Istanbul, was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople

Instanbul has the unique claim to fame of being in both Europe and Asia. The bosphorus straight splits the city and it's 12 million or so residents. We really felt like we had escaped the western world here. Carpet salesmen aside (don't bother asking, none of them are magic flying carpets), the people are really friendly and helpful. With so many languages spoken here, English is becoming the most utilized. We had very little trouble getting around this amazing and ancient city.


Have to brag here - this was taken from our room. We had the most amazing view of the Blue Mosque. So named because of the blue tiles on the roof. The spooky lines above the mosque aren't spirits. They are the very confused gulls flying around. Can you see how their wings flap in time? (click on the photo to see it!)



Turkey is 99% Muslim. But progressively so - thanks to Ataturk ("father Turk"). He was their president during the 1st world war and then helped fight back the Greeks. He did a lot for women's rights (work, voting) and also brought a strong sense of fashion. Today, women are discouraged from covering their heads. But of course, they still wear them in mosques.



Aya Sofya. One of the finest churches in the world. If not THE finest for many many years. How many years? Try 1500 years. This place was built in 537 AD. In 537 most of the world was running around hitting each other on the heads with wooden sticks. And the interior dome is STILL one of the largest in the world. It was first a Christian church (the Romans) and then was converted to a Mosque when the Turkish took over in 1453.



Friday, noon. All Muslim men are required to attend service. A very busy place indeed. This MASSIVE mosque was so full the people were spilling out into the steps and grounds around the building.



Strong is the force in this one.



All young men must join the military for a short tour. As a result you get lots of zany guys with automatic weapons. The police are a very dominant feature around the University as well (usually with shields and tear gas). Apparently the local Uni kids have lots of political opinions.



Don't sneeze.



My favorite part of Istanbul was the narrow streets leading to amazing places. The most beautiful mosques would pop up before your eyes.



Turkish people LOVE cats. Cats everywhere. They feed them in the parks (fresh meat!), keep them as pets and pet them on the sidewalks. I imagine they keep the rat population down and thus the black plague.