Turkey is everything I wanted it to be. I don't think in all my travels that I have been more excited than I was coming into the country from Munich, and with all I've experienced since then it has only gotten better. The apartment and, more specifically the view, is perfect. The minarets and domes of Sultanahmet are amazing- I don't think I have ever seen a more incredible skyline than that. Going through the mosques and hearing and seeing Muslims at prayer and the calls to prayer was an intense experience in and of itself. The area is touristy and people can be nagging in their approaches at trying to convince you to buy something or eat somewhere - one guy persisted in asking me where I'm from, saying "you Japan?" , "you Greece", and "you Korea". I said no each time. I just can't believe I'm here.
I had an interesting conversation with Kevin and Zoe as we took a break from walking through the Istiklal street close to the apartment about national Turkish identity. From what we talked about, it seems like we're going to have some really interesting discussions throughout this trip.
Here are some pictures from the first couple of days:
The view from the airplane. (Click on the pictures to see a full resolution version)
The view from the apartment.
Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque at night:
Inside the Blue Mosque
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