Istanbul, Turkey - Part One.
After two days of 30+ knot winds and 10 foot seas, we finally made it to Istanbul. This was not a planned stop but the R/V Endeavor needed fuel and to have one of it's radars repaired so we stopped... adventure followed.
The approach to Istanbul was fantastic. It started around 19:00 on May 3rd, the Endeavor finally left the Aegean Sea and entered the Dardanelles. The Dardanelles is a strait between the Aegean Sea and the Marmara Sea.
Because of all the shipping traffic, a local pilot is required for all ships over 75ft. By the time our pilot boarded the ship and oriented himself with the vessel it was after nightfall. Even though the night makes it difficult to see other vessels it does provide a fantastic vantage point to view all of the illuminated ancient buildings, walls and fortifications that line the shoreline. The passage through the Dardanelles took a few hours and then it was across the Marmara Sea to Istanbul.
At some point I laid down for a nap and when I awoke the ship was taking on another pilot to assist the docking in Istanbul. Istanbul is located on the southern end of the Bosporus, the strait between the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea. The current that runs through the Bosporus is impressive, I would guess 4-5 knots. Istanbul from the water is an interesting mix of old and new. You could tell that before the two bridges were built over the Bosporus, the majority of the city lay on the Western shore because most of the older buildings are located include over half a dozen large mosque.
It took about an hour after we tied up at the dock before anyone was allowed to leave the ship. Since we got there late in the day we didn't leave to much time to sight-see. So we went out drinking instead. Actually this was not the original plan, but since we saw all the shops closing up for the evening we figured we might as well find a pub. A group of six had already left the ship to go "exploring". I was with a second group whose purpose was to catch up with the first group.
Close to the ship there's a bridge that crosses the river that separates the western shore of the city. Along the underside of the bridge that is closest to the Bosporus are a string of restaurants. On the other side of the bridge are the mosque, museums, the fortress and bizarres. As we walk by the FIRST bar, we found the first group of "explorers." already working on there second round. Everyone was pretty beat from the pounding we took crossing the Aegean Sea so it was a light night. I did however partake in the hookah smoking. It's just soooo smooth.
The next day everyone got up and set out to really explore the city. This time people actually made it over the bridge to the old town. The group that I was with was set on seeing a mosque and the grand bazaar. Our first stop was the spice bizarre. It's a relatively small market that specializes in spices, obviously, but doesn't mind trying to sell you everything else imaginable.
Walking through the bazaar is quite the experience. First off, it's sensory overload. The bizarre is housed in this beautiful vaulted building that is probably 500+ years old. Inside the walls are lined with shops and their owners are all begging for your business. Istanbul's international reputation shines through radiantly as the shop owners rattle off sales pitches in half a dozen languages, one after another. I noticed the order usually went, turkish, german, english, russian with an occasional greek and/or french. If a store owner thinks he can entice you by using a local saying from your home country he will. For instance, I guess a lot of Australians make it to Istanbul because I heard a store owner say, more than once, "G'day mate!!"
Our second sight of the day was the AyaSofia Mosque. It's one of the oldest in the city dating back to 400AD when the city was not predominately Muslim. As we were buying tickets to enter the mosque, a little man approached us claiming to be from a university offering to give us a tour of the mosque for a small fee. Since half of the group were archaeologists, it really wasn't worth it but the little man assured us that we would not fully appreciate the building unless we had a guide. The stand off lasted for 10 minutes and ended in one of the craftiest sale pitches I will probably ever hear from a guide. He said "Do you know Shakespeare? Shakespeare said that the mind expands the body. And I am telling you that the guide expands the building." I laughed and thanked the little man again for his effort but then bid him farewell as the group entered the building.
There really aren't words to describe the interior of AyaSofia, you will just have to wait till I can post some pictures. The mosque is one huge room lined with over a dozen types of marble and stone from all over the ancient world from Spain to Egypt. I said that the Mosque dated back to when Istanbul was not predominately Muslim. This fact was made overwhelming clear in the mosque where the interior walls were being restored. Behind the plaster were exquisite mosaics of John the Baptist, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, etc. Truly amazing stuff.
After the trip to the mosque we took a tour of an ancient cistern. The cistern was mostly drained so that visitors could tour the large vaulted space. There were hundreds of columns holding up the ceiling, each column a little bit different from the next. The reason for this was simple, the place was built with spare parts. When an army would conquer a city, the prevailing army would dismantle the city and bring it back to their home city to aid in its expansion. We guessed by the style of most of the columns that they were once part of a greek temple. Turns out, we were right. At the far side of the cistern, at the base of a column, lying on its side was a huge carving of Medusa's head.
More on Istanbul to follow.
one comment:
Another great advneture! Good to see you! love MOM
Mom - 23 05 06 - 03:42