I hopped on the subway, transferred to the tram, and bumped and jostled my way into the heart of the old city... one that has been the heart of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and spans two continents! As I watched the sunset over the Blue Mosque, I walked along the Bosphorus, feet firmly in Europe, and gazed over at the full moon rising over Asia, dolphins frolicking in the foreground.
I walked the narrow cobblestone back alleyways of Sultan Ahmet, admiring history in the patchwork of layer after layer of building materials used to rebuild crumbling walls after each of the many earthquakes that have plagued the city. And I covered as much ground, and absorbed as much of the life as I could in the short time I had.
After prayers, when the devout streamed out of the mosques as the sun set, the city came to life, and I realized that there was no better time to be here than during the fasting month of Ramadan! The public plazas were filled with colourful decorations, families and lovers, music, and FOOD! I watched the Whirling Dervishes - to be perfectly honest, I had no idea that this was something that actually existed... I guess I had a vague inkling that it was a term for someone running around crazy like a chicken with their head cut off, or perhaps a Tasmanian devil type figure... Now that I have delved into the story, I can say that it's just the opposite of that silly notion! In fact, the Whirling Dervishes are a sect of Muslims, and the dance symbolizes the harmony of life - the motion is that of the earth and every molecule there-in, just as electrons revolve around the nucleus of all existing matter. You can see more about the Whirling Dervishes on this interesting page.
I walked the narrow cobblestone back alleyways of Sultan Ahmet, admiring history in the patchwork of layer after layer of building materials used to rebuild crumbling walls after each of the many earthquakes that have plagued the city. And I covered as much ground, and absorbed as much of the life as I could in the short time I had.
After prayers, when the devout streamed out of the mosques as the sun set, the city came to life, and I realized that there was no better time to be here than during the fasting month of Ramadan! The public plazas were filled with colourful decorations, families and lovers, music, and FOOD! I watched the Whirling Dervishes - to be perfectly honest, I had no idea that this was something that actually existed... I guess I had a vague inkling that it was a term for someone running around crazy like a chicken with their head cut off, or perhaps a Tasmanian devil type figure... Now that I have delved into the story, I can say that it's just the opposite of that silly notion! In fact, the Whirling Dervishes are a sect of Muslims, and the dance symbolizes the harmony of life - the motion is that of the earth and every molecule there-in, just as electrons revolve around the nucleus of all existing matter. You can see more about the Whirling Dervishes on this interesting page.
I sat in the evening plaza, munching on my doner, and reveled in partaking in the routine daily life of this Turkish city.
Sticky, sickeningly sweet candy-on-a-stick in hand, I headed back to the airport, utterly exhausted!
Sticky, sickeningly sweet candy-on-a-stick in hand, I headed back to the airport, utterly exhausted!
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