Turkish Delight, Part 2

(continued from previous post)

Next up, we went to the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Aside from the Museum Studies critique I have after living with Emily for a year, the museums were certainly very interesting. Highlights include:
An Egyptian mummy:

Imitating statues:

Headless Greek statues:

The discus-thrower from the Collection of the British Museum:

A Greek sarcophagus right next to an Egyptian one:

…and a museum of tiles with some surprising six-pointed stars (joking, of course).

Later that night, we went to a Turkish Dance performance that reminded me of Epcot. It was really interesting to see how they performed what appeared to be a mix of Russian-style group pieces with belly dancing, all to “traditional” Turkish music and instruments.

We began the next day with Topkapi Palace, a series of buildings; each more ornate than the next.



It also had some great views of the Bosphorus!



Here’s the entrance gate to the palace:

We also went into the Museum there that had part of Mohammed's beard, Abraham's saucepan, Moses's staff and Joseph's turban. They were in quite good condition, considering! Moses's staff was even labeled as being from the "13th Century BC." I kid you not. Pictures weren't allowed...what a shame.

Next was the Grand Bazaar!



After emerging from a seemingly endless array of corridors, colors, and bargaining salesmen, we found the (clearly) best store there:

We then went for a short jaunt at the Egyptian/Spice Bazaar, where we sampled Turkish Delight at almost every stand! Hello, lunch. I bought some of the honey variety and then we took a boat cruise on the Bosphorus.

Even with the clouds, we got some great views of the city: both the Asian and European sides!

Here’s some more of that juxtaposition:





Asia and Europe:

Some more of the Galata Tower. Who knew it was so tall?


Since it started raining, we experimented with taking the public bus system back to Taksim. Thanks to some asking around, it worked out just fine!
The next morning, we checked out the Dolmabahçe Palace, built to echo the Western aesthetic. It was also where Ataturk died. We even got to see the changing of the guard while we were waiting in line!

The old and the new, once again:

We then met up with Merav’s friend Rafi, who lives on the Asian side of Istanbul. He showed us some really cool views of the city at the different rooftop places we went for lunch and then coffee. (I also took the opportunity to ask him about Jewish life in Istanbul, of course.)



That night, as we were walking on Istiklal Street, looking for a place for dinner, we walked past a church which looked like it was getting ready for Easter Vigil services. I begged my friends to let me walk around a bit, so we did! It was obviously newer looking than the centuries-old buildings we’d been used to seeing, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and decorated for Easter.





On our last morning, Merav and I walked around Taksim Square and got to see the monument that had been under renovation throughout the weekend. The balloons are from a celebration of 165 years of the Turkish police.

After acknowledging the International Tulip Festival, I was able to (finally!) find Turk Cola, although it tasted just like regular store-brand cola. At least I found it!



And with that, I’m back in Haifa. Happy Passover, Happy Easter, and Happy Spring!