Yesterday after we finally got out of the house, we had a pretty good time sightseeing. We went to the Sultanahmet area again and walked around looking for the other cisterns. I thought there were two, and the second one was on the map, right--there--but there wasn't anything actually--there--so we had a questionable cheese and egg sandwich, some simit and Special for Tourist water (oh, and some chestnuts too), and then walked to the other cisterns. Maria loved it as much as I did. She spent quite a while admiring the fish swimming around under the walkways, and was excited at the opportunity to wear her new coat and be my twin. She was delighted with the Medusa heads, although she admitted they weren't quite what she had expected.
Maria at the Basilica Cisterns
Medusa head, leftovers from the Greeks, used by the Romans...Those guys knew how to recycle!
Rose and Medusa
Maria and Medusa, BFFs (forever)
Maria at the Column of Tears
Rose at the column of tears
After the cisterns we headed back to Taksim where we met up with some CELTA classmates for a final group potluck. We enjoyed some delicious Indian food and homemade pasta courtesy of Shiv and James. We decided to leave before it got too late, but due to a suicide at the metro, it was closed and we had to take two buses home. James threw us off the bus at Besiktas and told us to quick, hop on that bus--a bus line I had never seen before--and since it was leaving right then, I didn't question him until after we boarded. Since it was nearly 11:00, I hoped I would recognize something and not end up taking a taxi halfway across town. As it turned out, we got out at a stop I didn't recognize, but as soon as I was off the bus, I realized we were a couple blocks from home, and we got back without further incident.
Today I woke up early, looked at a map and decided to go to Rumeli Hasari http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumeli_Hisar%C4%B1 instead of the Archaeology Museum because I was tired of going through Taksim every single day. There is a nice walking path that goes along the Bosphorus, so we strolled down the hill from our house and along that for a few miles. We stopped at a beautiful little park where Maria played for a while, then continued on. We walked under one of Istanbul's two main bridges (which cross the Bosphorus). We really enjoyed the view along the water line, with trees across the way and beautiful old houses lining the streets, and the cool breeze. Interesting sights of note today included a garbage can advertising "Barf" brand cat food and a gentleman wearing no pants.
Rose on the Bosphorus
Maria on the Bosphorus
As we walked along, I unexpectedly saw the sign for the Rumeli thingy, so we trekked up the very incredibly unbelievably steep hill past a lovely cemetery, some lovely houses with lovely security fences, a lovely bus...sweating all the time and wondering how long my knees would hold out and how in the world one can be expected to actually climb that thing without gravity sucking one back to the foot of the hill. When we reached the top, surrounded by security fencing obstructing the lovely view of the Bosphorus and bridge, we encountered a nice, polite little sign informing visitors that the museum is currently closed for renovations. We trudged back down the hill and caught a bus to Besiktas and home, arriving before dark for once.
I skillfully cooked a delicious soup, which Maria condescended to eat for her dinner along with some bread. And now, for a nice, relaxing evening in which no trudging up hills happens.
Thanks for reading.
This is me, signing off...
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