Archive for May 31st, 2009

I woke up a little later than usual, rousing myself around 10am instead of 8. It felt good and I wasn’t worried. I had 3 nights here and on Monday morning I would head down to Izmir to see Ephesus. I then plan to take the long trek back to Bulgaria and the lands where the dollar is stronger.

I haven’t done so well financially on this part. Each day it costs me more to travel and eat on different currencies. In addition, I discovered that although the Turkish signs say there is a student rate, in high season (that would be now) it is not the case. Often, right next to the sign proclaiming 5 YTL instead of 20 for students, there’s another that proclaims in a larger font ‘THERE IS NO STUDENT DISCOUNT’… Unfortunate for my wallet. Still 20 YTL for the Hagia Sofia is nothing compared to the memory that will last for my entire life. The 10 to see the cistern that has fed Istanbul water since the 5th century is a price I gladly paid. However, the 40 YTL to see Dolhambaca Palace was something I couldn’t bring myself to do… especially when the student price was listed at 1 YTL …right next to the sign proclaiming in large white letters that there wasn’t a student discount. It strongly discouraged my entry.

Hagia sofia is 20 times as shocking as the Blue Mosque. Even though it was under restoration and the dome was covered in scaffolding, the parts of it that were open were magnificent. Ancient tile work extolling the detail and beauty of flowers, calligraphy, and flowing designs are plastered into the wall and where they have faded, simpler designs have been painted over their remnants. Finding the ancient beauty breaking through the simpler newer work is an adventure with beauty and satisfaction as its reward. The most startling thing about Hagia Sofia is that as you walk through the sections of the church you see its transition to a mosque…the hanging of giant pendants of Islamic calligraphy and in the darkened marble you notice that the crosses have been etched off the walls. The large orthodox and crusader crosses have been scratched or dissolved off the walls, leaving a ghostly image of them in the marble…a thoroughly chilling effect. In addition, Hagia Sofia is a much darker edifice than the mosques surrounding it. Darker paints, metals and imagery surround you in the walls.

Hagia Sofia and the Blue mosque are must sees!

From there I ventured out to the Burned Column and then took the metro across the new bridge north toward the Bosporus bridge. I got kumpir at Otakoy…a huge baked potato stuffed with whatever you want…and then took a ferry across the bay into Asia. The Asian side didn’t offer much to see but it did give me the chance to watch the sun set behind the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. Another experience that has been unparalleled.

As the sun settled into the haze of the city the horizon lit up. Orange tendrils broke from the earth like serpents during rain. They climbed into the sky and soon their reddened brothers followed their path. The blood red sun changed the horizon into a glowing bed of embers settling behind the mosques and etching them into the horizon. The colors changed from orange, to red, to deep dark burgandy to black. Then the city erupted in its own light, replacing the warmth of the sun with cold industrial lighting.

I headed back across the Bosporus bridge and have now crossed into Asia by land and by sea. The next time will be by bus as I head to Izmir and then I hope by Plane when I head for the Orient.

I returned to Istanbul’s nightlife, found myself a waterpipe and tea bar, settled in, and enjoyed the atmosphere until I started back toward my hotel. I decided on a taxi feeling a little lightheaded after the hookah and when I told the driver to take me back to my hotel he asked if I had a card. I gave him the card with a map on the back and he said no problem no problem… little did I know that he had no idea where we were going. We sped off into the Turkish night until we returned to the University area. There he proceeded to ask every other cab driver he passed for directions.

I couldn’t help but laugh the entire trip chuckling about how much fun it was to be in Istanbul taking a cab ride with a cabby who had no idea where he was going.Something about the situation just made it entirely too entertaining. I finally recognized another hotel and told the cabby to stop. I paid him 3/4 of the fare telling him that he had wasted at least 3/4s of it asking for directions and driving around trying to find the hotel. I then headed off on foot back toward my destination. I reached the hotel, grabbed my key, climbed up to my room and fell sound asleep.

Istanbul is a wonderful city. Compact but sprawling the european side of the city is chock full of humanity and stuff. every corner every window every store is stuffed full of trinkets, bronze, silver, pewter, tin, steel, plastic, glass, anything you can think of theres a store with thousands of it.

I arrived at the train station and gave a call to Senol a brother to a friend of Korhan, a friend of mine in the states. He sent someone from a hotel he had arranged for me to pick me up and I was guided through the city to the metro and then from the metro I was guided to the hotel lobby. After some fierce negotiation I arranged a room for 40 YTL (Very reasonable) and settled in. I dropped my bags changed my undershirt and headed out into the city. My first desire was to wander and I dropped the map at home and just walked. After getting myself throughly lost I found the University and the Mosque behind it.

