Istanbul

 It was only a two hour flight from Rome, but it when I landed I felt like I was much further away from my comfort zone.  First of all, this city is immense. About 13 million people. There is the Asian side and the European side. Most of the action is on the European side and once your there the city splits again into the "Old City" and "New City." I found a hostel in a great location of the Old City section of town. The highlights was the rooftop bar that looked out onto the water and 5 Turkish Lira kebabs that were awesome.  (The exchange rate works out pretty well too. Basically 1€ for every 2TL. Finally a place where the exchange rate works out in my favor)!
Istanbul has an incredible history.  How many places can say they were the capital of three different empires? Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman. There are a number of great things to see in the city (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, ride down the Bosphorous, the underground cisterns) but the most visible landmarks around the city are without a doubt the mosques. They are everywhere. I stayed in an area right by the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, so I was able to get a close up tour of some of the most famous ones.  I’ve never been too familiar with Muslim culture or customs so it was pretty interesting to see it firsthand.  The inside of the Blue Mosque is wide open and fully carpeted for praying. It is called the blue mosque because of the detailed blue tiles that cover the interior.  The pillars on the inside are gigantic.  They reminded me of the great sequoias at Sequoia National Park...just massive. Just across the way is the Hagia Sophia. The two face each other in kind of a standoff looking like they are trying to intimidate each other. Hagia Sophia is now a museum, but it is pretty incredible that it’s still in such good shape considering that it is 1500 years old. The dome was built 1000 years before the dome on St. Peters Basilica!

Of course, whenever I travel I try to experience as much of the nightlife as I can. The Istanbul nightlife centers around the area of town called Taxim. The energy in the streets was awesome. They really like to party out there. Unfortunately, the music played in some of the clubs was less than stellar. Some of the popular beats in the clubs in Istanbul included the Ghostbusters theme song and Vanilla Ice. (Still, the most memorable club music was played one night while I was in Austria. They put on the theme to Baywatch...and the crowd went crazy. They all knew the words. I guess David Hasselhoff’s incredible fame is still growing!).

After my late night on Sat, I decided to check out one of the Turkish bath houses the next morning for some relaxation.  This particular bath house was built in the 1540’s and the traditions haven’t changed very much in 500 years. I didn't really know what I was doing when I got in there, and I'm sure it showed.  Some random guy (who I later found out worked there because he demanded a tip for his help) led me to the wash room for the first part of the experience. After changing into just a towel, I was led to the main room. The room itself is beautiful.  It's made of nothing but marble with intricate fountains carved into the walls. After laying down on the huge warm marble slab in the center, they begin to wash you.  First they scrub you down with a exfoliating mitt. They lather you up and dump buckets of water all over you to wash it off. Once the cleaning is over, you head to another room for a full body oil massage.  I was spoiled for years at the OTC where I would receive multiple massages a week while I was training.  Getting a massage every once and a while is always relaxing, but it makes me long for the days when I got them whenever I wanted.
When the massage is over you don’t have to leave. You can head back to the first room which also acts kind of like a sauna. Relax and stay as long as you like. This is an absolute must if you are ever in Istanbul. Cultural experience, relaxation, and the prices are not bad either.

On my last day I had a few hours to kill, so I went to the Grand Bazaar. It’s more of a maze than it is an actual shopping center. Seemingly endless hallways selling slight variations of the same things. I’m glad I had a chance to check it out, but I wasn’t in the market for a Turkish rug or pointy-toed silk slippers, so I came away without buying anything. To be honest, I was just glad I was able to find my way out.

Istanbul was like no other city I have visited so far. It was just the kind of cultural experience I was hoping to get when I decided to make this trip. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite city, but it was definitely a place I would recommend seeing...especially if you like history.