I LOVE ISTANBUL. SO MUCH. SOSOSOSO MUCH. The stereotypes are all true: there are THAT many stray cats here. The mosques are beautiful, and you can’t turn a corner without running into another one. The ice cream? Mind blowing. The walkability and public transit? Perfect.
After landing in Istanbul, we encountered yet another obstacle: the airport shuttle apparently did not exist. Not to fear–we managed to cram fourteen people and 28 checked bags into two taxis. Don’t ask me how.
Turkish Airlines set us up at a frankly far too nice hotel, but we were anxious to get out and explore. After even more setbacks with international ATMs (yes, they will eat your debit card) and metro passes, we finally made our way downtown.
The group (post-metro)
The Grand Bazaar was all it was cracked up to be–between the spices, turkish delights, and pottery, I befriended a kitten that Caroline and I dubbed Typhoid. Rabies (the stray cat at the Olduvai camp) will be forever in our hearts, but it was nice to pet a cat and not fear infectious disease. Our group was mistaken by one vendor for a family, who (I’ve heard) was reasonably impressed that Dr. Solomon wrangled that many children.
Caroline and I doting on Typhoid
We had our final dinner after walking over to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. I’m sure you’ve gotten sick of me saying it by now, but it was a bittersweet goodbye. The food was good, the company was better.
After dinner, we managed another amazing feat in transportation–fourteen people in one cab. The driver, who was of questionable state of mind, gave our group one glance, looked back to Dr. Solomon, and stated, “For you Scott? We can fit.” And thus began the most memorable taxi ride of my life.
The next morning, we walked the streets of Istanbul in a search for Turkish coffee, crooning to stray cats and browsing small markets on our way. By the time it was time to leave for the airport, we had all fallen in love with the city.
One of our friends from this morning’s walk
It wouldn’t be a story about our travel if there wasn’t one last setback. Though the three taxis taking us back to the Istanbul Airport allowed us a little more breathing room, once we got to the airport we faced not one, not two, not three, but FOUR rounds of security. Luckily, our flight was delayed a few hours– just long enough to have my first Big Mac and McDonald’s Sprite. True American, right here.
Missing my cat at home, Rabies, Typhoid, and all of the street cats of Istanbul,
Rose
