On Friday I saw the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Since it was put on by the Hungarian National Ballet (and being that I am in Hungary) the translation of the title is Romeo es Julia, (probably plus some accent marks and umlauts that make it incomprehensible.) It was really fantastic. I decided to splurge on tickets, spending around 15 dollars, rather than my usual 2 dollars. The 2 dollar tickets are perfect for philharmonic concerts and such because they are labeled "restricted viewing". Now, this is a stretch, because last time I saw a concert I was only able to see the large string basses, and anyone who took high school orchestra realizes that these instruments are not placed anywhere near the center of the stage. Thus, by restricted view, they generally mean, "approximately 5% of the stage can be easily seen". Another downside of the 2 dollar tickets is that you are not allowed to use the main doors. You are directed to a side entrance and ushered up what seems like thousands of concrete stairs before being forced to check your coat and pointed a seat that is at an elevation approximate to that of Mount Olympus. In any case, being that I love Romeo and Juliet, I thought 15 dollars was a cheap price to pay. What I didn't realize, is that with this mere sum, you were considered a real person, allowed to use the main door. Instead of the bleak concrete steps, you walked on a plush red velvet carpet up to the second level. The stairs looked rather what Cinderella's castle may be like on the inside, with chandeliers and murals on the ceilings, and intricate carvings decorating every point on the wall. At the second level you could enter a side room and buy a huge selection of delicacies, from pastries to good wines, all at very decent prices. As I wandered around with my Coca Cola Light, (even while I was mingling with the sophisticated, it can't be denied that I still prefer a good soft drink to any wine) I found myself on a grand balcony over looking Andrassy, one of the main streets in Budapest. I thought that this balcony was only for decoration. I guess not. When it came time to find my seats (I had really no idea where they were being that the ticket was in Hungarian and my directional knowledge is limited to 'right' and 'left') imagine my surprise when I was ushered through velvet walls to a box! There are three tiers of boxed seats in the opera house. I was on the top tier of them, directly in the middle. The compartment was decorated with mirrors and had red velvet chairs. The usher took my jacket and hung it on the wall for me and offered me a program. I was the first person to arrive in the box, and I suddenly felt very self-conscious about my apparel. I was wearing a casual-yet-pretty linen skirt and a nice top: clothing that would have been borderline overly formal for the nosebleed seats. However, when 6 people joined me in the box, and all of them were wearing tuxes or ball gowns, my fears were realized. I buried myself in my program to escape any questions, when I realized the program was entirely in Hungarian! Ah, I would be inconspicuous if I just continued "reading" the program, thus avoiding any conversation as well as not making it obvious that I was an American. I began to think of myself as a sophisticated Hungarian student whose very rich Hungarian parents sent to the ballet for the evening. However, a gentleman, noticing my interest in the Hungarian program, leaned over and started jabbering away in a language that sounded like something from Star Wars. Alas! My Hungarian cover was dissolving! What to do? I smiled and replied, "Igen," the Hungarian word for "yes." The man looked at me like I was crazy. Who knows what he initially asked that the reply could not have been affirmative. Maybe he asked what my name was, or what I thought of ballet, but in any case, I failed at my Hungarian alias, and the tuxedoed man ignored me. Whew. But anyway, the ballet was beautiful, the music beautiful, and although it was over 3 hours long with two intermissions, it felt like I blinked my eyes and it was done.
I have a second midterm in my Number Theory class on Thursday. I still am lost with the concept of arithmetic functions. It's not that I don't understand them, I just am incapable of figuring out how they might be important to my life. I told my teacher I didn't like them, and he said, "me neither, they are boring." At least I have affirmation that they suck. However, I LOVE the concept of Quadratic Residues. The proof of why the product of two primitive roots isn't a primitive root can be done in 3 lines using quadratic residues, and is just sooo pretty. However, I still will be spending the better part of my next three days studying.
In Combinatorics we're studying Graph Theory. I like it a lot. It's so applicable to every day life, and usually problems can be solved by contradiction: my favorite technique. Sometimes it's tricky figuring out precisely what the question is asking, but in general, it is WAY better than sampling combinatorial problems. Ick.
