The rest of our time in Istanbul

Our days have been relatively laidback as we sleep in and take the mornings easy.  I have had a chest cold and it feels good to be off-schedule.  We've enjoyed our breakfast of yogurt, dried apricots and nuts.  Russ discovered hazelnut butter (like nutella without the chocolate and hydrogenated oil) and we are big fans of that on bread along with copious cups of tea.

One day we did not go out until quite late in the day because it was cold and rainy outside.  Instead, we watched season three of Downton Abbey, episodes of Anthony Bourdain, and bought a car that we will pick up in Nashville.  Quite productive - its a wonder what can be done with skype and the internet.

While I have nursed my cold, Russ has been venturing out into the neighborhoods, meeting fruit vendors and shoemakers.  There are craftsmen of all kinds which are a real pleasure to watch in action.

We have walked and walked all over Sultanahmet.  Istanbul was built on seven hills and the streets are notoriously steep.  It is a good exercise-food ratio that keeps us in balance.

The markets have been a pleasant surprise.  Both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market were not as touristy as expected and the hassle was minimal.  We went just to look but found a few trinkets.  It was a sight for the senses - jeweled garmets, Iznik ceramic dishes, Persian and Turkish carpets, nuts, colorful spices, and a range of Chinese-made goods.  As it rained during both visits, the covered buildings were a welcome relief. We've gone back twice to bothfor the sensory overload which is a wonderful thing when you are not buying anything.

Although out of the way, we found the train station which was the destination for the Orient Express.  It was much like other colonial-era stations we have seen: impressive in stature and grand in style.

I love watching Russ immerse himself in conversations with locals and taking photos.  That is as enjoyable as anything else.  He also finds the most interesting items while shopping - he bought a hat at an out-of-the-way leathermaker and found some Afghan wood prints.  For someone who does not like to shop, travel shopping I think is enjoyable for him.

The waterfront along the Bosporus Strait was lively on the weekend.  We had another great lunch there; I had a fish sandwich and Russ had a fish stew - both were delicious. While most menus feature the same Turkish fare, we have been able to find a few surprises.  Korean food was excellent one afternoon and the fish has always been good.  Tonight I had rice pudding from down the street while Russ had lentil soup and the best spinach we tried in a long time.

While it rained yesterday, today was spendidly clear and beautiful so we hopped on a small boat that cruised up and down the Bosporus.  It really felt like the Rhine cruise we took last summer as much of the scenery could have been most anywhere in the world (except Kuwait).

A pleasant surprise came today from my mom's recommendation to see the Chora church and museum.  Built around the same time as the Hagia Sophia in the sixth century, it boasted a tremendous collection of well-preserved Byzantine frescoes and mosaics, some say the best in the world.  It is remarkable not only that they lasted over 1500 years but were not destroyed when the church later became a mosque.  We saw that again and again - a monument to the wisdom of the rulers at the time.

Late one afternoon, Russ discovered a Pittsfield connection.  A friend of a friend lives and works in Istanbul as a fabric designer and co-owner of a felt store (her partner is considered to be one of the best felters in Turkey).  Amazing creations and craftsmanship!  We later discovered that she is distantly related to Russ' mom.

We love our neighborhood and will be sad to leave it tomorrow. but looking forward to the adventures that lay in front of us!

So ends the Q8 Report. 

East meets West

Divine Providence brought us to Istanbul, but how that came about is a story unto itself.  We have been here for two and half days and are thoroughly enchanted by the Sultanahmet quarter.  Russ insisted that it was like towns we had stayed before in Italy with small stores and outdoor cafes, but with the different alphabet and little English it felt different than the Europe we had experienced.  Staying in a spacious comfortable apartment, we instantly felt at home.  Late Monday afternoon, after drinking apple tea with the manager while looking at a city map, we walked down the street to the small grocery store to pick up some drinks and breakfast food.  We liked exploring the winding hilly neighborhood.  The weather was pleasantly in the 40's and it quite comfortable.

