The Hustle and The Bustle.

The Bustle

The second day of my Istanbul Adventure would definitely be described as the Bustle. It was a busy full day of seeing the major historic sights the city has to offer. I feel as though I don't want to go into too much detail though. I am realizing that after seeing so many churches, cathedrals, mosques, castles and palaces that you start comparing them to one another instead of seeing them for what they are in and of themselves. Over the course of my travels and this travel blog I have encountered  lot of historic sights, and frankly enjoyed all of them to some extant. Today though I don't feel like going into great detail. But for those of you reading that may visit this beautiful city one day I will sum them up for you. On day two I covered the Topkapi Palace, The Blue Mosque, The Basilica Cistern, The Grand Bazaar, and the Hagia Sophia. All of which make the list of must see sites not just in Turkey but in eastern Europe in general. Here is the rank and the rundown;

#1. The Basilica Cistern: a pretty unique site with some cool history behind it.

#2. The Grand Bazaar: Although much different than expected still a great market experience.

#3. The Blue Mosque: I enjoyed this one because it's still an active mosque. And it's free.

#4. Hagia Sophia: The Sheer size inside is astounding. But under construction and pretty empty.

#5. Topkapi Palace: Compared to other empires palaces it seems less taken care of and interesting to be in.

The area called Sultanahmet which all of these sites are located in is a cool place to be, and eat, and chill. I might consider it my favorite part of the city so far.

The Hustle

The third day contained far less activities than the first. Just two to be exact. There was a World Championship Rally Cross in town that looked like fun. I have never attending an event like this before and thought it would be cool to check out. As a first timer I quite enjoyed myself, The Rally Racing and Drifting were very entertaining. Definitely something I would attend again somewhere else... maybe where it would be in English.

The second activity of the day was a football match! There are three big clubs in Istanbul, and I was hoping that while i was here i would get to see one of them play. I wanted to see Galatasary play a champions league game but our window was short and so I settled for a Fenerbace match whose lineup touts the like of Van Persie, Nani, and Diego. I'll get to the game, but first, the Hustle. Getting tickets was the most ridiculous process ever. I tried buying them online multiple times before I went but had no luck. So naturally I went to the stadium to buy tickets at the door but I guess that's not how it works. Not only can you not buy tickets at the door but you cant even obtain tickets or yourself without whats called a Passolig card. All of this information was given to me by some fine gentleman on the street. Him and his friends could be described as next level scalpers, very sketchy. The next three hours were spend signing up for the Passolig Card at a dingy Internet cafe and haggling over getting the tickets. It was ridiculous, and almost not worth it... almost. After finally getting into the stadium My two starving friends and I go to get some stadium grub only to realize we had barely enough money to get home after and nothing more. Shame on us I guess.

The game itself was a blast. The loudest sporting event I have ever attended. The home crowd was raucous and rowdy, singing and chanting their hearts out all game pulling for their squad. It was quite the experience. I imagine it was the same kind of atmosphere found in gladiator coliseums back in the day.

We ended the day at Dominos because they took credit card and were still open by the time we got home.

Quite the adventure indeed.