since I was still recovering from a cold, and then went with the group to the world reknowned Grand Bazaar. This place is HUGE!!! And old - it was built in the 1400's! There were all kinds of vendors, one after another, selling jewelery, handmade pottery, leather, glassware, souvenirs, spices, tea, gold, etc. So much to choose from! I went with a group of about six people and we'd all go into a "store" (they were more like tiny kiosks that you could just barely walk into) and negotiate together. I think the best deal I got was 15 TL for a pashmina that the guy originally said was 35 TL. I learned never to accept the first offer, and left with a pashmina, a small jewelry box, a beautiful ceramic dish for my kitchen, Turkish tea, and probably more that I'm not remembering right now. What a fun experience!
Next up was dinner in Taksim with the Sabanci students we'd met up with the other night. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was all family style, and of course, amazing! We all sat around these huge, rectangular tables with chairs on one side and cushioned benches on the other. The meal started with fresh fruit juices and I chose cherry, just because it's so different. I mean, really, have you ever had cherry juice?! Then we had salad, thank goodness, because I've been eating way too much meat, cheese and bread and not enough veggies! Then they served some warm tortilla like deliciousness, filled with potatoes and cheese. Yum. And then the mother of all main courses came out...
I don't even know what half of it was, but it was all delicious, of course. I think there was a tray like the one shown for every four people, but it could've definitley fed more than that. Once we were good and stuffed with kebabs, grape leaves, potatoes, dumplings, rice, spinach pie, and more, they served Turkish tea and then we were on our way to a bar/club. The club was on the top floor of a building overlooking the main street in Taksim. We mainly stayed outside, having our own little dance party on the heated patio, and it was the most perfect way to spend our last night in Istanbul!! Not wanting to leave but realizing I had to wake up in a few hours, we finally left the club. Our gracious host, Mustafa, walked us out to get a cab, making sure we experienced the famous Wet Burger first. It's basically a beef patty stuffed in a hamburger bun, soaked in some special sauce that tasted amazing and yet I don't have the slightest clue what was in it, other than salt and oil and all things unhealthy that taste like heaven at 3am!
And that was our last night...ahhh goodnight, Istanbul!
Day 16: Saturday, 1/22/11
It was our last day, and we certainly made the most of it! We started out with a tour of the Cistern, which is this beautiful underground structure that was a water filtration system back in the day. And when I say back in the day, I mean the 6th century! Unfortunately I didn't bring my good camera with me, so my pictures are all really dark.
From there I grabbed a quick shawerma for lunch, which really hit the spot since I'd missed breakfast that morning in a flurry of packing and checking out of the hotel. Oh and I stopped to exchange cash, and found these beauties lounging in the sun in front of the exchange place. They don't even look homeless and yet they're street cats! Either that or the store owners plant them out front to encourage customers...lol...it's possible...
Then we arrived at the Turkish Baths. Unbelievable and perhaps the best experience of the trip. Well, at least tied with the dinner/dancing night we had our first night with the Sabanci students. Oh and the camel ride in Dubai. Ok it was definitely in the top three :) I couldn't take any pictures so I'll try to describe it the best I can. There's a good picture here that I'm pretty sure is the one we were in, except the girls side. We walked in and picked what services we wanted. I paid for the traditional scrub and bath, plus a facial and manicure. Immediately after paying, the girls and boys were split up.
The six of us girls were taken to a big indoor courtyard area, then upstairs to some fancy locker rooms where we were given a thin towel, a mesh bag with granny panties, and spa sandals. We got changed and then entered the spa. During all of this, there were half naked older women walking around, speaking Turkish that we obviously couldn't understand. Wow. So we walk into the bath itself, and it's this beautiful, big circular steam room with a large, heated marble stone in the middle and girls are laying on it, topless, just hanging out. So we do the same and wait for our attendant (I believe that's what the women are called) to scrub and bathe us. Now when was the last time you were bathed by someone else?! What a trip back in time!! It was kind of weird at first being with all of our friends, just laying around topless, but then it was kind of like, ok we're soaking in the ancient, Turkish bath culture, how cool!
