Istanbul… the raging ’bul
Another all night bus trip, this time with food poisoning. Enough said. Amen for charcoal tablets. From this point on, very little traditional Turkish food was consumed and we stuck to the tried and true gourmet cuisine provided by McDonald’s. Incidentally, the Maccas in Turkey still use polystyrene burger boxes – yet another reason they haven’t made it into the EU!
The first night was spent at what we later learned to be the most expensive club in town – the equivalent of A$29 for a vodka and coke. Two drinks later, we decided it was unsustainable and called it a night. Next morning was an early rise as went to Gallipoli for the day. Nice work booking a private tour for six, which cost just as much as all the other mass produced cattle style tours. Having a rather pathetic knowledge of Australian history, it was a pretty informative and emotional day. Definitely a must do for any Aussie visiting Turkey.
Istanbul signalled a brief intermission in the superficial tour of Europe, as we went to see the Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, the basilica cistern and both the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. The Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque were most impressive. I mean, to produce architecture of that detail and size in those days always blows my mind. However, the Grand Bazaar was a bit disappointing as I was hoping to partake in a spending frenzy, but instead was confronted with the world’s largest collection of fake luxury goods.
Finally, retail satisfaction was achieved in Istanbul when I purchased a flaming yellow limited edition Adidas Mr Happy track jacket. However, much criticism as to the implied sexuality of the jacket and the fact that the issue was hardly exclusive with 25,000 produced have somewhat tarnished the acquisition. But what do I care, it’s hot!
The rest of our time in Istanbul was spent playing arsehole (or big two or one of the other aliases you may know the card game by) as we all tried to give our bowels a break from the onslaught of kebabs. Unfortunately, no money was wagered on this friendly game, otherwise I would be sitting on a small fortune at the moment.
Finally, the 4th September was a sad day as I departed the touring group and headed back to reality and civilization.
Another all night bus trip, this time with food poisoning. Enough said. Amen for charcoal tablets. From this point on, very little traditional Turkish food was consumed and we stuck to the tried and true gourmet cuisine provided by McDonald’s. Incidentally, the Maccas in Turkey still use polystyrene burger boxes – yet another reason they haven’t made it into the EU!
The first night was spent at what we later learned to be the most expensive club in town – the equivalent of A$29 for a vodka and coke. Two drinks later, we decided it was unsustainable and called it a night. Next morning was an early rise as went to Gallipoli for the day. Nice work booking a private tour for six, which cost just as much as all the other mass produced cattle style tours. Having a rather pathetic knowledge of Australian history, it was a pretty informative and emotional day. Definitely a must do for any Aussie visiting Turkey.
Istanbul signalled a brief intermission in the superficial tour of Europe, as we went to see the Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, the basilica cistern and both the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. The Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque were most impressive. I mean, to produce architecture of that detail and size in those days always blows my mind. However, the Grand Bazaar was a bit disappointing as I was hoping to partake in a spending frenzy, but instead was confronted with the world’s largest collection of fake luxury goods.
Finally, retail satisfaction was achieved in Istanbul when I purchased a flaming yellow limited edition Adidas Mr Happy track jacket. However, much criticism as to the implied sexuality of the jacket and the fact that the issue was hardly exclusive with 25,000 produced have somewhat tarnished the acquisition. But what do I care, it’s hot!
The rest of our time in Istanbul was spent playing arsehole (or big two or one of the other aliases you may know the card game by) as we all tried to give our bowels a break from the onslaught of kebabs. Unfortunately, no money was wagered on this friendly game, otherwise I would be sitting on a small fortune at the moment.
Finally, the 4th September was a sad day as I departed the touring group and headed back to reality and civilization.
posted by Aaron McGovern at 12:32 PM
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