In Elementary Problem solving I have two different teachers, and so get exposed to SO much material. In my Monday class we're studying vectors. However, we don't translate these vectors into matrices, or use any linear algebra, rather, we're studying their properties in terms of strict geometry. I like it. On Wednesday we're doing a unit on game theory. I don't really like game theory, just because I find it so bland. It's problems like, "If we have a chessboard, and one rook on the chessboard, and we want to move it to the lower left corner, what should be the strategy so that we can always win against our opponent." A) I hate chessboard problems because I feel like it is a bastardization of my beloved chess, and B) seriously, who cares? But, still, I'm learning a lot.
In my History of Math class we will be traveling to the village of Szeged in rural Hungary where a lot of authentic Hungarian culture is preserved. I guess there's a university there that's really well renowned, and at which my teacher is a professor. We'll be visiting that college, as well as must-see Hungarian relics. I'm very excited!
In Hungarian, we are preparing for a bit of a scavenger hunt. My teacher will give us directions (in Hungarian) as to where he will be waiting for us, and apparently it will require us to take a lot of public transportation to find, therefore it's a bit of a test of our knowledge on Hungarian streets and methods of transportation. When we find him, we get to sit and drink tea and eat pastries and hang out in the Buda Hills for a while. It will be very nice.
That is my update on my life. I come back to America in a little over a month, and while I'm very reluctant to leave this place that I adore, I'm very excited to see my family and friends, and be in an English speaking environment.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
More recollections from Istanbul and math
First and foremost, I added even more pictures of Istanbul to my picture account. Now, some more random memories of Istanbul:
* They fly the Turkish flag everywhere. They are so proud of that crescent moon and star that the logo decorates most art as well.
* I watched the cartoon Aladdin, and I couldn't help but notice how similar the narrator's actions at the beginning (when he's trying to sell the audience a lamp) are to the behaviors of the vendors in Turkey. Everyone is "my friend." Everything is "very good quality." Everything "will not break." What cracked me up is that the narrator tries to sell a "hookah and coffee-maker, that also makes fries." French fries are practically a food group in Turkey. Who knows how that started. Also, Turkish coffee is famous for a reason. Finally, there are hookahs, or "water pipes" offered to you at every restaurant, coffee shop, or bar.
* I forgot to tell about my experience at the Turkish baths. I went into the infamous baths with the expectation that they would be similar to the hot springs in Budapest: rather like expansive, steamy swimming pools. My, how I was mistaken. Turkish baths aren't bathtubs, they are public saunas where an experienced worker physically bathes you. Upon entering the building (which apparently was centuries old) women were directed one way, men another. From then on, the genders were completely separated. We were each given a locker where we placed our clothing, a thin piece of fabric that we assumed was a towel, and a something scratchy that looked rather like an oven-mitt. We moved through the corridors into a room full of toweled women, one of whom took pity on us and directed us to a side-door. We pushed the heavy flaps aside and entered into a broiling, humid, gigantic sauna. There was a raised marble platform upon which perhaps twenty women lay, mostly in the nude, on the mats that we had assumed were our towels. I understand the European lack of modesty, but this stopped me (momentarily) in my tracks. Anyway, we joined the ladies on the marble platform, which was pleasantly warm and soothing, gradually losing all reticence. As I got over the shock of my immediate situation, I started to notice the ammenities of the circular room in which I lay. There were basins into which running water fell every few feet around the rooms. Occasionally, a woman would stand and reach into the basin to pull out a shallow bowl, fill it with water, and pour it over herself. Anyway, the purpose of laying on this platform was literally to sweat out all the toxins in your body. After a while, a large, motherly woman would beckon you over to lie at the side of the platform. She first drenched you with water, and proceeded to vigorously scrub your entire body with the rough oven-mitt I mentioned earlier. Watching, I saw dead skin just peel away, taking the sweat and dirt from my pores with it. It almost hurt, but it was so satisfying it felt amazing. When you were absolutely smooth, you layed back down, and the lady took a huge basin of soapy water, filled some sort of enormous, bloated cloth with suds, and soaped you down. What proceeded was a washing of the body, but really it was more of a massage. It was the most decadent feeling of my life. After about 15 minutes of this soapy bath, they poured a pitcher of water on you to rinse the suds, and then took you to one of the basins of running water, where you sat as they shampooed and rinsed your hair. You were treated to one last thorough drenching before you were led to a slightly cooler room to drink tea, wrapped in cozy towels, and marvel at how you've never felt cleaner. The whole experience sounds simply weird in many ways, yet apparently the Turks used to rely on these public bathhouses to stay clean, and this is just an age-old tradition. Regardless, after shedding modesty, it was the most relaxing hour I can recall.
