I jinxed it. =(
So, you remember how I was saying the weather was bad even though it hadn't rained? Well, it rained. And it was horrible. But I refused to let the weather stop me seeing awesome things in Istanbul, so my sneakers are drying in my room as I write this and I am wearing my shower flip flops and really wanting another warm shower. So I will keep this short.
I woke up this morning and had a short and awkward breakfast with the Iraqi guy, who I think was waiting for me to go up so he could follow and sit with me. I read the entire time, I don't think he got the hint because he kept talking and then asked to go out together. Shocker, I said no and left. He drew another nude picture today that he showed me when I got back to the dorm this evening. I told him I didn't like it. He wants me to take a picture when I leave as a symbol of our 'friendship.' I said no to that too, and I'm really glad I'm leaving tomorrow.
Anyway, once I'd hurried out of the hostel earlier than usual, I dropped of my laundry at the cleaner's and headed for a very wet Dolmabahce Palace. The palace was built for the Sultan at the end of the 19th century as a testament to the continuity of Ottoman power, which was actually declining, so it's actually just a giant exercise in showing off. It was actually really cool to see where the diplomats entered and walked and were received, as well as where Ataturk stayed and later died in the palace after the birth of the Turkish Republic.
Dolmabahce was by far the strictest sight I've visited so far. Not only were we not allowed to take pictures, but we weren't allowed in the palace unaccompanied. As such, I saw the palace and the attached harem as part of a sixty person guided tour. It was a bit rushed and crowded, but the information was good and there was enough beauty in the palace that missing some of it probably wasn't too bad in the grand scheme of things. At any rate, it was certainly better than being outside.
The grounds included a few attractions in addition to the palace. I walked over to the painting museum first, but they wanted to charge me extra for admission, so I skipped that and moved on to the clock museum, because... clocks. I don't need to tell you all how much I enjoyed that, soggy as I already was at the time. Then there was an aviary and a glass pavilion and just a lot of pomp and circumstance. It might have been fun to take pictures of, but it was far too cold, so you'll just have to accept no pictures.
My original plan following Dolmabache was to wander the streets of Ortakoy and Beyoglu, some of the trendy districts of the city where the locals hang out. For obvious reasons, I quickly decided that was off the table for today, but the Istanbul Modern art museum that one of the hostel employees had recommended was nearby, and I decided hey, at least it was inside. Besides, according to the same employee the museum also had an amazing cafe overlooking the Bosphorus, and I was starting to get very hungry.
The cafe was pretty nice, and as a tourist destination I had been prepared to pay a little more, but I had not been prepared for just how much more. It was a bit more like a four star restaurant than a cafe. Regardless, at least my museum ticket was discounted because I'm still claiming to be a student, and in the grand scheme of things the visit was probably worth what I paid in total. Did you know the Istanbul Modern was selected as Europe's Best Museum last year? I haven't been to every museum in Europe, but this was certainly a good one. Sometimes I forget how much I like modern art until I see it again.
There was only one low point at the museum, but because it was combined with a high point I'll forgive it. Towards the end of my visit I passed an instant coffee machine selling cups for fifty cents, and right about then a cup of coffee, even instant, sounded spectacular. So I bought one and kept walking. Not three minutes later, and maybe two hundred feet from the machine and around a corner, I hear a shout down the corridor. "No!" I looked up to see an panicked female security guard rushing towards me waving her arms. By the time she reached me, it was immediately apparent what was the problem.
"No in museum," she insisted, pointing at my cup. I just sort of gaped. When I got my wits back I explained, in what I thought was pretty decent Turkish, that I'd bought the coffee in the museum. "No in museum," she repeated. So I tried again, telling her about the machine and pointing around the corner. She just kept shaking her head, and finally pointed towards the door. "Out."
Now, there was no way I was going back outside, but clearly I was not allowed to have the coffee I bought in the museum inside the museum either. So I just shrugged and nodded, and headed back around the corner out of her line of sight. She seemed satisfied at seeing me go, and I drank the rest of my cup stationed right next to the coffee machine lest anyone else try to tell me I wasn't allowed to have it in the museum. It was a bit bizarre, but she was nice enough about the entire affair. I'm sure she was just following the rules.
As nice as the museum was, I did have to leave eventually. The rain had lightened up a bit at least, if not stopped altogether. Since my feet were still wet and I had my umbrella, I figured I might as well walk and get the exercise. It gave me a chance to buy some of the roasted chestnuts I'd been eyeing all week from one of the numerous street vendors, if not explore much because it was still freezing. That led me to picking up my laundry, heading back to the hostel, meeting a few people who'd just moved in for the weekend, and sitting down to answer the plethora of emails and Facebook messages that flooded my inbox today.
The weather's not supposed to be great tomorrow, but it's also not supposed to rain, so I'm hoping to do some exploring in the morning before my airport shuttle picks me up. I'm sure I'll keep you all updated either way!
