(1) It's Women's Day! (Apparently.) We stopped at the tourist information booth at the airport, and I was immediately presented with a bouquet of carnations and had my photograph taken with the whole crew of information-givers (note: several carnations were lost in transit... that's the price of public transportation).
It's currently unclear "Women's Day" is and how often it takes place, but it was a nice welcome. Of course, my initial reaction was "how much money are they going to ask for after I take the flowers?", but I figured that was less likely to happen inside an airport at an official tourist information booth.
(2) There are a lot of stray animals here. In doorways, in alleys, conked out in public spaces, or begging in the middle of busy streets. Some are really cute. Others make me wonder when I got my last rabies shot.
(3) There is a place called Batman, Turkey. Could this be where the Justice League meets?
Since our flight didn't land until 4:30 pm this afternoon, we caught the sunset and the gentle end-of-the-day hustle as we wound our way from the airport into the city on the tram. Neon signs sizzled on store fronts, pashminas tended by lounging men blanketed the sidewalks, and wind whipped around the massive historic landmarks that loomed over everything. A hazy call to prayer drifted through the tram windows, yet another reminder that we were far from home. We dropped our belongings off at our lovely little hotel, gently declined the owner's offers to send us to all his friends' restaurants for a "good deal!", and wandered the narrow cobblestone streets. We found a small shop that seemed authentic (at least by tourist-central-Old-City standards) and had (what else?) our first dinner of kebab. It was 100% a family-run restaurant, and I loved watching the different generations prepare the evening's bread. (They clearly did not enjoy being photographed quite as much.)
As we waited for our meal, the youngest boy ran out the front and returned minutes later brandishing a bouquet of fresh herbs wrapped in a twist of pink paper. As we sipped on freshly-squeezed juice and gulped down hot lamb and fresh bread, it really started to feel like our vacation had begun. Istanbul is full of new adventures, full of men advertising restaurants who want to be your best friend, full of good food, and full of who knows what else?
Admittedly, the city does seem a little bit grittier than last time I was here, but that is likely because I was whisked between tourist attractions on a bus with 80 other people. I'm excited to walk the small streets, haggle my way to some souvenirs, and learn more about the history of this beautiful city.
Spotted: Selfie sticks. The unfortunate reality of 2015 travel.
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