Hello to all of you back home reading this:

Day 2 - Istanbul For all of you They Might Be Giant fans, I have yet to find out why Constantinople got the works. These Turks are a secretive lot when it comes to that. Ha!

Speaking of Constantinople, today I trekked (literally. 5 miles at least) from my hotel to see Haghia Sophia. The greatest church in all of Byzantium/Constantinople. I thought that the church was started in the 7th century by the Emperor Justanian. This version was. What I did find out today, was that this was the third church built on this site. The first was constructed under the rule of Constantine the Great, whom the city was named after. There is an archeological dig that shows the footing of the original church. There is a picture in this blog showing that dig. This place is huge! What is even more amazing was that it was built over 1,400 years ago, and that it was built in less than six years time! To put that in perspective, Notre Dame was not started for another 600 years, and Saint Peter's for almost 800 years. Plus, those two churches took 200+ years to build. The size notwithstanding, there are still a few of the Byzantine mosaics that have withstood the ravages of time. I have a few of them in the pictures. Form the picture, you will see some Arabic writings, and patterns. Mehmet III, the sultan who conquered Constantinople, was said to have held his first daily prayer to Mecca in this church. It amazes me that there were times and places, where Christians, Muslims, and Jew lived together in harmony. I boggles the mind that the world is so closed minded these days.

Across the boulevard from Haghia Sophia, is the Basilica Cistern. This was another project built by the Emperor Justanian. It is all underground, and it served the population of Constantinople/Istanbul until the 1800's. The Muslims did not know that it existed until they found that the population in the area where getting fresh water out of their basements. As much of a marvel as Haghia Sophia is, this is even more so to me. It is the engineer in me. For something to be built 1,400 years ago, withstand time, withstand all of the building on top of it, and withstand all of the train traffic on top of it, that is truly incredible.

Final stop of the day was the Suleymaniye Mosque. The mosque sits on one of the many hills of the old city. It was designed by the architect Sinan, who is considered by Easterners and Westerners alike, to be the peer of Michaelangelo (sp??). One look at this mosques and I can see why. This mosque has no equal in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque was impressive, and it was somewhat larger. However, the gracefulness of this building is something to behold. Suleyman was the greatest of all of the Ottoman sultans. Under his rule, the Ottoman empire stretched from Iran to Egypt, to Hungary. I hope that my pictures give you a feel for how beautiful this building is.

Enough of the sites. I found a great "english" pub on the way to Haghia Sophia. that is one good outcome of the 5 mile trek. I must have a magnet for English/Irish pubs when I am in a non-English speaking country. First it was the Irish pub in Barcelona, not it is the English pub in Istanbul. I have had some great food here. There is a bread called simit, that is crisp with sesame seeds coating it. It is all over the streets. I love it. Plus, you can't beat it for 1 Lira. I have survived off of it, and fresh fruit. The nectarines are the best I have ever had. I thought Turkey was noted for apricots, but these nectarines rock. I haven't eaten meat since I have been here. I know, I can't believe it either. A lot of the food is vegetarian, and it is good. Like I mentioned in my previous blog, I think I could live off of the hummus and pita bread. The pita bread is made fresh by an older woman right as you order it. It is a good thing I am walking everywhere, I would be as big as a house by the time I leave on Sunday for Greece. As far as drinks are concerned, I like to beer here. I think it is brewed by Germans, but the Turks call it their own. The Turks have tea, of chai, all of the time. It is everywhere. They are not big coffee drinkers. After drinking Turkish coffee back home, I would have thought that the whole population is on a caffeine buzz. Finally, every place has a hamburger. I did not know that they are so popular, but tomorrow being Saturday, I am going to have a cheeseburger, since I cannot make it to the Edgefield. :-)

Enough rambling for one day. I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and the thoughts so far. I appreciate the comments as well.

Until next time,

Scot