Now that I'm back to the routine of school, I thought I should give an update on how classes are going. I'm still in my five classes: Elementary Problem Solving, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Historical Aspects of Mathematics, and Intermediate Hungarian.
Problem solving is amazing. I have never been introduced to so many super topics in such an interesting and condensed manner. However, tomorrow I have a test/quiz on geometric inequalities and combinatorial set theory. I've been preparing for it for a couple of hours and feel generally pretty good. The trick to solving a geometric inequality is usually to use the triangle inequality, which is very easy.
My midterm in Combinatorics did not go well for me. However, the entire class did miserably on it, so at least I wasn't alone in my ignorance. It was just a poorly written test. After the midterm, we did a short session on the Catalan Numbers. I hate them. I can't explain why. It's the same unexplainable hatred I have for Dihedral groups. They're nice and pretty, yet I despise them. Thank goodness we're into the Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion, and moving on to Graph Theory. That stuff's all pretty interesting.
Number Theory is still brilliant. I love my teacher, and we're studying primitive roots. My teacher is always saying, "order is the soul of everything," and I'm starting to believe him. I like order better in this context than in group theory. It's prettier. I also was very happy with my midterm.
Historical Aspects of Mathematics is still very interesting but very long. I'm preparing for my final presentation, and I'm planning on speaking about Carl Sagan and his achievements as a pioneer in modern astronomy, as well as what makes him my personal hero.
Intermediate Hungarian is.... well.... it's Hungarian. Let us recall that Hungarian has 14 vowels, the word order doesn't have a set formula, there are more irregular verbs than not, and the conjugation of the verb depends on the number of a's u's and o's (plus the accents and strokes) verses the number of e's, and i's could go either way. UG. I'm getting better at the language, more because of immersion than anything else. The past two months I have successfully gotten a new metro pass speaking entirely in Hungarian. I also can order in restaurants, and exchange pleasantries on the street.
That's all folks.
* They fly the Turkish flag everywhere. They are so proud of that crescent moon and star that the logo decorates most art as well.
* I watched the cartoon Aladdin, and I couldn't help but notice how similar the narrator's actions at the beginning (when he's trying to sell the audience a lamp) are to the behaviors of the vendors in Turkey. Everyone is "my friend." Everything is "very good quality." Everything "will not break." What cracked me up is that the narrator tries to sell a "hookah and coffee-maker, that also makes fries." French fries are practically a food group in Turkey. Who knows how that started. Also, Turkish coffee is famous for a reason. Finally, there are hookahs, or "water pipes" offered to you at every restaurant, coffee shop, or bar.
* I forgot to tell about my experience at the Turkish baths. I went into the infamous baths with the expectation that they would be similar to the hot springs in Budapest: rather like expansive, steamy swimming pools. My, how I was mistaken. Turkish baths aren't bathtubs, they are public saunas where an experienced worker physically bathes you. Upon entering the building (which apparently was centuries old) women were directed one way, men another. From then on, the genders were completely separated. We were each given a locker where we placed our clothing, a thin piece of fabric that we assumed was a towel, and a something scratchy that looked rather like an oven-mitt. We moved through the corridors into a room full of toweled women, one of whom took pity on us and directed us to a side-door. We pushed the heavy flaps aside and entered into a broiling, humid, gigantic sauna. There was a raised marble platform upon which perhaps twenty women lay, mostly in the nude, on the mats that we had assumed were our towels. I understand the European lack of modesty, but this stopped me (momentarily) in my tracks. Anyway, we joined the ladies on the marble platform, which was pleasantly warm and soothing, gradually losing all reticence. As I got over the shock of my immediate situation, I started to notice the ammenities of the circular room in which I lay. There were basins into which running water fell every few feet around the rooms. Occasionally, a woman would stand and reach into the basin to pull out a shallow bowl, fill it with water, and pour it over herself. Anyway, the purpose of laying on this platform was literally to sweat out all the toxins in your body. After a while, a large, motherly woman would beckon you over to lie at the side of the platform. She first drenched you with water, and proceeded to vigorously scrub your entire body with the rough oven-mitt I mentioned earlier. Watching, I saw dead skin just peel away, taking the sweat and dirt from my pores with it. It almost hurt, but it was so satisfying it felt amazing. When you were absolutely smooth, you layed back down, and the lady took a huge basin of soapy water, filled some sort of enormous, bloated cloth with suds, and soaped you down. What proceeded was a washing of the body, but really it was more of a massage. It was the most decadent feeling of my life. After about 15 minutes of this soapy bath, they poured a pitcher of water on you to rinse the suds, and then took you to one of the basins of running water, where you sat as they shampooed and rinsed your hair. You were treated to one last thorough drenching before you were led to a slightly cooler room to drink tea, wrapped in cozy towels, and marvel at how you've never felt cleaner. The whole experience sounds simply weird in many ways, yet apparently the Turks used to rely on these public bathhouses to stay clean, and this is just an age-old tradition. Regardless, after shedding modesty, it was the most relaxing hour I can recall.
