Turkey (not the bird)

We have reached the last leg of our trip! It has been a long 3 months and we have seen it all! Istanbul has been such an adventure for us. The locals don't speak much english, so we pay using our fingers to count and point at things when we want to purchase. The city is cosmopolitan meets old city. The buildings, streets and mosques have all aged pretty well, but there are plenty of new modern shops and restaurants that are seen throughout the neighborhoods.
The apartment we are renting has an incredible view of the Golden Horn, which is an area of the Bosphorus surrounded by many buildings on large hills.
From our window we have counted over a dozen mosques, which are very popular here in Turkey (duh).
The culture of this city is something else. Men gathered outside sipping tea and smoking cigarettes at all hours of the day, people yell to each other down the street, cars honk while driving over sidewalks (they are not very big to begin with), and the most interesting of all is the call of prayer which happens about 3-4 times a day.
The call of prayer is heard across the entire city, and the religious faithful rush to one of the many mosques to pray.
Our first week we decided to jump right into the culture and experience as much as we could.
That means drinking lots of tea and pomegranate juice (sold on the streets for 1 Turkish Lyra $.50), eating Turkish bagels (Simit) sold in tiny little carts on the street, and trying Turkish pasta which is topped with various herbs and a dollop of yogurt.
The main street here, Istiklal, is lined with shops, coffee shops and restaurants. So many lights, people, and things to see on this street. Vendors selling overpriced chestnuts (They tasted better in Italy) and people singing, playing music or even belly dancing.
We walked this street a few times, and no matter the time of day, it is packed with people, so we have been trying our best to avoid it.
We have started to become familiar with the streets and neighborhoods around Istanbul and even have a few favorite spots we like to eat and have coffee. We also stumbled on a stairway that was painted in a rainbow pattern. Most people passing by snap a photo, or at the bare minimum, smile. Apparently these stairs were first painted by a retired engineer, Huseyin Cetinel. The stairs carry a great story of public triumph over government regulation; as they were first painted over by the city, and re-done again by folks in the neighborhood.
We are excited to visit the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market and various tourist attractions here in Istanbul.