You Know You're in Istanbul When....

You get woken up by the call to prayer at 6am every day. We stayed very near the Blue Mosque, and five times per day, ringing through the city was the call to prayer. They cast it over loudspeakers throughout the city. It’s the first thing you hear in the morning and the last thing you hear at night (if you go to bed at a normal time).

Vendors will take any currency you have. Altogether my group paid in Turkish Lira, Euros, British Pounds and American Dollars.

People mistake you for German (if you’re blonde), Greek (if you’re brunette) or Australian (all of the above). Not one person guessed that we were American-that’s the first place that has happened. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the off-season for American tourists (it’s Australia’s summer right now) or because not many Americans make it all the way to Istanbul.

There are only men working in the stores. We did not see one woman working in any of the bazaar stalls, or any of the restaurants or shops along the main drag. There were women walking around the city, but all in the old city were with men. It was an interesting observation and something I didn’t even notice until my friend Prichard pointed it out to me.

There is fresh fruit everywhere. There were stalls all around the city selling fresh fruit, and many would squeeze you a fresh glass of pomegranate juice upon request.