Carol and I spent last week in Istanbul. It was really an incredible city and we had a wonderful time. The history was almost overwhelming. The people were genuinely warm and friendly. Since our Turkish language skills consisted of a few mispronounced words, we were grateful that almost everyone we met spoke English. The food was different, but delicious. We lived like millionaires (the exchange rate was $1.00 for 1.4 Million Turkish Lira). Of course, one night our dinner (including wine and dessert) cost us just over 100 million TL. We did all right though. Great shopping. Took a couple of tours, and walked around on our own a lot (only got lost once, but we found a cab and after Carol corrected my pronunciation we successfully got a ride back to familiar turf.
Not many Americans there, but we met a couple. The shopkeepers say that Americans stopped coming after 9/11 which is really a shame. The city has much to offer and we enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who wants to see some really unique places. Just soaking up the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman cultural influences is worth the trip. It was definitely the most unique place in the world I have had the pleasure to experience.
We encountered lots of Spanish tourists, some Italians. The locals mistook us for German until they heard us speak. One night we were at a club and the MC sang “New York, New York”, which was kinda funny with the Turkish accent and all. Then he asked people in the audience what country they were from. He would then sing a popular national song, and the folks from that country would sing along. We were the only Americans, and the song he sang was “This land is your land”. It was kind of embarrassing because after the first few lines, Carol and I could not remember the lyrics. So we faked it. Carol heartily joined in with the Spanish song, but I’m not sure she had the right lyrics, unless “aye yi yi yi, I am the Frito bandito” is really their song….
Anyway, the photos follow this post…..
This Medusa’s head is the base of one of 336 marble columns in the Yerebatan cistern, constructed by Constatine. It was a pretty ingenuous engineering fete and is a pretty amazing thing to see…to dark for decent pictures though…you just have to see it.The view from our hotel window. Yep, the trams made some noise as they passed. But in the distance you can see two of the six minarets that grace the Blue Mosque. The call to prayer was broadcast from there at 6:00 am was definitely a unique wake-up call…The Blue Mosque, constructed at the bidding of Sultan Ahmet I between 1609-1617.The Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia) completed in 537 during Justinian’s reign. The minaret’s were added after Mehmet II conquered the city and in praise to Allah converted it to a mosque. Very impressive to view, and definitely the oldest structure I had ever set foot in. The history in those walls could almost be felt….An example of one of the surviving mosaics inside St. Sophia. They were covered in plaster when the cathedral was converted to a mosque.On the “Golden Horn” of the Bosphorus…And the shopping experience was quite unique. Carol with a shopkeeper named Erol at the Arasta Bazaar, which is much more laid back than the Grand Bazaar. Our experience was that you didn’t just make a purchase, you had tea and a chat as part of the transaction…Our hotel, the St. Sophia. Not exactly the Ritz, but as Hemingway might say it was a clean well-lighted place. And the location was perfect. In the heart of the old city, right next door to the Hagia Sophia…A shop in the Egyptian Spice Market….Carol bought saffron, pine nuts, and apple tea….The Rumeli Fortress, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in only four months on the Bosphorus…A Turkish toilet. Fortunately, this is the only one of this type I encountered. I’m not sure I trust my sense of balance well enough to attempt putting it to use…Looking across the Bosphorus to Asia. Instanbul in the only city that spans two continents…There was so much to see and so little time….but I have to say for a real glimpse of the lifestyle of the Sultan’s of the Ottoman Empire, the Topkapi Palace was the most interesting and impressive…The Sultan-eye view of Instanbul from Topkapi Palace…I found this tree worthy of a photo. From the grounds of the Topkapi Palace.The entrance to the “forbidden city”, aka the harem.These “apartments” on the upper floor of the harem were reserved for the Sultan’s favorites. Except for being virtually prisoners and sex slaves, I guess the job had some perks…Ok, this is my personal favorite photo. We went to a restaurant that featured traditional Turkish folk dancing, and yes, that included belly dancers. And that’s all I think I’m gonna tell…
35 thoughts on “Photoblogging Istanbul”
evolutionary formula of bioidentical hormones designed for natural anti aging therapy
secretion reaches its peak in the body during adolescence.
please check
A lot of talented actors still have to pay their bills.
