Day 3: Ferry Boats and a Divided Country

Day 3 Monday 03-05-07
1:30 a.m. EST
 
Our morning begins as another cold and cloudy one. We depart from the hotel around 8:30 a.m. and head down towards the water on foot to catch a ferry to tour the city from the bouncing ripples of the Bosphorus. We sailed past yesterday's mosques we visited, along the castle-like walls of ancient city ruins and coming into port on the Asian side of Istanbul. We walked around the streets, with minor stops at shops and for Turkish coffee. There is even a Starbucks here for those who wanted a taste of the familiar. We watched as businessmen operated their bakeries, shoe stores, fish markets and side shops. We headed back to the ferry and rode those same ripples back to where we came from. When we got back to the hotel, we had to have everything packed to check out. We left our luggage in the hotel lobby and headed out on another crazy taxi experience towards the Grand Bazaar, a huge shopping market area in Istanbul with jewelry shops, antique carpets, pottery, clothes, candy, etc. Many people in our group spent their money here on loved ones. Each store owner would bargain with us like a form of an auctioneer, ushering in the hope of a sale. As we left the Grand Bazaar, we had to go back to the hotel to get our luggage and head towards the airport for our flight to North Cyprus, or to be technical, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Our flight left from Istanbul at 1:40 p.m. EST and got here to Nicosia at 10:15 p.m. our time here. The cool Spring winds hit us in our face as they came down off the hills of Cyprus once we got off our plane. The spring break weather we had hoped for was finally at bay. It was night, so our surroundings were unable to be seen, but we headed up the mountain towards Girne on the coast where we will be staying. The drivers on this island do so on the opposite sides of the road, much like the British, who themselves have had a strong historical influence here. The island itself is divided along right through the center of the capital, Nicosia, and the Northern side is populated by the Turks while the South holds the Greeks. Greece was wanting to add Cyprus as part of the Greek Islands back in the 70's, so the Turks decided to invade with thousands of troops, forcing the country to be divided in two. Tomorrow we will get our first look at the world around us in daylight. For now, we watch the night sky in amazement as we can vividly see every possible star in the heavens above.