So the attendant came over to me and scrubbed my entire body, then covered me in this warm, silky bubble bath from head to toe and literally bathed me like I was incapable of doing it myself. Ha. Then she walked me over to the side where there were ancient, marble sinks, washed my hair with a mini head massage, and rinsed me off. I felt cleaner and softer than ever! Then she motioned for me to go into an adjacent room but wouldn't give me my towel back! I didn't know why she was forcing me to walk around topless, but then I discovered a tiny pool and spa. We all soaked in there for a bit, in our granny panties that looked ridiculous. Lol.
After the pool, spa, and soaking in the steam room on the heated marble a bit longer, it was time for facials. We walked out and into another room and couldn't take our towels with us. So much walking around topless! :/ But when we got in, we understood there were private showers and bigger towels that actually covered us. So after a quick, cool, refreshing rinse, a Turkish lady sat us all on a cushioned bench and painted our faces with a clay mask. Then we were walked out into a lounge area where we sat on more plush, cushioned benches and drank fresh squeezed orange juice that we watched them make. Nothing had ever tasted so refreshing! And then it was time to go back in, rinse off the mask, and lay down for a face massage. I had gotten so used to the old ladies taking my towel, that I just assumed I had to take my towel off for the facial. So I took it off and the lady said quickly in broken English, "No, no. Just massage for your face!" Haha oops! I quickly covered myself up again and got the rest of the facial and face massage. Ahhh bliss!
As if I hadn't been pampered enough by this point, next up was a manicure. It wasn't as luxurious as the rest of the treatments, but my nails were in awful shape after two weeks of traveling through the dry Middle East, so it was heaven to get them all cleaned up and polished just in time for the trip back home. Afterwards, we just got dressed and that was that. Such an incredible experience and glimpse back in time at how both men and women used to relax in public baths.
And then it was time to leave Istanbul :( But not before I got a box of baklava to bring home, and one last piece for the road, dripping with honey and as sweet and delicious as ever.
Two days left in Istanbul, and we are done with company meetings. Cultural activities...here I come! I slept in since I was still recovering from a cold, and then went with the group to the world reknowned Grand Bazaar. This place is HUGE!!! And old - it was built in the 1400's! There were all kinds of vendors, one after another, selling jewelery, handmade pottery, leather, glassware, souvenirs, spices, tea, gold, etc. So much to choose from! I went with a group of about six people and we'd all go into a "store" (they were more like tiny kiosks that you could just barely walk into) and negotiate together. I think the best deal I got was 15 TL for a pashmina that the guy originally said was 35 TL. I learned never to accept the first offer, and left with a pashmina, a small jewelry box, a beautiful ceramic dish for my kitchen, Turkish tea, and probably more that I'm not remembering right now. What a fun experience!
Next up was dinner in Taksim with the Sabanci students we'd met up with the other night. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was all family style, and of course, amazing! We all sat around these huge, rectangular tables with chairs on one side and cushioned benches on the other. The meal started with fresh fruit juices and I chose cherry, just because it's so different. I mean, really, have you ever had cherry juice?! Then we had salad, thank goodness, because I've been eating way too much meat, cheese and bread and not enough veggies! Then they served some warm tortilla like deliciousness, filled with potatoes and cheese. Yum. And then the mother of all main courses came out...
I don't even know what half of it was, but it was all delicious, of course. I think there was a tray like the one shown for every four people, but it could've definitley fed more than that. Once we were good and stuffed with kebabs, grape leaves, potatoes, dumplings, rice, spinach pie, and more, they served Turkish tea and then we were on our way to a bar/club. The club was on the top floor of a building overlooking the main street in Taksim. We mainly stayed outside, having our own little dance party on the heated patio, and it was the most perfect way to spend our last night in Istanbul!! Not wanting to leave but realizing I had to wake up in a few hours, we finally left the club. Our gracious host, Mustafa, walked us out to get a cab, making sure we experienced the famous Wet Burger first. It's basically a beef patty stuffed in a hamburger bun, soaked in some special sauce that tasted amazing and yet I don't have the slightest clue what was in it, other than salt and oil and all things unhealthy that taste like heaven at 3am!
