i love this place.

I truly had a wonderful time this week! I had the whole week off, as it turned out because my family was gone, and I did not complain! With my second half of the week I went to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Istanbul Modern art museum,  Taksim Square and Gezi Park (site of the protests), and the part of Istanbul called  Beşiktaş. I love sight-seeing so much! I learn lots, meet such interesting people, and feel so adventurous... If I could do it for a living I totally would (:

Some funny stories:

I received free teas at three different restaurants by waiters who said it was "on them" in two days while sight-seeing alone. One was from a Canadian woman who moved to Istanbul somewhat on a whim with her brother and has been living there two years running a restaurant (she was an inspiration to me, we talked for quite some time!). Another free tea and some free Turkish delight were from a sweet older Turkish man in a little cafe that looked a bit sketchy but I found because it had good reviews on Trip Advisor. And finally, I was in this a neighborhood and saw on my map there was a nearby street with tons of restaurants that I decided to walk to. Well it turned out to not be near at all and all up a VERY steep hill! Ha! I was determined though and even though I only passed a few people going down I continued on up. By the time I reached the street I was parched, super sweaty, and tired. I saw this nice looking restaurant and thought it was a cafe. I went in and the servers seemed amused and intrigued by me, clearly a tourist, showing up in such a state. I sat and they were surprised all I wanted was tea... it turns out it was a fish restaurant! Ha! They ended up bringing me like 4 cups of tea and my waiter who didn't really speak any English brought me a wet cloth which I assumed was for my sweaty face... and he told me the tea was on him.

So here are some pictures from the Archaeology Museum. It's really famous, supposed to be really impressive, and it was, but just really not my thing I guess, though I wish I enjoyed it more. :)

Some Egyptian cat statues

 

Some sweet ancient mosaics

Cuneiform writing on a slab

Ridiculously gigantic rock relief from the late Hittite period, 8th century BC

The Alexander Sarcophagus, 4th century BC

Freaky eagle-headed man. I suppose he's probably a god or something.

Mini doll-like statues that can sit on shelves. Oh, cool. They were found in a shipwreck exhibition.

"Tiled kiosk" - used to be a building in the courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, a site I visited another day.

So the use of peacocks in decorations is not a new trend. (I remember from the Vatican that peacocks are a symbol of immortality because their bodies take a long time to decay)

The kiosk had some remarkable pottery inside.

I don't actually know what the function of this was. It said something like "wall inlet".

No pictures were allowed in the Istanbul Modern, but I just thought I should say that I LOVED it. I have tended to think ignorantly in the past that abstract modern art is somewhat ridiculous and with little meaning, but the art here totally refuted that belief. The art held all kinds of symbolism or historic significance; there were many pieces there I found to be quite incredible. It also included showings of various types of documentaries/short films, including one I really enjoyed about the injustices and oppressions faced by a Muslim woman. There was also a section that should've been rated X which I didn't enjoy, and a photography exhibit which I really liked.

Statue in the middle of Taksim Square

I walked by Gezi Park, where the protests took place, and it was taped off to the public with lots and lots of cops sitting inside on benches.

I was confused because some of the people sitting in there looked like everyday people, but when I asked Mrs. Bengu she said there are a lot of cops in Istanbul who do not wear uniforms in order to blend in with the general public, so you never know when a policeman is in your midst.

I met  and talked with a guy for awhile who was a protester in Taksim and Gezi Park. He was proud to have been part of truly making history in this way. He talked about how cops threw gas bombs at him (and everyone) and how he and they would throw them back. When their eyes were really burning they would go in apartments or something nearby and treat them with lemon and milk(?), then head back out and do it all again. He also told me that when they weren't being chased by cops the park became (I don't know what you'd call it) like a free communal market. People brought food, clothing, and really anything to the park and anyone who wanted to could take the items for free. It was so interesting to hear about it first-hand from someone who was there and is passionate about what these protests are all about, which is complex but basically because the Prime Minister is very conservative and is making laws according to his beliefs without doing so in a democratic way.

I walked to this palace, Cirragan Palace, when I was in Besiktas, but it's now a hotel not open to tourists. So I just took pictures of the outside, ha

Transitioning back into an actual routine and caring for Ella again will be an adjustment, but I am SO thankful for this week - it has enabled me to see a lot of Istanbul and hopefully come to a much fuller understanding of the culture and history here. I love this place.