Istanbul

I've just now had a chance to post the rest of my pics of Istanbul as I've finally been able to catch my breath here in Madrid.
The picture below is of the hostel I stayed in the first time I went to Istanbul 22 years ago.
It was a great place to stay and I'm kind of sad that its closed down though it would be pretty naive to think the world had stood still after all this time.

Now that my friends, is a serious piece of kebab meat.

Istanbul straddles Asia and Europe and is split by the Bosporus. There are many bridges and all are lined by fishermen with long lines of multiple hooks. They're catching sardines, pulling out 10 at a time, then cooking them right there and eating them on bread with a little lemon juice.

I'm always a bit taken aback when I see shops like the one below.
They're all over the city.

I came across this interesting sign in the Grand Bazaar, No doubt men from all over the world will be beating a path here to try this confectionery with a rather interesting side effect.

There are guys trying to shine your shoes all over the city.

Its a tiresome hustle.

The real shoe shine guys often have another side business.....leeches for eczema relief. I didn't see anyone actually avail themselves of this service, but I guess a little blood sucking with your shine is the Turkish way.....yeesh.
As has always been the case the city is full of wonderful characters and is target rich for photo ops.

This old guy called me over to take his picture.

I think there's is a lot of life to be seen in his face.
The Aya Sophis is one of the great landmarks in Istanbul. What follows is a brief history courtesy of Wonderclub.com:
In A.D. 326, Constantinople was laid out on the shores of the Bosporus by Emperor Constantine. Thirty years later, his successor built its first great church - eventually called Hagia Sophia - but it stood only 172 years before rioting crowds burned it to the ground. This event, in 532, was perhaps auspicious: It occurred during the reign of Justinian the Builder, who would give the world the sublime "tent of the heavens" that still stands and in whose creation "God has surely taken part."
Reconstruction started just 39 days after the destruction of the original church. The gigantic structure was modeled loosely on the Roman Pantheon. Measuring 220 feet by 250 feet along its main floor, it was laid out as a rectangle, at whose center was a square. Soaring 180 feet above the square was a dome supported by four massive pendentives on equally massive piers. At the east and west ends of the dome square were two have domes serving as the apse and entrance bay. The engineering feat was even more incredible considering that only brick, mortar, and stone were used. Although the earlier Romans knew how to make concrete, these Eastern builders did not.

Less than six years after work on it began, Justinian's monument to Christendom was completed. In A.D. 558 much of it collapsed due to the many earthquakes in the region. Because the initial architects, Anthemius and Isodorus, were no longer living, the latter's nephew, Isidorus the Younger, was given the task of rebuilding. This time it lasted 400 more years before collapsing again, and being again rebuilt
When Rome's hegemony ended 57 years later, the Church of the Holy Wisdom was devoid of glittering wealth. Bulky buttresses were built to shore it up, but its days of glory, and those of Constantinople, were drawing to a close. In 1453, Sultan Mohammed II massed the Ottoman army in front of the city. After a 53-day siege, the Byzantine Empire's great capital capitulated, and the conqueror marched into town and directly to Hagia Sophia. His ulama recited a Muslim prayer, and the sultan declared Eastern Christianity's cornerstone a mosque.
For almost 500 years it remained such, its mosaics whitewashed to hide the "idolatrous" figures of humans. Koranic inscriptions were placed in the four corners beneath the dome; four minarets were erected at the corners of the exterior perimeter; a gilded bronze crescent replaced the large metal cross crowning the basilica.

So endeth the lesson.

Its an amazing building.
Opposite Sophia is the Blue Mosque rivalled in size only by Mecca.

Its open to visitors except during formal prayers and a visit is one of the great experiences of the city.

There are a couple of rules when you visit. Pictures are fine, but you're not allowed to cross over a barrier and disturb the people praying. I watched a gaggle of Chinese tourists climb over and walk around the faithful talking loudly and snapping away with their cell phones...rude buggers.

While I was waiting for the prayers to end so I could visit, a funeral emerged from the mosque. I was struck by the frenetic pace of it all. The coffin bearers were literally sprinting throught the crowd and it was so chaotic, dropping the body appeared a real possibility.
That's it for today. I've got lots of bits and pieces about the city in my head but frankly I'm too wiped out to type anymore.

I just got home from Madrid and I'll post some pics of that tomorrow. I'm staying at Heathrow tomorrow night as I have a killer early start on Wednesday morning for the long trek to South America.

Love to all

T