Photo dump!

Okay, after many internet struggles and finally just using the Teras Cafe wifi to get my photos on Flickr, here we goooo~

The Ortaköy mosque as seen from the Bosphorous Tour that Patrick, Skylar, and I spontaneously took the first Saturday in Istanbul. It was chilly and we were still horribly jet-lagged, but this was a beautiful introduction to the city.

 

Dried fruit & nut shop on the main road in Ortaköy. The street (and the city, really) is full of them, but this is one of the fancier ones in Ortaköy. We stopped here on our walking tour with Megan the first Sunday after landing. Honestly, I haven't been back since that first visit, because there's a similar shop literally next door to it that sells the same things, but cheaper. Admittedly though, I love the colors and the display of this shop more than any other like it that I've seen.

There's a park on Barbaros between Yıldız and the main area of Beşiktaş that includes a large ring of full-sized exercise equipment--but the most bizarre exercise equipment I have ever seen, most of it made for pairs of people. Apparently, people actually use these things, and they're in parks all over Istanbul. Needless to say, we were all simultaneously confused and endlessly entertained.

Renkli Limon in Beşiktaş, which is still one of the best restaurants I've eaten in so far--and also the beacon of hope for being able to find vegetarian food in Istanbul. (Hooray for people on the trip not starving!)

Istanbul is truly a city of cats. Thankfully, no sneezing on my part yet.

View from the ferry between Beşiktaş and Kadıköy--i.e., the cross-continental ferry ride that you pay for the same way you pay for any public transit. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that this is the normal daily commute for thousands of people.

Skylar's first time in Asia! It needed to be documented.

Calligraphic inscription on the Sülemaniye mosque, which we visited as a class. This is just one of the many, many places I read about in my religious classes as a kid--places that I'm starting to see in real life on this trip. It's surreal to an extent that I can't quite put into words.

For all its cats, Istanbul is also a city of stray dogs. This one was lounging in the cemetery outside the Sülemaniye.

I think Vincent made a friend that day.

After several hours of searching and desperately waiting, Gwen the die-hard coffee addict finally found a cup of Nescafe to ease her caffeine headache. Take note, because this is the face of true happiness. Also, on a related note, Turkish coffee is not as big of a thing as I thought it was. The tea is what everyone is addicted to; the coffee seems like a waste when half of the tiny cup is just grounds anyway. It's better to just grab Nescafe from a machine or street vendor for a caffeine fix.

Arch inside the Şehzade mosque, which--unpopular opinion--I liked way, way better than the Sulemaniye. It felt simultaneously quieter yet bolder than the Sülemaniye, despite being in the exact same style. Things I've learned in Turkey: Sinan built like ten of the same mosque, but you can in fact call some more beautiful than others.

The aqueducts of Sultanahmet, perfectly weaving past and present as so much of this city does.

Yes I will end up with lots of photos of Skylar; it's fine. This is what he looks like about 50% of the time we're wandering the city.

A stall at the Spice Market/the Egypt Market--pretty to look at, but anybody who knows anything about spices knows that this is a rapid route to staleness. I wouldn't actually buy spices from the Spice Market.

Çay, which as far as I can tell runs through Turkish veins instead of blood. I've taken to drinking at least 3 of these a day.

Dweeby photo #1 of Skylar holding things proudly. This time it's a pair of paper napkin roses from the charming owner of Develi Baklava in Eminönü--the man responsible for making the most incredible pastry filled with pistachios and kaymak, or water buffalo clotted cream.

There will be more photos--so many, many more--but this is what I've managed to edit and upload until now. Yay for finally updating after almost two weeks! (Oops.)