For Thanksgiving, Turkey

This Thanksgiving break my good friend Elisa headed to Istanbul, Turkey to visit her fiance, Huseyin. Since I am living relatively "close" to Istanbul, and will be a bridesmaid in their wedding this summer, I decided to make my way over there too. The first couple of days I wandered around by myself to experience best the historic landmarks of Istanbul. Within these are the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. The Hagia Sophia is known world-wide, as it holds within it a historical mixture of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, of the Christian and the Muslim faiths. In 537, in the same spot where two churches stood before, the Hagia Sophia was built. For the next 900 years it stood as the center of Orthodox Christianity. In 1453 the city was conquered by the Ottomans and forcibly transformed into a Mosque. It served as Istanbul's mosque for 500 years. In 1935 it was converted into a museum. The Hagia Sophia was chosen a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, better known as Blue Mosque, is an absolutely stunning temple. It was built between 1609 and 1616, facing the Hagia Sophia. The minarets sound the "call to prayer" five times a day, reminding Muslims that it is time to pray. This can be heard throughout every crevice of Istanbul, as it is sent over loudspeakers all over the sprawling city.

At first it's quite an eery sound... the sensation can send chills up your spine. Yet, as you grow accustomed, it can be quite relaxing. Without noticing, you even do a bit of meditation as you listen and imagine thousands of people in the country praying in unison. 

Another world-famous site in Istanbul is the Basilica Cistern. It is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns worldwide, and it lies below the bustling streets of Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire. Throughout history it has provided water to important landmarks in the city such as the Stoa Basilica, the Palace of Constantinople and Topaki Palace. As you walk downstairs into the dark, dank chamber, you get a creeping feeling of claustrophobia... the sensation that there's no way out. At a back corner of the cistern lies the head of Medusa flipped on her side. Eek. Wouldn't wanna get trapped down there with her!
  

As for my trip apart from historical landmarks goes...

Almost every night I was there Huseyin took me out with his cousin Ekrem to smoke shisha from water pipes. The water pipe, referred to as a hookah in the United States, is a single or multi-stemmed pipe used for smoking a moist mixture of fruit and tobacco. Within the hookah the smoke is cooled and filtered by passing through water, making it smooth and pain-free to smoke. Hookah smoking originated in India and is popular all over the Middle East. It is a delicious treat that I really enjoy... especially in Turkey, where the pipes are made of brass, resulting in a tastier, smoother, smoking experience. My favorite flavor there was a mint/rose mix. During my time there I also learned how to play backgammon-- many cafes (and even my hostel) have backgammon sets lying around for use. I was utterly surprised to see the popularity of the game there. There wasn't one place lacking a board.

While in Istanbul I took Elisa and Huseyin's engagement pictures. We went to this super beautiful park near the port of the city, a park covered with tall trees and fall leaves. It was a cloudy, rainy day... perfect for taking engagement photos. While I was testing lighting, Huseyin took Elisa more than a few steps away from me and formally proposed! (Story goes, they had previously had a conversation where they agreed to marry each other, but up until this point, Elisa still didn't have a ring, and he still hadn't formally "popped the question.") I was quite honored to be right around the corner for the big moment and I, by a stroke of luck, caught the moment via my beloved Canon as best I could.

Elisa's parents arrived on Sunday afternoon and we went straight to Huseyin's family's house. We were warmly welcomed with an absolutely fabulous home-made Turkish meal, which consisted of a spicy meat dish, lentil soup, fried rice with rice noodles, salad and bread. We gorged oourselves (or, I did, at least) and then enjoyed a cup of Turkish coffee and language-barrier style conversation. Using Huseyin and laughter as interpreters, we got along just fine. Later that night we celebrated Huseyin and Elisa's engagement with a formal dinner. I spent the evening next to Huseyin's mom, brothers, and sister-in-law. As rounds and rounds of Turkish appetizers were served, it was a treat to watch Huseyin's mom and sister-in-law pick at the food and make gross faces as they tried it. Omer, Huseyin's English-speaking brother, let me know that they were well aware that they cook way better food than even the fanciest Turkish restaurant. And, considering his mom is officially the cook of the best meal I've eaten in my life- I'm not so surprised that restaurant food seems third tier in her book. After this trip I am a true believer in the power of laughter... laughter can cross any language and any border... I speak not one word of Turkish, nor does Huseyin's mom speak one word of English, but we had an extremely fulfilling conversation through that entire meal.

Now, for the final touch to my Turkey entry, a video of Huseyin proclaiming, "Holy moly!" at the market. When Huseyin asked me about how my Spanish life was going for me and how I enjoyed my apartment and roommates, obviously the "Holy moly" story had to come up. As consequence, the "Holy moly" proclamation is no longer only a Spanish-American phenomenon, as it now has a Turkish twist to it as well. Huseyin's brother Omer actually started referring to me as "Holy Moly" (instead of... you know... my real name... Molly) by the end of my visit. Silly!!

The world is pretty sweet.