A quick journey to Istanbul
I left on Monday afternoon for Istanbul - firstly a fast train to Paris, then an overnight flight to Istanbul. I arrived at 4am.
After a bit of messing around trying to decide which bank machine to use, then eating breakfast at - oh the shame of it - Starbucks - I spent a while trying to work out how to use the transport network, then travelled to Sultanahmet, the historic heart of the city.
In legend the city was founded by King Byzas who gave it the name sometimes used for the early Greek period of the city : Byzantium. Then in 330 Constantine was attracted by the strategic position of the city and founded the new capital of his empire there: Constantinople. For over 1000 years the city would become the centre of the Greek-speaking, Eastern Roman Empire, while the Western Empire and its old capital Rome was overrun and sacked by barbarian tribes.
Constantine built churches. Hagia Eirene (Aya Irini) was the seat of the archbishopric and the site of the church counciles that took place in Constantinople. After the fall of Constantinople it never became a mosque though the cross atop the dome was replaced with a crescent moon. Now the building is used as a concert hall.
Nearby was built Hagia Sophia, then rebuilt, then rebuilt again from 532-537 in the reign of the Emperor Justinian after being destroyed in rioting twice. The last building was to stand for over 1500 years.
At the fall of Constantinople in 1453 the building was converted into a mosque, then in 1923 at the founding of the Secular Republic of Turkey, it became a museum.
Nearby stands the enormous Sultan Ahmet mosque (the Blue Mosque) built in the early 1600s and its nearby mausoleum.
The Sultan Ahmet mosque and the mausoleum open at 8:30 am, so on a bitterly cold and foggy morning I took off my shoes, put them in the supplied carrier bag and tiptoed across the chilly carpet to admire the tilework, the immensity of the mosque and the strange little coffin-shaped markers showing where the Sultan and his family are buried, some of his brothers and sons murdered in their childhood to prevent awkward political struggles.
Then off to Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) where I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the building. I couldn't see Aya Irini - it's closed on Tuesdays. I tried again later in the week but arrived just after closing time of 4pm.
I had a busy schedule with friends, but some involved exploring the city a little. It is enchanting. Beautiful. High-tech. Clean. Crazy. Busy.
Shortly before going we saw a little report on the way the city cares for its stray dogs. It takes them off the streets for veterinary care, gives them a microchip, checkes for health and has a programme of feeding the city strays. The result is a city full of healthy looking stray dogs who are extremely good-natured - like everyone's pet. They do tend to attack the wheels of pasisng cars, trucks, scooters and the city cleaning wagons, however. There are also armies of stray cats who roam around in little prides, lazily enjoying the city.
Once the sun came up it soon burned off the fog and the terrace restaurant of the Seven Hills hotel sold me a cup of hot chocolate to try to retore feeling to the toes, and gave me a panoramic view out over Aya Sofya, the Sultan Ahmet mosque and the Bosphorus with its myriad boats bustling back and fore.
Photos to follow.
After a bit of messing around trying to decide which bank machine to use, then eating breakfast at - oh the shame of it - Starbucks - I spent a while trying to work out how to use the transport network, then travelled to Sultanahmet, the historic heart of the city.
In legend the city was founded by King Byzas who gave it the name sometimes used for the early Greek period of the city : Byzantium. Then in 330 Constantine was attracted by the strategic position of the city and founded the new capital of his empire there: Constantinople. For over 1000 years the city would become the centre of the Greek-speaking, Eastern Roman Empire, while the Western Empire and its old capital Rome was overrun and sacked by barbarian tribes.
Constantine built churches. Hagia Eirene (Aya Irini) was the seat of the archbishopric and the site of the church counciles that took place in Constantinople. After the fall of Constantinople it never became a mosque though the cross atop the dome was replaced with a crescent moon. Now the building is used as a concert hall.
Nearby was built Hagia Sophia, then rebuilt, then rebuilt again from 532-537 in the reign of the Emperor Justinian after being destroyed in rioting twice. The last building was to stand for over 1500 years.
At the fall of Constantinople in 1453 the building was converted into a mosque, then in 1923 at the founding of the Secular Republic of Turkey, it became a museum.
Nearby stands the enormous Sultan Ahmet mosque (the Blue Mosque) built in the early 1600s and its nearby mausoleum.
The Sultan Ahmet mosque and the mausoleum open at 8:30 am, so on a bitterly cold and foggy morning I took off my shoes, put them in the supplied carrier bag and tiptoed across the chilly carpet to admire the tilework, the immensity of the mosque and the strange little coffin-shaped markers showing where the Sultan and his family are buried, some of his brothers and sons murdered in their childhood to prevent awkward political struggles.
Then off to Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) where I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the building. I couldn't see Aya Irini - it's closed on Tuesdays. I tried again later in the week but arrived just after closing time of 4pm.
I had a busy schedule with friends, but some involved exploring the city a little. It is enchanting. Beautiful. High-tech. Clean. Crazy. Busy.
Shortly before going we saw a little report on the way the city cares for its stray dogs. It takes them off the streets for veterinary care, gives them a microchip, checkes for health and has a programme of feeding the city strays. The result is a city full of healthy looking stray dogs who are extremely good-natured - like everyone's pet. They do tend to attack the wheels of pasisng cars, trucks, scooters and the city cleaning wagons, however. There are also armies of stray cats who roam around in little prides, lazily enjoying the city.
Once the sun came up it soon burned off the fog and the terrace restaurant of the Seven Hills hotel sold me a cup of hot chocolate to try to retore feeling to the toes, and gave me a panoramic view out over Aya Sofya, the Sultan Ahmet mosque and the Bosphorus with its myriad boats bustling back and fore.
Photos to follow.
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