A big day of sightseeing

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  Istanbul, Turkey
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Well, today we set off to Sultanahmet, the ancient part of Istanbul for a spot of sightseeing. It's always possible to overdo these things, especially for Maggie and Georgie who are not wild about monuments etc in the first place.

We found the spice bazaar on our way, and earmarked it for a more prolonged exploration on another day. I decided that the best way to find the sights was to 'follow my nose'. I know, I know, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. As it happened, we had been walking for about 6 hours (well it seemed like it) in a straight line (but almost vertical) when we literally stumbled across one of the main sights that Jess had earmarked to see - the Yerabatan Sarnici (or Basilica Cistern). we paid our 10 lira each and although the ticket man initially said we had to pay for Georgie, when I offered him the 30 lira he relented and winked at me saying she (Georgie) is underage

The Basilica Cistern

. I thanked him and we headed in.

It was raining so the roof was dripping all over the place. We descended down a very slippery marble staircase into a magnificent interior. It was incredible to think that this structure had withstood the impact of so many years. Originally built to provide water to Constantinople, it was constructed during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinianus I (527-565). It is in remarkable condition and we felt like we were entering a magical place. It was also very warm down there, so we lingered for quite a while.

After that we needed something to eat, so we did the right thing and asked a carpet salesman who was trying to con us into going to his 'carpet exhibition' (exhibition pigs arse...). He did us a favour though because he sent us to a very unassuming kebab place where we had a sumptuous feast. We shared a meze plate with fresh pita bread, garlic dip, chicken shishkebab, eggplant and salad. We all ate until we could eat no more. When Maggie asked about Turkish icecream the waiter nodded furiously and said 'come with me'. Maggie was very uncertain, but Jess and I knew that he was just taking her downstairs to pick what she wanted. As Jess watch him take Maggie out of the front door and down the street out of our vision we both felt a bit uncomfortable

Ayasofya - an internal marble wall

. 'Well that's the last we'll see of him'  quipped, but I must admit I was a little nervous.

Four minutes later Maggie returned triumphant with an ice cream for her, Georgie and Jess. I got a cup of tea, all 'on the house'. Very nice.

Feeling refreshed we headed to Ayasofya (or Hagia Sofia). It was the largest cathedral in the world for a millennium and is a remarkable example of byzantine architecture. When the city was taken by the Ottoman empire it was converted to a mosque but is now classified as a museum. The building has a vastness to it that is hard to describe, harder still to imagine.

We then battled another couple of carpet sellers as we headed to the Blue Mosque (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, after its founder). This was a new experience for us, and we had managed to get there between prayer times so we were able to enter straight away once we had removed our shoes. It too has a vast interior and is richly decorated. Built in the early 1600s it was designed to be an answer from Islam to the grandeur of the Ayasofya.

We decided that that was enough sights for the day and intended to return home via the Grand Bazaar to sus it out for another day

Interior - Ayasofya

. Sadly the 'following the nose' technique was a failure this time and I led our earnest party in the complete wrong direction. On the plus side we did find a fantastic baklavari, where we had a delicious afternoon tea. (I know! How could we fit it in? But we did...) Mind you, as I am sitting typing this up I have undone the top button of my jeans.. just to give me space to breathe you understand.

We ambled about for ages, crossing back over to the Beyoglu side of the golden horn and  trudged up the mountain to our apartment. By the time we got home we had purchased some supplies and were ready to collapse. As on previous evenings, the girls crashed out early and I stayed up to catch up on the blog, and to add a few pictures.

I wonder what tomorrow has in store?

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The Blue Mosque

The Ayasofya, and Guy with... a carpet seller

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