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!
No comments:
Post a Comment