Istanbul

I highly recommend this city. It's significantly different - in history, culture, and other aspects - from other European cities so it's well worth a visit. As you know, Istanbul, or formerly Constantinople, was the capital of the Byzantine Empire so in that sense, it's comparable to Rome. However, it has little of the grandeur or the I-know-I'm-the-shit attitude of the Italian cities I visited (granted, I didn't see Rome). It has more of the feel of India, of Mexico, of a rough-and-tumble Third World city still adjusting and re-making itself. Certainly the history isn't lacking, but there's a distinct feeling that you're leaving Europe and approaching the Middle East. Sorry I know this description is bordering on racism, but I think it's the only way to capture the city's atmosphere in words.

To its credit, Istanbul's food was great from the Turkish rice to baklava to the kebab (for which my meat-eating friends can vouch). Make sure you try apple tea and Turkish delight as well. I was joking with my friends, they could put Turkish in front of anything and I would pay twice the price just for the novelty. Granted, the Turkish rice is legitimately different than rice, but just an observation.

The Hagia Sophia, the first stop on a tourist visit of Istanbul. This building, now a museum, is the quintessential example of this city's unique history. Consecrated in 360 as the cathedral for Constantinople, the capital city for the Eastern Roman Empire, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople. In 1935, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum, for which you have to pay 20 euros to enter today.

A note about Istanbul. Even though it's outside the EU, it's not as cheap as you might think. Many prices, especially in the tourist areas, are listed in both Turkish liras (TL) and euros, automatically making them more expensive. Turkey has wanted to enter the EU for decades, but owing to its history and culture, as exemplified in the Hagia Sophia, many Europeans have been weary of this prospect. However, this weariness doesn't stop the Turks from charging much higher prices in euros, at least in Istanbul.

The interior of the Hagia Sophia. The dome structure is a captivating sight. The Catholic mosaics, which were covered up by the Muslims and damaged when they were covered, are noteworthy. The painting of Archangel Gabriel, on the ceiling at the front of the church, is above the mihrab, which is a niche in a mosque wall pointing towards Mecca. Another interesting juxtaposition to see how Gabriel could be incorporated into both religions. Check out the Wish Column, where you rub your thumb in this hole and hopefully feel water as you make your wish. As you can tell, there's plenty to see in the Hagia Sophia, although there aren't as many plaques or readings as you'd expect in a mosque. In fact, I was hoping for more readings to understand the various juxtapositions of religious artifacts.

The Blue Mosque, which is still functional as a mosque today. Tourists have a separate entrance where you must take off your shoes and carry them with you in a bag. In comparison to the Hagia Sophia, the mosque is very minimalist. It has similarly impressive domes and wall patterning, but little of the grand furniture, artwork, interior doors, etc. that characterize cathedrals. I think it's the first mosque I've entered, but it clearly reminded me of my temple, and I felt quite at home.

Women are supposed to cover all parts of their body when they enter the mosque. I've heard that, according to Muslim tradition, hair is considered the most attractive part of the body, which is why women are supposed to wear the hijab. Many female tourists adhered to these rules, but several blatantly flaunted them, which I found highly disrespectful. Places of worship should be treated differently than other tourist attractions. Whether it be mosque or cathedral, some people waltz in, flashing their camera at every piece of artwork, marching through with little regard to sound, not giving the slightest regard for those in prayer. Whether or not you're personally offended by the secondary position of women, it is part of the respect owed to the mosque. If you're ideologically offended enough to flaunt the rules, then protest by not visiting.

A piece of artwork in the Archeological Museum. This complex holds three museums that you can enter for 10 euros, which I recommend. The nearby palace costs 15 euros and is also a sight to see, according to my friends, but I spent all my time in the museums.

The tile museum has interesting pieces and doesn't take too long to complete. The art museum, where this picture was taken, was bland in my opinion. It did have art from over 2000 years ago, which is interesting, but 2000 years ago vs. 3000 years ago doesn't mean much in my head. I stopped caring how old the art was and got a bit bored, which says more about my shallowness than the quality of the museum, but still.

