Impressions of Istanbul
Since I didn't have much time there, I have to say my impressions of Istanbul are still a bit incomplete. In some ways I was wondering if it would compare to Cairo, but in the end there was really no comparison--Istanbul is a much more thoroughly modern city with a rather European feel and an orientation toward the water.
Anyway, the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) was astounding. It's sort of the opposite of the Mezquita in Córdoba, Spain, which we saw last year--whereas the Mezquita was an enormous mosque that was converted to a church, the Ayasofia was an enormous church that was converted to a mosque (but isn't used as one any longer). Despite the construction that's under way, it was a fascinating juxtaposition of Islamic and Christian elements.
The Blue Mosque (which takes its name from the blue tiles inside) was also amazing, although I didn't have much time to see it because Friday prayers were about to begin (unlike Ayasofya, it's still a working mosque). The picture I took inside was unfortunately blurry, but this is the exterior (one of the most distinctive things about Istanbul is the skinny Ottoman-style minarets, which look to me like rockets--and no I don't mean anything geopolitical in saying that!):
I unfortunately skipped Topkapi Palace, which is supposed to be amazing but I didn't feel like I had time to see everything and palaces don't always do much for me--maybe next time.)
The Grand Bazaar was impressive, but since I already had a carpet and wasn't looking for anything else, I didn't spend much time there. I was pleasantly surprised that it had a much more local and less touristy feel than expected, and I was also pleasantly surprised that no one tried to give me the hard sell to come in their shops.
Finally, this has nothing to do with sightseeing but was interesting nevertheless: no restaurants were serving chicken products because of bird flu. I tried a couple of times to order chicken kebap (as it's known there), only to be told that they were not serving any chicken. So at least I should be safe as far as that goes (although seeing as how they've found it in birds in most of Switzerland's neighboring countries, I remain vigilant!)
Anyway, the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) was astounding. It's sort of the opposite of the Mezquita in Córdoba, Spain, which we saw last year--whereas the Mezquita was an enormous mosque that was converted to a church, the Ayasofia was an enormous church that was converted to a mosque (but isn't used as one any longer). Despite the construction that's under way, it was a fascinating juxtaposition of Islamic and Christian elements.
The Blue Mosque (which takes its name from the blue tiles inside) was also amazing, although I didn't have much time to see it because Friday prayers were about to begin (unlike Ayasofya, it's still a working mosque). The picture I took inside was unfortunately blurry, but this is the exterior (one of the most distinctive things about Istanbul is the skinny Ottoman-style minarets, which look to me like rockets--and no I don't mean anything geopolitical in saying that!):
I unfortunately skipped Topkapi Palace, which is supposed to be amazing but I didn't feel like I had time to see everything and palaces don't always do much for me--maybe next time.)
The Grand Bazaar was impressive, but since I already had a carpet and wasn't looking for anything else, I didn't spend much time there. I was pleasantly surprised that it had a much more local and less touristy feel than expected, and I was also pleasantly surprised that no one tried to give me the hard sell to come in their shops.
Finally, this has nothing to do with sightseeing but was interesting nevertheless: no restaurants were serving chicken products because of bird flu. I tried a couple of times to order chicken kebap (as it's known there), only to be told that they were not serving any chicken. So at least I should be safe as far as that goes (although seeing as how they've found it in birds in most of Switzerland's neighboring countries, I remain vigilant!)
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