20120629
The day was a busy one. I woke up at the up at the ungodly hour of 0400 and may have dropped off a bit before getting up at 0530. I ended up on my balcony IM’ing w/ Linda back in Vermont, cleaning up some photos and working on this log. Not to be confused with taking my morning constitutional…
It is now wonderfully cool without a cloud in the sky. But if I could change anything about my location it would be to eliminate the Laughing Gulls. They just never stop! The occasional tram going by is a pleasant distraction….
I went to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, and the Underground Cistern in the morning. I got to all the sights early enough to beat most of the crowds thankfully. As I departed the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, the masses were really queuing up. Words cannot do justice to either of these holy sites and pictures seem inadequate also but they will have to do. I will post up a few in my blog and add more later in my photo album.
One thing that did not really surprise me is the inconsiderate attitudes of so many people going to the mosque. Everywhere one reads that you should cover your legs and not wear tank tops, mini skirts, and/or sleeve less shirts inside the mosques. At the entrance was a pile pile of blue clothes that the infidels wrapped around their uncovered bodies. It was humorous to see grown men in the mosque wearing what was basically a sarong around their lower bodies.
Since I am so terribly out of shape being the lazy, overweight, beer swilling, arm chair computer warrior that I am, I came back to the hotel for a breather then went out for a lunch of Lamb Shish and rice which was quite tasty. I got it at the Sultan Hostel and Restaurant which is nothing special but serves a variety of food and the local Efes Pilsen. While sitting there I ran into the Greek couple I met on the Bosporus tour the day before.
After lunch I went to the Museum of Islamic and Turkish Art which is off the Hippodrome. The museum holds a variety of Islamic arts including rugs, pottery, calligraphy, and Koran’s. Also featured were a few dioramas of Islamic life such as a yurt and classic country and city home living. Last was a mixture of paintings by modern Islamic artists interspersed with classical paintings in books of Islamic historic tales.
Speaking of being out of shape, even though everything here is within reasonable walking distance, my legs muscles were screaming by the end of the day. When I got to the museum and walked up the stairs to the display level I was sweating like a cold beer on a hot, summer day. The displays were either on a terrace, the windows of which were blocked off by heavy curtains, or in close, airless room. It took me some time to cool down.
I have never seen so many security guards in a museum. It seemed like their was one guard for every patron. Someone was always watching you which was a bit eerie.
I debated going to the Grand Bazaar after the museum but by the time I left the museum it was about 1600 and I was still hot and tired. I walked back to my hotel, turned on the AC, and relaxed with a couple of Op-ed sections of the Washington Post. After feeling rested, I retired to the rooftop terrace to look at and work on the pictures I had taken so far. They are adding up quickly.
At about 2100 I headed out for beer and some dinner. I inadvertently stopped at the wrong restaurant but was more than pleasantly surprised. I had told the host earlier in the day that I would stop in and he hailed me as I passed by so I stop in I did. There I met a Danish guy who was a traveling on business and taking a few days of time on his own after having concluded his business. He was a civil engineer specializing in hydrodynamics and seemed to have traveled extensively for his work. He told me he had been at meeting in a town near Dalyan the name of which escapes me.
We chatted for a bit so I ended up having another beer before I ordered my dinner. The dish was what the menu referred to as an Ottoman Special and consisted of lamb (yes, twice in one day), rice, tomatoes, dried apricots, almonds, and a bit of cheese. Of course in came with the standard flat bread. It was delicious! I can hardly remember a dish I have enjoyed so much. I’ll have to make sure I get the name of the restaurant as well as others I have enjoyed.
It was nearly 2330 by the time I got back to the hotel. As seems to be normal, the Turkish guys that work in the hotels on the street, hang out together having tea, coffee, soda, etc, and talking the night away. I chatted a bit with the guys outside my hotel including the desk clerk who is an English student at a university east of Istanbul. He is on his summer breaking working and making money for school. Other than the the aggressive styles of some of the merchants, the Turks seem to be very easy going and friendly.
That’s a wrap for the day. It is now 0700 on Saturday. I am enjoying the 70 degree temperature with cool breeze of the Marmara Sea. Time to work on some more pictures and clean up for breakfast. Oh great, there is a monster cruise ship coming into port. That should make for a few thousand more people hitting the sites today.