The history museum was overwhelming, but I liked it. There were so many exhibits on four floors that I couldn't possibly get through all of them. However, you learn a ridiculous amount about Turkish history and the various influences that the culture has absorbed. You won't be able to find similar information anywhere else, unless you open a textbook on Turkish history. I recommend spending the majority of your time in the complex in this museum.

One place I doubt you want to go. No, thankfully, we didn't stay here, but I saw this sign on the street.

Gate 1 to the Grand Bazaar, which encompasses 4,000 shops and 66 little streets within its covered structure. A major tourist trap, but you have to check it out. The best part is the negotiating. In Istanbul, you can haggle absolutely anything, from merchandise to food to probably hotel rooms (I don't think we tried this one in earnest). The first couple shops you go to, you have to tell yourself that you're going to leave without buying anything, just to get a feel for the haggling. That's your major asset - the ability to leave at any point in the haggling. Once you start walking away, most shop owners will tail you for a few steps, agree to a much lower price, or offer you multiple objects. Especially in the Grand Bazaar, there's probably 20 shops with the same object so a good haggle is if you get it at 40% - 50% of the original price. Obviously, the shop owners calculate this haggling into their pricing so it's your loss if you don't do it. A few owners were legitimately angry at us as they sold us the item at a reduced price. At first, you feel bad, but then you realize you must have gotten a good deal and they would've never sold it to you if they didn't make at least some sort of profit so it's a satisfying feeling.

A shop in the Spice Bazaar. I absolutely loved this sign. Either it shows how valuable Obama is as a commercial figure, even halfway across the world, or it shows how many American tourists come to the Spice Bazaar. If you want to buy saffron or other spices for your mom, this bazaar is the place to go.

The man in this shop propositioned the one girl who was in our group, something which happened multiple times when we went shopping. However, the upside of the propositions is that girls can swing a better deal for whatever they buy, as long as they don't get intimidated by the owners' negotiating tactics.

An amulet meant to protect you against the evil eye. You see it all over from earrings to postcards to graffiti since the Turkish are supposed to be very superstitious. Once the amulet breaks, it means that it has protected you against one instance of the evil eye and that you much instantly buy a new one for similar protection. Interestingly, this amulet is known as Nazar, according to Wikipedia. I'm not sure how the word is pronounced, but it's the same word for vision in Gujarati.

Apparently a gang sign we kept seeing as we walked home from Taksim. Not sure what it means or which gang it belongs to, but I thought it was interesting.

Taksim is the student, nightlife area of Istanbul. There's a main street that runs from Taksim square, which surprisingly had Christmas lights and Santa Clauses running above the streets in April. Like I've hinted, the religious dynamic is interesting. Although a secular state, Turkey allows the Muslim call to prayer to blare from the mosque's minarets five times a day. After all, 99% of its population is Muslim. For me, it's mind-boggling how you balance a secular state, a 99% Muslim population, and Christmas lights in one of the main streets in Istanbul.

The Bosphorus River, separating Europe from Asia. There is a bridge where you can walk from one continent to the other. We didn't actually walk across the bridge, but we crossed it in a van on our way to/from the airport. We took a six-hour boat ride on the Bosphorus, available from near Sirkeci, for 20 euros. It was a relaxing way to spend our last day, but you can skip it if you're pressed for time.

The boat ride took us to a hill with picturesque views of the Bosphorus and Asia. Atop the hill/cliff, I especially liked this picture due to the Turkish flag. There's a ruined castle behind me, but you couldn't get into it. However, one of my friends found a stray cat in the fields here. Apparently there's lots of small cats and big dogs walking around Istanbul. At another point in our trip, we saw a stray cat whose tail was freshly chopped off, as in you could see the bright red of the blood on the stub, but we quickly left it to avoid any trouble. Quite gruesome, but otherwise the cats are fine.

I definitely had an enjoyable time in Istanbul and would love to explore other parts of Turkey. Most people don't take too kindly to the fact that you only speak English, but I suppose it's just another part of the social/cultural fabric that I could barely explain to you if asked.