Mes Vacances en Turquie – Holiday in Istanbul

Two months exactly since I arrived in France and was greeted by my family in the Toulouse airport, I found myself back in that same airport for an incredible voyage to Istanbul, Turkey. 

My host father had business meetings in Istanbul, and since the French school system allows the students a two week break at the end of October, we decided to go early and explore the city together. 

We left from Toulouse, flew to Amsterdam, and then finally landed in Istanbul late on a Thursday night.  Eager to get some sleep, the only site we saw that day was our hotel bed, but that night was the only exception.

Istanbul is the capital of Turkey with a great blend of Asian and Middle Eastern culture.  Once part of the Ottoman Empire, there is a lot of Roman influence also, and many structures designed by the romans (such as aqueducts that supplied the city with water).  But now the city is of Islamic majority, so we visited a lot of mosques. 

One of the most famous mosques is Le Mosque Bleu (The Blue Mosque).  From the stained glass, to the turquoise tile, to the decorative carpet, the site of these mosques is outstanding.  The craftsmanship and design that went into these structures is incredible. 

I also got to witness the preparation for prayer, where a call for prayer is loudly sung over loudspeakers, and all participants reconvene in the mosque courtyard.  Here they wash their hands, feet, and face before entering the mosque.  And no shoes are allowed, one must leave them outside. 

When visiting and touring these buildings, I had to remove my shoes and place a scarf over my head since I am female. 

One of the buildings we toured was the Sophia Hagia Museum. This building was originally a Christian church; however it was converted into a mosque.  For this process all portraits of God had to be covered or replaced, since the Muslims never portray God through image, this was really interesting because they left all portraits of Jesus in place, however. 

My favorite part of Istanbul, however, was the Grand Bazaar.  This is a giant market where vendors lay out giant colorful displays of their products.  My personal favorite was the spice spreads and dried fruits.  The colors and freshness was unbelievable, and the whole scene was picturesque, like something out of a magazine.

In Istanbul, the people’s main goal is to sell, clothes, food, books, souvenirs, anything.  They are constantly showing you things and the majority of their products are on display outside of the shop, so that they catch the eye of passersby.

The food was amazing. Everything was so fresh and absolutely delicious.  The most common dish is the kabob, as the Turkish are very fond of putting any kind of meat on a stick and roasting it. There were also a lot of dishes with yogurt and dried fruits. 

And of course we had to have dessert.  Every day we would go on a search for baklavas – a rich pastry with an almond syrup mix and sometimes pistachios – which are outstanding, utterly delicious.  Whenever we stopped at a café or patisserie, I always wanted a baklava and apple tea.

We flew home to Toulouse last Tuesday.  Istanbul was quite an experience; it’s a unique and different world there, certainly not what I am used to in Toulouse or in Lansdale.  But I think the opportunity to visit these types of places is a real bonus of my exchange experience.  Everything seems so close when you are in France (except home).

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