So, you remember how I was saying the weather was bad even though it hadn't rained? Well, it rained. And it was horrible. But I refused to let the weather stop me seeing awesome things in Istanbul, so my sneakers are drying in my room as I write this and I am wearing my shower flip flops and really wanting another warm shower. So I will keep this short.
I woke up this morning and had a short and awkward breakfast with the Iraqi guy, who I think was waiting for me to go up so he could follow and sit with me. I read the entire time, I don't think he got the hint because he kept talking and then asked to go out together. Shocker, I said no and left. He drew another nude picture today that he showed me when I got back to the dorm this evening. I told him I didn't like it. He wants me to take a picture when I leave as a symbol of our 'friendship.' I said no to that too, and I'm really glad I'm leaving tomorrow.
Anyway, once I'd hurried out of the hostel earlier than usual, I dropped of my laundry at the cleaner's and headed for a very wet Dolmabahce Palace. The palace was built for the Sultan at the end of the 19th century as a testament to the continuity of Ottoman power, which was actually declining, so it's actually just a giant exercise in showing off. It was actually really cool to see where the diplomats entered and walked and were received, as well as where Ataturk stayed and later died in the palace after the birth of the Turkish Republic.
Dolmabahce was by far the strictest sight I've visited so far. Not only were we not allowed to take pictures, but we weren't allowed in the palace unaccompanied. As such, I saw the palace and the attached harem as part of a sixty person guided tour. It was a bit rushed and crowded, but the information was good and there was enough beauty in the palace that missing some of it probably wasn't too bad in the grand scheme of things. At any rate, it was certainly better than being outside.
The grounds included a few attractions in addition to the palace. I walked over to the painting museum first, but they wanted to charge me extra for admission, so I skipped that and moved on to the clock museum, because... clocks. I don't need to tell you all how much I enjoyed that, soggy as I already was at the time. Then there was an aviary and a glass pavilion and just a lot of pomp and circumstance. It might have been fun to take pictures of, but it was far too cold, so you'll just have to accept no pictures.
My original plan following Dolmabache was to wander the streets of Ortakoy and Beyoglu, some of the trendy districts of the city where the locals hang out. For obvious reasons, I quickly decided that was off the table for today, but the Istanbul Modern art museum that one of the hostel employees had recommended was nearby, and I decided hey, at least it was inside. Besides, according to the same employee the museum also had an amazing cafe overlooking the Bosphorus, and I was starting to get very hungry.
The cafe was pretty nice, and as a tourist destination I had been prepared to pay a little more, but I had not been prepared for just how much more. It was a bit more like a four star restaurant than a cafe. Regardless, at least my museum ticket was discounted because I'm still claiming to be a student, and in the grand scheme of things the visit was probably worth what I paid in total. Did you know the Istanbul Modern was selected as Europe's Best Museum last year? I haven't been to every museum in Europe, but this was certainly a good one. Sometimes I forget how much I like modern art until I see it again.
There was only one low point at the museum, but because it was combined with a high point I'll forgive it. Towards the end of my visit I passed an instant coffee machine selling cups for fifty cents, and right about then a cup of coffee, even instant, sounded spectacular. So I bought one and kept walking. Not three minutes later, and maybe two hundred feet from the machine and around a corner, I hear a shout down the corridor. "No!" I looked up to see an panicked female security guard rushing towards me waving her arms. By the time she reached me, it was immediately apparent what was the problem.
"No in museum," she insisted, pointing at my cup. I just sort of gaped. When I got my wits back I explained, in what I thought was pretty decent Turkish, that I'd bought the coffee in the museum. "No in museum," she repeated. So I tried again, telling her about the machine and pointing around the corner. She just kept shaking her head, and finally pointed towards the door. "Out."
Now, there was no way I was going back outside, but clearly I was not allowed to have the coffee I bought in the museum inside the museum either. So I just shrugged and nodded, and headed back around the corner out of her line of sight. She seemed satisfied at seeing me go, and I drank the rest of my cup stationed right next to the coffee machine lest anyone else try to tell me I wasn't allowed to have it in the museum. It was a bit bizarre, but she was nice enough about the entire affair. I'm sure she was just following the rules.
As nice as the museum was, I did have to leave eventually. The rain had lightened up a bit at least, if not stopped altogether. Since my feet were still wet and I had my umbrella, I figured I might as well walk and get the exercise. It gave me a chance to buy some of the roasted chestnuts I'd been eyeing all week from one of the numerous street vendors, if not explore much because it was still freezing. That led me to picking up my laundry, heading back to the hostel, meeting a few people who'd just moved in for the weekend, and sitting down to answer the plethora of emails and Facebook messages that flooded my inbox today.
The weather's not supposed to be great tomorrow, but it's also not supposed to rain, so I'm hoping to do some exploring in the morning before my airport shuttle picks me up. I'm sure I'll keep you all updated either way!
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