Venturing out of Romania

Seeing as I'm living just over an hour's flying time from Istanbul, I decided to spend New Year's and the surrounding days in Turkey. I've heard from a number of people that Istanbul is their favorite city in the world, and it's not hard to see why. Even in cold December and January, the sun still kisses the streets all over the city, drawing out that contrast between the blue Bosphorous and Golden Horn and the slightly lighter Sea of Marmara on the one hand, and the yellows, oranges, pinks, and reds of everything else.

We were there for several days, so we started out seeing the big sites - the Aya Sofia, Bisilica Cistern, and though we saved the Blue Mosque for a later day we saw that too. We meandered through the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, though just outside that area was my favorite spot, since that's where I got pistachios, fresh ground coffee, and a mini garlic grater. We did a day cruise on the Bosphorous so we could get a glimpse of the Black Sea (which is beautifully blue). I had some fish while dozens of stray cats clamored around me one afternoon, and another night ate french fries at 7 Kat overlooking the city from the top floor of a building on top of a hill.

New Year's itself was pretty awesome, although we didn't really take part in any organized celebration. Opting out of the 100 euro cover for most parties and restaurants, we ended up eating at some crappy overpriced cafeteria-style joint. The food was cold - mine was a mash of potatoes and zucchini, I think. Anyway, most meals were much better. But New Year's is apparently high season in Istanbul so I can't complain.

Midnight was awesome. We went to the roof terrace of a hotel right by the Blue Mosque, from where we could see the Sea of Marmara, the Aya Sofia, the Asia side of the city, and across the Golden Horn. As the New Year approached, fireworks started going off in every direction. We saw little bursts of light way off in the distance in addition to the loud bangs that belonged to fireworks set off by the bars below - too close for us to see. The only sad part was that the big fireworks over the Bosphorous were blocked by the Aya Sofia. But otherwise, it was all very fun, and I fell asleep shortly thereafter (I think shivering in the cold on the roof terrace wore me out).

Being in Istanbul made me a little bit sad. I've been having a decent time in Romania, but once I was around all the excitement in Istanbul I realized that I'm missing out on a lot by being in a little country like Romania. Maybe I'm starting to feel like some Romanians, who don't understand why someone would choose to come to their country and who just want to get out and to a country that is more significant. That's a little harsh, of course: I do like Romania, I think it's a good place for me to be this year and I really enjoy the things I do here and the people I'm befriending. I think though that Istanbul was a reminder that there is a lot more out there that I want to experience! And, that I am looking forward to getting back to the United States - 6 months from now - and settling into life a little more.