Prayer calls and mosques - feels like a movie set

In January 2007, my passport and I finally got to travel to a place which I was really curious about - Istanbul, Turkey. Leaving the ambivalent Swedish winter and travelling as far East as I've ever been taught me two things - first: winter coats are not needed, and second: it doesn't matter what you wear, it will all smell heavily of smoke when you come back home.

I spent three days in Istanbul, busy with both work (visits at the Swedish consulate and a newspaper office) and play. With such limited time on my hands I couldn't manage to see everything I wanted, but what I did see I really liked. And what a special feeling it was to walk around in the Old Town of Istanbul and hear the amazing prayer calls coming from all sides from the beautiful mosques that are dotted around the place, squeezed in between the houses.

It felt like being in a movie set, I half expected Indiana Jones to come around a corner. Being blonde in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar has both advantages and disadvantages... Being in Turkey, I took the opportunity to eat genuine turkish kebab, and of course had to try Turkish delight too, but no - it wasn't delightful at all. Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice was, though!

One of my criterias for happiness is being served hot milk in my coffee. I truly believe pouring cold milk into warm coffee is a sign of barbarism and any country doing so has not yet reached the point of civilization. (Note that my own country quite happily serves ice cold milk with coffee. Not a sign of civilization in my book.) I am happy to report that Turkey is a civilized nation, for they served me hot milk in my coffee.