The (Mis)Adventures of Matt Lyon

Crew, Crew. A little MTL updates for you's ass. For those of you who missed Whoreleans for Chip's wedduu, you missed one helluva time. In brief: Maker's Mark, Maker's Mark, Maker's Mark. And, oh yes, Danny made his triumphant return into the fold. Pulp Fiction dance and all. I'll return to that subject at a later date. For now, there are more pressing matters.

I returned to Prague on the 4th of July, after 30 hours of travel. Got to my apartment and made a mad dash to the beer gardens to watch some World Cup action and recommune with wayward American and Czech friends. The next few days were a whirlwind tour of errands and drinking before my excursion to Turkey and Eastern Europe. Meghan (if you're not in the know, the snazziest chick this side of the Atlantic, hailing from the Cheesy State) and I humped a bird to Istanbul. Got in and had little problems getting to our hostel. Our cab dropped us off in Sultanahmed Square, pinched between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia Mosque. Two of the most gorgeous structures this meek Alabamian has ever laid eyes on. We met two Norwegians, Eric and Anders. At least, those are their Anglified names. The were kind enough to get us to our hostel and we arranged to meet for drinks after we dropped our merchandise off. The hostel we stayed at had a balcony bar with just an incredible view of the Marmara Sea, harvest moon and all. Had a few drinks with our new friends then hastened to sleep in anticipation of the exploritude that awaited us only a few hours away.

Our first stop was the Blue Mosque. Significance: lots of blue tiles. Historical significance: loads, the only thing I know is that it has six minarets instead of the typical 4. A minaret, btw, is a slender tower where dude gets Pavarotti on your ass. I'm sure its got other functions, like evoking Allah and junk like that. My first time in a mosque, though, and my first impressions were substantial. Fully carpeted with amazingly ornate tiles lining the walls and domed ceiling. Lights were abundant, but hung only inches away from our heads. Not sure why, but its a pretty cool effect. After we saw what we could see, we got hustled into a rug store, by a very nice Turkish man. Were served apple juice and given a private rug show. Kinda like a lap dance, but change the couches into rugs and the stripper into Turkish air, and you'll get the idea. After the shopkeep realized he was grinding on the wrong ne'er-do-wells, he was still nice enough to have a chat, instead of report us to the surly bouncer, his 8 yr-old son in this case. After we left him unsatisfied, we got some lunch and had our first encounter with the call-to-prayer: a five minute sung reading of the Qur'an. It was largely ignored by the people, but had me enthralled. Pretty much just how you've heard it in Alladin and They Might Be Giants tunes, but a trip to hear it live and in person. It continued to call my attention from there-on-out.

After lunch, we made our way down to the port of Marmara, where we had our first glance of Asia. Much like St Louis is the Gateway to the West, Istanbul is the Gateway to the East (except it doesn't blow nearly as hard as Nellyville does, although East Istanbul is just as Shady as East St Lewy.) I believe this a natural continental border, as a lot of the history mentions earthquakes. We walked through a very nice park and then made our way back to the hostel. We ran into our Norwegian friends and decided to share a cab across the sea to Taksim, a trendy spot of nightlife, to watch the World Cup final. Italy can you know what to my you know where. After the first club failed, (we weren't in the mood to dance to Sonique) we found a cool rock pub with a Turkish band playing a mix of Turkish classics (all the girlies were beltin em out) and classic rock. Seriously, the best rendition of "Another brick in the Wall" I've ever heard. The guitarist looked like he was in Sound Tribe Sector 9 and played just as well. We made friends with the staff and I ended up arm wrestling the bartender at the end of the night. I let him win. We left thoroughly spent and downright drunky. The next day we went to Hagia Sofia, which is amazing. Its present form has been standing since 537, after two renditions were destroyed, dating back to the 4th century. Here's a pic.
Check it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sofia


Ok, so that's all you get now, part deux coming in a few days. In Varna, Bulgaria at the moment. Gotta go nap and eat and drink. Not necessarily in that order.