Now that I'm back to the routine of school, I thought I should give an update on how classes are going. I'm still in my five classes: Elementary Problem Solving, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Historical Aspects of Mathematics, and Intermediate Hungarian.
Problem solving is amazing. I have never been introduced to so many super topics in such an interesting and condensed manner. However, tomorrow I have a test/quiz on geometric inequalities and combinatorial set theory. I've been preparing for it for a couple of hours and feel generally pretty good. The trick to solving a geometric inequality is usually to use the triangle inequality, which is very easy.
My midterm in Combinatorics did not go well for me. However, the entire class did miserably on it, so at least I wasn't alone in my ignorance. It was just a poorly written test. After the midterm, we did a short session on the Catalan Numbers. I hate them. I can't explain why. It's the same unexplainable hatred I have for Dihedral groups. They're nice and pretty, yet I despise them. Thank goodness we're into the Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion, and moving on to Graph Theory. That stuff's all pretty interesting.
Number Theory is still brilliant. I love my teacher, and we're studying primitive roots. My teacher is always saying, "order is the soul of everything," and I'm starting to believe him. I like order better in this context than in group theory. It's prettier. I also was very happy with my midterm.
Historical Aspects of Mathematics is still very interesting but very long. I'm preparing for my final presentation, and I'm planning on speaking about Carl Sagan and his achievements as a pioneer in modern astronomy, as well as what makes him my personal hero.
Intermediate Hungarian is.... well.... it's Hungarian. Let us recall that Hungarian has 14 vowels, the word order doesn't have a set formula, there are more irregular verbs than not, and the conjugation of the verb depends on the number of a's u's and o's (plus the accents and strokes) verses the number of e's, and i's could go either way. UG. I'm getting better at the language, more because of immersion than anything else. The past two months I have successfully gotten a new metro pass speaking entirely in Hungarian. I also can order in restaurants, and exchange pleasantries on the street.
That's all folks.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Istanbul Pictures
I posted pictures on my picture website! They are under the album title "Istanbul" and can be reached at betsyjane.myphotoalbum.com. Keep checking for more as I have time to post them!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Arabian Nights
I'm back from my adventures in Istanbul! The city is, as my mom described, "sticky with history." What follows is hopefully a comprehensive account of my recent escapades.
The first couple of days I have already described in my earlier blog post. I saw three main tourist attractions in the first couple of days: The Haggia Sophia (or Aya Sofia to Turks), the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. These are amazing, as I have already described. However, another tourism destination is the Topkapi Palace. This is where the various Sultans of the fallen empires resided. While the grounds have been preserved and/or renovated, the treasury of the palace was transformed into a museum of the valuables gathered throughout the days of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. There was an 86 karat diamond on display, thrones made entirely of gold, studded with huge rubies, pearls, and emeralds, pendants worn by daughters of sultans or given as gifts to tombs that featured emeralds the size of the palm of my hand. What I found interesting about the huge diamond was that after the empire fell, it was found in a rubbish heap by a merchant who in turn sold it for the price of two spoons. Eventually its authenticity was determined and it was placed in the museum. Set aside and out of place was the arm and skull of John the Baptist. I'm not sure how they ended up in a Muslim country such as Istanbul, but it was cool. Further in the depths of the castle there was a sacred room which many Muslims observe as a pilgrimage destination. In it were relics of the Prophet Muhammad, including his seal, a letter written in his hand, hairs from his beard, hairs from his head, and his tooth (these latter parts contained inside magnificent boxes). There was even the original binding of the Qur'an. It was truly chilling. We paid extra to go into the Harem of the palace. It wasn't really that cool, honestly. However, the quarters of the Queen Mother were quite stunning, as was the bedroom of the Sultan.
