The day before we got to Istanbul, Turkey we had to go to Pre-Port which is basically the Deans telling us all about what the country we are entering is like. We learn about the economical standing, what to watch out for, like pick-pocketers, what not to do, what to wear, and whole bunch of other information so that we don't end up in a jail. One of the presentations was on the top 10 things to do in Istanbul as an Istanbulu would do them.
So they counted as:
1.Turkish Bath (Hamam)
2. Turkish Delights
3. Apple Tea
4. Nergali (shisha, hookah)
5. Blue Mosque
6. Hagia Sofia
7. Grand Bazaar
8......
9......Other things which I do not remember because I did not do them.....
10.....
So yes I did not complete the list of things to do in order to be like the people of Istanbul, but I did do some things that I didn't expect to do.
On my first day upon arrival I went to the Grand Bazaar with a class tour, I also went to the Spice market on this tour. I was able to purchase some Turkish Delights which were delicious of course. The Grand Bazaar was big and filled with people, a lot more than I expected. The shops themselves were a lot different than I expected as well because it looked more like an indoor mall than a Bazaar.
On the second day I was going to walk around the city and maybe make a reservation for a Hamam (Turkish Bath), but after I entered the Hamam the next thing I knew I was handing over my credit card to the people at the front desk and them handing me a little tile with some words on it and a scrubber. I did not know what to expect. I entered through the entrance to the women's side and I was handed this towel like thing and underwear that I put on. I was led then into a large circular room with a risen platform made of marble in the center this lady took my towel off laid it on the circular platform and told me to lay face down on it. I laid not knowing what to expect. She then used the scrubber and scrubbed me clean from head to toe. It felt great because it was like an exfoliating massage. After I went into a Jacuzzi and a warm water pool. All together I stayed for maybe 3 hours at the most.
The third day I took a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul, which was not very interesting, it was more of a spot to say that I was in Asia and that is all. Then I went to see Hagia Sofia which was really big and looked a lot like a Mosque, but it was a museum at the time. Then we went to the Blue Mosque which was closed at the time for prayer so I could not go inside.
On the fourth day I decided to stay on the boat and tan because in the early morning I had a boat tour of the Bosphorus which was really interesting and I was able to see a lot more than I expected. I saw a lot of palaces and universities and expensive homes.
On the fifth and final day I set out to see the inside of the Blue Mosque and it was big, but I was expecting it to be more spectacular. Although thinking about how the whole thing was hand painted was pretty cool.
So that is my 5 days in Istanbul... Can you count the extra things that I did and the things that I was able to check off of my list???
So they counted as:
1.Turkish Bath (Hamam)
2. Turkish Delights
3. Apple Tea
4. Nergali (shisha, hookah)
5. Blue Mosque
6. Hagia Sofia
7. Grand Bazaar
8......
9......Other things which I do not remember because I did not do them.....
10.....
So yes I did not complete the list of things to do in order to be like the people of Istanbul, but I did do some things that I didn't expect to do.
On my first day upon arrival I went to the Grand Bazaar with a class tour, I also went to the Spice market on this tour. I was able to purchase some Turkish Delights which were delicious of course. The Grand Bazaar was big and filled with people, a lot more than I expected. The shops themselves were a lot different than I expected as well because it looked more like an indoor mall than a Bazaar.
On the second day I was going to walk around the city and maybe make a reservation for a Hamam (Turkish Bath), but after I entered the Hamam the next thing I knew I was handing over my credit card to the people at the front desk and them handing me a little tile with some words on it and a scrubber. I did not know what to expect. I entered through the entrance to the women's side and I was handed this towel like thing and underwear that I put on. I was led then into a large circular room with a risen platform made of marble in the center this lady took my towel off laid it on the circular platform and told me to lay face down on it. I laid not knowing what to expect. She then used the scrubber and scrubbed me clean from head to toe. It felt great because it was like an exfoliating massage. After I went into a Jacuzzi and a warm water pool. All together I stayed for maybe 3 hours at the most.
The third day I took a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul, which was not very interesting, it was more of a spot to say that I was in Asia and that is all. Then I went to see Hagia Sofia which was really big and looked a lot like a Mosque, but it was a museum at the time. Then we went to the Blue Mosque which was closed at the time for prayer so I could not go inside.
On the fourth day I decided to stay on the boat and tan because in the early morning I had a boat tour of the Bosphorus which was really interesting and I was able to see a lot more than I expected. I saw a lot of palaces and universities and expensive homes.
On the fifth and final day I set out to see the inside of the Blue Mosque and it was big, but I was expecting it to be more spectacular. Although thinking about how the whole thing was hand painted was pretty cool.
So that is my 5 days in Istanbul... Can you count the extra things that I did and the things that I was able to check off of my list???
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