Sharon L. Hardy

Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia 1-3-10

Today we went 1500 years back in History as we explored the Hagia Sophia. Nominated by many authors and historians as one of the eight wonders of the world, this is a masterpiece of architecture which stood unsurpassed for over 1000 years. (see pictures of this and the Blue Mosque in photo album).

We learned that the first church on the site was built in the 4th century, dedicated to Holy Wisdom, on the site of a pagan temple that had borne the same name.  This first structure was wood and burned down in year 404. The second basilica was built in 415 and served Christians for more than a century until it was destroyed in an uprising against the emperor. Justinian then ordered it rebuilt "like nothing seen before since the day of Adam or can be seen in the future" and it was completed in five short years.  An achievement that broke all norms in those times.

Walt and I enjoyed a tour from a guide who told us about the different marbles and which columns were over 3000 years old.  He also told us how the beautiful tiled mosaics of Christ were plastered over when it became a mosque for almost 500 years, and are now being uncovered slowly during restoration by UNESCO. We got some great pictures of these as well.  The sheer dimensions of the interior were awe inspiring. Walt was blown away by the age of what we were seeing.

We also spent time today at the Blue Mosque, which is revered as a masterpiece of Turkey and throughout the Islamic World.  The interior is decorated with more than 20,000 handmade tiles from Isnik.  The blue colors and stained glass windows are gorgeous.  The cupolas, semi-domes and arches create a space of great beauty, harmony and peace. The floors are all carpeted, as this is an active house of prayer. Women cover their heads and no shoes are allowed. We spent a very peaceful time soaking up the beauty of this magnificent Mosque, and we enjoy the view when traveling back on the ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul, as it is a dominant feature of the shoreline.

We ended our day at the Spice Bazaar, where we picked up dates and walnuts, teas, handmade soap and some beautiful cashmere scarves.  Then the ferry back to the bus and home to Tuzla for the night.  We are eating too much, because somehow every time we try to order "just one" "bir and not iki" - they bring us two dinners.  Since we are failing at the language, we eat them!  At least the portions are not over large, and it is all delicious!  Meanwhile, we can now both count to 10 in Turkish!

New Year’s Eve and Day in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey (2nd log)

New Year’s Eve turned out to be quite the experience and a lot of fun; we went to a lovely local restaurant in Tuzla where we had an eight course meal interspersed with much drinking and dancing! They had a famous Turkish singer performing who was terrific. 

Over the course of the evening I made friends with a group of six young women and men in their thirties at the next table who knew all the words to the songs and sang along quite vigorously, and then another family group when the women invited me to dance with them.  They have a very popular drink here called Raki, which is anise liquor. When you add water to the Raki it turns white and is known as “Lion’s Milk,” and it is quite delicious! As was the food. 

 I have learned a few words of Turkish and used my phrase book, but mostly the communication was through movement - the Turkish women (and men) do know how to dance!  The women did several circle dances which I quickly learned the steps to, and they were very welcoming of me into the circles.  We all took pictures of one another and had a great time.  The family group had three generations including young children and a baby! Walt loved the music and got in his share of dancing too. 

The full “Blue Moon” made the night even more special, rising early over the sea and staying visible all evening to wish upon. This was definitely one of the best NY Eve parities I have ever been to!

Today we decided to have a more restful day and it was a balmy 65 degrees, so we took a long stroll along the shore front, where they have a lovely walkway, bike path and parks.  The parks have children’s playground and also exercise equipment for adults! There are places to stop and have a coffee or cappuccino and lunch.  We then discovered a whole new area of local shops and enjoyed browsing.  We finished the day at a restaurant where we could watch the sun set over the mountains and Marmara Sea.  The sky has beautiful colors. 

Tomorrow we plan to go to see the Haghia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, and Sunday to the spice market and grand bazaar.  I am so glad we have two full weeks here! 

Happy New Year 2010 travel blog from Istanbul

 

Happy New Year to everyone from Turkey!

Day 4 of our Turkey Travels

Today was our first day being “tourists” after three travel days and two very productive days of work at Istanbul Technical Institute for Walt.  He is making good progress on his goals of understanding the issues with the ITU/SUNY program and working with his ITU colleagues to find solutions to the problems on both sides of the ocean.  

 We are staying in a lovely seaside hotel in the district of Tuzla, about an hour southeast of the historic district of Istanbul on the Asian side.  Istanbul is a unique and ancient city which straddles the continents of Europe and Asia, with the Bosphorus straits running through the middle. We plan to take a boat tour up the Bosphorus next Friday, weather permitting.  This is a HUGE city, with about 15 million people spread out east to west and bordered by the Marmara sea to the south.  The Bosphorus straits lead to the Black sea, thus Istanbul has always been a very strategic location with a rich history.  

 Being in Tuzla for a few days has given us a chance to learn how to order dinner in Turkish, understand some basics about the culture and learn a few key phrases such as please and thank you (please is easy but thank you is pretty challenging)!  We have discovered that the local cuisine is delicious and the areas is noted for its “meatballs” which are more like a spiced grilled lamb patty and quite yummy.  The bakery selections are wonderful too, and we are getting used to Turkish coffee. This is a small town with a half mile strip of great restaurants and shops about a 1 mile walk from our hotel.  The school is a half mile past that, and they send a car for Walt, so everything is walking distance for us.

 Today is NY eve, and NY day is a major holiday here, with Christmas trees lights, Santa hats and families gathering for turkey dinners.  Tonight we are going to a special NY banquet at the best fish restaurant in town, and they are having a well known Turkish singer perform, so we should have a great time. More on that later!

 

The school sent a car to take us to the main shopping are of the Asian side, closer to Istanbul proper.  The driver let us off on Bagdat Street and Walt immediately headed for a Starbucks!  Once he had his American coffee, we checked the GPS on the phone and our maps to see where on earth we were and decide what to do from there.  Since neither of us are shoppers and we want to save our $ for the Grand Bazaar, we decided to find the ferry nearby and head over to he Prince’s Islands to explore.  Our daughters (both international travelers now) would be proud of us today, as we managed to navigate the ferry, then the train and then a bus to get around and back again!   After Sawbucks we found a bookstore with good maps of the Asian side and snagged a new phrase book, since we had left the one we had bought for this trip at home!  The phrase book is turning out to be very helpful, especially to find bathrooms, transportation and find out how much things cost.

 

A 40 min ferry ride took us to the largest island, Buyukada, where we discovered that cars are banned and transportation is horse drawn carriages or walking!  We walked around town for a few hours and had a lovely lunch, and then did take a carriage tour which turned out to be well worth the lira, as there were spectacular views and beautiful homes to see.  Istanbul gets very hot in the summer, and this is clearly where the well to do come to summer and get away from the heat of the city.  Quite beautiful.

 

One thing we have noticed everywhere here are the number of cats and dogs that roam the streets everywhere – all looking well fed and pretty mellow.  I made the mistake of feeding one kitty a piece of meat at lunch, after which she got very bold and I got scratched in the process!  The waiter came around with a spritzer bottle of water that they keep out for such occasions.  Soon she was back with several friends, and I got handy with the spritzer.

 

After the ferry ride back we had to find the train station (kudos to Sharon for using the phrase book and making herself understood) and discovered how crowded it gets at 5pm!  We also watched a spectacular sunset from the train and realized we should have had a drink and watched that before getting on the train – live and learn!  A nice lady who is a HS teacher in Tuzla helped us find the right bus to get back to the hotel and we are now resting up before NY eve dinner.

 

We will be sending New Years wishes to everyone at home, as we will enter 2010 seven hours before you do in NJ!  

 

Happy New Year!

Sharon & Walt