One day we climbed to the top of the Galata tower. The history of this tower is really amazing. It was built originally for defensive purposes, and changed over the years to suit different armies, and even an astronomer. One of the first men to fly jumped from this tower. He devised a sort of hang-glider and leapt from the top, landing some distance away. He was originally going to be commended by the ruler, but reconsidering, he was deemed a threat to security and executed. Anyway, the view from the top was amazing. We had to cross the bridge to the "new" part of the city to reach this tower. The bridge is a destination for fishermen, and every inch of the side is lined with locals hoping to catch the big one. Near this bridge there is a fish market. I have an extreme fright of fish so I didn't go to this landmark, but apparently you could pick any fish you wanted and they'd fry it for you on the spot. Yuck.
Much cooler than the icky fish was the Spice Bazaar. This place sold mainly spices, teas, and Turkish Delight. There was the occasional vendor who sold henna or Baklava, but mostly there were bins and bins filled with the oranges and browns of spices, and the brilliant colors of the teas. I bought some of my favorite tea I've ever had: some sort of rose hip tea. I think it's actually an instant tea mix mimicking the real tea, but it's what they serve at restaurants and it's absolutely delicious. I also bought some Turkish delight. My mom asked me if it was good enough to sell my soul to the White Witch and betray Narnia (sorry, C. S. Lewis reference) and I think that while it's veeery good, only the Chocolate Turkish Delight would tempt me into the treachery of Edmund Pevensie.
Continuing along the vein of Narnia, anyone who has read the series knows the city of Tashbaan from "The Horse and His Boy." Similarly, readers of "Arabian Nights", or the book "Phantom" can visualize precisely what Istanbul looks like. It's a city built into a hill with Mosques everywhere. Dark skinned vendors spread through the streets calling the merits of their wares. People carry huge trays of bread on their heads past open air markets of huge pears, pomegranites and pineapples. Walking through the streets is like rereading a favorite book.
We took two day trips: one down the Bosphorus strait to a village in Asia, the second to the Princes' islands in the Marmara Sea. The Asian village was beautiful. There were palm trees and grass everywhere with adolescents selling ice-cream at family-owned shops (the father was busy selling his fresh fish). The main attraction of this place was the ruins of a castle at the highest point of land visible. This castle was built during the Byzantine empire and are slowly crumbing down. There's plenty of it left, though, and people are welcome to climb around on it. Should a tourist fall, they would no doubt plummet to their death, but we all helped each other and climbed all over the ruins, taking in the magnificent view of the strait. It was fascinating standing where armored soldiers stood years and years ago, fighting for their lives with medieval weaponry. The second trip we took was to the Princes' Islands, called this because often nobility of sorts were crowned on these Isles. There were no vehicles on the island we toured. There were only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. We rented bikes for a few Turkish Lira an hour and toured the entire island. This unfortunately involved going uphill for half of the time since we ended up at the top of the island. This particular endeavor left me sweaty, panting, grouchy, and all too aware of my two month hiatus from dancing and being in shape. However, we ate a picnic on a ledge looking over the sea. It took a bit of agility to reach the spot, but after getting there we lay and stared and stared and stared at the view in front of us. It was all green with purple flowers and fuzzy yellow bees zipping around. After resting and eating (and getting magnificently sun burnt) for an hour and a half, we continued on the bike ride, which was, to my intense glee, downhill. On this side of the island we got a view of the sea rather than forestry, so it was hard to watch the road with sparkly water just to the right. We made it back to the ferry and returned to Istanbul. We set off at 9 am and returned at 8pm, when we went right to dinner without even stopping at our rooms. We were all too tired even to eat (well, except for some of the boys, who could eat anything at any time of the day or night) which was a pity because it was a beautiful meal of hummus and eggplant and almond and pistachio and chicken and lamb and..... everything.
Some observations about Turkey:
*There are tulips everywhere. It's beautiful. It's not just a tulip here and there, there are fields of them. I guess this derives from some Sultan who especially liked tulips.
*The olives are really great.
*Everything is made from Pistachio, and nuts are sold on the street at ridiculously cheap prices.
*After finding out we were from America, the first thing Turkish people asked us was simply, "Bush??" If we implied that we didn't like the current status of our government, they laughed, gave us thumbs up, and were very friendly. Americans are obviously not too popular in the Middle East. In fact, to make life easier, when we bartered at the market we often said we were from Canada to avoid any nasty political situation.
