Neile's Turkish Holiday

July 1st

as transcribed from my journal

Then back to Marsha's to wash clothes and pack, and Jim showered.

Took a long taxi ride to the Aya (Hagia) Sophia. Amazingly to Christina and Matt there weren't many people around, neither tourists nor venders. The Occalan judgment really has had an impact on tourism--usually this place, even in the off-season, is teeming with visitors and vendors.

Our postcard-clear view of Hagia (Aya) Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Square.

 

The exterior of the Hagia Sophia is a complication of buildings to western eyes--not sure what all the outbuildings were. Bits of carvings from earlier incarnations of the building all over the ground, including 2 lovely panels of sheep.

The delightful sheep. [Christina's caption: "Nasty little sheepies, proof of Christian iniquity, at the level of Justinian (first church destroyed in riot--probably over sheep--in 532, this one rebuilt 537) sitting blandly and without apology outside the main entrance to the Aya Sofya.]

 

Then inside bits of mosaic everywhere, propped against the walls like vaults for display. Dark. Then inside the dome we could only walk around the edge as the center was full of scaffolding. Looked up at the paintings and shields of Islamic writing behind which are Christian mosaics--lovely virgin & child surrounded by angels (Michael?) and seraphim and stained glass windows--wandering to see them. Chandeliers with light bulbs dropped in from their wiring. Then up the switchback stone ramp to the gallery level, where we could see age-dark mosaics and a closer view (through a screen) at Michael (?) and the Madonna and child. Three charming mosaics on that level: one of Jesus (as a lovely young man) with 2 others, the other two right by each other, with Jesus in the middle and the donor to the left holding a bag of money and his wife on the right holding a scroll.

A pigeon flew straight back and forth through the length of the hall. We posed in front of a marble door. Gorgeous little bits of mosaic and carvings here and there on the walls and ceiling. Designs and occasional decorative bits in the worn floor, too.

Then brought a book at the wooden kiosk in the hallway and then went outside (pausing to admire the fountain we'd seen on the way in). Took a picture of Christina and Jim by the dangerous WC sign. [I didn't scan this picture as no one would probably think it was funny but us. Bathrooms were a running joke throughout this trip since we'd had so many warnings about how terrible they would be. No problem for me--I simply turned into a camel.]

Then bought tiles, then to the Vitamin Restaurant. I imagined pills, but instead an array of stream trays to choose from--mostly veggie. I got fried potatoes and eggplant. Very tasty. Ate upstairs in the air conditioning, slowly, while Matt made phone calls to the travel agent.

Then we went to the Cistern, which was wonderful. It's underground and vaulted--deep, dark, pillars, water only appeared about 16 inches deep most places. There's a walkway built through it--water dripping everywhere and spotlit pillars. Quite big pale fish swimming about--and smaller ones, groups of them. Then through darker areas along the walkway, glancing in between the pillars to see dark waterdrops barely caught in the light. Very quiet, echo-y, sounds of the water dropping. Most of the pillars are plain, but a few beautifully carved ones, then at the end of the walkway two huge Greek Medusas the Romans had reused--one upside down and one sideways. Gorgeous haunted things. Then we walked along to see where the confusing lights (as we went along the walkways, we were trying to figure out why the pattern of lights lit up as they did--it was clear when we got to this other viewpoint--they played with perspective in a haunting pattern, with a little jolt at one point. Startling. Beautiful. Stood there watching for a long time. Beside us a woman in full Muslim dress being passionately embraced by her boyfriend.

One of the Greek Medusas in the Cistern. They've fenced off the water around them so they're above the water level. She really is upside down. I wonder what they thought when they were placing her there. Christina told me that scholars thought she was put upside down (and the other one sideways) to negate her power. The builders simply used the materials at hand when building the cistern.

 

Then we walked over and had tea at the dark little restaurant with a lopsided lit candle. It felt almost like a seaside. I remember looking in my tea glass (tea is served in little glasses in Turkey) watching the reflection from the flame and an overhead light dance together. A strange and magical place.

Following that we stopped in at the Sultan's tomb--there were many of them in the one tomb, almost crammed in. Lots of them died young. They were in oddly (to Western eyes) shaped sarcophogi, with placards telling who they were and giving brief biographies--a complicated succession of odd murders and illnesses.

Then we walked over to the Blue Mosque--very beautiful exterior. Took off our shoes and put them in one of the bags waiting outside. Inside, instead of the marble or tile I had envisioned, there were small Turkish carpets all sewn together. Soft underfoot but smelling of sweaty feet, like a highschool gym. Wooden prayer benches with signs in English not to sit on them (but there was a small Turkish boy sitting on one). Painted ceilings but very empty inside. Not at all what I had anticipated.

Matt went to the Carpet Museum; the rest of us went through an arcade, bought postcards, then went to the Mosaic Museum. Absolutely beautiful things there--lots leaning on the wall, but the floor one was captivating with hares being eaten by hounds, and leopards, and strange beasts and a faun with a child on its back, a Green Man with oakleaves for hair....

I had always thought of the Green Man as a very Celtic image, and was fascinated to see this mosiac. It was originally the floor of a Roman villa.

 

Passed through the Egyptian spice market--an amazing place full of carefully displayed open sacks of a huge range of beautiful spices.

Women sitting outside the Egyptian Spice Market. The signs declare, one in Turkish, one in English, that "Sitting on the steps is absolutely prohibited."

 

Then got a taxi to a small mosque (formerly a church) that Christina and Matt had visited before, Chora, or Kariye. Christina had described it as a jewel box of a church, and that is so. It was just closing when we got there, so we went and got some sour cherry juice at the tea garden across the square from it, but Christina spoke to the attendant and he let us in. The mosaics in the building were wonderful. I can't recall the central dome part very well, but the paintings and mosaics in the hallway in front were really lovely. There were two smaller domes at either side with lovely paintings inset. One was the apostles. And of course a mosaic of the builder presenting the church to Jesus. Some really lovely ones of women, as this had been a church of the virgin--scenes of her bath, etc.

Went back out after thanking the attendant profusely. He came out to the tea garden where we'd gone to finish our drinks and poured tea down a friend's back. They had a little scrimmage by the church.

A taxi driver was waiting for us, pretty sure we were a likely fare, and he took us all the way up the Bosphorus to Marsha's.

We hung out there a long time while we all took showers, then went to dinner a little north of the ferry dock at a fish restaurant. A bit of a fiasco, as Christina and Matt had gone ahead to ask about vegetarian dishes for Christina who is allergic to meat and fish, and we were assured they had all kinds of things but when we sat down other things weren't to be had. A vender brought iced almonds around and we had some. Then we ordered several vegetable dishes for Christina, which we ended by eating, too, then Marsha and Jim went to look at the fish and ordered turbot for the three of us and it was lovely. The restaurant was right on the water, with huge wooden windows, so that was nice, too, but the waiters were not very accommodating and didn't seem to try to understand things and we definitely didn't fit in to their view of how their restaurant worked.

Dragged our baggage to the ferry--had to sit inside this time. Then a long taxi ride along the Asian side of the Bosphorus--lovely, treed, European-looking (rather like the European side)--to the train station (a gift from the Germans in the 19th Century, and just repainted). Very nice. My stomach was upset, though.

New cars on the train since the ones Christina had warned us about. Quite clean, even the bathroom mostly (we'd heard horror stories about the bathrooms on the trains from Christina and on the Net). The porter made our bunk beds in the little room. I wanted the top, but because of my stomach took the bottom.

Mostly dozed all night. Must have really slept for a while but mostly half-awake. I like trains but transitions I find awkward.