And that was our last night...ahhh goodnight, Istanbul!
Day 16: Saturday, 1/22/11
It was our last day, and we certainly made the most of it! We started out with a tour of the Cistern, which is this beautiful underground structure that was a water filtration system back in the day. And when I say back in the day, I mean the 6th century! Unfortunately I didn't bring my good camera with me, so my pictures are all really dark.
From there I grabbed a quick shawerma for lunch, which really hit the spot since I'd missed breakfast that morning in a flurry of packing and checking out of the hotel. Oh and I stopped to exchange cash, and found these beauties lounging in the sun in front of the exchange place. They don't even look homeless and yet they're street cats! Either that or the store owners plant them out front to encourage customers...lol...it's possible...
Then we arrived at the Turkish Baths. Unbelievable and perhaps the best experience of the trip. Well, at least tied with the dinner/dancing night we had our first night with the Sabanci students. Oh and the camel ride in Dubai. Ok it was definitely in the top three :) I couldn't take any pictures so I'll try to describe it the best I can. There's a good picture here that I'm pretty sure is the one we were in, except the girls side. We walked in and picked what services we wanted. I paid for the traditional scrub and bath, plus a facial and manicure. Immediately after paying, the girls and boys were split up.
The six of us girls were taken to a big indoor courtyard area, then upstairs to some fancy locker rooms where we were given a thin towel, a mesh bag with granny panties, and spa sandals. We got changed and then entered the spa. During all of this, there were half naked older women walking around, speaking Turkish that we obviously couldn't understand. Wow. So we walk into the bath itself, and it's this beautiful, big circular steam room with a large, heated marble stone in the middle and girls are laying on it, topless, just hanging out. So we do the same and wait for our attendant (I believe that's what the women are called) to scrub and bathe us. Now when was the last time you were bathed by someone else?! What a trip back in time!! It was kind of weird at first being with all of our friends, just laying around topless, but then it was kind of like, ok we're soaking in the ancient, Turkish bath culture, how cool!
So the attendant came over to me and scrubbed my entire body, then covered me in this warm, silky bubble bath from head to toe and literally bathed me like I was incapable of doing it myself. Ha. Then she walked me over to the side where there were ancient, marble sinks, washed my hair with a mini head massage, and rinsed me off. I felt cleaner and softer than ever! Then she motioned for me to go into an adjacent room but wouldn't give me my towel back! I didn't know why she was forcing me to walk around topless, but then I discovered a tiny pool and spa. We all soaked in there for a bit, in our granny panties that looked ridiculous. Lol.
After the pool, spa, and soaking in the steam room on the heated marble a bit longer, it was time for facials. We walked out and into another room and couldn't take our towels with us. So much walking around topless! :/ But when we got in, we understood there were private showers and bigger towels that actually covered us. So after a quick, cool, refreshing rinse, a Turkish lady sat us all on a cushioned bench and painted our faces with a clay mask. Then we were walked out into a lounge area where we sat on more plush, cushioned benches and drank fresh squeezed orange juice that we watched them make. Nothing had ever tasted so refreshing! And then it was time to go back in, rinse off the mask, and lay down for a face massage. I had gotten so used to the old ladies taking my towel, that I just assumed I had to take my towel off for the facial. So I took it off and the lady said quickly in broken English, "No, no. Just massage for your face!" Haha oops! I quickly covered myself up again and got the rest of the facial and face massage. Ahhh bliss!
As if I hadn't been pampered enough by this point, next up was a manicure. It wasn't as luxurious as the rest of the treatments, but my nails were in awful shape after two weeks of traveling through the dry Middle East, so it was heaven to get them all cleaned up and polished just in time for the trip back home. Afterwards, we just got dressed and that was that. Such an incredible experience and glimpse back in time at how both men and women used to relax in public baths.
And then it was time to leave Istanbul :( But not before I got a box of baklava to bring home, and one last piece for the road, dripping with honey and as sweet and delicious as ever.
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