Turkey and The Blue Voyage

The Blue Mosque with its six Minarets

There was a thought about entitling this entry "What to do with Leftover Turkey," since we have been home a VERY long time now. I decided against it though. Turkey should not be taken lightly. It is a place rich in history, culture, religion and surprises. There is so much to learn here, and in many ways, we've been processing our visit ever since. One thing we know: we want to learn more. We're thinking of enrolling in a Western Civilization course, or, at the very least, watching a DVD series about early civilization in this beautiful, strange and mystical country.

Istanbul captures the flavor of the country with its exotic mix of Asian and European traditions. Visitors come here to discover mosques (previously Christian churches, and before that, pagan temples), slender minarets, palaces of the Ottoman Empire (think of sultans in turbans and veiled beauties in harems), the Grand Bazaar where anything and everything is for sale and the exquisitely fragrant Spice Market. And this is just the beginning!

To understand Istanbul as the cultural crossroads of Europe and Asia, you have to know that the Golden Horn, a large bay that turns gold with the setting sun, divides Istanbul into Old Town and New Town and that the Bosphorus River separates the European continent (called Thrace which comprises 3% of Turkey) on the west from Asia Minor (Anatolia, 97% of Turkey) on the east. Confused? A look at the map will help clarify things. Notice that Istanbul is also situated on a sea - the Sea of Marmara. It took us our entire stay in Istanbul (previously Constantinople and before that Byzantium) to grasp these divisions - sort of. We're still working on comprehending the evolution of the many levels of civilizations which have occupied these lands. Briefly, there was the Early Bronze Age (2600-2300 BC), then Classic Age (5th-4th Century BC), Hellenistic Age - the Greeks (330 - 3 BC), Roman Age (1st c. BC - 4th C. AD), and the Byzantine Age (5th -15th c. AD). Then the Turks and the Ottomans came on the scene. Of course all of these changes in power didn't occur without mighty struggles or lengthy wars, often horrific in scope and scale. Fortunately, the beauty of the landscape, ingenuity of builders, artists and craftsmen, and the warmth and intelligence of the people is what is remembered.


We could have spent two more hours in the Grand Bazaar - or even two days! Our first stop: pashmina scarves. The vendors weren't as aggressive as we'd expected. Perhaps it was too early in the day. Advice to future travelers: try to be the FIRST customer of the day. They'll give you a good deal because it brings them luck the rest of the day. At least that's what they tell you.

Outside the Spice Market we encountered several ladies selling pigeon food. We weren't as surprised by the the number of pigeons (after all, we've been to Venice) as the abundance of cats, especially in the palace grounds. They literally have the run of the place. Dogs were more scarce, and the few we saw seemed always to be sound asleep. This photo of a cat sitting outside the Topkapi Palace is dedicated to the cat lovers in our family. (You know who you are.)

For those who aren't thrilled by cats, how about the famous "Topkapi Dagger," the object of much strategy and scheming in the movie Topkapi? There are actually four enormous emeralds, though only three are seen here. The other covers a watch hidden in the base of the dagger. Ah, those clever Turks.

For many more photos and an overview of our trip, including the fabulous Cappadocia with its fairy tale rock formation communities, click on

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