Istanbul has been an interesting few days. First, the people have been very welcoming and kind. We have not felt uncomfortable in any situation so that was a pleasant surprise. The woman in Turkey have been able to vote since the 1920s so as far as Muslim countries go, it seemed a little more modern than I imagined. A large number of the younger women do not wear headscarves at all. Bill did notice that only men sit at the cafes and “hang out” which was different and stood out to us. One thing that we did not like was the call to prayer that took place about 5 times a day. They do the call through loud speakers at the mosques and to us, it sounded like someone strangling a cat. I know some people find it peaceful but we did not. We were in one mosque when the praying was taking place and I had to cover my ears because it was piercing to me. The first day, we explored a few small mosques and enjoyed the simplicity of them. We wandered about the city and found that most of their stores were in pockets of the city grouped together. For example, on one street, there were over 15 huge bridal shops. On another street was the men’s wear. Then, we had musical instruments. My favorite street was the Turkish Delights street! The smell of the spices and candies was amazing. I wish I could describe it but the smell was such a unique blend that I do not think words could do it justice. The closest I could come would be to say it was like taking all the best smells you have ever smelled and putting them into one shop. I hope the pictures will help you gain some sense. Following the spice markets, we hopped on a ferry and crossed over the Bosphorus into Asia. We were very excited to set foot on another continent even if it was only for lunch. We wandered through the street market which was full of fish, spices, fruits, nuts, teas and many other food products. It was a wonderful walk. Once we were back on the European side of the city, we headed over to the Basilica Cistern. As we entered, Bill read that the cisterns had been built by Hadrian. If it were not for Hadrian, there really would not be anything cool to see in the world. The man was a building maniac! After the cistern, we wandered into the Egyptian market for some more spice smelling and then settled into the hotel for the night. We woke up on Saturday to dreary weather. We really can not complain because we have been so lucky with the weather on our trip but it was yucky. Rainy, cold and windy. We decided to go on a formal tour to see the palace, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Our group was a small group of 7 which was good for us. The other thousands of people on other tours were not so good for us but we survived. The palace was very different from our expectations of a “palace”. It was not a large building. It was a compound made up of many small buildings and was a city unto itself. The palace was first built by the Ottomans and then everyone who invaded Turkey for two thousand years added onto it. Did you know Turkey only became Turkey in 1923? I was surprised by that information but then I attended Stockbridge High school so we never learned about “that side of the world”. After the palace, we sludged through the rain following our guide with her broken red umbrella over to stand in line for the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia is the oldest and largest religious center in the world. It started out as an orthodox church which burnt down. Then, they built the current building in the 500s. It was also a Christian cathedral. When the Ottomans invaded in the 1100s, they turned it into a Mosque. They also painted over many of the original mosaics that the Turks are trying to restore to this day. We enjoyed our tour of the mosque even though it was prayer time and the call was very, very loud. The tour to the Blue Mosque was a disaster. It was under complete renovation so nothing inside or outside was actually visible. Plus, the mosques require you to remove your shoes which was fine if they provided a place to do so. The Blue Mosque did not so it was a massive mess trying to take off wet shoes on wet marble with a hundred people (plus wearing a scarf on my head that kept falling over my face!). Also, according to our guide, the “shoes off” policy was not really a religious thing, it was basically to keep the carpet nice. Seriously? A country known world wide for its amazing rugs can not figure out a better system than wall to wall carpeting? Huh. We ended our tour day with a drop off at the Grand Bazaar which we walked straight through and headed back to the hotel. I liked the smaller Egyptian market place much more than the Grand Bazaar. We leave Istanbul with a mix of feelings. We really liked some parts of it and did not like other things. I am pretty sure when I look back on our time here, I will remember the wonderful smells and not the smell of the stinky feet at the mosque! Early morning flight to Greece so on we go backwards through history! Ratings for Istanbul: Overall: 6 Points of interest: 7 Ease of communication: 8 Ease of transportation: 7 Friendly people: 8 Food: 6.5 Cost of living: 6 Weather: 5 (one good day; one rainy day) Bill’s favorite thing: Basilica Cistern Sally’s favorite thing: Basilica Cistern and spices
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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