Digital Wanderer

We live as long as we fly

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Turkey — 26, Istanbul

2009-07-03

The next morning we first dropped by a local joint for a bite. Unfortunately, we ended up in some knockoff of Western fast food. I'm not a big fan of fries, and I don't care for ketchup either, so in my opinion, our breakfast was pretty mediocre.

Then we spent ages looking for the subway/train/tram/whatever. The locals just kind of stared at us blankly. We did eventually find the subway, but it turned out to be somewhat unexpected, and besides, it wouldn't have taken us to the center anyway.

Top view of a busy multi-lane highway with a dedicated metrobus lane in the middle, where an articulated bus has stopped at the covered passenger platform of the 'Sefaköy' station. Cars and trucks are moving in the adjacent lanes, and an elevated pedestrian crossing is visible in the background.It will sound weird to many, but this is the subway

Before you is the metrobus. It's a system of high-speed buses that drive in their own dedicated lane. You enter the stops through turnstiles using tokens, the buses go across the entire city covering long distances, and they themselves are always long or super long. If organized right, the cost is several times less than a regular subway, while the efficiency is the same. I read an interesting post about it in LiveJournal once, but I can't find it now, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

We didn't end up riding the metrobus, though. Public transport in Istanbul is rather confusing (the details are in the guidebooks). We caught a cab, and the driver agreed to take all six of us to the center for a small amount, around 10 Ls. Naturally, the folks crammed in the backseat (not me, luckily) were exceptionally uncomfortable. Now I think we should've just taken two cabs, even though I didn't suffer myself. We weren't going very fast — it was definitely over 20 kilometers, plus traffic jams.

A narrow, busy shopping street with numerous shops on both sides, where people stroll between shoe and clothing stalls. An old brick archway can be seen in the distance. The sort of central tourist area, Sultanahmet

I didn't take many photos — it feels weird snapping away in a crowd. Plus, Flickr is full of them anyway.

A street vendor in a white coat uses tongs to pick a roasted chestnut from a tray to put it into a paper cone. A sunny city street with cafes and buildings is visible in the background. Ate roasted chestnuts for the first time in my life

A large mixed-breed dog lies on its side, asleep on a tiled square in the shade of a young tree. In the background, a green square behind a white decorative fence, a museum building, and a parked truck are visible. Still, it's hard to imagine this in the center of Riga (I'm lying, as it turned out)

2009-05-06 11-07-58 - 0773 Sultanahmet is not a very tall neighborhood

If the photos seem a bit provincial to you for such a metropolis, don't despair. That's just how they came out. There's plenty of people at the markets.

We, of course, hit up the usual tourist attractions. It's a shame we didn't visit everything — the palace got left out of the picture because the others somehow hadn't really been interested in Istanbul beforehand at all, and I am, after all, not a fountain of infinite knowledge.

First, the Byzantine cistern. It's an ancient reservoir built by the Byzantines, which the locals discovered by accident while fishing by dropping a line down a hole in the rock. I liked it, everyone should go. It doesn't cost that much, although it's not cheap either (3.30 Ls). In my opinion, it's worth it.

Interior of an ancient underground cistern with rows of tall columns supporting a vaulted ceiling, illuminated by red light reflecting in the water-filled room.

Long rows of ancient columns and vaulted ceilings of an underground cistern, illuminated by warm light and reflecting in the water.

Inside the cistern it's damp and chilly, and small and large fish dart around in the shallow water. On the way out, I tried to haggle down a pretty fridge magnet (not for myself) to 3 liras, but it didn't work out, so I had to buy it for 4.

Then we went into the Hagia Sophia. It was built as a cathedral, then the mean Turks converted it into a mosque, then back again, and now it's altogether just a spot for tourists. It's expensive, around 8 lats, if memory serves. It looks unusual because it has minarets, meaning traditional mosque towers. In addition, when the Turks turned it into a mosque, they covered the whole thing in their heathen writings. And now they are considered the greatest inscriptions of the Arab world. Just goes to show — what used to be vandalism has become the cradle of culture.

Hagia Sophia at sunset, with its massive dome and four minarets, illuminated by warm golden light against a clear sky.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul at night, brightly lit by spotlights against a dark sky. Green trees and city lights are visible around the building with its majestic dome and four glowing minarets.

The interior of a richly decorated Orthodox church with high vaulted ceilings, a dome, and walls covered in bright frescoes and murals. A red carpet runs down the center aisle, cordoned off by gold stanchions, and massive chandeliers hang overhead.

In the foreground, a green lawn with red flowers and a modern bright red tulip-shaped sculpture. In the background, the Hagia Sophia is visible with its domes and minarets, with a large fountain in front of it. I haven't seen this, idk what it is. The three photos above are from Flickr

TUR_4155 Sergey's photo, the photo is of Sergey, and right above his head are those very surahs in Arabic script

 

In the foreground, five men stand posing in front of a massive old stone building with arches. A crowd of people can be seen behind them; part of the building is covered in scaffolding, indicating an historical landmark. The traditional group photo (taken by Igor Schukin)

The last must-visit attraction is the Blue Mosque. Actually very beautiful and unusual, plus it's free. Funny enough, entering the mosque was the first time my nanopants came in handy — I hadn't worn them before that. The thing is, you have to take your shoes off when entering a mosque, men aren't allowed to go in wearing shorts, and women can't have uncovered heads and arms or wear short skirts. So that tourists don't have issues with their shoes, there are little bags at the entrance.

The Blue Mosque with its numerous domes and six minarets against a light sky. Several seagulls are flying in the air around it. The mosque from the outside

Word has it, Sultan Ahmed, who built the mosque and who it's named after, got into trouble because the mosque had 6 minarets. "A bit much," the higher-ups thought, and gave the sultan a dressing down. A legend, of course. In reality, it was much worse that the sultan forced the monopoly supplier of blue tiles to hand over all their decent goods for the construction, which practically killed the business.

The courtyard of a mosque with two tall minarets, rows of arches and domes along the perimeter, and a central stone fountain for ablutions, all under a bright blue sky with feathery clouds. In the courtyard

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul with its multi-tiered pale domes, minarets, and golden spires against a blue sky. In the foreground, a carved stone fountain can be seen in the courtyard. And this is probably from the other side in the courtyard

Three men, two of whom have a mustache or goatee, stand in a richly decorated mosque space, looking upwards. Around them are walls covered in blue tiles, arches, and a red patterned carpet. “The Queen is delighted”. And with good reason (Sergey's photo)

Interior view of a mosque with a bright red patterned carpet, high painted walls and arches, and colorful stained glass windows. The space is illuminated by numerous hanging lamps; several people and a wooden fence marking the visitor area can be seen on the carpet. At these mega-chandeliers, for one (Sergey's photo)

A young man stands inside a majestic mosque, the walls and massive dome of which are richly decorated with patterns, stained glass, and calligraphy. Numerous lamps hang on chains beneath the dome.And in general — it's spacious and bluish

5995045_9da48255fb_b Because of the dangling strings, it's also surreal

In the spacious courtyard of a historic building with arcades, a man in a dark suit is taking a picture, while a girl is reading a book. Other visitors sit beneath the arched passageways in the background.

I won't write in any more detail about the tourist amusements. If you visit Istanbul, you'll see them for sure. There won't be any more text either — there were plenty of photos instead.

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