In March 2015, Bill and I had occasion to visit Istanbul, that wonderful Turkish city that bridges Europe and Asia.  Although we were there primarily to attend and present at a business conference, we did squeeze in as much sight-seeing as possible.  Formerly the seat of the Ottoman Empire and before that the eastern Roman Empire, Istanbul is a strange, somewhat schizophrenic, mixture of the East and the West.  It has strong European traditions as well as a strong Islamic, Middle Eastern culture.

Interestingly, the temperature in Istanbul was just about the same as Denver the entire time we were there.  It was mostly rainy and drizzly, and one day there were even quite a few snowflakes flying around.  Most people tend to think of Turkey as being a warm climate, not realizing that Turkey actually has some ski areas!

To our surprise and my initial dismay, our hotel only served Turkish wines, which turned out to be surprisingly good.  I didn’t realize that Turkey was actually trying to become more of a wine producer.  The food was quite good, an interesting blend of fairly typical Mediterranean fare with Middle Eastern overtones.  The fresh produce was exceptional, and the pastries were amazing!  I especially liked simit, a Turkish pretzel/bagel sort of bread covered with sesame seeds.  With a little fresh cheese, olives, tomatoes, and tiny cucumbers, it is definitely yummy!

The most impressive sight was the amazing Hagia Sophia. This huge basilica, almost as large as the Vatican,  was the locus of the Eastern Orthodox Church until Constantinople, as Istanbul was then called, was conquered by the invading Ottoman Turks.  The Sophia was then converted into a mosque for the next several centuries, until it fell into disrepair and was abandoned.  Today it is a museum and is slowly being restored to its former grandeur.  As we walked around the steps, worn down by the footsteps of thousands of monks and visitors over the years, and peered up at the immense dome of the structure, we couldn’t help but be impressed with the sheer size and grandeur of the Sophia.  A sense of history permeated the atmosphere.  I have to admire the skills of the Romans who were able to construct such a magnificent structure so many centuries ago.

Close to the Hagia Sophia is the famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque.  It was built in the early 17th century and is an excellent example of a combination of Byzantine and Islamic architecture.  Still in use today as an active mosque, the interior is beautiful with huge domes and the famous blue tiles.  We also visited the old Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman Sultans.  Bill sort of summed it all up succinctly, “Those sultans sure knew how to live!”  I guess it is always good to be the king and not the peon!

My personal favorite site, however, was the Basilica Cistern.  This was built by the Romans as an underground water storage reservoir with beautiful Ionic and Corinthian columns.  Water was brought in from over 12 miles away to be stored here.  If you are a fan of the novels of Dan Brown like I am, this underground site figures prominently in his latest novel, The Inferno, but I certainly won’t give away the plot.  I knew when we went to Istanbul, this was one of the sites I had to visit.  With underwater lighting and blind fish swimming around, it is at once both beautiful and somewhat eerie.

As near as I can tell, everybody in Istanbul has an uncle, cousin, or brother who sells carpets.  The people are attractive, talkative, helpful, and definitely good salesmen.   If we had bought a carpet from everyone who tried to sell us one, we would have had to charter a 747 to take them all home!  If you are in the mood to explore, Istanbul is definitely a great  city to visit!

On a more somber note, we are so sorry to learn of the recent terrorist activities and violence in Turkey, which has recently spread to Istanbul and many of the very sites we visited.  As much as we would like to return, it probably won’t happen.

We have been fortunate to visit many exciting locales over the years, quite a few of which we will not return to due to escalating violence and political instability.  About 13-14 years ago we visited Damascus.  What a beautiful city with old Roman ruins and beautiful mosques!  As Americans, we were welcomed graciously by everyone we met.  I have to wonder what it looks like today after years of war and destruction.    Damascus is  actually the only Middle Eastern city we have visited that actually had pork and bacon on the menu in the hotel.  That in itself is pretty amazing!  While visiting the Mosque of Fatima, the grand-daughter of Mohammad, with its beautiful mirrored ceilings, we were approached by a young lady in a burka.  When we left the mosque, she took off the burka, revealing Gap jeans and a cute t-shirt.  She was eager to talk to a Westerner and learn more about America.

I have also been fortunate to visit Egypt about six times.  We have seen all the ancient sites around Cairo and Alexandria–the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, the Roman baths in Alexandria, the dinner cruises on the Nile, and so much more.  We never made it to Luxor.  We kept thinking that on the next trip we would take a few extra days to visit the ruins there.  Now, with increasing risks and attacks on tourists, we probably won’t make it.  That really reinforces the carpe diem philosophy.  You need to take advantage of the moment because the opportunity make not present itself again.

That reminds me of one of my favorite Elizabethan poets, Robert Herrick, one of the proponents of the carpe diem school of thought:

“Gather ye rosebuds where ye may, old time is still a flying,  and this same flower that blooms   today, tomorrow will be a dying!”

©2016, The Eclectic Grandma