Day 2 Istanbul

It is 1:15 a.m. And I am determined to send out this blog as we fly to Cappadocia in the morning. I am not sure when we will have internet connections again. Our morning started with quite a surprise. We left our hotel after breakfast "en gang," marching like ducklings after Deniz through thickening traffic. The temperature was about 70 degrees and stayed that way throughout the day. After 10 minutes we stopped at a local cafe that appeared not to be open, but a waiter appeared, we ordered tea, coffee, or water, Deniz began drawing, and two hookas, or nargiles, as water pipes are called here, appeared at our table. Deniz stopped drawing and said, "now, I will teach you how to smoke." The aroma was soft and wonderful. Deniz inserted a fresh mouthpiece in the pipe and began to draw on the smoke. "Now, who will try." Pam was sitting next to Deniz. "I will," she said...inserted her mouthpiece and began to toke away like a pro. We all tried, but I believe Deniz, Pam, and I enjoyed the pipe the best as the three of us passed the pipe back and forth as Deniz gave us an amazing lesson in Turkish history.
Our itinerary from the day says: Explore the grandeur of one of the world’s most important historical cities, Istanbul. We visit a selection of splendid relics of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, including the Blue Mosque, the Roman Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace and, if time permits, the Kapali Carsi (covered bazaar). Time permitted and we bought spices, tea and a candy called Turkish Delight. Around sunset we hopped onto a commuter ferry, joining local Istanbullis as they returned home from work--a journey that reveals palaces, lavishly restored Ottoman homes and embassies on both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus. We had a wonderful dinner at a traditional Turkish fish restaurant.
We were out from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It was an amazing day. In addition to what the itinerary indicated, we visited the underground cisterns that honeycomb the ground beneath Istanbul-- a walled city, which we didn't really understand until today. Cisterns provided the city with reliable water when it was under attack. Many buildings are sitting on the ruins of ancient Roman structures. Many of the mosques were first Christian churches or vice versa. "Wherever we dig in Turkey, we discover history," says Deniz. "In great part, the history of the Ottoman empire is the history of all of us as people." Fascinating. I will leave you with a few unforgettable images...and it's off to sleep for me. We love to hear from you, so send us a line. Jeanne, we love the Lucy pics!
BB




Pam enjoying the nargile




Ahhhh...




Fresh pomegranates on a street vendor's cart.




The Ayasophia..."why two mosques across from one other? Just a man thing," says Deniz. "To prove my thing is bigger than your thing!"




The Blue Mosque across the way.




The group with the Bosphorus and the Asian part od Istanbul in the background...Istanbul sits both in Asia and in Europe.




Partially uncovered frescos from a former Christian time in the Ayasophia, a mosque.




One of the Medusa heads on the bottom of a column in the cisterns.




Muslim men washing before going in to the mosque for evening prayer.




Topkapi spice market.




Taking a rest and some quiet time in the "new mosque" --it's only 500 years old.




A new mosque being built near the water--on the ferry as we motored toward dinner.
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Location:Turkey