The Archaelogy Museum....Today was about Topkapi Palace and how badly i wanted to explore it...but as you will see dear reader, a pattern in my life here in Istanbul is that nothing goes according to plan and often I end up better off for it.
Sara, my partner in crime, set off at mid day (because i'm a sleepaholic) to see topkapi palace. Of course once we get off at the tram and walk to the location we learn it is closed on Tuesdays...Of course it is, why wouldnt' we know such an obvious peice of information! Nevermind my frustration we wander into the Archaeology museum after revealing ourselves as the American's we are by fumbling through the entrance kiosk and not realizing that all we must do to enter is swipe our freshly purchased museum "karts".
What follows once we enter is 4 hours of wandering further and further back in time (with a small hiccup at the 1970s with a staircase ) with Alexander the great, Constantine, Troy and bits and peices of Temples, and ship wrecks. History is alive through Archaelogy, that much is completely clear. I actually got to rest my eyes on Alexander's Sarcophogus...which interestingly enough is not thought to be the final resting place of Alexander the Great but is still called that. I refuse to believe the experts on this and have fallen in love with the Ornate Marble creation and during a small break Sara and i take to recuperate and breath the fresh air outside i mention that i would like to sleep in Alexander's Sarcophogus....which of course might sound creepy to some, but this is why i enjoy Sara so very much...she never seems suprised at the many ridiculous things that i tend to say.
A delightful addition to the day was when i picked up a new word...wee...not referring to the new video game control system...but as in the scottish term used in Braveheart. Sara is bringing it back with a vengence and i have jumped on board. We wander more through the museum looking at the artifacts in awe...at least on my part, because it seems so historically contemporary. and i now what a contradictory oxymoron that is, but this is why i was so fascinated. There were plates and dishes and (what Sara and i thought could be crack pipes) pots and pans, and toys for the kids. It was as if they lived two weeks ago. The things that last throughout the ages are the things that people used every day. Except of course for the sarcophogi, and the giant statues of Gods.
I find a stroll through the Archaeology museum turned into a stoll through history itself, and i can imagine having a conversation with Alexander the great right next to the bust of his head and he would be all bashful and tell me how it wasn't a great likeness and pretend false modesty. then he would show me around to the great stone carved pictures of his battles and regale me with bloody stories with pride and excitement. That is how it feels to be in the Museum in Istanbul. there are not a lot of glass walls and security guards seperating you from history. Its right in your face and you can touch it (though you aren't supposed to).
Incredible in one word...and exhausting in another...my day ended in a raging headache and me in bed by 9.
Hopefully history wont give me such a hangover next time
xox
Jessi
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