It Feels Like a Dream

There are some places in the world that supersede every expectation you had for it. To be honest, I didn't have much of an expectation of Turkey. I knew that it was really important. I knew that Istanbul was one of the oldest and most historical places on the earth. But, I didn't know what to expect or what was waiting for us along the famous European/Asian line. 

We arrived in Istanbul 3 days ago, and our first night was spent recovering from the most horrific bus ride that Steven and I have EVER had. That says a lot, considering we have been on numerous Chinese sleeper trains and one, 2 day trek on a Chinese sleeper bus through the Gobi dessert and into Mongolia. We thought that that one was bad.... until we got on the bus in Sofia, Bulgaria. To be fair, that shouldn't have been a horrible ride; and, if we had gotten on the correct bus.... maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. However, Steven and I missed our first bus to Istanbul and had to purchase two more tickets to the only other bus leaving for Turkey that night. The bus from hell. 

After a horrific 5-6 hours on this bus, we finally got to the Turkish border. Once there, we realized that Americans need a visa to enter the country. Andddd you've got it right. I didn't have a visa. Rookie mistake. Lesson learned to always check my country's requirements for myself and not trust Steven's assessment. (He forgot that I was from America when he was checking visa requirements.) Between yells from the immigration officer (who spoke zero English), frustration from the bus stewardess who quickly became Steven's worst enemy, and yells from the PCR test check lady outside of the immigration building - it was a hectic 20 minutes of going to the quick visa office to get a visa, running to the nearest ATM with my 65 liter bag on my back to get euros to pay for the visa, and a distressed *ultimately successful* plea to the frustrated PCR lady to let me get my phone from Steven. I had both of our negative test results on my phone, and he was already through immigration so I couldn't get to him. 

After all of that chaos...we finally made it to Istanbul, only to be welcomed by a brief spike of more cortisol due to the fact that we didn't have a QR code from the ministry of health declaring that we could go anywhere and do anything in this city. According to the concierge at the Pera Palace, we needed that code or we wouldn't be able to do anything or go anywhere in this city. (cough cough, we've been here for 3 days and haven't needed it once.) 

Thankfully, it wasn't hard to get our codes, and we were soon fast asleep in the most comfortable bed I've been in since our stay at the Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur. There's something about a hotel bed that makes you want to spend all of your money in a hotel just for the good sleep. 

We refreshed ourselves and made our way to a pub for the England v. Denmark game, and despite our troubles making it into Istanbul.... we were quite quickly captivated by all that this city has to offer. As we all know, ENGLAND BROUGHT IT HOME by winning the semi-finals of the Euros, which I'm told is a big deal. I can't quite describe how thrilling the atmosphere of football fans can be when they are watching a game that means this much to them. But, after almost 4 years of Steven priming me to be a football fan and promising me that there is nothing like a good, pub, football game.. I can say that I 100% understand what he means now. It. was. magical. 

We left our luxurious hotel the next day and took a cab to our abode for the next 4 weeks. It's a part of Istanbul that is still relatively untouched by tourism; although if you take one look at the pastel colored buildings and dozens of cafes that line the streets, you know that it won't be long before this part of of the city becomes the next "bohemian quarter". I don't know much about the history - that's Steven's MO - but I'll blip again and let you know all of the glorious facts about this stunning part of Istanbul.

The area that we are staying in is called Balat, and after 2 full days of being here, I already know that these next 4 weeks will be one to remember for the rest of my life. Istanbul is already one of my favorite cities, and we have yet to discover what it has to offer. 

So, what am I most excited about? Tasting all of the Turkish food, learning more about the history of Istanbul (old Constantinople), and sitting in cafes, like I am right now, watching the city teeter on by. 

There's something quite special about this moment. I'm sitting in a cafe with Steven,  writing this entry and looking at the veg and fruit market that we will inevitably visit every day. I'm watching kids running through the streets yelling and playing, women (some with hijabs and some without) grabbing fruit and veg for tonight's dinner, and old men sitting and talking shit at the cafe that they spend hours in every day. I didn't intend to sit here and contemplate just how lucky I am, but sometimes, the moment takes you. Today, it did just that.