hmm...my days are starting to get mixed up... so I don't really remember what days I haven't talked about, but I had a few uneventful ones, so I'll just talk about yesterday. I went inside the Blue Mosque! Exciting right?
Julien had to finish his drawings he had started there, so I went with him because I hadn't been inside either Mosque yet. The Ayasofia is a museum and its closed on Mondays, but the Blue Mosque is just a regular mosque, so tourists could go in at anytime except during prayers...which was going on when I got there. While I waited for the prayers to end I walked around and found the area of old streets and buildings of the old city. There was a small bazaar and lots of cafes. I found a rug shop that advertised with five little kittens hanging around the front of their shop. I stopped in, twice. I finally was able to enter the mosque and it really was something beautiful, but in my opinion it was a little disappointing. It was spectacular, but I wasn't wowed. The blue tiling everywhere was beautiful and the architecture as well...I don't really know anything about architecture, but there were these really awesome, huge pillars and brilliant stain glass windows. What I found most interesting though was seeing the divide between the tourists and the Muslims praying. I've been into many churches where tourists are walking around taking pictures while the faithful pray in pews, but this was different. There is a fence that divides the place in two. Tourists are not allowed to pass it. It is really crazy to see this wall of camera flashes from these people, the women in matching blue scarves handed out at the entrance, and then a wide open space with Muslim men freely walking in and out to pray towards Mecca. This great structure holds different meaning. To some it is just that, a great structure, world renowned for it's brilliance, it encourages visitors to balk in it's presence. To others, it is more than that with maybe a simpler meaning. A sacred place to find some connection to God and their faith.
After I walked through the mosque, I found Julien. It was really hot out, so he wanted to stop drawing. We found a cafe in the old city and had some beers before I had to be back to the hostel to work.
Work was uneventful really. I played music. No one checked in. I just talked to a few other people that were hanging around. But over the course of five hours, for three of them, the cat and I were the only ones in the hostel. Everyone else was out and about exploring. Eventually the hostel filled up again around 10 and things got more exciting.
When I finished working I went to talk to Daniel and Julien. Eventually a few others that were drinking and chatting in the other room joined us. I was about to go to bed around 2, but then someone started a discussion about bull fighting that ended as a three hour long argument about everything from animal rights to the state of the world. I think it was one of the most entertaining things I've seen. Around 5 am we all wandered off to bed...and yes I am up at 11...whoops. I haven't been able to sleep past 10 lately. Anyway, this is why I love living in a hostel. (not the no sleeping thing, but the entertaining and interesting discussions between people of completely different backgrounds).
I have to work again at 6, so I don't know if I will do anything today. I will probably go get a phone. That's pretty much my plan for the day.
ciao
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