Istanbul (pt 2)

It's a few days later, so I guess I've stopped with the 'rest'. It was a struggle. I'm going to have to do it sooner or later as I'm still less than 100% but also, Istanbul.

Where did I leave off? I think it was The Blue Mosque.

After that I had a great interaction with a watch shopkeeper. It included fixing my watchband, exchanging marital advice, and getting a restaurant recommendation that proved both delicious and fortuitous, albeit windy and a little rainy on the rooftop.

The good fortune was meeting four Spaniards from Mallorca. We struck up a convo, exchanged travel tales and they convinced me to join them for a beer. Very little arm twisting was involved. They recommended a hammam (bath) that they had found, and suggested that I should meet them in Cappodocia (about a 90min flight).

Eventually we parted ways (another round happened) and the day proceeded with admiring views, strolling past the seafront, enjoying street music and shopfronts, and getting a Turkish Bath. The bath was interesting. I'd like to try another, because it's a neat experience, but I need to let my skin regrow first. The place I went was a workaday/blue collar setting. Not fancy, but lots of worn marble (slippery) and antique fixtures. In essence it was a gruff old man pushing and grunting at me to do what surely any local guy has known for years. The process was basically: costume change into a towel. Then rinse off under my own supervision. I was put in a steamy sauna for a while, then pulled out, rinsed down, and scrubbed aggressively with a rough glove. More rinsing ensued before I got a rough 'massage' with about a 3" layer of soap bubbles. It was... Invigorating, more than relaxing. He then dragged me (literally) to another spot to rinse off again and that was pretty much it. About 30ish minutes.
I've never been cleaner.

The experience wrapped up with me, wrapped up in towels, chillin on a chair to relax and sip water.

It was a bargain-priced version and I suspect that higher-end venues are both more beautiful and probably a bit less... Aggressive.

No matter; Adventure!

I finished the night enjoying a drink with my new friends after accidentally bumping into them on my way home. Great fun, and I committed to Cappodocia on Tuesday.Read more