a day of art and beeeer

Yesterday Julien and I went to an exhibit at a museum called the Grand Masters. It was of the works of DaVinci, Michelangelo, and Donatello. The exhibit was in this really old building with domes and red bricks. It was gorgeous and the exhibit was really cool as well. We wandered around the building because there were a bunch of walkways and other small buildings. It was on a hill so it had a pretty good view of the water. We ventured into an area that we hadn't been to before and found this neat little street lined with little narghile cafes with outdoor seating. We had a beer there and then walked around the area. This neighborhood was really pretty and  there were lots of art galleries around. Julien, being an artist, wanted to see them, so we stopped in a few. Later, we wanted to take the ferry up the Bosphorus to find somewhere to eat. Daniel (pilot from the US) joined us. We ended up walking up to Ortakoy. A neighborhood along the waterfront. The walk took close to an hour, but we ended up eating at a restaurant in this little area with shops bars along the water.

What's really great about Istanbul is all of these Beledeyesi, or municipalities, all over the city. The city is huge and spans two continents and three land masses.  I'm in the center, the hub or tourism and daily life and I imagine, wrongly, that the rest of the city must be boring, uneventful, and really just nothing special. I keep thinking that I have a general sense of the city, how it's laid out and what the streets and buildings look like. But then I find myself in a new part of town that is just as lively, but completely new and interesting. It makes me want to see ALL of Istnabul, every little neighborhood. In a city with so much diversity and history, I can't even imagine what other new and wonderful areas I might come across.

After dinner we went to a cafe/bar for some beers. It was Daniel's birthday! I tried raki also. It's a Turkish alcohol that tastes like black licorice. They mix it with water in these little cups. I didn't really like it... We also smoked a narghile, which was delicious. Mint flavored. (don't worry mom, it's tobacco free). I stupidly tried to keep up with the two guys and had a little too much Efes (Turkish beer named after Ephesus! An archaeological site in southern Turkey.) At almost every place I have been to, this is the only beer they have. We took a cab back to the hostel and I passed out for the night. I'm not sure if I will do anything today. Probably just hang around...boring,  I know. Sedat is going to show me how to work the reception today, so that's exciting!

Ciao