Where Am I? Turkey

Churches have been replaced by mosques and Greek letters have been replaced with Turkish and Arabic writing. Charmingly insistent men keep following us around and trying to sell us carpets. Across the Bosphorus is Asia. Cats wander through the streets and nap in the Hagia Sophia under stained glass shadows. Tourists wander in socks across the elaborate carpets of the Blue Mosque, marveling at the breathtaking dome while carrying their shoes in plastic bags.
Plastic forms in store windows wear skimpy sequined belly dancing outfits, but women are wearing head scarves. There are still more men trying to sell us those damn carpets, calling out as we pass "Hey, where are you from? You look Turkish! Welcome to Paradise! Come to my store, best prices, very good prices!"
The sleeper train was kind of like the Hogwarts Express except for the prostitute two doors down who was noisy but still better than dementors. You can hear the call to prayer resounding over the city every few hours, a fact which I find thrilling, despite my father's reminders that a similar thing can be heard in parts of Queens. Overall, I am enjoying myself immensely, and I will post a more thorough update once I have explored this place more fully.

Oh, and the reasons I have been absent from blogger include the holidays, visits from my boyfriend, my parents and my sister, and the fact that I have been out and about, seeing Greece and now Turkey, wandering through Thessaloniki, and being thoroughly unsuccessful in getting Joe to eat octopus (though he did try everything else, including the retsina, which made him cough and exclaim, quite appropriately 'It tastes like a tree!")