Dear Friends and Family,
After a good night’s sleep, we had a busy day ahead of us.
What We Did
We headed out to Sultanahmet, the core of the historic old town. Mr. mouse figured out the funicular and tram system that connects our hotel with the city so that we could steer clear of the omnipresent taxis. At Sultanahmet, we got our bearings before heading over to the Blue Mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque was closed for prayers until 2 o’clock, so we switched up the itinerary and headed over to the Hagia Sohpia.
Built between 532 and 537, during the Byzantine Empire by Emperor Justinian, the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Catholic Church. Its name means Church of Holy Wisdom. When the Ottomans captured Istanbul in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. Today, it is no longer a place of worship for either religion; it is a secular museum open to the public. The inside of the Hagia Sophia is cavernous. A lot of the original mosaics were covered up or destroyed when the church was converted into a mosque because the Islamic tradition forbids the portrayal of living beings in places of worship. Some of the mosaics have been restored since the place was converted into a museum, and their beauty took my breath away. The mosaic pieces are tiny, and they come together with such detail. It’s a tragedy that there are only a handful of them left. You can only imagine what the place would have looked like covered in them. Still, it’s an absolutely awe-inspiring place to visit.
Next we went back to the Blue Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616, financed by Sultan Ahmet, the Blue Mosque was, and is, a functioning mosque. It’s unique for two reasons. The mosque has six minarets. Until the Blue Mosque’s completion, the only mosque to have six minarets was the central mosque in Mecca which today has seven minarets. The mosque’s other unique feature is the use of blue İznik tiles throughout the interior. You’re required to remove your shoes and cover your head and shoulders before entering the mosque. Stepping into the interior is like stepping into another world. An imam is lecturing from an apse in the front, and there are local Muslims slipping in and out for their daily prayers. The men and women pray separately. The whole area glows with the blue tile work and echoes with the lecture.
From the Blue Mosque, we headed toward a street of restaurants for lunch and hopefully the start of the Hungarian F1 race. Fortunately, we found a place that had it on screen and watched the first ⅔ of the race before heading out. By the time we left, it was clear Lewis Hamilton was headed for another victory, and we were off to the next stop on our itinerary. Unfortunately, we got a little lost en route, but, fortunately, the performance was delayed an hour so we made it with plenty of time to spare.
The Mevlevi Order, better known as the Whirling Dervishes, was founded by the Sufi mystic, Rumi, also called Mevlâna. Central to the practice is the sema, or whirling ceremony. By spinning the body in a circle, the Dervish becomes part of the universal harmony. While touristy “Whirling Dervish” performances are easy to find, the one here is the real deal – a religious ritual rather than a tourist show. We weren’t sure if we would be able to watch the Dervishes. One book said every Sunday, another said last Sunday of the month, their pamphlet said first and third Sunday of the month. Fortunately for us, we got to see the sema. This was the highlight of the day for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The ceremony is broken into six or seven parts and the first several lead up to the whirling. When they whirl, they seem to go into a trance. They whirl in a counter clockwise direction, with their right arm raised to God and their left pointed towards the Earth, channeling the energy through them from one to the other. Mr. mouse captured a ton of footage, it’s hard to describe if you weren’t there.
We walked back to the hotel to see if we could change rooms from our room which had two twin beds to a room with a queen or king bed. Fortunately, one had opened up. And, we did the swap before heading out to dinner.
For dinner, we walked to Istiklal Street and found a place that was doing brisk business with the locals. Then, we walked down Istiklal Street looking at the shops and restaurants and people. We had done the walk on our way from the Dervishes to the hotel, so, we only went down about halfway, before turning back for the evening.
What We Ate
Breakfast was a simple affair at the hotel. Our room came with some fresh fruit and we had leftover pretzels and cured meat from the day before. We snacked on these before heading out. I think I’ve fallen in love with Turkish apricots.
For lunch, I had a cold fish plate which was octopus, salmon, tuna and anchovies served over a salad of greens, cucumbers and tomatoes. It had a delicious fishiness and saltiness that hit the spot. And, Mr. mouse had a chicken plate that came with chicken shish kebabs, rice, and eggplant paste. I had a taste, and it was delicious as well.
For dinner, we went to a place that served cafeteria style plates. You point at the food and they serve you a plate of it. We got lamb kebabs with potatoes, chicken in tomato sauce, rice, white bean salad, and rice pudding. For 21 YTL, ~$17, we ate to our hearts’ content. And, the place didn’t scream tourist stop.
What I Learned
On our way out for the day, we passed a shoe shine who dropped his brush as he was about to cross the street. Mr. mouse picked it up for him. And, he insisted on giving Mr. mouse a shoe shine. Mr. mouse wanted to head out, but I thought he was trying to thank Mr. mouse for handing him his brush and I didn’t want to be rude. Well, he then wanted 20 YTL for the sneaker shine. We gave him 10 YTL which was 10 YTL more than he deserved and headed on our way. I guess you have to keep your guard up and not try to be as hospitable even if it means being a little rude.
On the flip side, after dinner, a little girl approached Mr. mouse and me. At first we started walking away, but we stopped. It turned out all she wanted was a picture with Mr. mouse and me. Her parents took it on their cell phone, and they smiled and thanked us, and we were on our way. It reminded Mr. mouse of when the Koreans thought our friend, the Dad, was novel.
