Yo^3

This is a quick recap of my time since I last posted... going out in Taksim- which is on the European side- with some new friends, checking out a few mosques here and there, grabbing some grub and oh yea, teaching.

We went to go check out the shops along the major street on the Euro side one day and decided to meet up with another teacher that we had met before from Australia.  We were able to get a two others to tag along with us.  The bars that we go to are so awesome.  They are rooftop terraces overlooking the city.  The drinks are cheap and the music is always good.  So, we hang out there for a bit and then head out to this other bar... where we are absolutely the only people in there.  Granted, we did bring a crew of about 10, but still it was desolate in there until a few more groups came in. Anywho, if the view had not been sooooo amazing and beautiful:

....it would have made the 10YTL bottled beer a complete joke.  With that, we vowed to never go there again unless we just sit and take in the view.

We were able to entertain ourselves despite the amazing view that was just oh-so boring... COLOR ENHANCING PHOTOS!!! 

This is Dylan at his best.

We met this guy Kahn/Cohn/Cahn... who knows

he was visiting his cousin here in Istanbul from Australia...

lots of Aussies around

(another color enhancement)

...So here is the major street over in Taksim- Istkilal.  At night it is a completely different sight than the busy hub it is during the day...

So, one day we decided to check out the historic sights on the Euro side... yes, everything seems to be on the Euro side.  Anyway, we were walking around and this picture opportunity couldn't be passed up.

I mean- talk about old meets new!

Oh yes, those invisible trash cans I had mentioned before.  They are just so convenient, aren't they?!?

Anyway, so when the school days get rough we like to go out and relax with some of the other teachers over a beer... or two.   After hanging out with some others, we decided it was time to make the trek on home... and we def entertain ourselves along the way.

alrighty, so we took the ferry across to the Euro side and thought that we would find out where Beshiktas was... it was a little farther away from where we wanted to go- but check out the sights we got to see along our walk!

This is just sitting there between the road and the water. Who knows what it is or how old. It just sits there and looks pretty..

and this is another part... a beautiful clock tower right on the water. 

Ok, so here begins our tour of the mosques.  Below is the side view of the Hagia Sophia.  We decided to just walk around the area and take a gander at the mosques before we did a tour or payed to check out the inside. Apparently, you could get lost in one mosque for hours!

This is the famous Blue Mosque! I just loved this shot with the fountain in front of it.  Anyway, story goes that this used to be a Christian church and then when it became a Muslim mosque, the minarets were added.  That is why they are not attached, as they would be in a traditional mosque... learning a little bit of history while over here.

Here we are in front of the Blue Mosque.  

I'm not a tourist with my big camera and all... I swear!

HA! I just could not pass this up... please pay attention to the sign.

After walking around the mosques, we explored a bit of the city- called Sultanahmet.  This is just a shot of the area and the people.

Seriously, she looked like a giant next to these little old ladies! It was hilarious! The picture doesn't even do justice to the actuality...

Alright, this is inside the grounds of Topkapi Palace.  This is apparently where the sultan would live and the harem is supposed to be such an amazing bit of history and quite a sight.  I even heard that the bathroom is immaculate.  I guess the sultan needs extravagance even while doing his duty.  

This is a view of the front of the Palace.

...and us being us...

- if we cannot go inside the palace, we'll have fun outside of it-

So, that is just our week+ in a nutshell.

We went to one of our friend's places the other night to enjoy a few beers and dinner on his rooftop.  The views from so many places here are just amazing! 

Last night, we went to a Lenny Kravitz concert.  Our head teacher gave us the tickets for free and so we went to check it out.  It was such an amazing location... right on the water.  It was funny bc, you could tell he had no idea what to say- so a lot of the time he just yelled "Istanbul"! Tonight, we are going to our friend Marc's house.  We are gonna make some grub and just hang out.  He is a really cool guy and studying psychology right now.  So our convos get very interesting!

...and tomorrow, we are going to another friend's place to hang out at his pool and he is going to BBQ for us! I am so excited about that! He is from Hawai'i and claims he has the best terryaki sauce.  We'll see about that! 

Saturday, I do not have class until 3 and it is actually my last day with my Level 1.  We are going to all go to dinner after and they are taking me to some authentic Turkish restaurant.  I am very excited to check this out!

Sunday morning I am subbing for a friend who has his girlfriend visiting and then I have nothing going on until Monday morning.  Monday and Tuesday mornings I will have class and then nothing (as of now) until the next Monday morning.   My schedule will be a little light until I get some more classes assigned.  Then it is back to reality! 

We are hoping to plan a trip somewhere in the next few weeks... either Greece or some place in Turkey.  We want to take advantage of the weather and the time off we'll have.  

Alright, I think it is time I go, but rest assured- more posts will be soon to come.  

Check ya later!