Fall Break: Istanbul and Berlin

Upon our return from the Peloponnese, our week-long fall break began. I, along with VJ and Katie, went off to Istanbul early Monday morning. Istanbul was unlike anywhere I had ever been before. The culture of Istanbul was totally unique- a mixture of European with what I imagine is Middle Eastern. On our first day walking to the Grand Bazaar we heard the call of prayer played throughout the city from the loudspeakers atop the minarets. It was so cool to be able to hear this. The Grand Bazaar is this huge indoor market where vendors lure you to their stalls with their go-to phrase “how can I help you spend your money?” There were scarves, lamps, carpets, towels, hookahs, shoes, tea, and more. On the other side of the Golden Horn, there was even more shopping. There were tons of shops lining the street from the Galata Tower up to Taksim Square. We went up the Galata Tower and had a bird’s eye view of the entire city. Our dinner in the new city was delicious- couscous, eggplant tahini, hummus, fried zucchini, and soup. The next day we went to the Basilica Cisterns, the archaeological museum, the blue mosque, and took the boat over to the Asian side of Istanbul. There wasn’t too much for us to do over there and it was clearly less touristy. On our third day in Istanbul, we finally entered the Hagia Sophia. It was beautiful, but I think I liked the Blue Mosque better because it still is a place of worship while the Hagia Sophia is just a museum. We also went to the Tokapi Palace which was also beautiful. It has this really fascinating weapon room with all these different maces, swords, and suits of armor were on display. I really enjoyed seeing Istanbul.

Thursday morning Katie and I moved onto Berlin (VJ returned to Athens). Berlin was a breath of fresh air-literally: it is one of the cleanest cities and is surrounded by pine forests. There was very little traffic, bikes were abundant, and everything was so new! I loved the city, but it did make me miss home a little with its cooler weather and autumn leaves. We went to the DDR museum, a hands-on, interactive museum about East (Soviet) Berlin, the Jewish Museum which had a really cool Holocaust section of the building, and the Museum of German History. We went on a walking tour where we learned all about the history of the city and saw Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial, and Brandenburg Gate. We went up the dome of the Reichstag Friday night and saw the city all lit up. We visited the East Side Gallery, the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. It is covered with murals by artists from all over the globe. Most of the murals were very interesting. Berlin was a wonderful city and really made me want to see more of Germany.

I have been back in Athens for almost a week now. This morning I hiked to the top of Lykavittos Hill, the highest hill in Athens. I often forget how large Athens actually is, but when I reached the top of the hill, I could see just how many buildings are in the city. There must be a ton, for there are nearly 5 million people in the city.