I had been approached by a couple of people as far as making movies because of my success in music, but it was always to play the white rapper in Sister Act 2, or something that would just kind of put the final nail into my coffin of my career.
I had had a troubled past, but like most rappers they go out and talk about it to kind of help their career.
I have a lot of real life experience with hustling and doing stupid stuff.
I just realized that the whole point of doing interviews was to promote this movie, so see it three times.
I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.
But it just so happens that when you re in the public eye, everything gets reported.
I used to dress up and impersonate our next-door neighbor, Miss Cox. She wore rubber boots, a wool hat, and her nose always dripped.
I like the idea of making big budget films with a heart. I like graphic novels more than comic books.
I think music is what takes the experience off the screen into your soul, into your head.
But I think that the most important thing was to really stop drinking.
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world.
I only drink to make other people seem more interesting.
Love is an emotion experienced by the many and enjoyed by the few.
Patriotism is a arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.
A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never ceased to be amused.
Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.
The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.
A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal.
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
I have survived by representing these sufferings of mine in the form of the novel.
I too am living as a writer with this polarisation imprinted on me like a deep scar.
After the many rumours that we had heard about Hitler and the published criticisms we had read about him, we were pleasantly impressed.
I have always been interested in politics. I was in the student union before, very active.
As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of.
Do some selfless service for people who are in need. Consider the whole picture, not just our little selves.
I think it was that we were really seasoned musicians. We had serious roots that spanned different cultures, obviously the blues.
For a long time I just did theater and after many years I was ready to make a change.
A lot of poets carry a wee notebook in their pockets to jot down ideas and lines and even a verse or two. I never do that.
I was drunk for the second time in my life on junior high and that was a bad one!
evolutionary formula of bioidentical hormones designed for natural anti aging therapy
secretion reaches its peak in the body during adolescence.
please check
A lot of talented actors still have to pay their bills.
I had been approached by a couple of people as far as making movies because of my success in music, but it was always to play the white rapper in Sister Act 2, or something that would just kind of put the final nail into my coffin of my career.
I had had a troubled past, but like most rappers they go out and talk about it to kind of help their career.
I have a lot of real life experience with hustling and doing stupid stuff.
I just realized that the whole point of doing interviews was to promote this movie, so see it three times.
I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.
But it just so happens that when you re in the public eye, everything gets reported.
I used to dress up and impersonate our next-door neighbor, Miss Cox. She wore rubber boots, a wool hat, and her nose always dripped.
I like the idea of making big budget films with a heart. I like graphic novels more than comic books.
I think music is what takes the experience off the screen into your soul, into your head.
But I think that the most important thing was to really stop drinking.
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world.
I only drink to make other people seem more interesting.
Love is an emotion experienced by the many and enjoyed by the few.
Patriotism is a arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.
A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never ceased to be amused.
Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.
The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.
A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal.
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
I have survived by representing these sufferings of mine in the form of the novel.
I too am living as a writer with this polarisation imprinted on me like a deep scar.
After the many rumours that we had heard about Hitler and the published criticisms we had read about him, we were pleasantly impressed.
I have always been interested in politics. I was in the student union before, very active.
As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of.
Do some selfless service for people who are in need. Consider the whole picture, not just our little selves.
I think it was that we were really seasoned musicians. We had serious roots that spanned different cultures, obviously the blues.
For a long time I just did theater and after many years I was ready to make a change.
A lot of poets carry a wee notebook in their pockets to jot down ideas and lines and even a verse or two. I never do that.
I was drunk for the second time in my life on junior high and that was a bad one!
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