On Wednesday, Michael and I decided last minute to meet our friend Molly in Istanbul, this decision quickly determined that we would also be meeting Shelby there as well. The girls and I had started a countdown til we saw each other in Barcelona and it went from 12 days to 1 day very quickly.
Since, it was so last minute we left for Istanbul not knowing much of anything about it. I think I figured it would look like a twin of Beirut. Wow, could I have been more wrong. Which is not something I like to say often!
We got off the plane, it was a quick 1 and a half hour flight for us and boarded a bus for downtown. The bus ride took us through a part of Turkey, that could have been Centreville or Sterling set on the water. I was shocked. There were apartments and chain stores everywhere. I had no idea that it would feel so suburban in Turkey.
The bus ride took us only twenty minutes which was great because I was jumping out of my seat to see Shelby and Molly and we had just limited time. When we got off the bus in Takism square which is a huge location in Istanbul, everyone knows it. There are buses and cabs and the metro all right there.
So, then we spent the next two days doing as much as possible. And I fell in love with Istanbul. It was super cold but it was so beautiful. There were rows and rows of townhouses and apartments where we stayed and they each had such beautiful character and personality. The city felt welcoming and open at the same time. However, I have never seen so many people in my life, except for people in Times Square, but this is a much smaller space. Shelby actually got stuck on a small man-made bridge that went over construction because there were so many people trying to cross the bridge no one moved. I couldn't believe it!
The mosques were amazing, the views were amazing. I truly loved it. I was also surprised, although I am not sure why by the number of people that did not speak but a few words on English. I have gotten so spoiled that most people in Beirut speak English that I take it for granted. There was a lot of hand gesturing and motioning. It was actually nice to see that as Americans we have not taken over all languages and cities of the world...=)
The Turkish Evil Eye Pendant or the Nazar Boncugu, which literally means
the "evil eye bead", is actually a stone bead, which is worn to protect
oneself from evil looks. The stone is an amalgamation of molten glass,
iron, copper, water and salt. This particular combination of minerals
and metals is believed to provide a shield from the forces of evil.
The Evil Eye pendant has the symbol of an eye worked upon it. The symbol of the eye is regarded as a potent amulet for protection against evil forces in almost every culture of the world like Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian. Thus, in Turkey, you have an eye for an eye.
It is believed that the Nazar Boncugu deflects the negative energy that is being directed towards a person onto itself, thus dispersing its powers.
The Nazar Boncugu is blue in color and the age-old Anatolian belief is that it is actually the blue color of the stone, which holds the real shielding power and absorbs the negative energy.
Since, it was so last minute we left for Istanbul not knowing much of anything about it. I think I figured it would look like a twin of Beirut. Wow, could I have been more wrong. Which is not something I like to say often!
We got off the plane, it was a quick 1 and a half hour flight for us and boarded a bus for downtown. The bus ride took us through a part of Turkey, that could have been Centreville or Sterling set on the water. I was shocked. There were apartments and chain stores everywhere. I had no idea that it would feel so suburban in Turkey.
The bus ride took us only twenty minutes which was great because I was jumping out of my seat to see Shelby and Molly and we had just limited time. When we got off the bus in Takism square which is a huge location in Istanbul, everyone knows it. There are buses and cabs and the metro all right there.
So, then we spent the next two days doing as much as possible. And I fell in love with Istanbul. It was super cold but it was so beautiful. There were rows and rows of townhouses and apartments where we stayed and they each had such beautiful character and personality. The city felt welcoming and open at the same time. However, I have never seen so many people in my life, except for people in Times Square, but this is a much smaller space. Shelby actually got stuck on a small man-made bridge that went over construction because there were so many people trying to cross the bridge no one moved. I couldn't believe it!
The mosques were amazing, the views were amazing. I truly loved it. I was also surprised, although I am not sure why by the number of people that did not speak but a few words on English. I have gotten so spoiled that most people in Beirut speak English that I take it for granted. There was a lot of hand gesturing and motioning. It was actually nice to see that as Americans we have not taken over all languages and cities of the world...=)
The Evil Eye pendant has the symbol of an eye worked upon it. The symbol of the eye is regarded as a potent amulet for protection against evil forces in almost every culture of the world like Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian. Thus, in Turkey, you have an eye for an eye.
It is believed that the Nazar Boncugu deflects the negative energy that is being directed towards a person onto itself, thus dispersing its powers.
The Nazar Boncugu is blue in color and the age-old Anatolian belief is that it is actually the blue color of the stone, which holds the real shielding power and absorbs the negative energy.
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