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Istanbul - Day 2 Our Second full day and last night in Istanbul with an agenda of the Hagia Sofia, the Basilica Cistern and the Hippodrome.
Hagia Sofia sits almost opposite the Blue Mosque, in-between, another impressive building! Though, whilst it is not as majestic from the outside as the Mosque, the inside is amazing. Firstly, this place dates back to the 400's though has had to be re-built after a fire and has seen many alterations. The most notable being a change from a Christian Church to a Mosque.
Inside this place is huge and of course as mentioned very beautiful. The floors are all marble, even the second level, the gallery. There is evidence of the Christian church as it once was, which you can imagine makes it very unusual. For example the remains of some original mosaics of a Christian image of Jesus. Ataturk has 'preserved their culture' the best of any I have experienced...from that date / era - the Church / Mosque is now a Museum for all to see their religious history. The fact this building has seen the grandest of changes in both cultural and physical aspects and still remains,
is a tribute to their common sense.
After a little break in a lovely little cafe on the edge of a park we ventured into the Basilica Cistern. It has only been opened for the public about 23 years ago, therefore whilst it is obviously an invaluably sophisticated structure of the times! It is very spooky yet serene at the same time. On a 30 degree day it was also remarkably cool!
In the evening we found ourselves back in Sultanahmet having some dinner and a Water Pipe along with a few drinks. The Pipe was really nice actually, apple flavor and no inhaling required... Well.....our intro to Istanbul and the general incompetence of the 'service providers' (NOTE: Not the Turks / Syrians but rather the Russians and 'others' etc) was bordering on organised chaos! The competition is fierce, and to which nation / belief / custom do you target - ALL is the answer, hence chaos...!
Nobody, as far as I could ascertain catered for a 'global type', apart for a few 'bars' on the strip. Their business couldn't deviate too much, in relation to 'their' tact and the more they deviated from their original
Hagia Sophia...cont'd
There's a few so, you'll know when it ends... tact / intro, the more they alienated others. There were several 'spruickers' who misjudged us in the first instance = no business from me! It was if they assumed who you were, where you were from and what you wanted. We preferred, and ultimately chose, on the menu and 'feel' for the place alone. (NOTE A: These are my comments on Istanbul in general!) No offence! Each to their own....
We did find the 'odd place' down the strip with seats at ground level or comfy cushions at floor level, associated with 'chess' for the locals. We enjoyed these quieter places and found it novel that whilst they catered for whatever you required, I doubted they produced the goods from their own particular venue. We would see beer come from a bar up the strip and food appear from across the road - who really cares where it came from, the comfort and laid back nature of the venue was what appealed to us.
No wonder this is such a beautiful (güzel) place. The sights are amazing! The Blue Mosque from it's exterior and it's call to prayer seemed more evocative than others we have experienced further South.
The Aya Sofya was always on my 'top spot list' and did not disappoint, as was the 'Yerebatan Sarnıcı' (Basilica Cistern) which I couldn't initially find and assumed was near the Aqueduct - incorrect!
Istanbul, for me was Ok. This is a land which straddles east vs west and survives! After learning some 'Turkish' I had personally preferred conversing (the basics) with them in Turkish, only to find they respond or initiate English preferably! The sights were great but with such a cosmopolitan nature associated with the melting pot of east/west - old/new and the apparently conflicting nature of their religion with that of visitors, was what I found intriguing. Having a beer under the shadows of the Blue Mosque with the call to prayer echoing through the streets....Ah, Istanbul!
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Heather
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I loved your photos and post from Istanbul! I haven't been there yet but I hear amazing things about it! My blog is looking for travel photos, reviews, etc, to share. If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email me at dirtyhippiesblog@gmail.com. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)