Everything Else

I'm going to try and wrap everything up into one last post, covering the things I did in my last few weeks. There may be posts after that, though, focusing more on my feelings about Turkey and Turkish culture. For now though, here are some pictures!

I spent one days at the ginormous Istanbul Archaeology Museum. It was full of all sorts of ancient items and sarcophagi, including that of Alexander the Great:

There were so many ancient statues and columns and tablets- it was quite overwhelming. You can walk around that place for hours! Some of the statues are incredibly beautiful and well-preserved.

 

I'm very glad I set aside the time to go, as it's certainly one of the best museums I've ever been to. On that same weekend, a friend of mine from work took me on a tour of the Asian side of Istanbul. Though generally more residential than the European side, it still has some neat places to hang out and some beautiful views. The ferry over the Bosphorus gives some nice shots of the old area of the city:

We walked around the downtown Kadiköy area first, then headed over to Moda, which is full of rich people and a really pretty seaside walk:

For dinner we had some totally delicious mussels. Mussels are quite popular in Turkey and are often sold on the street. I was always far too nervous to eat shellfish from a random street vendor, so sitting down in a reputable place was a great way to try them.

Apart from those trips, I also went to the Grand Bazaar, which is one of those required places for tourists to go.

 

It was huge and hectic, and I honestly didn't enjoy it very much. I'm glad I went, just so I can say that I did, but I very much prefer the smaller-scale weekly bazaars held in neighborhoods throughout the city. 

In the Grand Bazaar, everyone is constantly barking at you (in English) and telling you ridiculous prices that have to be heavily haggled down. After about an hour of wandering the many little streets, I was more than ready to leave. 

On weekend days where I didn't want to sight-see, I would often spend some time wandering around Istiklal Street in Taksim:

And occasionally, on rainy days, I would spend the day at home, taking advantage of the variety of food you can have delivered. One day I decided to try this monstrosity:

 

That is a Mega Mac. It's a double Big Mac, and it's only available in certain countries. Yes, it's disgusting (but delicious if you like Big Macs, which I unfortunately do). 

On my last night, my wonderful host mother cooked a huge meal of all of my favorite foods. My host family was truly wonderful. I'm so glad things worked out the way they did- living with them really enhanced my stay in Turkey. I'll miss them!

That's all for now. Check back for more thoughts about my stay in general, and some links to albums when I eventually put things on Facebook.