ISTANBUL with daddy...!

My DAD is here. In Istanbul. With me. We met up yesterday evening in the Istanbul airport and romped around the city today but is still incredibly surreal to be with him! I must say, he has been quite a trooper on the jet lag front. Come to think of it, his habit of pulling an all-nighter at the office before leaving town probably helped for once since his body was already out of wack.

Istanbul has captivated me for years – it is literally the number one place in the world that I have wanted to see since high school. Am I really here? In Asia? Europe? The Middle East? All of the above? NONE of the above? I’m trying my utmost to stop trying to categorize scenes or buildings or interactions with locals into European or Asian. There is no line – okay, fine, there’s the Bosporus – but culturally? This is the epitome of a blend. Having visited a wide range of Asian and European nations it’s all to tempting for me to wander around Istanbul proclaiming connections to this or that culture. For example, the little miniature paintings that look like ones I saw in India – then again, the Indian miniatures came with the rule of the Mughals, a Muslim empire. Then there are the cobblestone streets and castle/fortress looking walls – Europe! Europe! The shops crammed together selling everything imaginable rapid fire – Asian flashbacks… but then there’s the highly efficient tram system and the clean, clean streets. No offense Asia, but that brings me back to Europe.

Today we went to the Blue Mosque, the underground Basilica Cisterns, the Hagia Sophia, and wandered around the neighborhood a lot. The Blue Mosque is not, as you might assume, blue on the outside. The designs on the rook inside are, however replete with rich blues, yellows, greens…major wow. I LOVE the calligraphy designs that are all over mosques – it is forbidden in Islam to draw anything representative so the highest art form evolved into elaborate calligraphy. We’re planning to go back again on our last day in Istanbul to see how it feels different given our other experiences… I like bookends and my dad REALLY likes things like that J. I was fairly shocked at the behavior of some of the visitors: plenty of Western women did not cover their heads with scarves when they are very clearly asked to do so and loud chattering even when the imam started to announce the call to prayer.

Favorite quote from dad:

Salesman: “Where are you from?”

Dad: walking away “Uh…Everett.”

Salesman: “Oh yes I know it!”

The underground Basilica Cisterns were first built in the 6^th century but the Emperor Justinian (the most powerful Byzantine Emperor) to provide water to the overcrowded capitol city. (**Note – Istanbul used to be Constantinople and is no longer the capitol – that’s Ankara) The cistern complex is the size of two football fields and deep – supported by a seemingly endless expanse of pillars. When I had lunch with the friendly French lady who I met on the bus in Geneva she kept insisting that I go see the cisterns. Great tip!

The Hagia Sophia was first a great cathedral and then later converted into a Mosque. Today it is a museum – housing both Christian and Muslim religious symbols and architecture. It’s HUGE – not only could the entire Notre Damn Cathedral fit inside – but the Statue of Liberty could comfortable do jumping jacks in its central nave! Okay less talk more photos ~~~

Random thoughts… It occurred to me that many, many of the restaurant/souvenir shop workers in Europe are, in fact, Turkish… which made me wonder – why do the vendors here feel so different? Well. We’re in Turkey. And the storeowners are Turkish! Not immigrants. Both a really obvious and easy to overlook fact!

whoooops: I saw an impressive looking wall and archway near the Hagia Sophia so I wandered on over and tried to go in. Sadly the armored guards told me it was closed so I asked one of the military men what it was – “Topkapi Palace” he explained, failing to suppress a look that clearly added “You raging idiot”. Okay fine, one of the most important tourist stops/cultural sites – duly noted.

Okay. My daddy wants to be a guest blogger now so I’m going to turn it over to him…. and then we’ll go out to dinner!

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itsmy turn to donuts, actually GO NUTS

I have had a great time with alice so far… and no end in sight for the good times

rained all day—did not faze us! we love the rain. although, it got cold too – thanks, leslie, for the sweater idea: I wore it at layer number 3 of five today—with the fleece over it, followed by rain coat.

I don’t want to get boring here, talking about clothing, but I fear that alice has problaby already said all the good stuff. but did she mention her inquiry of the machine gun clad military man at a gate, where she inqured, “what’s that?

answer, Topkapi Palace….. look it up on google if you don’t’ know why that’s so funny!

enjoyed being played by a carpet salesman today…. no we did not get a carpet, but we got other stuff!!!

I had to stop once today to just drink in the fact that I was in instanbul… with alice. wow. what a treat.

bye for now, your guest blogger, deane