After waking to the extremely loud call to prayer around 5:30 yesterday morning, we stayed in bed for a few more hours.  When we finally set out for the main square in the Old City, we walked up and down cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks.  We saw shoes being made, clothes being tailored, bread being baked and pomegranates being juiced.  Before arriving at the Blue Mosque, we saw a familiar sight - an obelisk from the Karnak Temple in Luxor erected on site in 306 AD.  The mosque itself was amazing - six minarets formed the parameter of the blue nine-dome building.  Iznik tiles, carvings, and stained glass windows dominated the interior.  It was as impressive as Notre Dame. 

From there we walked to the nearby Hagia Sophia, an even larger building that was built in 336 AD and added to in the sixth century.  This was the Vatican of the eastern Church for more than a thousand years before becoming a mosque in the fifteenth century and a museum at the beginning of the last.  It was well-preserved and uncovering the mosaics was an ongoing process, with the latest major one happening in 2009. My words and photos do not do these places justice.

The Basilica Cistern was an unexpected surprise. Built in the time of Justinian a stone's throw from the Hagia Sophia, it was an immense underground water reservoir supported by sixty-eight giant columns.  An engineering marvel.

We lunched late at the Stone Cafe, a tucked-away century old house down the hill from the Hippodrome.  We drank red wine from Kurdistan and ate a selection of hot and cold Turkish appetizers.  After a rest back at the apartment, we walked down to the waterfront at the Sea of Marmar.  The sunset was lovely and we strolled past several fishmongers showcasing the most beautiful specimens. 

On the recommendation of the apartment manager we ate dinner around 8 pm down towards the waterfront in an area resembling Little Italy in New York.  The white anchovy starter was followed by calamari, and then sole, which while not cooked in butter had the consistency of it.  We were not used to this European habit of eating later than normal at all three meals but seeing that we are not on a schedule, it seems to be working out fine.

Today was quite a bit cooler; in fact with the wind quite chilly.  After a breakfast of yogurt and muesli, we walked past the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia to the Topkapi Palace, a fine example of Ottoman art and architecture.  Not only did it show off the rich treasury of the Empire, but key religious relics from the Prophet Mohammed.  The six-hundred year old Iznik tiles were impressive.  After spending a few hours we stopped off for lunch at a restaurant close to the apartment.  I had lentil soup and Russ chose a chicken kebab with barley and salad and both hit the spot. 

Feeling a bit run down, I settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey (season 3) which a friend downloaded for me back in Kuwait.  Russ discovered a baklava shop and bought a few more groceries.  He later convinced me to go to the Kadirga hamam (bath house) down the street.  We walked into a room full of men sitting around in towels who did not speak English.  I was led upstairs where I met a large imposing woman who instructed me to undress in a sauna-like room and then follow her into the bath.  The bath itself was a collection of six marbled rooms with large basins.  Sitting there steaming myself helped to clear my head.  Babuska is the only word that comes to mind to describe this woman who seemed rather Soviet in nature.  She entered with long black hair down to her waist, and nothing else on but a bikini bottom.  She had the largest bosom I have ever seen.  After pouring hot water over my head, she instructed me to lie down on a marble slab where she scrubbed my skin pretty raw, rinsed and then massaged me with a soapy mitt.  It was a rather intimate experience and matter-of-fact all at the same time.  Then I was alone again and spent another hour steaming.  I am sure I will sleep well tonight!

Last stop: Cairo

We woke up at 4:30 this morning to sub-zero temperatures.  However, steaming cups of mint tea and biscuits were waiting for us before we drove through the desert to the airport, during which time we alternated between sleep and admiring the sunrise.   When we arrived at the Sharm El-Sheik airport, we were surprised how many Russians were there - even the signage is Russian (along with English and Arabic).  We got on a plane for Cairo and our bags went directly to Kuwait.  We hope we will reunite with them later tonight.

We were on the ground in Cairo by 11 am and met by Walid who was our driver for the day.  Thankfully he navigated the mangled mess of traffic through Cairo to Giza, our first stop for the day.  Cairo did not have much charm and attraction to offer.  It was perhaps the most polluted city I have ever visited from the heavy smog to the trash-cluttered streets. The aggressive hawkers at the Pyramids did not add anything positive to the experience.  And yet, having a good personal guide saved us from having to deal with any of this personally.  He steered us where we needed to go and gave helpful advice, so by the end of the day, it was quite a pleasant outing in one of Africa's largest cities and a fitting conclusion to our epic vacation.

