Aside from visiting the aforementioned mosques, which were magnificently adorned in rich wall to wall mosaics and tiles, we rambled through the city down passageways no tourist would ever find, or more to the point find their way back out of. Small steep alleyways crisscrossed the sprawl of Istanbul, affording wonderful views of the crystal blue strait below and glimpses of the cobbled together houses that the common people lived in. As we got further out from the center, it took on the look and feel of shanty towns, with structures made from whatever people could find, barely able to withstand the mild weather, and certainly offering no running water or electricity.
We visited a traditional tea house, beautifully tiled and peaceful, where old men sipped the strong sweet nectar that is Turkish tea and played dominoes. We visited small pastry shops that offered sticky treats all based on puff pastry and flavored with pistachio, honey and rosewater. Minarets could be seen everywhere and the haunting and mesmerizing call to prayer that rolled through the city from these towers blended with the sights and smells to create an exotic and truly intoxicating experience. The day with Ahmed turned out to be one of my most lasting memories of the entire trip.
