Eva and Asia

Monday, we woke up, rested and ready to see as much of the city as possible in the next 36 hours. Before I recount the day's activities, I must say that I was quite surprised to find in Bahadir and Tolga's book collection, 10 Big Ones, by Janet Evanovitch. A book that is part of a comedic series of girlie novels detailing an early 90s, New Jersey girl who decides to become a bounty hunter. Apparently, while in N.J. one summer, Bahadir picked the book up at a library, thinking it would be an easy read. Little did he know, that a few years later, American girls wold be coming to his house to laugh at his literary choice.

We started the day with a full Turkish breakfast at Mado - meat, cheese, bread, eggs, veggies, delicious! Once satiated, we hit the road. I must explain a few things about Istanbul. First, there is no city center, instead there are multiple different regions with their city centers. Second, the traffic situtation is horrific - not that the traffic is that much worse than I-95 at 4 pm on a Friday, but in Istanbul, there is no traffic order. There are seemingly few rules. Even Bahadir and Tolga repeatedly mentioned their fear of driving (and sometimes walking) on streets overrun with too many taxis and buses and too little traffic signals and lane dividers. As such, most of our transport utilized the bus and taxi systems, sometimes taking the tram or the small metro line.

First on the agenda was the Blue Mosque. It was mammoth. Unfortunately, we couldn't go instead because prayer was in service, but we were able to hear the call to pray on the loudspeakers outside the Mosque. We walked next to the San Sofia Mosque - also not allowed inside, but the outside of the Mosques with their detailing and beautifully-aranged, tulip-filled landscaped courtyards, was sight enough.

On our way to the next tourist attraction, we stopped for some freshly-squeezed, no sugar added juice from a nice Turkish man who made us promise to return for some ''Turkish hospitality.'' Finally, we went the Topkapi Palace - home to all the Ottoman sultans and featuring a one of the best views over the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus. Inside the Palace there are museums filled with treasures from the Ottoman Empire - including an 86-carat diamond. And I thought the Hope Diamond was all a girl could ever want!

All the treasures were fascinating, but not quite as fascinating to 3 American girls (and reluctantly 2 Turkish boys), as our next sighting: actress Eva Mendez. After a few minutes of not-so-secret stalking, we asked her to take a picture with us, and she agreed! As long as we were discreet because she was undercover of course...

With that under our belts, we stopped back at the juice stand to receive our hospitality - free apple teas and a quick conversation with our new friend. A jolly father and successful business man now, he had some rocky early years after spending 4 years in an Amsterdam prison for ''hitting'' (later found out shooting) a policeman.

Next on the list was the Grand Bazaar. It was grand and rather ''bizarre.'' A maze of purse, carpet, clothes, and souvenir vendors who grab at you with their hands and words until they wear you down and you're left with nothing but a hand-made scarf, a questionable designer belt, and multiple items that boast the word Turkey. Seriously though, there were some quality items.

Finally, it was time for my favorite part of the trip: Asia. As you may know, Istanbul (and Turkey) span two continents - separated by the Bosphorus. A 20-minute ferry ride put us on the continent of Asia for dinner. Really it was nothing spectacular, a newer, but similar version of the European side of Istanbul. However, the thrill I received from being in ''Asia'' was unimaginable. We decided to have dinner there, another vast array of Turkish foods, which like the people, is incredibly diverse. We ate meats and breads and pide and kebabs and soup, all followed with a Turkish coffee and some more great conversation with our new friends.