*More women had their heads covered than not. However, these women would walk around holding hands with their husbands and kissing the children. I think we often give these Muslim women the stereotypes of being "untouchable." Only a few women (although more than I'm used to seeing) wore full Birkas.
*There is a problem with stray cats and dogs. They are everywhere, although some appear to be tagged, as though the city knows they're out there. It's heartbreaking to see all of them, yet we didn't even pet them because who knows what they pick up on the streets.
*The inequality of the sexes was very apparent. There were never women working in any establishment. Occasionally there would be a woman selling scarves on the street, but there were never women in paid positions. This prejudice was also apparent in the restrooms, where the facilities were merely sanitary holes in the ground.
*The security at Arabic airports is even harsher than in the United States, with several checkpoints, including one before you even enter the main part of the air port.
That's all I have the energy to write at the moment. I will upload pictures soon, but I have been lurking in this tea shop for the better part of two hours, and since it's Easter Sunday I feel like I should leave and maybe let them close up a bit early. I will write a comment as soon as I put pictures up. I have hundreds! Happy Easter!
The first couple of days I have already described in my earlier blog post. I saw three main tourist attractions in the first couple of days: The Haggia Sophia (or Aya Sofia to Turks), the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. These are amazing, as I have already described. However, another tourism destination is the Topkapi Palace. This is where the various Sultans of the fallen empires resided. While the grounds have been preserved and/or renovated, the treasury of the palace was transformed into a museum of the valuables gathered throughout the days of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. There was an 86 karat diamond on display, thrones made entirely of gold, studded with huge rubies, pearls, and emeralds, pendants worn by daughters of sultans or given as gifts to tombs that featured emeralds the size of the palm of my hand. What I found interesting about the huge diamond was that after the empire fell, it was found in a rubbish heap by a merchant who in turn sold it for the price of two spoons. Eventually its authenticity was determined and it was placed in the museum. Set aside and out of place was the arm and skull of John the Baptist. I'm not sure how they ended up in a Muslim country such as Istanbul, but it was cool. Further in the depths of the castle there was a sacred room which many Muslims observe as a pilgrimage destination. In it were relics of the Prophet Muhammad, including his seal, a letter written in his hand, hairs from his beard, hairs from his head, and his tooth (these latter parts contained inside magnificent boxes). There was even the original binding of the Qur'an. It was truly chilling. We paid extra to go into the Harem of the palace. It wasn't really that cool, honestly. However, the quarters of the Queen Mother were quite stunning, as was the bedroom of the Sultan.
One day we climbed to the top of the Galata tower. The history of this tower is really amazing. It was built originally for defensive purposes, and changed over the years to suit different armies, and even an astronomer. One of the first men to fly jumped from this tower. He devised a sort of hang-glider and leapt from the top, landing some distance away. He was originally going to be commended by the ruler, but reconsidering, he was deemed a threat to security and executed. Anyway, the view from the top was amazing. We had to cross the bridge to the "new" part of the city to reach this tower. The bridge is a destination for fishermen, and every inch of the side is lined with locals hoping to catch the big one. Near this bridge there is a fish market. I have an extreme fright of fish so I didn't go to this landmark, but apparently you could pick any fish you wanted and they'd fry it for you on the spot. Yuck.
Much cooler than the icky fish was the Spice Bazaar. This place sold mainly spices, teas, and Turkish Delight. There was the occasional vendor who sold henna or Baklava, but mostly there were bins and bins filled with the oranges and browns of spices, and the brilliant colors of the teas. I bought some of my favorite tea I've ever had: some sort of rose hip tea. I think it's actually an instant tea mix mimicking the real tea, but it's what they serve at restaurants and it's absolutely delicious. I also bought some Turkish delight. My mom asked me if it was good enough to sell my soul to the White Witch and betray Narnia (sorry, C. S. Lewis reference) and I think that while it's veeery good, only the Chocolate Turkish Delight would tempt me into the treachery of Edmund Pevensie.
Continuing along the vein of Narnia, anyone who has read the series knows the city of Tashbaan from "The Horse and His Boy." Similarly, readers of "Arabian Nights", or the book "Phantom" can visualize precisely what Istanbul looks like. It's a city built into a hill with Mosques everywhere. Dark skinned vendors spread through the streets calling the merits of their wares. People carry huge trays of bread on their heads past open air markets of huge pears, pomegranites and pineapples. Walking through the streets is like rereading a favorite book.
