Breakfast in Europe, Lunch in Asia, and my Beard Disappears

After another delightful breakfast and Turkish coffee at the hotel, we went to the front desk and inquired about touring the Chora church (and museum).  To our dismay, public transportation would take three hours to get to there, and traveling that long wasn't worth the round-trip.  We quickly honed our schedule to remain in closer proximity and planned to visit the Asian side - knowing the city's main attractions are predominantly in Europe.

Getting in line at Galata Tower

Streets of Karaköy

Our day started off on the wrong foot, we thought it would be a good idea to cut through the Grand Bazaar en route to the Galata Tower, however, the doors were closed.  Sadly, a return to the Bazaar would not happen because it is closed on Sundays - a minor detail we seemed to have overlooked (we defer to to displacing the blame, damn you Rick Steves!!!).  Having veered so far off course, we passed Istanbul University and were walking through the Faith district, an unnecessary 20-30 minute detour.  At this point, taking public transit to the tower appeared to be the best option.

Looking up

View of Hagia Sofia (left) and Blue Mosque (right)

Hagia Sofia

The tram brought us across the Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü) and we exited the Karaköy stop.  From the station, we walked several blocks up a series of hills - a presumed precursor to our ascent of the Galata Tower.  Luckily, after purchasing tickets, we noticed the chained-off stairwell - and our eyes fixated on a welcomed technological advancement, two elevators to do the bulk of the legwork.  With a quick climb to the top-floor, there was only one set of stairs to the restaurant which lead to the walkway around the tower - a narrow passage unfit for two-way traffic.  However, there was an illogical amount of visitors who failed to understand the obvious unidirectional traffic arrow.  Maybe they thought the sign a mere suggestion, nonetheless, an intellectual ineptitude inconveniencing the directionally inclined.  Despite feeling like salmon swimming upstream, the panoramic views from Galata Tower are easily the best of Istanbul (especially overlooking the Golden Horn waterway of the Bosphorous).  The weather was clear enough for us to see the Asian side of the city, but we preferred a more terrestrial encounter.

Panoramic of the Golden Horn

Returning to the bridge, we walked across and observed the hundreds of fisherman who lined the railings on each side.  Once across, we had to hold our breath as we passed through the pervasive stench of post-mortem piscine.  We boarded a local ferry to Kadiköy, and twenty minutes later - we arrived in Asia.  Knowing there isn't much to see on the Asian side of Istanbul, our visit was mainly to have traveled to another continent and forage for lunch.  Following a transient venture of Kadiköy, we boarded the boat and sailed back to Europe.  Julie sat inside the cabin while I watched locals toss bread to the trailing seagulls from the stern (briefly accompanied by two Bosphorous dolphins making chase).

Galata Bridge fisherman

Waiting for fish

We arrived on land and entered the Spice Market for some additional purchases.  The previous day we bought 500 grams of black tea for  €8 (~20 TL).  I thought it would be a good idea to buy another variety (varie-tea...?) as we have enjoyed several glasses of the delicacy while in Istanbul.  Originally, I had my sights on apple tea, but inadvertently changed my mind to the jasmine pearls at the last minute - a foolish and fiscally detrimental decision.   I mindlessly asked for the amount before looking at the price/kilogram, but the tea was already vacuum-sealed and in my hand.  We owed 150 TL, or roughly €30 - a mental-lapse equal to Julie's ghastly rock throwing abilities.  When exiting the Spice Market, we stumbled into a large street market - a pleasant surprise to counter our previous disappointment with the Grand Bazaar's closure.

Docking

Arrived in Asia

Departing

Galata Tower seen from Golden Horn waterway

Unlike the sights and scents of Istanbul's famous markets, the Sunday Street Market had a distinct and unusual sound - the cacophonous crack of the Taser.  Despite the unpleasant sounds, nearly anything could be purchased.  Name any item, and it could be found: leather jackets, tea sets, designer bags, headphones, jeans, flatware, suits, tabacco, toys, batons, umbrellas, sports equipment, alarm clocks, brass knuckles, toasters, paintings, and of course, Turkish delights.  To our surprise, the most abundant of all street vendors were those selling socks.  There must have been thirty individuals peddling socks throughout the market.  I suppose they take the proverbial buyers "cold feet" quite literally.

Entering Spice Market

Excuse me, what is your most expensive tea?  I'll take it!!!

After perusing the Sunday Market, we found ourselves at a peculiar time between lunch and dinner, and we had already seen all the attractions on our list.  To bridge the gap we looked for one of the many traditional Turkish barbershops that had previously caught our attention (mainly the straight-razor shave).  We headed to the Sultanahmet District and walked into Kuaför, a small, three-seat barbershop near our hotel.  I have only seen my naked face a handful of times in the last six-years, half of which involved getting stitches after beer league hockey mishaps.  My transformation from shabby to chic was as surprising as all the DNA paternity results on Maury - Julie immediately jumped out of her chair and ran backstage - she couldn't believe it was me.  Once the shock dissipated, we concluded our evening with dinner at a restaurant near Kuaför.  We ate by a warm fire on a cold night and discussed my poor (but really expensive) tea-buying decisions.

Snip snip to the hair

Goodbye beard

Before & After