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| The Bosphorus Bridge connects Europe to Asia |
Click on this link for more photos of Istanbul
There is something really special about traveling up the Dardanelles Strait toward the Bosphorus Strait and Istanbul. All the while we look to Europe on our left and Asia on our right. This is where east and west actually do, as legend tell us, meet.
Things that photos can’t capture: smells and sounds. Greece was incredibly fragrant, like springtime, even when we were in the city. There were orange trees all about, and full of oranges too, but it was more than that. Very pleasant and fragrant everywhere we went. Turkey is all about sound; especially the call to prayer. With all the mosques the call is heard all over the city. It was quite an awesome experience as we left the pier with the city visually sparkling and the call to prayer clamoring away. It was certainly unique for me at any rate.
The Blue Mosque from port
The Hagia Sophia is an old Christian cathedral built in the mid 500’s AD. Later, it was converted to a mosque and now is a great museum.
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| Hagia Sophia interior |
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| This endless ramp kept turning up toward the second level, where the women worshipped. It’s over 1000 years old! |
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| There were beautiful, ancient mosaics |
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| Tile work at Topkapi Palace |
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| Yes, it’s really The Harem at Topkapi Palace, home of the Sultans |
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| More tile at the palace |
Istanbul also had the famous bazaar. It was not as intimidating as I expected but the guys will follow after you to get you to buy something. Unfortunately, that means that window shopping was out. There was so much to see and things I may have purchased but if you stop for a moment the invasion begins. No dawdling! One is really not allowed to stand and look around. It’s assumed you are there to purchase and they’re going to show you “the best” quality/deal now. Right now. And there is no escape! But who am I to question business practices in the oldest shopping district on earth? This city really bustles. There are 15 million people! Remarkable. Almost double the size of New York.
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| Entrance to the Grand Bazaar. Incidentally, it’s a huge area! I’d have taken more photos there but you can’t stop for a minute! |
A highlight of our Istanbul visit was the magnificent Blue Mosque
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| It seems that every European city got themselves a genuine ancient Egyptian obelisk |
So much to see in Istanbul, it should be the subject of many posts, but alas, there is only so much time…..