The Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia

The weather in Istanbul continues to be cool and windy, today the high was 7 degrees Celsius (44.6 Fahrenheit) with the wind a breezy 32 kmh (20 mph), I finally had to buy a hat! Tomorrow is supposed to be bit warmer so we are planning a cruise on the Bosphorus in the afternoon.

In spite of the cool weather we walked first to visit the Blue Mosque, built in 1609 using some of the stonemasons who built the Taj Majal, this Mosque is considered one of the most famous religious buildings in the world. The interior is decorated with Iznik tiles and mesmeric designs employing flowing arabesques, and delicate stained glass. We were able to enter the mosque by removing our shoes, when prayers are not being offered. The Muslims pray five times each day and the call to prayer is heard all over the city from the minarets and loudspeakers. This is truly a beautiful structure.

Not far from the Blue Mosque is Hagia Sophia, the church of holy wisdom, built by the Roman emperor Justinian in 537. Considered to be one of the world's greatest architectural achievements, the central dome is 184' high. In the 15th century, the Ottomans converted the church to a Mosque which was later returned to use as a museum. The interior was once covered with religious mosaics, a few which still survive after more than 1400 years. The imposing size of the structure is hard to comprehend, especially considering the engineering required to build this massive structure in 537 AD.

Situated close to these buildings is Topkapi palace the home to the sultans for 470 years. Abandoned in 1853 the site was opened to the public as a museum in 1924. Fabulous collections of ceramics, glass, jewelery, manuscripts, and the archeological museum with artifacts from all of Mesopotamia dating back thousands of years are housed in numerous buildings.

Braving the wind we walked to the main port to arrange our cruise in the Bosphorus tomorrow, then took the long way back to the hotel. The tram service is excellent, but the walking is good for us. Today there were more people in the tourist sites, mainly group tours, I can only imagine what it must be like in high season with thousands of tourist and large tours. Being here for a few days, we are impressed with the people, we have not seen one person with a cardboard sign, no beggers, only people on the street selling things, everything from small packages of facial tissues to knock-off watches, purses, hats, gloves, toys and food. Lots of small food vendors sell roasted chestnuts, corn and bread from pushcarts, larger kiosks sell hot food, and along every street are storefront cafes selling hot sandwiches. Many stores sell high end clothing and other goods. Although we have learned a few words of Turkish, English is widely spoken, the people are very friendly and helpful. We have been surprised at the high cost of food and other goods, lunch today was $41 USD for a plate of various vegetables a diet coke and coffee. The food is excellent, colorful and tasty, just expensive. Our breakfast is covered as part of the hotel so considering we buy only one meal per day, the overall cost is not to much.

Two more days in Turkey, then on to Egypt! Only 1044 miles from Tripoli! If we poke our head above the clouds we can almost see Gaddfi.