Istanbul, Not Constantinople

This was our last morning in Rome and we had to depart the eternal city very early in the morning to catch our flights to Istanbul. After leaving our apartments for the final time, we brought our packed belongings to the Lungotevere pickup location and waited for the bus to arrive. Once we were transported to the airport, we were required to pass through a series of baggage check points, safety clearances, and passport verifications. It seemed that the security in this Roman airport was significantly lax compared to the ones back in America. In Rome, shoes were not required to take off through the metal detectors, and liquids like bottled water were able to go through the security gates.

Everything continued to go smoothly when we were all boarded on the plane via Blue Express Airlines. The seats were very comfortable and many of us took the airtime allotted to catch up on some much needed rest. We left Rome about midday and arrived in Turkey a couple of hours later. Fun fact: time in Turkey is an hour ahead of the time in Italy. It was always entertaining to glance outside the window of the plane from time to time. Aside from seeing duct tape on the wings of the plane, the views from the high altitude provided picturesque views of the Mediterranean. The program coordinators have truly done an awesome job in arranging and organizing the airfare in the program budget.

Once we landed in Turkey, we immediately received our visa stickers and proceeded to baggage claim. Reunited with our luggage, we exited the airport and met up with our tour guide, Melika. Fortunately, the bus that was rented was spacious and air conditioned; this was a huge relief from the hot weather. Melika then proceeded to give us more of Istanbul’s geographic and economic history during our route to Boğaziçi University. She often pointed out nearby monuments and their architectural significance while driving from the Asian to the European side of the country. Upon arrival, we checked into our dormitories that were fully equipped with modern amenities, including bathrooms, fresh bed sheets, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and kitchenettes. Amidst all of the excitement, we noticed that some people had their belongings plundered back at the airport (items such as jewelry, electronics, and clothes were missing from people’s luggage). Reports were to be filed shortly afterwards.

By sunset, our appetites screamed of hunger. Professor Kasaba took us to this really nice restaurant that served traditional Turkish food. And let it be known: this restaurant served food by the masses. We started out with appetizers that were already filling by themselves. Dishes upon dishes of bread, sauces, and vegetables would appear in front of us out of nowhere, and beverages were constantly replenished within a blink of an eye. The main course was a long sequence of different kinds of meat—minced, chicken, beef—prepared in traditional kabob fashion. Desserts followed suit and included fresh fruit from the country, but by then, everyone’s bellies were practically full. And just when some of us could not eat another bite, more desserts—pistachio pastries and ice cream—appeared! For many of us, this was our first exposure to Turkish cuisine, and we all found the restaurant to be a resounding success in our stomachs.

After a long day of roller coaster emotions, we are all glad to finally be in Constantinople Istanbul.