Whelp, today's weather was absolutely awful. It was chucking down rain all day long and at times, it was super windy. Like, knock you over, prevent you from walking in a straight line, umbrella-bending windy. Yet, there were millions of people all over the place. There was a huge line at the Topkapi Palace so instead I wandered the streets for a little while until I found a boreka place (they make pastries stuffed with cheese- and I had been craving one all morning) and then headed over to the Arasta Bazaar, which is much smaller than the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar but also with less calling you over to a store. It was a long block but the goods seemed a lot more legitimate than at the Grand Bazaar- and a lot higher quality. Right in the middle of the Arasta Bazaar is the Mosaic Museum. The Grand cuts through what was one a palace and the floor is still quite intact (although there has been a long, on-going restoration project). The mosaics are incredibly detailed and not at all religious- at least not Christian based. There are examples of Greco-Roman myths, scenes of everyday life, reflections of the animal kingdom, and much more. It was very "Roman", especially compared to what I saw yesterday at the Chora church. It was a much appreciated way to get out of the rain for 30 mins.
The blue Mosque was about to close for mid-day prayers, so I went to the Turkish and Islamic Arts museum, mostly to keep staying out of the rain. The museum was sectioned off by dynasty and mainly had examples of carpets, Qurans, and religious objects, including pieces of Muhammad's beard. Yep, for real. The museum was very nice and some of the Qurans were just gorgeous but I'm not sure if it lived up to my expectations. Although I'm not sure what my expectations were. Maybe more than just religious items? More everyday items, looking at what life is like in Turkey over the course of the dynasties and the caliphates. But again, it was a good way to get out of the rain.
The line for the blue Mosque was around the block practically when I got out so I decided to come back on my return day and a half in Istanbul. My hostel is near the area and I could make sure to get there early enough to see it right when it opens to visitors. Instead I stood on line to see the Underground Cistern. There were at least 8 different men hawking ear muffs, plastic rain jumpers, and umbrellas. Any temptation to buy an umbrella went out the door by seeing how many broken umbrellas were laying next to trash cans around town. Clearly they don't last long. The underground cistern was pretty cool. It was built by the emperor Justinian and looks like an underground palace because of the massive columns that support it. Because of its size, it's able to hold 100,000 tons of water. Two of the columns have large Medusa heads used as plinths. It's not entirely known why this was done but they're pretty incredible. The place seemed mysterious and because of the rain, water dripped in huge drops onto the floor and into the water which was swimming with monstrous fish. There were a ton of people and I would love to see what it's like down there with less people.
I wandered around a little longer and then took the tram up to Istiklal Street and wandered through some of the back alleys and the hidden markets until I got to the Pera Museum again. I had so enjoyed the silence and the serenity of the cafe the day before than I got another cup of tea and a piece of cake and was free to sit and read for about an hour without anyone bothering it. It was perfect. I actually could take my two layers of coats off and relax for a little while. When I finally left, I grabbed some dinner at a kebap place to take home with me. Already there were men on the street selling glow sticks and LED light glasses, preparing the street for New Years Eve, even though it's supposed to still rain and be cold at midnight.
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I held out til midnight and at about a quarter til, went down to Istiklal Street. It was very busy and police lined the streets. There were a lot of big groups of people hustling up and down the street and the atmosphere seemed more like a bunch of intense fans heading to a soccer match than people celebrating the new year. Compared to Barcelona two years ago, it felt much more gritty and tense. At times, random chants would break out and there was a lot of hooting and hollering. I pretended to be on my phone so I wouldn't be bothered. Up towards Taksim Square, it started to logjam, so I turned around and walked back down the street. A few minutes later, I heard people counting down in Turkish and looked up just in time to hear them get to zero and see some fireworks right in between the two sides of the street. I know that they shoot fireworks off the Bosphoros Bridges but I didn't know if they would with the rain and the fog. I don't know if these were sanctioned or not but they were beautiful. I stuck around for a few more minutes and then headed home- I just didn't feel totally comfortable out on my own. And the ratio of men to women on the street was pretty high. I can still hear parties in the street though and I'm glad people are having a good time.
Mutlu Yillar!
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