Cornucopia

As I continue to research and read about Turkey and Istanbul, I'm constantly being drawn to more resources. The newest is a magazine called Cornucopia which is dedicated specifically to anything Turkish.  They only release three issues per year, so I am not going to subscribe considering I'm hoping to go to Istanbul in just a couple of months. But you can order old issues, which I thought might be fun. So I was just browsing through them when I found one titled, "The Connosseur's Guide to Istanbul."  It  was printed in 2004, so a bit outdated, but I thought I'd order it just to check it out.  However, imagine my surprise to find out that this one particular edition costs....wait for it...$796!!!!!!  HOLY CRAP!

So basically, I can read this edition or I can actually GO to Istanbul. Think I'll stick with the trip.

:-)

Ancient History

Ancient History. I'm a sucker for the really old stuff.  Of particular interest to me with this trip is the history of the Hittites, whose empire was strong between the 18th-12th century BCE.  The Hittes are mentioned in the Bible, supposedly Abraham purchased a cave from them, though it's possible that the writers of the Biblical story of Abraham borrowed the name "Hittite" from their current history as it's debatable that there were Hittites in Canaan during the time of Abraham. Regardless, it is true that the Hittites and the Egyptians had a lot of dealings with one another back in the day and there's a ton of history that comes from their conflicts/relations.  For example, the very first known Peace Treaty in the history of the world was written between the Egypitans and the Hittites.  Luckily for me, it's in Istanbul at the Archaeology Museum, so I'll get to see it there! 

I'm pretty excited about the museum in Istanbul, but it looks like there is a museum that has an even larger collection of Hittite artifacts in Ankara, Turkey's capital.   I'm thinking about the possibility of stopping at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations on my way to Cappadoccia.  Maybe just one or two days in Ankara? Certainly it sounds like it would be a good introduction before going to Cappadoccia, which was a major settlement of the Hittites.



A random piece of history for you:  The Hittites were well known for being charioteers. In fact, they were very likely the first to utilize charriots during war!  They utilized their mechanical skills to improve the charriot and made it possible to carry 3 people as opposed to only 2. 

Oh the Things I'll do!

There are 3 million things to do in Istanbul. I'm going to start a running list of the things that sound interesting to me.  This way I can sift through them later and pick the ones that are MUST do and things that are MAYBE do.

• Topkapi Palace- location of the head of the Ottoman Empire for over 300 years.  Supposedly should take at least .5-1 day for this.
• Church of the St. Saviour in Chora (Chora Church)- a Byzantine Christian church with mosaics and frescoes that were amazingly preserved despite the Ottoman take-over
• Ferry across the Bosphorus - Don't take a cruise, they are more expensive and not any better than the commuter ferries
• Chill out under the Galata Bridge - watch the boats, go to tea houses and restaurants
• Hagia Sophia
• Walk the Theodosius Walls 
• Dolmabahse Palace
• Hamam - find one the locals go to, they are cheaper and more authentic. Drink lots of water!
• See the Whirling Dervishes - This site looks interesting.  Do some more research though.
• Visit Princes Island
• Archaeology Museum
• The Blue Mosque
• The Grand Bazaar
• The Egyptian Spice Bazaar
• Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent - 16th century
• Istiklal Street- pedestrian only street full of shopping and restaurants
• Underground Cistern
• Hagia Irene
• Galata Tower

Flights

To make my whole trip a bit cheaper but a also more complicated, I'm going to split the flight up a bit. I have air miles on Southwest so I'll get a round trip flight for free within the US. The plan is to utilize this to get to Chicago or NYC and then fly from there on an airline that can get me to Istanbul. I'm not sure how this will work as far as transferring my luggage- I think I should be able to check it all the way through (I hope), but I am going to have to look into that.

On the search for cheap flights, there are a couple of airlines that have direct flights to Istanbul: Delta, United Airlines, KLM, and Turkish Airlines.  I did a quick search based on the approximate date I'm planning and it looks like United Airlines is the cheapest flying out of NYC.

So here is the plan:
Portland to NYC via Southwest air miles
NYC to Istanbul via United Airlines
then
Istanbul to NYC via United Airlines
NYC to Portland via Southwest air miles

Any other ideas out there?  I'd rather not have too many stops...obviously!

Now, the really big issue. I can't sleep sitting up. It makes flying difficult and it's been a while since I've been on a flight that is this long.  Any suggestions on how to sleep while flying?  I found this gem in my own searches:  "How to Sleep on a Plane."

Enjoy!

Istanbul Lodging

There are at least 34 Hostels in Istanbul.  I've narrowed it down to 4 possibilities for myself.

In an attempt to narrow the selection down, I started by cutting them down based on location.  I really want to stay in the Old Town area because that's where most of the history that I am interested in is.  This eliminated 17 possibilities.

The next thing I did was narrow down based on how much information was available online. Did the hostel have a website? Was the website at all helpful or did it just refer me to hostel.com or some other booking site?  What amenities are offered?  I was surprised at how much this narrowed the selection down.  I was then at 6 selection!   I cut two out based on price (they were much more expensive than the other 4, but didn't necessarily look any better.  So here's what I am left with:

Nobel Hostel - 4 bed dorm
Orient Hostel - 4 bed dorm
Cordial House Hostel - 8 bed dorm (females only) - Unsure of free breakfast?
Sultan Hostel - mixed dorm (didn't specify bed #)

I'm leaning towards the Nobel Hostel or The Orient Hostel.

Your thoughts?

Technology or no?

I just found out that Apple is going to be announcing a new iPad that is smaller than the original but bigger than a cell phone.  This brings up a conundrum for me.  Do I utilize technology on this trip or not?

This wasn't a big question when I lived in N. Ireland. Yes, cell phones were in existence, but they weren't "Smart" and basically if I wanted information, I had to go to an internet library or ask *gasp* a person!

The pros of an ipad are immense.  I could easily update my family and friends of my trip. Historical information and maps would be at the tip of my fingertips.  I could download walking tours, calculate currency, and find transportation easier.

The cons of the ipad, while not as numerous, are still important to consider.  Using technology may mean that I lose the immense sense of adventure.  Basically, the question is: how can I find myself if I don't first get lost?

What are your opinions?

Spirituality

Tonight at yoga, the teacher came over to help me with a stretch that just wasn't happening.  After she helped me at least get slightly comfortable in the pose, I wanted to cry because I felt really stuck, not flexible, unmoved.  It made me want to go away to a beautiful island and spend a month learning yoga and focusing every day on deep stretching and finding peace with my body.  It dawned on me that many people who go on yoga retreats go not just for the physical peace they find, but for the spiritual peace. I found myself suddenly wanting that.  It made me wonder what I could do to make my trip to Turkey a more spiritually based journey.

As I will be going to a place ripe with the history of Islam, it seems fitting for me to learn more about the Muslim faith.  I don't know that much about the Spiritual practice of Muslims.  What are their prayers? I know they pray ritually 5 time a day, but what are they saying and thinking?  What about spiritual meals or community gatherings?  What is it like to attend a Mosque?

I think it would be best for me to explore some of these questions here in Portland, but I wonder if I shouldn't bring it with me to Istanbul?  Should I wake up every morning at sunrise for the first prayer of the day?  What other ways can I learn more about the spiritual practices of Muslim while I'm in Turkey?  It's in writing this that I realize I know so very little about one of the great faiths of our world.