Istanbul not Constantinople

Finding my hostel was a task. I grabbed a cab at the airport and told him where I needed to go; however, it could never be as easy as simply arriving at my destination. Once we got to the Sultanahmet borough of Istanbul all of the traffic stopped and we weren’t going anywhere, so my cab driver hopped a curve and asked a police officer what was going on. “The president is dining in the area so all the roads are shut down for security reasons” As I sit there listening to the conversation draw on I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that things are about to get more complicated. My gut was right as the cab driver pulled away from the officer and parked on the side of the road and began to explain how I am going to have to walk…and how it wasn’t so far from here…and it should only take 15 to 20 minutes…all you have to do is walk up this hill make a right, then a right at the fork, walk through the bizarre, continue on your left until you see the Blue Mosque and follow it along the Palace wall down the hill and it’s on the second street on your right halfway down the street….What?! In a daze I grabbed my backpack and got out standing on the corner as he smiled and pointed for me to start walking…I kept repeating the long list of directions in my head trying to remember them as I walked along the winding, narrow streets. I was soon extremely lost. An hour a half later and after asking many people for directions I finally found my hostel!!

When I knew I was finally getting close to finding my hostel. Besides being breathtaking the Blue Mosque has never been a more welcoming sight!

As soon as I got to my room I met Monica, an amazing woman who was on her way back home after serving two and a half years in the Peace Corps, we immediately hit it off and began getting ready for a night out, swapping makeup tips and hair ideas (She also has extremely curly hair) and she even let me borrow a skirt for the evening allowing me to mix up my wardrobe a little bit! We spent an evening out on the town and even saw the president drive by us when we were outside of our hostel! He really was having dinner in Sultanahmet!

Taksim! The party, shopping, and dining district of Istanbul.

Me and the girls having a drink on a doorstep converted into a couch. A great girls night out!

Of course I am in the party district and should be out partying like a normal 23 year old, but instead I am taking pictures of Mosques that I find tucked into corners of Istanbul in the middle of the night. 

The next day I devoted all of my afternoon to exploring the rich religious history of Istanbul by visiting as many mosques as I could. I remember standing between the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque dressed in my flowy pants that reminded me of Jasmine from Aladdin, a shirt, a sweater, and a scarf over my head, which is really difficult to keep in place I discovered…I was melting in the afternoon heat when the speakers began to. I sat down in the middle of the plaza and listened to the prayers being sung. First the Aya Sophia’s speakers would ring out then the Blue Mosque would respond. The prayers and the respect I witnessed for Ramadan by tourists was beautiful; there was a religious tolerance present that I have never experienced before. As I sat there, in awe of the moment I was present in, I prayed to my God.

I was so excited to get in and see the inside of the Aya Sophia. I ended up sitting in there for over an hour listening to the prayers and soaking in as much of the Islamic tradition as I could.