A grand day out
Trip Start
Feb 22, 2007
1
3
38
Trip End
Jul 19, 2008
Istanbul,
Turkey
Friday, February 23, 2007
Upon arrival at the ticket office at Haydarpasa train station, I was informed that the train service I required - a mammoth 36 hour journey spanning the length of Turkey, upon which I'd planned and justified my entire trip to Istanbul - was no longer in operation. Oh shit... what now? I headed back to Sultanahmet where, after consulting a travel agent, I purchased a plane ticket down to Gazientep in the south of Turkey. There I would find a cheap bus ride across the Turkey-Syria border and on to Aleppo. If this new plan could be executed without a hitch then it wouldn't cost me much more than my original train journey and would save me an entire day of travelling, though I would miss out on the much-anticipated opportunity to savour Turkey's landscapes.
Having seemingly sorted out my new travel arrangements, I was now able to begin my day of sightseeing. I began by visiting the Aya Sofya and Blue Mosques that had left such an impression on me the previous evening. In the grey light of this cold winter's day they warmed my soul; no amount of cloud and drizzle would detract from their boundless magnificence.
a.01 Aya Sofya Mosque
I visited the Aya Sofya Mosque first where, upon entering the main hall, I was blown away by its sheer height and size. No longer used, it is essentially an empty shell of a building which is perhaps why its scale appears so epic upon first viewing. It was originally built as a church, and there was evidence of Christianity on every wall where intricate ceramic mosaics of symbolic Christian imagery have been restored having originally been covered up in the church's transformation to a mosque. Serving as a reminder that it is indeed a mosque, huge black canvasses hung down from the balconies upon which were written, in gold Arabic script, significant symbols and passages from the Qur'an. Across the concourse I visited the Blue Mosque where, given it is still used, I had to remove my shoes upon entering. Inside, this mosque was more inviting than its neighbour and perhaps even more opulent. Over the central praying area hung a huge and extravagant chandelier, which was lowered to a mere 7 feet or so to the ground from an impressively high ceiling. Perhaps it was because I'd removed my shoes, but I felt at peace in this mosque and submitted to a sudden urge to sit on the floor in quiet contemplation while I gazed at the ornate walls and ceilings.
Needing a quick pick-me-up before I continued my sightseeing, I headed to a recommended sweet shop nearby where I indulged my growing sweet-tooth on a feast of baklava, which was undoubtedly the finest I've ever tasted. I then headed off to the Basilica Cistern, which was a mightily impressive subterranean cistern dating back to the height of Roman Empire. Essentially a huge bath with a series of giant columns, this structure has survived the ages well, and the lighting coming up through the water made this feel like a rather romantic setting. Unfortunately, my camera didn't seem to like the darkened atmosphere and mood lighting, so I have a lack of decent photos to do the cistern justice.
My final stop of the day was to the renowned Grand Bazaar, a huge covered souq selling everything from jewellery to carpets to shisha pipes to raw meats. It was an impressive if overwhelming sight, the souq stretching out in every direction in to narrow tunnels with high, arched ceilings. Each corridor looked like the one before it, and after no time I was lost. On the one hand I was forever looking for the nearest exit, while, on the other, I was enjoying getting more and more disorientated. After a good hour of going around in circles (or perhaps not - who knows?) I stopped for a quick Turkish coffee and then eventually did find my way out. My one qualm with the Bazaar - and, having completed my trip, I would extend this to my experience of Turkey in general - was the aggression with which locals would accost me in order to sell something or, in the worse cases, to scam.
Indeed, I was victim to such a scam that same evening...
