Hope these are posting- I can write them but I'm unable to view them here. Not sure why. Can't access email either. On top of all this I can't use my phone because I'm out of minutes. But I like Istanbul much, much more than I liked Damascus. I'm pretty sure Turkey is a liberated society. There are bars all over the place...
Visited the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace- most notabley the Harem, a giant bathhouse/lounge where the sultan would keep and hang out with all his concubines... interestingly there where lavish quarters for the "queen mother" as well, but who knows, that may refer to the alpha female of the place...
Everything was very beautiful, even in the driving snow and wind. That said, it was very difficult to enjoy anything. My fingers are still recovering from exposure while holding my cameras and taking pictures. I felt bad for all the stray cats roaming the place, although they appeared to have free reign over everything. Some took up lodging inside the Harem...
The Blue Mosque is really something, quite a complex. Unfortunately my still camera died, but I did take a lot of video. I don't want to go back and take still pictures. All these places (Blue Mosque; Topkapi Palace) have marble floors, including the courtyards, and the steps leading up to the courtyards. When iced over like they are now they become quite a tense expedition when climbing and walking around. The courtyard of the Blue Mosque wasn't quite as elaborately decorated as the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, but the mosque itself is gigantic, it's pretty cool to stand in there and look probably 10 stories up at all the mosaics covering every inch of archwork, the giant marble pillars holding the place up, and of course the domes capping off everything. Lots of stained glass. A lot like a cathedral anywhere else you've ever been, really, really big though. Nice soft carpeting underneath, pretty clean because no one's allowed to wear their shoes. Probably the hardest part of the day, taking off my cold wet shoes to expose my cold wet socks and the cold wet feet within them to the sharp cold winter air, and the cold wet hems of my jeans... only making everything colder and wetter.
I couldn't visit the Aya Sofia today- not open on Mondays, which means I'll have to brave the cold, wind, snow, and all again tomorrow. I don't know, I'm not terribly impressed with it yet by comparison to the Blue Mosque. The exterior isn't nearly as ornate as the Blue Mosque. I'm sure I'll eat my words tomorrow when I'm allowed to see the inside of it. And I'll qualify myself: It's impressive that human beings have evolved from monkeys (though we sometimes still act like apes); or that we don't still live in caves or houses fashioned out of our own excrement (though some still do, perhaps not entirely by choice). Of course it's impressive that people could figure out a way to build something that big way back then, and it would still be standing now.
Pretty easy to get around here though, a cheap tram ride (Istanbul's light rail) across the Galata bridge to Sultanahmet (Sultan-AKmet- the part of town where all that stuff is- lots of nice looking buildings around). I think I can take it to the airport, which will be handy if I run low on funds. And Istanbul isn't that big. I could've walked to Sultanahmet from Beyoglu easily enough. Almost did- turns out I don't know my geography as well as I thought I did, I'm closest to the Akbar bridge, the one I visited last night; and the one I crossed today on my way to finding a tram stop to Sultanahmet. You learn a little something every day.
Istiklal was pretty dead tonight. Wonder if today's a Muslim religious day or something. Or just midweek for the Muslim work week.
There's been a lot in the news about a plane crash in Beirut, only days after I've visited there. The coincidence and significance are not lost on me. I feel terribly sad for those people and their families; and very lucky and greatful to be alive myself. For now they're blaming the weather: I'll blame human error, and reserve further judgement until the facts are in before I blame Beirut. Still a very pretty place. Though it was a nice sunny day when I left. Not sure who to thank for that...
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