Istanbul in a Nutshell

**I had an incredibly difficult time narrowing down my assortment of Istanbul photographs and so decided to create an album on Picasa instead. Click here to see a "sampling" of the sumptuous decor and architecture of the city: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbrinklee/IstanbulWithKarlijn#


Istanbul, Turkey was a total dream and was completely random. When booking my flights from America back to South Africa I finagled a free 3.5 day layover in Istanbul from Chicago enroute to Cape Town. My good friend Karlijn, who I met in Cape Town, had recently returned to her native Holland and was able to pop over for a quick visit along with me!

We made a good traveling pair, similar budgets, similar pacing, similar interests. We took advantage of being in Sultanhumet, the nexus of the ancient Istanbul, just a minutes walk from several of the major sites. We toured 1-2 major places a day and spent the rest of the time walking the cobbled, winding streets, poking around in shops with fancy textiles we couldn't afford, drinking cay (pronounced chai, for tea), nibbling on rice pudding or chocolate pistachio baklava, and perusing the spectacular assortment of bazaars.

Some of the major places we visited were (in order as shown in the photos):
1) the Ayasofya - built as a church in 537 AD during the Byzantine Empire, it was later taken over as part of the Ottoman Empire and converted to a mosque. Therefore, many of the Christian symbols were erased of covered over as part of the transition. Several earthquakes over a couple dozen centuries have required many makeovers and rehabs for this site. It now functions solely as a museum and has a long way to go to being restored to its "former" glory. Still, it is a mammoth space to behold and be held within. It is overpoweringly spacious and worn and oozes with spiritual breath.

2) The Cistern of Philoxenos - a subterranean reservoir in built before 475 AD. Made up of 224 columns, this place drips with water & classical music.

3) The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque - was completed in 1617 and is still used as a mosque today. From a distance, the exterior seems so out of this world it's almost fake - like a scene out of Disney World. However, on closer inspection, Disney is no rival and there is no such thing as "camp" regarding this elegantly designed structure. It is stunningly beautiful, with incredible attention to all detail. Thoroughly, in and out, it is a masterpiece of intricacy, color, line, and pattern.

4) The Topkapi Palace - the residence of the Ottoman Sultans, starting from 1465 and onwards. It is an incredible space - gargantuan, with a massive, college-campus feeling from the spread of the buildings and grounds. Every major room was housed in a separate building, connected by a string of pathways and covered terraces. There was a special room for the library, great structures for the kitchens, a circumcision room even. Intricately laid pebble mosaic floors create a carpet from one building to the next. As you gaze at the exterior walls, blue, red, and green tiles lead your eyes upwards to the phenomanal arched walkway ceilings. It is a feast for the eye.

5) the Grand Bazaar & the Eyptian Spice Market - on 2 separate days we tackled these attractions. Like a modern-day mall, many of the stalls in these markets are covered, with window and glass doors and permanent fixtures. Vendors go on for what seems like miles, with pile after pile of a lot of the same: turkish delight, spices, scarves, glass lanterns, mosaic tiles, hand-woven rugs, olives, cheeses, cherries, cashews & hazelnuts, hand-made leather shoes. Take Christmas and multiply it by 10 - it was exhausting with all the haggling, nagging men pulling at our sleeves, trying to tell us how much better their wares were from the next Joe!

The one part we felt we missed on was the culture - the people. Karlijn worked in Ethiopia for a year & with my 10 months in SA under my belt, we decided it would be hard to travel a new culture in the world for more than 3-5 days and to not do "something" more connected to the place (ie non-touristy). My time working with people, learning the nuiances of other cultures has been incredibly defining in my travels of the past year. I hadn't realized it, but over these 10 months, there has been a travel shift in me. I may still have wonderlust, but at the same time little desire to hop around from one country to the next, when one can spend so much time revelling in the nooks and crannies of just one place.

But, minus the people connection, it was a special time in an exquisite place with a wonderful friend. We really couldn't have done any better in 3.5 days if we had to do it all over!