Cheers!
mouse
After a good night’s sleep, we had a busy day ahead of us.
What We Did
We headed out to Sultanahmet, the core of the historic old town. Mr. mouse figured out the funicular and tram system that connects our hotel with the city so that we could steer clear of the omnipresent taxis. At Sultanahmet, we got our bearings before heading over to the Blue Mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque was closed for prayers until 2 o’clock, so we switched up the itinerary and headed over to the Hagia Sohpia.
Built between 532 and 537, during the Byzantine Empire by Emperor Justinian, the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Catholic Church. Its name means Church of Holy Wisdom. When the Ottomans captured Istanbul in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. Today, it is no longer a place of worship for either religion; it is a secular museum open to the public. The inside of the Hagia Sophia is cavernous. A lot of the original mosaics were covered up or destroyed when the church was converted into a mosque because the Islamic tradition forbids the portrayal of living beings in places of worship. Some of the mosaics have been restored since the place was converted into a museum, and their beauty took my breath away. The mosaic pieces are tiny, and they come together with such detail. It’s a tragedy that there are only a handful of them left. You can only imagine what the place would have looked like covered in them. Still, it’s an absolutely awe-inspiring place to visit.
Next we went back to the Blue Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616, financed by Sultan Ahmet, the Blue Mosque was, and is, a functioning mosque. It’s unique for two reasons. The mosque has six minarets. Until the Blue Mosque’s completion, the only mosque to have six minarets was the central mosque in Mecca which today has seven minarets. The mosque’s other unique feature is the use of blue İznik tiles throughout the interior. You’re required to remove your shoes and cover your head and shoulders before entering the mosque. Stepping into the interior is like stepping into another world. An imam is lecturing from an apse in the front, and there are local Muslims slipping in and out for their daily prayers. The men and women pray separately. The whole area glows with the blue tile work and echoes with the lecture.
From the Blue Mosque, we headed toward a street of restaurants for lunch and hopefully the start of the Hungarian F1 race. Fortunately, we found a place that had it on screen and watched the first ⅔ of the race before heading out. By the time we left, it was clear Lewis Hamilton was headed for another victory, and we were off to the next stop on our itinerary. Unfortunately, we got a little lost en route, but, fortunately, the performance was delayed an hour so we made it with plenty of time to spare.
The Mevlevi Order, better known as the Whirling Dervishes, was founded by the Sufi mystic, Rumi, also called Mevlâna. Central to the practice is the sema, or whirling ceremony. By spinning the body in a circle, the Dervish becomes part of the universal harmony. While touristy “Whirling Dervish” performances are easy to find, the one here is the real deal – a religious ritual rather than a tourist show. We weren’t sure if we would be able to watch the Dervishes. One book said every Sunday, another said last Sunday of the month, their pamphlet said first and third Sunday of the month. Fortunately for us, we got to see the sema. This was the highlight of the day for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The ceremony is broken into six or seven parts and the first several lead up to the whirling. When they whirl, they seem to go into a trance. They whirl in a counter clockwise direction, with their right arm raised to God and their left pointed towards the Earth, channeling the energy through them from one to the other. Mr. mouse captured a ton of footage, it’s hard to describe if you weren’t there.
We walked back to the hotel to see if we could change rooms from our room which had two twin beds to a room with a queen or king bed. Fortunately, one had opened up. And, we did the swap before heading out to dinner.
For dinner, we walked to Istiklal Street and found a place that was doing brisk business with the locals. Then, we walked down Istiklal Street looking at the shops and restaurants and people. We had done the walk on our way from the Dervishes to the hotel, so, we only went down about halfway, before turning back for the evening.
What We Ate
Breakfast was a simple affair at the hotel. Our room came with some fresh fruit and we had leftover pretzels and cured meat from the day before. We snacked on these before heading out. I think I’ve fallen in love with Turkish apricots.
For lunch, I had a cold fish plate which was octopus, salmon, tuna and anchovies served over a salad of greens, cucumbers and tomatoes. It had a delicious fishiness and saltiness that hit the spot. And, Mr. mouse had a chicken plate that came with chicken shish kebabs, rice, and eggplant paste. I had a taste, and it was delicious as well.
For dinner, we went to a place that served cafeteria style plates. You point at the food and they serve you a plate of it. We got lamb kebabs with potatoes, chicken in tomato sauce, rice, white bean salad, and rice pudding. For 21 YTL, ~$17, we ate to our hearts’ content. And, the place didn’t scream tourist stop.
What I Learned
On our way out for the day, we passed a shoe shine who dropped his brush as he was about to cross the street. Mr. mouse picked it up for him. And, he insisted on giving Mr. mouse a shoe shine. Mr. mouse wanted to head out, but I thought he was trying to thank Mr. mouse for handing him his brush and I didn’t want to be rude. Well, he then wanted 20 YTL for the sneaker shine. We gave him 10 YTL which was 10 YTL more than he deserved and headed on our way. I guess you have to keep your guard up and not try to be as hospitable even if it means being a little rude.
On the flip side, after dinner, a little girl approached Mr. mouse and me. At first we started walking away, but we stopped. It turned out all she wanted was a picture with Mr. mouse and me. Her parents took it on their cell phone, and they smiled and thanked us, and we were on our way. It reminded Mr. mouse of when the Koreans thought our friend, the Dad, was novel.
Cheers!
mouse
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