We took two day trips: one down the Bosphorus strait to a village in Asia, the second to the Princes' islands in the Marmara Sea. The Asian village was beautiful. There were palm trees and grass everywhere with adolescents selling ice-cream at family-owned shops (the father was busy selling his fresh fish). The main attraction of this place was the ruins of a castle at the highest point of land visible. This castle was built during the Byzantine empire and are slowly crumbing down. There's plenty of it left, though, and people are welcome to climb around on it. Should a tourist fall, they would no doubt plummet to their death, but we all helped each other and climbed all over the ruins, taking in the magnificent view of the strait. It was fascinating standing where armored soldiers stood years and years ago, fighting for their lives with medieval weaponry. The second trip we took was to the Princes' Islands, called this because often nobility of sorts were crowned on these Isles. There were no vehicles on the island we toured. There were only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. We rented bikes for a few Turkish Lira an hour and toured the entire island. This unfortunately involved going uphill for half of the time since we ended up at the top of the island. This particular endeavor left me sweaty, panting, grouchy, and all too aware of my two month hiatus from dancing and being in shape. However, we ate a picnic on a ledge looking over the sea. It took a bit of agility to reach the spot, but after getting there we lay and stared and stared and stared at the view in front of us. It was all green with purple flowers and fuzzy yellow bees zipping around. After resting and eating (and getting magnificently sun burnt) for an hour and a half, we continued on the bike ride, which was, to my intense glee, downhill. On this side of the island we got a view of the sea rather than forestry, so it was hard to watch the road with sparkly water just to the right. We made it back to the ferry and returned to Istanbul. We set off at 9 am and returned at 8pm, when we went right to dinner without even stopping at our rooms. We were all too tired even to eat (well, except for some of the boys, who could eat anything at any time of the day or night) which was a pity because it was a beautiful meal of hummus and eggplant and almond and pistachio and chicken and lamb and..... everything.
Some observations about Turkey:
*There are tulips everywhere. It's beautiful. It's not just a tulip here and there, there are fields of them. I guess this derives from some Sultan who especially liked tulips.
*The olives are really great.
*Everything is made from Pistachio, and nuts are sold on the street at ridiculously cheap prices.
*After finding out we were from America, the first thing Turkish people asked us was simply, "Bush??" If we implied that we didn't like the current status of our government, they laughed, gave us thumbs up, and were very friendly. Americans are obviously not too popular in the Middle East. In fact, to make life easier, when we bartered at the market we often said we were from Canada to avoid any nasty political situation.
*More women had their heads covered than not. However, these women would walk around holding hands with their husbands and kissing the children. I think we often give these Muslim women the stereotypes of being "untouchable." Only a few women (although more than I'm used to seeing) wore full Birkas.
*There is a problem with stray cats and dogs. They are everywhere, although some appear to be tagged, as though the city knows they're out there. It's heartbreaking to see all of them, yet we didn't even pet them because who knows what they pick up on the streets.
*The inequality of the sexes was very apparent. There were never women working in any establishment. Occasionally there would be a woman selling scarves on the street, but there were never women in paid positions. This prejudice was also apparent in the restrooms, where the facilities were merely sanitary holes in the ground.
*The security at Arabic airports is even harsher than in the United States, with several checkpoints, including one before you even enter the main part of the air port.
That's all I have the energy to write at the moment. I will upload pictures soon, but I have been lurking in this tea shop for the better part of two hours, and since it's Easter Sunday I feel like I should leave and maybe let them close up a bit early. I will write a comment as soon as I put pictures up. I have hundreds! Happy Easter!
Monday, April 02, 2007
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
I'm in Istanbul, Turkey! It is simply fantastic. I don't even know where to begin explaining it. My hostel is situated directly between the Haggia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The Haggia Sophia is a very famous church. It's design is that of a Mosque, I believe because it was converted to Christianity not long after it's construction. The interior is familiar, yet very different. It looks like a church, but much more Turkish. That sounds so bland and predictable, but it's a very interesting combination of taking crosses and putting them under huge Turkish hieroglyphics painted on the walls. When I have a better, faster internet connection, I'll post pictures of both the exterior and the interior.