To be honest, I had my doubts on how spectacular the pyramids could be.  In person, yes they were, and built an incredible thousand years before anything else we saw in Upper Egypt.  We went to a few vantage points and stopped off to see the Sphinx.  Built in the Old Kingdom, the craftsmanship was amazing - truly remarkable engineering.

We spent a good two hours in traffic trying to get from point a to b.  We decided against the full tour of Cairo and skipped the Coptic neighborhood and old Islamic part in favor of Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum.  But not before going to El Empetor on Rhodes Island first to eat the best kosheri I've ever had.  Kosheri is a delightful dish entailing macaroni, lentils, spicy tomato sauce, chickpeas, garlic sauce, and fried onions.  It was delicious and I was starving so it was a highlight of the afternoon.

The Museum was just off the infamous square, which hosted a few peaceful protesters camped out (think Occupy Wall Street).  Life had returned to normal, although the problems have not yet been solved. Housed in a large colonial-style orange building, the Egyptian Museum was both a pleasant surprise and disappointment.  Having been to a number of temples and tombs already, seeing some of the relics up close put things in perspective and it was a great way to finish our tour of ancient Egyptian history.  Of course, King Tut's treasures were a highlight but there were many other discoveries - intricate jewelry, papyrus, mummified animals, sarcophagi, and Old and Middle Kingdom examples of statuary and art (most everything we saw up to this point was from the New Kingdom era).  The letdown came with the poor lighting, inadequate descriptions, and how everything just seemed to be in storage.  Walid, as an Egyptologist, was helpful in pointing things out but we also spent some time on our own.

We are in the Diner Club lounge, as we often are when travelling through airports.  This particular one is ok but does not have showers or bar service.  It is still much preferred than waiting outside at the gate for a couple of hours.  Hard to believe we will be back in Kuwait tomorrow and school starts on Sunday!

Seeking solitude in the Sinai

Another flight brought us into a different country, the land of the Bedouins on the Sinai Peninsula.  We arrived late Saturday night on the coast of the Red Sea to Sharm El-Sheik, world-renown for its diving and extravagant surroundings.  We met Mohammed who instead drove us 240 kilometers into the heart of the desert.  We arrived at an altitude of 1600 meters and near freezing temperatures at the Bedouin Camp in the village of St. Catherine. Bundling ourselves under heavy blankets in an austere room, we settled in for a long peaceful night of sleep.

Run by two Bedouin brothers belonging to the Jabeliya tribe (which is one of seven tribes in the area), we were their only guests.  Not only was it the off-season, but general tourist apathy in the Middle East had dented the economy.  Naturally, they were most hospitable and after a generous breakfast of dates, tomatoes, bread, eggs, yogurt, and tea we made a plan to hike Mt. Sinai later in the day.  In the meantime, we walked through town, bought a few snacks, and organized ourselves.  As the only Westerners, we were completely unhassled; instead people greeted and welcomed us to the town. 

Mt. Sinai surely had its place in history but was only one of several peaks in the area.  We set out in the early afternoon for the longer less-travelled trail on the backside of the mountain.  Apparently most people in the middle of the night walk the route closest to the highway and arrive at the summit for sunrise.  On the advice of the owner Saleh, we did the reverse.  Walking through valleys and dry river beds, we passed by abandoned but still maintained monasteries.  Saleh explained that there is a general respect for “this holy mountain and area, regardless of religion”.  His ancestors came from Greece and Romania, sent by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian to protect the Greek Orthodox monasteries in the early 600’s, although he and his family are now Muslim.  This sentiment seemed to form many people’s attitudes in Egypt as Coptic churches coexisted next to mosques.  Given all the religious turmoil of the past thousand years, finding common ground bodes  well for peace.

The hike was not too terribly technical and the altitude did not seem to affect us at all.  We arrived at the summit of 7500 feet just minutes before sunset.  Before us laid a gorgeous panorama of craggy peaks as far as the eye could see.  Besides a few vendors selling hot drinks, there were only two other tourists sharing the view. What had taken us three hours to climb still took two and half hours to descend in the dark.  We marveled at the brilliant constellations as we navigated the narrow pathways back down to the village.

