Athens to Istanbul

 Today started much too early. My flight boards at 7:30 am. The airport is miles outside of town and since I’m leaving the Schengen area, I need to allow for more time. That means waking up at 5 am and crossing my fingers. In order to make my flight, I have to get to the airport before the metro is running and I cover the distance by cab. It feels like cheating.

We make it and after some shuffling, I get in line to check my bag. After an eternity, I get to the front and discover that my ticket does not allow me to check my bag and in order for me to pay, I need to stand in a new line and get back in this of one. Since the things I was bringing for my hosts in Istanbul were raki and honey, I had to make a choice. Go through the check in line again and risk missing my flight to keep the goods or take my bag through security and see if they missed my sweets.

With only an hour to clear security and passport control and the Christmas airport lines already heating up, I pressed on with my bag. Explaining the stamps in my passport to the border agent was more complex than I would have liked. My most recent stamp is from taking Eurostar into the EU from London, it is right next to its corresponding stamp from Paris. My port of entry stamp from Amsterdam was faint and the border agent was trying to figure out why an American had a clean passport in Paris. At the end of the day, he found it and let me out. Security went predictably, my treasures were located and disposed of.

A short flight (with food) and I was in a new country. My fish introduction to the local currency came at the metro station. I bought a prepaid card with 200 lira of credit on it, the most I could add. My phone flashed a notification that my credit card had been run, five bucks. Turkey has suffered a great deal of inflation over the last few years and you see it in little things. 

I metroed away from the airport to meet Kivilcim, a friend of mine from school in Santa Barbara. I was so excited to see her, actually for the second time in this trip. She picked me up with her mother, Gun, and Gun’s husband Rashad. Kivilcim’s husband, my friend Jake, was due to land in a few hours.

On the drive through downtown Istanbul to their house outside the city we caught up on my adventures, her life, and talked about the local culture and history. Istanbul has been at the center of many world’s for a long time and most people have at least a slice of their history that crosses through this country.

We went to a cafe overlooking The Bosporous Strait and drank tea. It was cold and wet out but the hot liquor kept my soul on kilter. It feels so refreshing to be back on a country that drinks tea. For the last few weeks I’ve been drinking coffee and I yearn for the leaf water. Here it is. Before we leave town for home we make one last stop, the euros in my wallet need to be changed for Turkish Lira. I mention this to Rashad and he takes me to a money changer. I’m shocked by how close it is. The three bills in by wallet become an explosion of paper so large that I might be mistaken for a drug dealer in the US. The largest bill here is 200 lira, five bucks.

Man who likes tea drinks tea

We get to Rashad and Gun’s home and settle in. I’m trying too remember how long it has been since I was in a family home or seen a familiar face. Not since I left Paris. After a nap, Jake has arrived and we catch up. Double the familiar faces.

Rashad is an amazing cook and has made a delicious spread for dinner. Soup with chilis. Rice with slow cooked meat. Salad, homemade pickles, and more. This is the first home cooked meal I’ve had since I made one in Philly. Kivilcim’s family is kind and I am learning a lot about the food and culture. Excited to see what Turkey has in store.