Last day in Istanbul. A great one, but sad. I woke up around 930, Brent around 1230… so I had three hours to kill before I left the house. I did a little studying, finished up some emails, but most importantly – planned Athens! It actually all worked out okay.
When sleepy head finally got out of bed, we started by going to various places looking for a Jersey for Mahir. His favorite team is Arsenal, and he has been so good to me this week, I wanted to get him something for not only that but letting me stay at his place as well. Our task led us through 2 different malls, a handful of stores, and a few markets… until finally I was able to find an Arsenal Jersey with one of his favorite players on the back. I think it was successful!
Brent and I grabbed lunch at a little restaurant, for a grand total of 5.50TL… gotta love the prices here. It’s going to be a little different in Greece and Rome, unfortunately. After that, we decided to get the guy we will be staying with in Athens a present – Turkish Delight was the choice. I think he will enjoy it.
It was pretty late now, after we had searched for the Jersey, ate and got the Lokum (Turkish Delight). Mahir proposed we do a Mangal tonight (BBQ)! And Brent and I were more than happy to do just that. So we headed back, got to the house around 7. Mahir was already preparing the feast we were about to devour. His friend Mustafa picked us up and we drove around a while trying to find coal. He was a great guy as well, he teaches English+Turkish, very light hearted and friendly. Once we did that we drove about 20 minutes to the shore, right in front of the great Bosphorous Bridge; which was adorned with lights that change color every few minutes. That, and the view of the coast with all of Istanbul’s lights definitely was a sight to see. We started up the BBQ, it was about -500 degrees (40)… we had something called Sucuk, which is an absolutely delicious type of sausage that has some spices in it, cooked shiskabob style. This was put inside of large bread rolls with cucumber, tomato and peppers. One of my favorite meals I have had here. Helva and çay were for dessert. Helva is made from poppy sead and sugar, and comes out to be in a compacted bar form… really good… + the tea was great! Beautiful sights, good food and even better company, perfect way to say goodbye to Istanbul.
When we got back, Mahir pulled a box of special Turkish Delight out of the freezer to give to me. I am excited! I will try to save it until I get back to the states, if that is possible, is another question… It is so good. This worked out perfect, because I had wrapped up the Jersey and wrote a card before we left – so I said hold on, went and got it. He seemed to really appreciate the card and jersey! Which made me happy. It was the least I could do after all he had done for Brent and I throughout the week.
Turkey has been an amazing experience. If I had to look at the places I have been, there are three things I enjoy most – the culture, the sights, and the natural beauty. Out of all the places I have been, Turkey fulfilled these three more completely than any. The culture is just perfect, nearly everyone you talk to is a genuine person, the hospitality is unmatched by anyone. Every time you leave a conversation, it is with a smile on your face. I will truly miss this place and vibe. The sights were amazing as well, extremely old buildings, palaces and towers. Combined with breathtaking mosques and monuments. What a place. I can’t forget the nature, Buyak Ada is hands down my favorite get away spot. No cars..? Yes please, horses and bikes only. On top of this amazing island you could see as far as you could see. Lush forests, neighboring islands protruding through the ocean and rocky shores surrounding you… I could have lived up here. The best part of all of this is I got to spend a solid week with my brother, who I haven’t seen in ages, as well as met some very genuine people.
A Carpe Diem lifestyle at the moment, and I am loving it.
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