We visited the neighborhood of Bebek, which was very fancy and had some beautiful architecture and is apparently home to lots of the famous singers and actors of Turkey. We had a waffle, apparently the waffles from that area are famous, which was delicious and then walked to a different neighborhood, Ortaköy. We walked along the Bosphorus all the way and it was very beautiful. In Ortaköy, we wandered and did a little shopping while I enjoyed the views and tried to stay warm.
You can see that the weather wasn't great but walking by the water was still so pretty and I liked looking at all the different boats anchored on the shore.
The cute (and very colorful) houses of Bebek.
With the Bosphorus Brodge behind me. I am standing in Europe and you can see Asia on the other side of the bridge. Pretty cool!
There was a store in Bebek selling all kinds of American foods. There were Pop Tarts and Fruit Loops in the window, so naturally I had to take a photo.
We visited the Grand Bazaar and the smaller but equally as crowded Egyptian Bazaar. The inside of the bazaar was so beautiful and there were signs along the roof telling different pieces of history about the building. It looked exactly like all the pictures and I loved walking around, although we didn't stay long because of how crowded it was, the danger of pickpockets, and the fact that it was physically impossible for me to walk two steps without having multiple shop owners yelling, "Hey lady! How are you?" Which leads to a note for anyone who plans to visit Istanbul and especially any of the bazaars. I highly suggest going because it was very cool, but be aware it is not going to be a peaceful shopping experience. It is the way of Turkish shopkeepers to follow you around and yell at you to come in their shop, and if you look at all foreign, they will be especially aggressive. My advice is don't make eye contact and if you don't want to look at their stuff, keep moving. After the bazaars, we went down to the water and enjoyed a fish sandwich while watching the birds fly around and boats go by.
Not a good picture because I was trying to keep moving while taking it, but you can see how pretty the building of the Grand Bazaar is.
More from walking through the Grand Bazaar.
Down by the water. There were seagulls everywhere!
Me and my host sister.
We visited the Galata Kulesi, one of the oldest towers in the world and one of the highest points in Istanbul, providing a wonderful view of the city. I read some history there, but I forgot most of it. I know that it was built in 1348 and was used by the various groups (Romans, Ottomans, etc.) through the years. It has been restored and parts have been fixed numerous times throughout history, but much of it is still the original. The view from the top was amazing and because we went at night, the city lights provided a different kind of beauty.
The view from the top.
We visited Boğaziçi University, which is one of the best universities in Turkey and also has exchange programs with many of the universities in the US, so who knows, maybe I will end up back here again and to study there for a bit. The campus was gorgeous and looked a lot like most U.S. campuses and it was nice to walk around.
Some of the buildings at the university.
A view from campus. That's Asia on the other side.
Another view.
We visited Taksim Square two different times. It was so interesting to walk around a place that held so much history, especially more recent history with all the protests that have taken place there recently. We walked around and shopped some, taking in the architecture and all the beauty. Every few minutes, the famous red trolley would go through the square, ringing it's bell to get everyone off the tracks.
Please ignore the random man in this photo but it was very crowded, so this was bound to happen.
The Main Street of Taksim. Lots of pretty, very old buildings.
We went across the Bosphorus to visit the Asian side of Istanbul for awhile. It honestly didn't even feel like we were in Istanbul anymore once we reached the other side, because it was much calmer. Walking along by the water of the Marmaris sea was very calming and I enjoyed it a lot. We took the ferry across the first time which provided some very beautiful views and then took the bus over the Bosphorus bridge on the way back, so I've now travelled from Europe to Asia and Asia to Europe in two different ways.
Dolmabahçe Castle where Atatürk lived up until his death.
Another view from the ferry.
I saw my first movie since August which was very fun. My host sister and I got Krispy Kreme doughnuts before, I felt so very american again, which were delicious. The movie theater was very small and all the chairs were extremely comfortable. There was also a little intermission in the middle of the movie for people to go to the bathroom, etc. We saw Johnny Depp's new movie Mortdecia which I really enjoyed and thought was very funny. I think I mostly enjoyed it being in English so I could actually understand it all.
As the title of the post suggests, there were a lot of foreigners there, which I loved because I wasn't the only one who didn't belong for once. It was fun to be sitting on a bus, hearing 3 or 4 different languages around you. I was also very proud whenever I could figure out that people weren't speaking Turkish. I searched for Americans the whole trip, but never found any, although I did meet a very nice Canadian couple.
In between all the going out, we hung out with my host grandmother and my host mom's brother and his family. I played Monopoly (in Turkish). I was proud. I really loved getting to know my host mom's side of the family more and spend some time with them.
I had so much fun on my first time in Istanbul and I can't wait until I go back on a trip with my school in May. I would encourage everyone to visit Istanbul if they have the chance because it was a truly amazing place!
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