Hitting the Road Running in Istanbul

Once I knew I was in the Money, I hit the road running. Like a maniac, I ticked off 4 of the about 8 Things To Do in Istanbul, on the 3rd day of my time in Turkey.

I got heat stroke.

It was SO hot, and I do not sweat, never. Honestly I do not sweat. I did in Istanbul. It started at the small of my back, and like a river, went down my butt crack (sorry to be so graphic) and down either or both of the backs of my thighs, and down, cascading down, the backs of my legs like rivers!!!

I have never encountered such heat!! I was drinking lots of water, buying bottles everywhere, but I was turning redder and redder, and getting short of breath, and starting to get disorientated. Well MORE disorientated, because basically, I cant read maps, so I am always disorientated. My hair was plastered to my head, but in a funny sort of way, I was loving it!!

In this picture you cannot see the sweat, but it was there!!!

Anyway I had a hot little list to get through, written by family and especially a friend Dave Henderson, who is the partner of a previous ambassador to Turkey, Jan Beatty. Who were my first landlords in Wellington. He had written a rough guide and a map, which I clung to like the bible. I went to the Blue Mosque (behind me in the above pik) and had to cover up.....I thought I looked a little like Thelma and Louise, (one of them)

And had to take off shoes, while I walked around the beutiful mosque, with its beautiful Byzantine mosaics and architecture. It is called Blue, because of the blue tiles used in its construction. The caligraphies and mother of pearl inlays and the stone work is truly amazing.

That is the ceiling you can see.

The way the call to prayer is done, from the minarets of all the mosques is quite eerie. The first time it happened I got goose bumps. One man starts, and it very very loud, with his call, and another, from a nearbye mosque replies, and then another, from another mosque!! True moslems stop what they are doing and turn to the mosque and pray. It happens 5 times a day, though it seemed more often!!

And for some reason, I am sure I should know, it was only men who did this in the streets.

Then I hit Hagia Sophia. Absolutey jaw dropping. Actually, everything was jaw dropping in Istanbul!!

Inside, this church which dates back to the reign of Constantinius II in the year 300, was completed in 360. Can you believe those dates?!! It was burnt down and rebuilt around the year 420 and still used as a church. Now of course, it is a museum. It still has original mosaics and it is light, airy and spectacular inside.

And here is a detail of the roof...

It was awesome, and better still, it was a little cooler inside, like about 35 degrees, when outside was over 40!!!

Another cool place, (literally) was the Basilica Cistern, in Sultanahmet, where I was staying. It is an underground palace, and to my credit, I did not know anything about this one, but with my art history knowledge from the past, I could detect corinthian and doric columns without being told!!

This one is Corinthian

And the inside was magical....

But by this time, I had serious auras coming out of my head, from all the beauty, and decided to call it a day!!

So hit the road, back to my Grand Peninsula Hotel, in a single room, with a toilet without a seat, but with very good airconditioning cranked up to its coldest, I was a very happy and very tired girl!!!!

Tell you more later!!!

D