I wandered through the mosque and then headed back to the University to get some pictures of the campus. unfortunately for me the campus is for students and faculty only… this is evidenced by the armed guards checking your student ID. having to settle with pictures through the great stone gates I wandered on toward the spice market. I found the spice bazaar and wandered through its narrow streets – stuffed to the brink with every type of item you can imagine, from fruit shaped soaps to pungent herbs and spices, even the occasional electronics store. I wandered through the market for about an hour before finally reaching the light of day. breathing in clear air I settled myself and headed to the New bridge and the bosphorus straight. from there I swung right and headed for the giant mosque near the train station. I entered the mosque and admired once again the clean geometric lines and caligraphy adorning the building. exiting I headed back out into the city I wandered back along the tramway and found my way to the blue mosque. I wandered inside and was blow away by the beauty and intricacy of it. I had to sit down and center myself to begin to absorb and understand the intricacies of the mosque and its writings. it is a beautiful, careful, and special place. Each tile seems etched as a goldsmith doing his finest life’s work.

I sat stunned for I don’t know how long before I walked through and then on. The other thing about mosques that I really enjoy is that they are all about Light and open space. I could admire and enjoy every facet of the mosque because it was well light and open, everywhere fell bright warm light reflecting from the interwoven blue and orange, tan, and white colours.

from there I headed out along the Hippodrome and the German fountain. I came across the Serpent pillar and the beautiful and perfectly preserved egyptian obelisk brought to Istanbul in 550bc.

From that point I headed back into the city searching for an Internet Cafe. I found one and did a cursory upload of Edirne and Istanbul 1. wrote a catch up blog and headed back out into Istanbul’s nightlife. I wandered home and crashed for the night satisfied and ready for a good nights sleep.

Well, for starters please excuse my grammer and typıng errors. Ill have to come back through when Ive got a word edıtıng program and fıx them but as ıt stands ım a lıttle SOL haha. So Im typıng ın the browser on a foreıgn keyboard. No excuse I know! Ahh well.

Edirne is a beautiful city, small and compact while having a strong turkish character. With its great mosque dominating the skyline, turkish bath and long indoor bazaar Edirne was a good entry point to turkey. Its just right to ease yourself into turkish culture without feeling overwhelmed and the population, dominated by the university of 20,000 students provides a younger crowd. Although there isn’t much nightlife in Edirne the beauty of the city and the strong turkish character combined with its historical value as the Turkish capital before constantinople was captured make the city a gem in northern turkey. in addition it has influences from both the greek ( the city was once called Adrianoupolous after its founder Hadrian) and its bulgarian borders.

I settled into my favorite spot in Edirne – the London Cafe centrally located outside the city’s bazaar and placed directly next to the memorial fountain. the bronze center piece is gorgeous. on each side facing down the main street are a man and a woman in casual-semi formal dress. one side they are offering an olive branch and on the other they are releasing doves. Beautiful. I had my first Turkish coffee there – served with its own tin and pewter service it was excellent. it far outweighs the coffee ive had in Istanbul. in addition I became a fan of the apple tea.

I spent a good portion of my two days louging in the chairs by the fountain and watching turkish children and adults wander through the main street. children playing in the water of the fountain and college age folks meeting, talking, playing, and eating. a great cultural introduction.

The Health museum in Edirne is something to see. Small and under restoration it is still a must. filled with period manniquins demonstrating the schooling and practice of medicine hundreds of years ago it is excellently designed and pieced together. I hope you enjoy my foto’s from my Edirne Album on Facebook.

The Mosque itself is simple but beautiful, clean clear caligraphy and geometric designs wash over the cieling and body of the mosque while the quiet carpeted floors offer a brief respite from the cold hard cobblestone streets outside.

the Turkish bath consists of the traditional rooms, cold, warm, and Hot. I got a tour and will definitly get a bath when I return to Edirne on my way to Sofia. it looks amazing.

I spent my last night in Edirne with two turkish girls, who had edged their way closer to my table as I enjoyed my tea. they abashedly asked if they could join me to practice their english. I was happy for the company and we talked for a good hour or two before they suggested we head to a blues club. I headed out with them and they treated me to a pint. On the whole, good conversation, warm company and good beer.

I wandered home around midnight and prepared for my 6am trek to the train station at the far reachs of Edirne. I was headed to Istanbul!