On Day 3, we made our way to one of the Prince's Islands. Actually finding out how to get there was a bit of a hassle. We crossed the Golden Horn only to be told that the only way to the Islands was at another port on the other side of the Golden Horn. So we took the tram (oh how I love trains and subways!) up to the port, and jumped on the ferry.
When we got there, it felt ridiculously touristy. Right as we got off the ship, we could see row after row of restaurants and hotels. The combination of things we saw left me to think we were in some alternate universe with souvenir sombreros, Italian gelato, and greek food. We then proceeded to roam about the city, hoping we would either find a beach or the mosque.
After walking what felt like forever, we found the beach. But as I walked toward it, I was stopped by a Turkish man telling me that I had to play ten lyra to get in. Safe to say, we weren't down with that and left.
We finally found the mosque. It was a two floor structure, with one floor being for the men and the other for the women during worship. The men's was beautifully painted with intricate patterns and calligraphy, while housed under a magnificent dome. The women's was... rather plain, or at least from what I could tell in the window.
While there, we spoke to a Turkish man named ... Edgar? (That's how we'll remember it, it sounded like [aetgr]...) He kindly walked us through the men's part of the mosque, and chatted us up. He's an English teacher here, and his speaking was impeccable. He even took a class of his students to Washington, D.C. last year. He had also brought his family, including his four children. The girls in our group were particularly charmed by one of his daughters (I don't remember if he had any sons...).
We also were greeted by the head of the mosque. I know all of us are outsiders to Islam, but both Edgar and him made time to greet us and welcome us, I'm glad they are very open and welcoming.
We dropped by some horse-drawn carriages and decided to take a ride. It was fun, but disheartening knowing the horses traversed the streets we took forever to go on in sheer seconds. Also, we had somewhat of a daredevil speedster at the helm, so we kept passing other horses, which was fun. We passed through the island's national park area, which seemed quaint. I would've enjoyed having a picnic had I known of it.
The island has its charms, but I would suggest to not go if you end up in Turkey, simply because it can eat your money and there's enough to do in Istanbul that you shouldn't need to leave, I think.
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