Under a tent with tables and large floor cushions, Saleh had a fire going when we returned.  Sitting down around it, we slurped down a big bowl of lentil soup, with chunks of crispy Egyptian bread in it.  Friends and family members passed by to share news as the evening progressed.  We learned more about the area and Saleh’s story.

Saleh Mousa’s family and tribe had lived in the mountains for fourteen hundred years.  They had learned to be flexible through conquering armies, tribal disputes, English colonialism, Israeli occupation, and finally becoming a part of Egypt.  They most clearly are not Egyptian though, and like Bedouins  in neightboring countries, they were treated as second-class citizens.  The saving grace came from the land’s rich natural resources, namely oil, concrete, and limestone.  His political views were quite straightforward – Israelis were good people (in fact most everyone was in his opinion) and he was fluent in Hebrew, but the government was awful.  Former President Mubarek was a thief and criminal, and he was doubtful that Morsi would now save the country from further ruin (most Egyptians agreed with both of these sentiments).  With only a high school education, he was well-versed in current affairs and ran for Parliament ten years ago on a platform defending the rights of the Bedouin.  He was arrested for what was seen as traitorous rhetoric, but then released because of his status in the tribe.  He seemed to wear this as a badge of honor. 

Only thirty-five years old, Saleh has committed himself to making the town better.  He built a new school.  He built the Bedouin Camp and started the tour business, employing many people.  The camp is a series of rooms built out of stone that look like Bedouin houses.  There were two tents with cushions on which to recline and other areas to sit.  Olive trees were planted and he brought us to another garden outside of town. The landscape around the guesthouse reminded us of Aus, Namibia although the mountains were much more towering here.  Everywhere we walked, we saw thick and tall stone walls, even in the deep recesses of the mountains.  From where we ate breakfast, we watched camels walking the same beaten path every morning.

We sat outside soaking up the winter sun, and continued our reading and writing.  For the remainder of our week here, we took short walks and enjoyed village life.  Yesterday on the first day of the new year, we went on another six-hour hike up over one mountain into what is referred to as “the garden”, an oasis of sorts, up through Wadi Al-Shaq to our guide’s family home tucked away in a corner of the valley.  There he made us tea from wild desert mint (a sub-species of peppermint which tasted different) and we ate a light lunch.

The evening fire is a popular meeting spot for men.  I felt welcome in their circle even as a woman, but I know that is only because I am a tourist.  We learned more about the village.  The Monastery of the Sinai is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the village and surrounding area falls under that.  Protected also are the hundreds of wild medicinal herbs (30 only found in this area) which our guide Mousa showed us yesterday.  When asked if there was a book, one man replied no, but that all of the information was all on the internet.

Today was our last day here, and we woke to see a frost cover everything outside.  With no heat, it was easy to stay longer under the blankets but we finally made it over to the Monastery.  Built in the mid 500’s, it has served as a holy place for Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  Secured and cloistered from its inception, it had been given protection by the Prophet Mohammed, Arab Caliphs, Turkish Sultans, and the rulers of Europe (Napoleon was a key benefactor).  Reportedly the original burning bush and Moses’ well were on site, although it really just looked like a bush and a hole in the ground (that still had water).  There was also a mosque inside the Monastery walls (Prophet Mohammed was said to have visited). Because the Monastery was only opened for three hours each day in the morning, there were hundreds of visitors and pilgrims, mostly from Russia, Greece, and Eastern Europe.  After spending much of our time alone in the desert, this was overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people.  What was unfortunate was that the tourists came to see the Monastery but then left before coming into the town.

What I found interesting was not only was the Monastery the longest continuously active one in the world, but it boasted a rich library of manuscripts on papyrus, parchment, and paper.  Ancient texts of the Bible in Greek and a dozen other languages were written on beautifully gilded pages.  Because of the protection the monks continuously received, it’s well-preserved collection of icons over the past fifteen hundred years was complete and undamaged, making it one of the best in the world.  The display was museum-quality and amazing to see.

The Greek Orthodox chapel was ornate and splendid, but small and crowded.  Nevertheless, we were glad to have spent time there.  We spent the rest of our time, enjoying the village and our time outside.  We later went to the St. Catherine Protectorate Visitor's Center which wasn't opened (because the government is too cheap we were told) but Saleh knew someone who knew someone and we got in.  Remarkable display about the land, the history, and its people.