Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey is a country with an amazingly rich cultural and natural heritage. Instead of arriving in Istanbul at 9:30 pm on Wednesday evening, my flight landed at 4:00 am on Thursday morning. The flight was unable to land as scheduled due to a ferocious storm and after circling for hours whilst running low on fuel, we were diverted to Ankara. Finally got clearance to land back in Istanbul and once there, I got ripped off by the taxi driver who charged me twice what the typical fare should have been to my hotel. Istanbul is a beautiful, fascinating, and diverse city at the crossroads of East and West as it is the only city straddling two continents. The city teems with 12 million people and the constant traffic jams are indicative of the congestion. I spent far too little time at the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) which is one of the oldest and largest closed bazaars in the world and is enclosed within a huge labyrinth of 70 twisting streets crammed with more than 4000 shops and restaurants selling leather goods, rugs, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, spices and sweet fruit/nut concoctions called Turkish Delights. Built in 1461, the bazaar grew by covering an increasingly large area of shops and streets with roofs, arches and domes, and it became the centre of trading during the Ottoman period. Caravans of silk traders traditionally stayed here and rested their camels while selling their merchandise. Alas, I was hundreds of years too late to see any camels resting there. After business meetings on Thursday, we went to a post dusk Ramadan "too extraordinary to describe" feast at the Swiss Hotel where a number of us were staying. Another unforgettable experience in a magical city.My Saturday morning was filled by a traditional and unforgettable boat excursion along the Bosphorus. The curling strait separates Asia from Europe and connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. Starting out from Eminonu one can see the Grand Church - Hagia Sophia, spires of the Blue Mosque and fortresses. On the sea shore edge of a park stands the famous Ciragan Palace refurbished in 1874 by Sultan Abdulaziz, and now restored as a luxury hotel and billed as one of the world's most expensive places to spend a night. The Bosphorus Bridge, claims status as one of the world's largest suspension bridges and is a juxtapostion with Istanbul's traditional architecture. I was perfectly content to see the bridge from a distance far below and not have to drive over it!
In the afternoon following the cruise, I went to the Spice Market, a sensory delight that cannot be adequately described by mere words. Mounds of pungent spices, dried fruits and nuts were in abundance within a market that was established during the late 1500's. It was an amazing experience and not one I will soon forget. Knitting knows no language bounds and I encountered a few knitters absorbed in the art at outdoor markets and parks. This woman was using painfully long needles to knit a scarf in an intricate stitch pattern. I suspect Addi Turbo circular knitting needles have not found their way to Turkey yet! An intelligent, vivacious colleague, Pinar picked me up and took me on a tour of Ortakoy which is a popular area for restaurants, nightclubs and architecture. We had delicious baked potatoes topped with cheese, peas, corn, cous cous and several other unidentifiable ingredients. A table featuring hand knitted baby sweaters and creative, decorated baby booties was just one of many showing handcrafted goods at a weekend bazaar in the neighborhood. 33 hours later I was back home in Seattle. Always good to go, always better to get home.