My Life From Across The Pond: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) Pt. 1

Our hostel in Istanbul was located directly behind the Hagia Sophia, but knowing me, I looked at the map incorrectly and confused the Hagia Sophia with the Blue Mosque, which is directly across the way. Can't believe I'm even admitting that. I felt like throwing the rolly-suitcase I've had since I was 10 years old into the Bosphorous after 45 minutes of stumbling and clattering around the surprisingly steep cobble stone streets. After I had correctly oriented myself and as I was clattering past the open square in front of the Hagia Sophia, I heard someone call my name. Startled, I swung around to see who it could possibly be calling my name in such a new and foreign city. My eyes slowly focused on two smiling faces and lo and behold it was my anarchist friends from Budapest! Blew my mind to a million bits. I knew that they were traveling to Turkey, but I didn't know when, and I definitely never expected to see them again in this lifetime. We chatted for a bit before I clattered on to find my hostel (for real this time) and they got back in line for the Hagia Sophia.

Since I still had a few hours before Emily's arrival in Istanbul (separate flights again, sans drama!) I decided to walk around and look for food. There were food vendors selling roasted corn and chestnuts and a million people everywhere. As I wandered I started to notice that Istanbul was probably the "coolest" place I had chosen to travel to on my break. There were a fair number of tourists, but they were different from the tourists I'd encountered in Rome or Athens or even Prague. Lots of alternative and weathered backpackers (not your bland and cliche, fresh-out-of-college "I'm gonna backpack through Europe! Yeah" kind of backpacker,) artist-types and people who looked like they had an interesting story to share or who you could tell had done an extensive amount of traveling in their lifetime. And you know I'm always interested in that.

Istanbul just had a completely different vibe from anywhere else I'd been and I loved it. But I suppose you really just need to experience it to fully understand what I'm talking about.

After walking past window-display after window-display of elaborate baklava and lokum (Turkish Delight) that glistened in the sun like a beam of light from the heavens was shining right on it, I caved.