Travelling is for lovers!: Ayran Was A Bad Choice

So we left off after our trip to Gezi and that was a blast and a half. Or mostly a total non event. I try not to make hanging around hippies the highlight of my day.

After Brock and I checked out Gezi we headed back to the Faith district of Istanbul and visited the Basilica Cistern. It was awesome.

Reasons it was awesome:

1. It was not crowded. Because, phew, I could do with a few less crowds every now and again.

And 2. It was cool. And dark.

If you've never been to a cistern before, don't worry. This was my first time too.

Essentially it's an underground, water hole. Or something.

It's where the water is kept until a king needs it. I think I read that somewhere.

Here's Medusa's head!

Honestly, I have no clue how this all works, or whether it's still used or when it stopped being used or how you summon the water from the hole to whatever you need to use the water for.

But it was actually very cool to see and definitely something I would recommend. Though maybe do more research than I did, k?

After the Cistern, Brock and I sat in a park, ate ice cream while trying to coerce cats into letting us pet them. No takers.

Then we parted ways.

I went to a Turkish bath and he went to the Archeological Museum.

I obviously made the wrong choice. Because while I was scrubbed down so hard by a stranger that I expected to see blood and became confident that I would never again grow leg hair, Brock was checking out this pretty stuff.

He also said there was a cat hospital. Where all the park kittens are born. WTF?!

I got lost and sand papered and he saw kittens?!

We met back up at the apartment, made a quick pasta and crashed. Getting water assaulted made me tired.

Yesterday we went back to the spice market to pick up all you fine people reading some gifts.

In advance, your welcome Mum and Betty. Because I assume you two are the only people reading this.

I won't give anything away with pictures so instead, here are photos of the outside of the spice market where they sell budgies, dog food and plants. Not sure on their method of grouping objects but that's how they roll at the spice market.

Also: KITTENS!!!

This fatso above knows whats up and his smartly positioned himself directly underneath the bulk cat food. He is the fattest cat I saw the entire time I was here.

And this little guy was the cutest thing ever.

Right by our apartment is the sweetest litter of kittens in an abandoned building and I'm trying desperately to smuggle them all back in my luggage. But I know I'll never be stealth enough to get them on the plane because I cannot stop wanting to hug them.

This is a giant mound of Turkish Delight. They should call it Turkish Alright. Because, it's alright. But there is definitely better candy out there.

Yesterday did not stop being eventful. We walked around the bridge, the water, checked out the fisherman.

Then we hit up a falafel place near Taksim Square for dinner. Here Brock gives Ayran a shot.

Ayran is a Turkish drink that is water, yogurt and salt. Go figure that he didn't enjoy that.

Brock would like me to convey that on a hot day, Ayran is a bad choice.

Falafels are always a good choice.

Then they started lighting off flares in Taksim Square.

And then this guy smelled like pee and started singing along to the prayer calls. That's when we called it a night.

THEN TODAY....

We woke up super late. We hit up a nearby cafe for drinks and beers after breakfast and I had a delightful Turkish coffee and cheese cake. Don't judge. It was close to 3pm.