people. We walked miles every day, rode trams, trains, buses and took refreshing boat rides exploring the city
Our first day we walked a few blocks from our apartment to where the boats were docked and took the first boat that left for the Princes Island of Buyukada, knowing nothing about it we got on and were pleasantly surprised by its uniqueness. We took a 45 minute carriage ride around the island..great way to get a feel for it, cars are not allowed.
had a tasty lunch with grilled fish on the water at Ali Baba restaurant
sitting next to us when we got on the boat was a woman who was an experienced tour guide- we became friendly with her.. had just talked about needing a guide to tell us about the history of some of the old sights of the city- she was booked but referred us to another guide who ended up being an angel for us, taking us around the next day to some of the following sites and making a reservation for us in Turkish at the wonderful hotel on the Black sea.
Mike in bakery buying some Simit
(a circular Turkish break encrusted with sesame seeds)
Went to the beautiful Istanbul Modern Museum, here were a few of our favorite pieces
There was a bookstore that had assorted books hanging from the ceiling in a huge space, amazing!
a very large mixed media collage and 3D paper (those conical shapes are 3D)
A Turkish artist, Semiha Berksoy who was also an opera singer had an entire room of her work. Her voice was projected with her opera singing, a powerful combination. She used mainly paint on wood
She passed away years ago, her paintings were our favorite pieces in the entire exhibition
This is Semiha getting ready for one of her operas
The main drag in Istanbul is colorful Istiklal street filled constantly with crowds of people
and street musicians- this particular group was entertaining because of the versatile
digeridoo
our guide took us to an authentic Turkish rug business, here is one of best weavers in the business doing her thing, knotting!
They were so kind bringing us cold Turkish tea and giving us a wonderful rug show. Of course they were hoping to make a sale. The most exciting rug was a 100 year old kilim for a mere $25,000...the owner told us stories about the rugs and one of them was about Elton John stopping by a year ago, below is a photo of a rug Elton designed to be placed under his piano, it took them a year to make it!
Don't you just love the color? 100 times more vibrant in person, and so soft
Here we are inside the famous Blue Mosque named after the blue tile on the walls
Blue Mosque, it was Ramadan (a time of fasting, prayer and celebration) everyday twice a day they broadcasted a call to prayer from speakers located on the minarets of all the mosques in the city. The same phrase was repeated 3 times
This is the dome of the famous church Hagia Sophia of Constantinople built by the Byzantine Emperor in 537 A.D. later converted into a mosque. Hagia Sophia means "Holy Wisdom". This is the jewel of Istanbul..it has withstood many earthquakes and when you walk around in it you feel holy. Instead of stair steps to go to the top one walks up ramps..they did this because the sultan was carried to a special viewing area by attendants, easier than stairs, besides the Black Sea swim this was my favorite place
This is one of the most incredible mosaics that was uncovered from a plaster coating when
the church was converted into a mosque. Removing the plaster caused much damage to many of the mosaic tiles but it was a smart move to do the plaster so as not to destroy the incredible work..these tiles are tiny
One night on the full moon we had a delightful rooftop dinner at 360 restaurant with a view of the Bosphorus straight and the old city
dessert was Turkish rice pudding with sorbet and fresh fruit on ice, delicious
it was very hot and humid and I asked our guide where her favorite place was to go swimming. She not only told us but made a reservation at a place that only spoke Turkish and had only one room left due to a cancellation, this is the view from our room at the Kilya Hotel on the Black Sea (a 45 minute bus and tram ride from the city) enjoyed every minute!
a roasted corn merchant on the most beautiful beach of soft sand and warm water
This was the underground cistern- water supply for the sultan's palace. No one knows why the medusa head's were put at the base of some of the huge columns.
huge columns and arched roof made of stone
we wandered the back streets near the spice bazaar and observed so many characters
man washing his hands and face
what an intense, lively city!
Mike deep in thought
enjoying a cold drink after the bizarre
cool Turkish tea..mmmm.......
saw this beautiful medicine mosque on the Bosphorus boat tour
our last night we saw a traditional whirling dervish performance- four men do a meditation to live music, felt like it represents nature and the fluidity of life, loved it!
a sweet dog that followed us down to the beach and sat and watched us as we swam early one morning in the beautiful Black Sea, a reminder of the unconditional love animals provide
now back in Copenhagen soaking up the last few days of this exceptional adventure before returning home. Thank you so much for coming along with me. I so look forward to HOME SWEET HOME and as always am sending all my love
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