Thursday we went to the famous Spice Market, which is quite small in comparison to the Grand Bazaar but I found it much more preferable. The scents of the exotic spices, herbs, and teas filled the pavilion and lured you into certain shops (if the Turkish men with funny english catch phrases did not). Looking at the various products made me appreciate the rich blend in culture that has shaped the Turkey. Obviously not all the spices were found in Turkey, but imported from various places around the world like India, Africa, Asia.
As Americans, I feel like we are isolated from other cultures not just geographically, but by choice. We think too highly of ourselves and are not open to what other cultures have to offer. Turkey and most other countries in Europe and Asia have integrated other traditions into their own making a true melting pot of values. For example, Chenk, our tour guide, discussed how the Europeans adapted European coffee from the Turkish coffee. The Austrians still import the Turkish tradition to this day and have incorporated it into their daily lives.
It's like in Aladdin when is taking Jasmine on a magic carpet and he sings of how he can open her eyes to a whole new world (my four year old niece asked me how he literally can open her eyes). Having a magic carpet or a perhaps a plane really opens your eyes to the world around you and discover new things and adventures.
I've studied the globe and understand the orientation of it, but actually being straddled between Europe and Asia made me realize the proximity of all these amazing civilizations. Greece is a boat ride away! For some reason that blows my mind. Maybe it's because I live in Texas and just getting out of the state takes forever, but in Europe each country and it's unique heritage is like Rhode Island to Connecticut.
Friday we took a train? or maybe an above ground metro? to Taksim Square, which is a popular place for locals to go. We had help from many Turkish people getting there because we clearly looked like lost, confused tourists. When we were on the subway, I guess you could call it ha, one of the locals overheard us trying to figure out which stop to go to and he explained that we had to get off at the next stop and switch trains in order to get to Kabatas (our stop to switch to the metro to get to the square). At first we were confused because the train clearly said that it lead to Kabatas, but when he lead us to the other side we realized that the train we were just on went backwards the way we came. Therefore, if we stayed on that train we would of headed straight back to our hotel! When we finally got to Kabatas we had to switch to an underground metro, but it was another 2 TL so we decided to walk up the steep slope up to the square. I really thought the stairs would never end, but when we finally reached the top locals were very friendly in pointing us in the direction of the square. I have found that most Turkish people are very friendly and helpful.
Taksim Square could kind of be compared to Times Square in New York. It seemed like the central hub of Istanbul. Lots of cool spots to eat and shop! It seemed more modern and contemporary compared to Sultanhamet, where we were staying. There was a modern mall and western stores like Nike, Adidas, and Gap. However, there were a lot of clothing brand stores that I have never heard of and assumed might of been a Turkish or perhaps a middle eastern clothing line? It was refreshing to go to the more contemporary side of Istanbul, because we have been studying all the ancient buildings and we forget that Istanbul is actually very modern and fast becoming a fashion capital of the world (which i learned in America's Next Top Model). I think I overheard too that some students study business here in Istanbul and it is becoming a better industrial city.
Our first stop in Taksim Square was Bambi Burgers, which was a Turkish fast food chain. I had the Islek Hamburger, which was a buttered burger bun with melted cheese and lamb meat covered with a marina tomato sauce! It was delicious! I would choose it over McDonalds anyday. I also had a lamb wrapped in a pita type bread but pressed like a panini. Oddly they put french fries within the sandwich. One of my fellow classmates, David, pointed at a specific sandwich but later realized he accidentally order a cow tongue sandwich! You soon realize the difficulty of the language barrier when coming to a foreign country.
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