The Blue Mosque is much newer, but more fascinating. Everyone has been in a church before, but no many people have been inside one of the most famous mosques in the world. Before entering you have to take off your shoes. Women must cover their heads with scarfs. Entering the mosque, there is a huge area for the men to pray. Off to the side, gated, there is a tiny hut for the women. While this troubles my feminist insticts, I am in their territory and I will respect their culture. The really cool thing about the Muslim religion happens at prayer time. At dawn, sunset, and three other times every day, each mosque (and there are tons and tons of them here) have a singer amplified over the city calling the population to prayer. They sing in an acopela, Turkish style. It's hard to describe unless you hear it. It's like yodeling meets African prayers.
We went to the Grand Bazaar today. It's the largest shopping center in the world. One of our group likened it to the small intestine. The area it takes up is seemingly small until you unravel it. Then it's longer than one would ever suspect. Inside the market they sell scarves, chess and backgammon sets, fake designer purses, Turkish delicacies, Turkish carpets, and many many other things. You have to haggle with the merchants, which is really fun, although mildly stressful. They are very aggressive. They call out to you, "excuse me," and "yes please" to get your attention. They try to usher you inside the shops and show you their wares. I was called the most beautiful lady in Istanbul, a Spice Girl and one of Charlies' Angels in a very short time span. Also, one man tried to sell me a carpet "for my dowry". Yikes! Welcome to Turkey!!
I had Turkish Ravioli yesterday. It was meat-stuffed pasta in a yogurt sauce with chili and garlic. It was really wonderful. Everything ordered here is in "yogurt." It's rather like sour creme, but a little runnier and sweeter. The other day I had chicken shish-kabob. It was really good, although it tasted surprisingly similar to the kebabs my mom makes on her grill. With every mean they give you a sweet white bread that doesn't need any butter. It's delicious.
Everyone is really quite nice here. While some of the time they are only nice in an attempt to sell you something, most of the time they are a genuine group of people who are all too ready to laugh and tease. It's a huge change from the cold Hungarians. It took some getting-used-to, but I think it'll be tough to return to the formality of Budapest.
When I have more time and a better internet connection speed I will post some absolutely fantastic pictures, so stay tuned. I'm here for 6 more days so there will be plenty of adventure to document!
The Blue Mosque is much newer, but more fascinating. Everyone has been in a church before, but no many people have been inside one of the most famous mosques in the world. Before entering you have to take off your shoes. Women must cover their heads with scarfs. Entering the mosque, there is a huge area for the men to pray. Off to the side, gated, there is a tiny hut for the women. While this troubles my feminist insticts, I am in their territory and I will respect their culture. The really cool thing about the Muslim religion happens at prayer time. At dawn, sunset, and three other times every day, each mosque (and there are tons and tons of them here) have a singer amplified over the city calling the population to prayer. They sing in an acopela, Turkish style. It's hard to describe unless you hear it. It's like yodeling meets African prayers.
We went to the Grand Bazaar today. It's the largest shopping center in the world. One of our group likened it to the small intestine. The area it takes up is seemingly small until you unravel it. Then it's longer than one would ever suspect. Inside the market they sell scarves, chess and backgammon sets, fake designer purses, Turkish delicacies, Turkish carpets, and many many other things. You have to haggle with the merchants, which is really fun, although mildly stressful. They are very aggressive. They call out to you, "excuse me," and "yes please" to get your attention. They try to usher you inside the shops and show you their wares. I was called the most beautiful lady in Istanbul, a Spice Girl and one of Charlies' Angels in a very short time span. Also, one man tried to sell me a carpet "for my dowry". Yikes! Welcome to Turkey!!
I had Turkish Ravioli yesterday. It was meat-stuffed pasta in a yogurt sauce with chili and garlic. It was really wonderful. Everything ordered here is in "yogurt." It's rather like sour creme, but a little runnier and sweeter. The other day I had chicken shish-kabob. It was really good, although it tasted surprisingly similar to the kebabs my mom makes on her grill. With every mean they give you a sweet white bread that doesn't need any butter. It's delicious.
Everyone is really quite nice here. While some of the time they are only nice in an attempt to sell you something, most of the time they are a genuine group of people who are all too ready to laugh and tease. It's a huge change from the cold Hungarians. It took some getting-used-to, but I think it'll be tough to return to the formality of Budapest.
When I have more time and a better internet connection speed I will post some absolutely fantastic pictures, so stay tuned. I'm here for 6 more days so there will be plenty of adventure to document!
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