One of the things I hoped to do during this trip was to go someplace random that I had never before considered going. When my friend Blake told me he was planning to visit Romania and the Ukraine this summer, I thought ‘yeah, that will do it’. Blake was traveling with three more of our friends from Dallas–his wife Cheryl, her sister Carrie, and our friend Michael. We met up in Bucharest and on a dark and rainy afternoon, drove through the Carpathian Mountains and into Transylvania.
The mountain village where we stayed, Sinaia, is a ski resort in the winter. While we were there it was cool and misty, the air was clean, and we had views of the pine-and-fog-covered mountain tops. We visited four castles in the area, including one that is “quite possibly” the former home of Vlad the Impaler (aka, Count Dracula). After leaving the mountains we spent a day in Bucharest, finishing with dinner at the city’s oldest beer hall and then hanging out with the owner of our hotel who served us shots of pálinka (a lip-burning 80-proof fruit brandy) and brined-and-smoked pork fat.
View of the Carpathian Mountains from Cantacuzino Castle
Peles Castle
Bran Castle, “quite possibly” the home of Count Dracula himself
The gang at Caru’ cu Bere, Bucharest
After Bucharest, the ladies flew home while Blake, Michael, and I continued to Istanbul. This is a place I had long imagined visiting–a city that spans two continents, former capital of the Roman empire, and home to sultans, sheiks, and their exotic traditions.
In summary, it lived up to expectations in a major way. In just three days, we saw a lot: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, the Chora Church, the Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Market.
At the Palace, home of Ottoman sultans, we saw the collection of priceless gifts received from European emperors–jewelery, thrones, weapons, and solid gold candlesticks. We also heard about ways of the Sultans: killing their brothers upon ascension, keeping a harem of eligible bachelorettes, training orphaned slaves to become their trusted advisers, and secretly listening in on parliamentary meetings (ringing a gong out of nowhere to adjourn its meetings when decisions displeased him).
The public square between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is among the most beautiful and moving places I have ever been. Standing between two monumental houses of worship, surrounded by crepe myrtles, recognizing that people have been walking the same streets for hundreds of years–it makes me feel like part of the world. While Hagia Sophia is now purely a museum, the Blue Mosque is still in service and the call to prayer rings out from its tinny loudspeakers five times a day.
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia Interior
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka The Blue Mosque
At both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar the richness of the offerings is amazing. Endless variations on hanging lamps, rugs, and pottery, piles of colorful and aromatic spices and tea.
Bright Lights at the Grand Bazaar
Mountains of Flavor at the Spice Bazaar
We were also lucky enough to meet up with my friend Ercan (a fellow student at our Spanish school in Buenos Aires) who lives in Istanbul. He took us out to the Taksim Square district where we had excellent Ottoman cuisine for dinner and watched a football match featuring local obsession Galatasaray on the terrace of a 4-story bar.
In between all the sites, we made stops for kebabs, hummus, diesel-strength Turkish coffee, a hookah pipe, Turkish Delight, and tiny cups of tea. I feel like there is still much more to see in Istanbul, and plenty of things to enjoy seeing again, so I am happy that I will be returning for another visit in September.
Turkish Delight
Afternoon Tea
