Feb 16th, 2024

It’s been a few days since my last blog. This is another one birthed in a bus seat. I’d love to be in the room full of people who share that in common with my recent blogs. I’ll pick up on Monday morning. Arriving in Istanbul, I found myself in a relatively remote bus station. Istanbul is a massive city, the largest I’ve even visited by a good bit. After a bit of strolling in a wrong direction with my full pack, I eventually found the right bus line which dropped me at the ferry. I don’t think I can think of a better way to see a city for the first time than taking a ferry across the body of water separating two continents. 

Istanbul is a fascinating city. Distinctly ancient and modern at the same time, more so than any place I’ve been in Turkey yet. I was able to take a quick walk to see the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque on Monday night before becoming stricken with a violent bout of food poisoning which kept me in bed through Thursday morning. Not the best way to be introduced to a city, nor the best way to say goodbye to a cuisine I’ve become fond of. Being stuck in my (blessedly solitary, it being the tourist off season) hostel dorm was a bit of a bummer and certainly had a negative impact on my attention span, but it was nice to have a bit of rest and reset. 

As I’ve begun to feel better over the last couple days I’ve seen a bit more of the city. Today I was able to go to the Istanbul Grand Bazaar. I have not seen another collection of goods, items, and things to rival it. A labyrinth of cafes, knock-off designer clothes, handmade pottery, carved stone pipes, coffee pots, chess boards, spices, cheeses, miscellaneous antiques covered by ancient arching ceilings, with halls creeping up and down the hillside. Simply incredible. For lunch today I wandered into a deli, hoping to find some yoghurt and honey. This I did find, along with a fantastic small upstairs cafeteria style restaurant which seemed to be the ultimate locals-only joint, smack dab in the middle of the bazaar. I enjoyed a conservative meal of rice and chicken (still recovering) alongside the most delicious honey and yogurt I’ve ever eaten. 

The rest of today’s evening passed without much ado. Now I am whisked away to Bulgaria, seated next to a new friend Ilhom, from Taskhent of all places! 

This last chapter of the trip has certainly been a winter, if one must apply a seasonal analogy to the journey. Istanbul’s weather was cold, gray, and wet, which added to the gloom and subtracted from the missing out. My sedition (sedentary-ness if that isn’t right, I’m near certain its not) was a bummer. In addition, I’ve been feeling homesick for the first time I can really remember. I think more than homesick, I’m feeling simply stability-sick. I’ve had no problem with being away in general, but I think that  just being on the move so relentlessly has been taking a toll. Moving forward I plan on having a more elegant, simple plan with more time in fewer cities. Keeping busy by travel is really nice, but keeping too busy is not good for health. Balance is key. Shocker!