Turkey - Part 2

Yawyaw, dis be ye man mr. Henriksen comin' at you with part deux of Krogerups amazing Turkey adventure. Since most of the stuff we have planned will be covered in great detail by the rest of the adventurers (e.g. Jeppe and Lasses posts) this'll be my own thoughts about some of the things that we've seen. Since my memory is comparable to that of a goldfish this will be in no particular order.

First things first, we're back in Istanbul after 4/5 days in Van, a city located some 1500 km east of Istanbul, in the very eastern part of Turkey. The city is perhaps best known for the Van cat, a cat that supposedly swims very well and, most notably, has two eyes of different color. (as the sharpminded reader might have guessed, Van isn't exactly the 2nd Istanbul of Turkey. Tourism is neigh zero and the area is poor compared to the western part of the country)
Van was unquesionably a good addition to the program as it showed us the social, cultural and economical differences of Turkey. 8 year old boys running around with the latest and greatest of weighing equipment, trying to persuade you into measuring just how unhealthy you've been in the last few weeks and making a few lira in the process, speaks of an everyday quite unlike the one we'd gotten used to in Istanbul. (As far as I know noone dared weighing themselves: our strict 4-doner-a-day-diet has taken its toll on our BMI-values)

Also included in our Van stay was a trip to Akdamar island, located in lake Van, a very large lake that has given name to both the city and the province. Akdamar island is only reachable by ferry, and not a very comfortable one, but the hassle is definitely worth it: Akdamar island rivals the Grand Canyon as the most beatiful place I have ever been, and this was in rainy weather. The area and the nature is absolutely indescribable, it has to be seen, preferrably with ones own eyes. Check this link: There is also a church on the island, more than a thousand years old and the epicentre of quite a struggle, which I'll leave to this designated blogger to describe in greater detail.

In Van we also saw Ararat mountain, were Noahs ark supposedly marooned (In a world were God has flooded everything, how can you hit a mountain? Noah must've been a pretty awful sailer..) and quite a few million dollars have been spent trying to find said boat (Would republicans label this wasteful government spending? I would..), a 60m deep meteor crater and spoke to Iranian asylum seekers. Especially the talk with the Iranians was an eyeopener in many ways. The described the horrors of the theocratic regime and how the lack of individual, press and religous freedoms hurt the population.

Before leaving Istanbul we also had a touristy day, were a guide took us through Hagia Sophia, Sultanahmet/The Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Hagia Sophia and Topkapi palace deserve further elaboration, so here goes. (Sultanahmet Mosque is awesome, but not as much as the other two)
Hagia Sophia is a 1500 year old church that still has the 4th largest dome in the world. Enough said. 1500 years ago Danes were living in mud huts and could hardly be called a people, much less a civilization, which makes Hagia Sophia so much more impressive for Danes. This building was a church for a thousand years, then a mosque for 400 and finally made a museum by Ataturk in the 1920s. The interior is hence a mishmash of islamist and christian religous stuff, making it that much more interesting. ('Theres Maria and Jay-boy.. and there's the names of Mohammads earliest followers')
Topkapi palaced has already been covered by Anemone, but in Danish so I'll do a brief description in English. Absolutely jawdropping. Done. ... OK. As the seat of Ottoman rulers for close to 400 years, Topkapi is really a palace taken out of most fairytales. If you've ever played Prince of Persia, you'll know what I'm talking about. Many rooms, many gardens and many, many treasures. Amongst the treasures stored here are Mohammads footprints, Moses' walking stick and Ibrahim/Abrahams turban... and a throne made of pure gold, a dagger with 3 coin sized jewels on it and 2 light holders sporting 6666 diamonds total. Nifty. The palace is huge and occupies the most expensive lot of land in all of Istanbul - the view over the Bosphorus offered from the eastern ledge of the palace is numero ono - making it all the more impressive. A must see if you're ever going to Istanbul.

Last night we went to experience the fabled night life of Taksim, but the weather and overall tiredness made the night end early for me. Still, I got an overall feel for the place, which is huge, filled with energetic and outgoing people and a very nice to place to hang out. Grab a beer, a hookah, a drink or a prostitute: Taksim has it all.

Also, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually starting to get sick and tired of Kebab. 11 days with an average 3 a day really gets to you. Maybe it's better in the long run, if I can finally get rid of a bad habit. (to those worrying about my calory intake, this is not completely without merit, but do note that Turkish kebab is more healthy that it's danish counterpart. They're smaller, cointain less meat and more vegetables and they do not use dressing. By no means a healthy snack, but not absolutely terrible either)

This was just some of the stuff we've been up to. Hope you enjoyed reading it.
- (This time neither drunk, nor high)Hans