Istanbul - Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

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We all slept soundly and well into the morning. It took some time to get out of the room, but we eventually were forced to go in search of breakfast. In a moment of weakness, we opted for a bit of familiarity with Starbuck’s, then proceeded towards the Bosphorus without a clear plan of what we would do next. We came first to the spectacular Blue Mosque and decided to start our tour there. A remarkable sight from the outside with its many domes and minarets, the inside is vast with elaborate geometric designs covering the interior of the domes. In accordance with custom, we removed our shoes and Lauren and Sonia were provided with scarves to cover their shoulders and arms before entering. Inside we were restricted to the back of the mosque but still had a great opportunity to take in the beauty of the site. We were ushered out as the 12:30 call to prayer sounded from the minarets, and we headed out in search of the next stop. The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia face each other directly across a small park as if each one is challenging the other to an architectural dual - which, historically, they in fact are. We made the short walk (about 500 meters) to Hagia Sophia, initially built as a church in Roman times, then converted to a mosque and now a museum. Despite its years as a mosque, the elements of a Christian church are still evident and many spectacular Christian mosaics have been preserved. Like the Blue Mosque, a central dome is a key architectural feature, but the Hagia Sophia has extensive galleries off to the sides, including an upper level which affords many different vantage points on the central portion of the church. Andrew and Lauren were both clearly intrigued by the complexity and elaborate adornment of this ancient building, which includes a long and winding ramp up a narrow cave-like tunnel on each side of the church originally intended for donkey-access to the upper level. The kids took turns with the camera to document the parts that interested them. We wandered outside and had ice cream at the outdoor café which is more or less a playground of ancient ruins that you can climb upon and admire. We decided to continue on towards the water, stopping along the way to purchase some baklava and Turkish delight (Lokum). Apparently, a love of sugar transcends international boundaries and unlike most savory treats these strange items were readily accepted by the children as delicious. We followed the tramline to the northern shore of the Old City which is bordered by the “Golden Horn”, an offshoot of the Bosphorus. We walked across a bridge into the “New City”, did a little exploring, but were now wilting from the heat and hunger. We wandered back and found a series of restaurants which were located beneath the bridge, right by the water, and sat down for beer, mezes and a great view out across the Bosphorus to the Asian side. A multitude of fishing lines dangled from the bridge above, although I don’t think any of us ever witnessed anything being caught. We chatted with the friendly restaurant owner and relaxed for a bit, then headed back across the bridge to the Old City. Weary from the heat and the walking, we negotiated how to board the tram that would take us back to within yards of our hotel. We thought it was crowded when we boarded, but by the time we disembarked, it was comically crowded (leading Lauren to comment that people get on, but no one gets off) and we were unsure whether we had sharp enough elbows to force our way back to the door. We made a late restaurant reservation and chilled out for a while with Andrew and John returning to the swimming pool. We took the (slightly less crowded) tram back towards the Blue Mosque and hustled, already a bit late for our 9:30 reservation. Along the way we happened into a conversation with a friendly shopkeeper after admiring (and photographing) his cat. As it happens, he is attending college in Santa Barbara and is home in Turkey on break. He seemed so excited to talk to us about California, that his attempt to sell us a carpet was not even half-hearted. Instead, he shared with us some of his experiences in the States, including his astonishment at discovering that Americans are inveterate rule-followers. Now late and quite hungry we moved on and managed to get rather lost in some backstreets. We were just coming to grips with how lost we were when we were approached by a friendly Turk who happily spent a few minutes looking at a map with us and getting us pointed in the right direction. We reached the restaurant (Teras, on top of the Armada hotel) at close to 10pm and were pleased that there was no fuss about seating us or about the missed reservation. Now after dark, the rooftop restaurant set in a garden had spectacular views of both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, both beautifully illuminated. The weather was perfect, no wind. The tables were lit by gas lanterns and at the call to evening prayer, you could hear the singing echo from the many mosques across Istanbul, but loudest from the Blue Mosque directly in our line of sight. Sonia remarked repeatedly that it was by far the most beautiful restaurant she had ever seen. The food was excellent (a large selection of mezes, local cheeses, Turkish wine, and a selection of Turkish entrees for the parents while the kids were able to have an Italian meal. Home by taxi after midnight and in bed by 1AM.

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Photos

Spectacular Domes
Domes of the Blue Mosque - Photo doesn't do justice to the soaring and elaborately detailed ceilings

Attired for the Blue Mosque
Sonia and Lauren were given blue scarves to drape over their shoulders.

Blue Mosque
Andrew, Lauren and John pose with the Blue Mosque in the background

Happy Family at Hagia Sophia
Brief break before entering the ancient church

Inside Hagia Sophia
This gives some sense of the scale of the place, the "gallery level" visible above the main floor is at least 16 feet tall on it's own. Also visible are the Islamic decorations that were added when the building was used as a mosque

Spiritual Cat
Cat photographed in the altar area of Hagia Sophia

Andrew among the Ruins
This elaborately carved capital was sitting in the cafe area. Andrew imitates the expression carved in stone.

By the Golden Horn
John, Lauren and Andrew on the bridge to the new city. The body of water is the golden horn - an offshoot of the Bosphorus strait

Blue Mosque at Night
Photography taken from our table at dinner. This is the best picture we could get with the "little" camera. Clearly we will need to make a return trip with the good camera to photograph the spectacularly lit Istanbul skyline

Comments

[Elaina]

Nice!
Yes - dinner at 10 PM!! AWESOME. I love the Mediterranean; I don't think we had dinner before 9 the entire time we were in Greece. Looks like you are having a fabulous time!