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.

Final days in Spain

Our final soirée in Spain was in Barcelona.  Upon reading one of the dozens of tourist guidebooks filled with “insider secrets”, we learned that Barcelona once attempted (unsuccessfully) to cede from Spain.  Good Ole Franco apparently told them who was boss, and kept Barcelona for his own empire.  And why not?  The architecture, food and topography here are amazing.  Unfortunately; as a last undying act of defiance, Barcelonians speak Catalan.  Think of it as a mix of Spanish, French and Greek, but more difficult.  Those who speak it “eat” more of their words than they speak; turning “el restaurant esta a la esquerra” into “e resto ‘sta l’sqera”.

Nevertheless, we managed to find our share of gems in Barcelona, and we were thoroughly impressed with the city. 

Our first full day started with a walk through La Boqueria; a vast covered market that sells fresh produce, seafood, sausage, pasta, baked goods, candies and fresh-squeezed juices.  Pushy vendors practically shove samples down your face, and watch your response with intense anticipation.  It’s hard to leave without a bag of fruit-shaped candies, chocolates or at the bare minimum a papaya/strawberry juice. 

Our next stop was Gaudi’s Casa Batllo.  A neo-classical (not my wording) masterpiece with a liquid-looking façade and intense naturalistic architectural features.  We skipped the tour at Casa Batllo and opted for the larger Casa Mila.  The tour starts from the top and works its way down.  The roof is interesting with oddly shaped chimneys and water tank enclosures and the views were pretty awesome.  The inside left something to be desired; only a few staged rooms and the attic.  Probably should have skipped it…

Day two was all about Sagrada Familia. We loved the inside of this church.  It was really something unlike anything either of us has ever seen.  Gaudi’s vision was to have the church serve as a natural-looking shelter, like the canopy of a forest.  Standing in the center of the church and looking upward, it’s fair to say his vision came to life beautifully. Stained glass windows work like a kaleidoscope, dyeing the pale limestone and marble in ever-changing shades of blue, red and green.  It was a very memorable experience and definitely the best church we’ve seen so far.

The food in Barcelona was really awesome. Our last night in Barcelona we had dinner at a very authentic Tapas restaurant. No menus, just a bar with various ingredients like fish, cheese, bread and vegetables. The bartenders chatted with each other, filled beers and magically transformed the ingredients we ordered into delicious plates of tapas.  Although the food was great, watching the locals debate (politics? Soccer?) was almost as much fun.  It was a fitting end to our trip.

We leave Spain for now and make our way to Istanbul, Turkey.

See you all there!

Sevilla

During our stay in Madrid, we took time out to go south and visit the town of Sevilla (or Seville, as translated in English... go figure). 

Seville was a nice change of pace; the weather was much warmer and we finally got a chance to break out our sunglasses.  

Seville is full of cool historic buildings, vibrantly colored streets and fun historical facts.

Did you know that Queen Isabella and Columbus (Christopher) first met in the Alcazar in Seville? 

One of our favorite spots during this visit was Plaza de España. (Plaza of Spain, but you already knew that).

This plaza is surrounded by water, and incredible architecture.

We spent half the day there, just enjoying our surroundings, eating fresh-charred chestnuts and taking pictures.

Music playing in the streets, people dancing, eating, and chatting.

The town was full of life.

We made our way to the Alcazar, which is the royal palace in Sevilla (Chris & Isabella's meeting spot).

It is also the oldest still-functioning palace in all of Europe (fun fact #2). 

The walls were full of colorful mosaic tiles, arches and and gilded ceilings everywhere; gotta love the Moorish influence.  

We ate some local seafood at a place called Pulpo ("Octopus").  We had....octopus.  Really fantastic, dusted with some smoked paprika and garlic.  Yum! 

We dogged begging gypsies offering rosemary branches and made our way for the river, where we took in the views and rested our legs. 

Seville was a blast, we hope the photos do it justice; it really is a beautiful place.  

Next time we write we'll be in Barcelona!