I have been dreaming of traveling to Istanbul for years. Everyone who I have ever met who has been there says - to a person - how magical and romantic a city it is. Surely that many people can't be wrong, right? While February isn't exactly the ideal time of year to travel to Istanbul (it was actually colder than Paris), you can now add me and Michael to the long list of people who are captivated by this intoxicating city. It all started two weeks ago when my boss asked if I could cover a work meeting that he could no longer attend in Istanbul the following Monday. We had just gotten back from Dublin, and I was exhausted and still recovering from burning the Irish candle at both ends, but it wasn't even a question in my mind whether or not I'd take the trip - and of course I immediately started searching for cheap flights for my life-partner-in-crime. So less than a week from our epic trip to Dublin, we were again awake in the wee hours of Saturday morning, in two different taxis headed for two different airports in Paris to catch two separate flights bound for two different airports in Istanbul. Once we finally met up at the hotel, we immediately headed back out to the Grand Bazar... And it was glorious. I've been to a number of covered and open-air markets over the years in the Middle East and Asia, but I've never seen or felt anything like this. Maybe it was that I had been dreaming of this city for so long, and couldn't believe I was actually standing in the halls of the Grand Bazar. I mean, the oldest part of this place was built in 1456! And those lamps! And that ceiling! And the mint tea at the Fez Cafe! We walked around, lost in the warmth of history. The next day (Sunday), we headed back out to the historic district. Starting with the majestic Blue Mosque, known to locals as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, which was built between 1609 and 1616. It is still an active mosque, so the visiting hours are scheduled around prayer time. There are so many mosques in Istanbul (over 3,000!), that when it is time for the call to prayer, voices echoes through the streets in an apparent response to one another in perfect discordant harmony. It's hauntingly beautiful. Across the square from the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia, or in Turkish, Aya Sophia. It was originally built in 537, and was the Eastern Orthodox cathedral of Constantinople up until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city and it was converted into a mosque. For over 1000 years, it was the world's largest cathedral. In the 1930s, the building was secularized and turned into a museum. Visiting the Hagia Sophia today, you can still see remnants from both Christian and Muslim influence. Moving along, we headed to the Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Sultans lived back in the day. Situated on a hill just beyond Hagia Sophia, the Palace is definitely best seen when it's a bit warmer to enjoy the views over the Bosphorus without freezing your arse off; but it was super impressive nevertheless. Especially the Harem. Which is decorated from floor to ceiling with tiled mosaic. I kind of want to live there. The last tourist stop of our day was to the Basilica Cistern, which was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian in 532 to supply water to the Great Palace. As the name invokes, the underground water reservoir feels like a subterranean cathedral. They say it's great to visit on a warm summer day in Istanbul - but we found it a peaceful refuge from the cold rain of a winter afternoon as well. You can find more photos from our trip to Istanbul here. I leave you with this infectious ditty, which I found myself humming throughout our trip :)
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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