Istanbul, the land of apple tea, rugs and catcalling

Turkish Coffee 'aka mud'

This past weekend I was able to get away for a few days and have some days in the sun with my girlfriends. After a hard few weeks it was just what the Doctor ordered. :)

Istanbul is famous for many things. The food is amazing. The coffee is good but muddy. The mosques and museums are beautiful and insanely old. The textiles are cheaper. Etc, etc...but what Istanbul means to me are these three things. 

1. Apple Tea

2. Rugs

3. Catcalling

I would go to Istanbul just to see these lamps.

Apple Tea, Istanbul's gift to the world. It is so good! It is like hot apple cider without the weird cider taste. :) 

The Rugs and textiles are amazing right now. It makes my infatuation with aztec print very expensive. I bought five pillows and two rugs. Whoops. :/

Catcalling. This is the worst thing about Istanbul. Walking around Istanbul, it does not matter how you are dressed, all women get yelled at, touched, stared at etc etc. It can be really uncomfortable for women who already feel uncomfortable with forward men. But my friends and I realized that most of the men were actually just being friendly! If we ignored them then they started yelling more, if we answered them with 'No thank you's or 'We have already eaten but thank you!' they would always back off and say 'Ok well, next time! Enjoy your time in Istanbul!

Have I mentioned the humus and apple tea yet?

Spice Market Shopping! Expensive but Amazing. 

The Eye of Sofia (the history of this is amazing, a must see)

Molly smelling a lemon and mint tea. 

My friends and I began playing a game, we began making a list of things the men say to us. Most of the things in the list are hilarious and not inappropriate in the least, but they were still yelled out loud, across stores or roads.  Some of these things are inappropriate and were added to help show what life is like as a woman living or visiting in Turkey. Hope this doesn't keep you from visiting this beautiful place...it really is one of my favorite places in the world, you just need to go with a good attitude, a good 'Back Off' face and always travel in packs. :) 

TOP 13 THINGS MEN YELLED AT US 

(REMEMBER THAT MANY WERE DUPLICATES)

1. 'Hello Girls! HERE I AM!'
2. 'Let me guess...Chinese?'
3. 'Hola señoras bonitas.'
4. 'Beautiful Ladies please check out my big menu!' (NASTINESS)
5. Mmmm...(yummy noises) 
6. 'I have the best rugs in Istanbul! Best prices! And touching is free!'
7. A man literally walked up to one of us, handed her a ten lira (ten dollars), and said "Please feel free to shop in my store!"
8. 'It's my birthday ladies! Help a fellow out!'

Smiling through the catcalling

9. 'It's pay day today, not for me but for the sellers, so please help me out!'
10. 'Hello beautiful ladies! You are from Germany, no? ' (As he touches my friends hair. Thankfully she did not see it because I know she would have punched him right in the face if she did.)
11. 'Let me guess...SISTERS!'
12. 'Please take me home! '
13. (My least favorite) Looking us up and down and literally making a catcall, a kissing noise.