Exploring Istanbul

It's perfectly possible to spend a week in Istanbul just going from tea stop to tea stop, from kebab to kebab, restaurant to restaurant and cafe to cafe.  And why not, this is a great way to see what this beautiful city has to offer.  Lantern clad terraces, outside heaters, and comfy cushions appeal to both locals and tourists alike and even in late October tables are busy.  From your chosen street side venue you can take in the view, the hustle and bustle of the city and its great monuments.  One minute you can be sitting next to the breathtaking Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque, a while later in the craziness of the Bazaar, and why not sit late afternoon watching the various boats plying the Bospherous.  Indeed this is what I spent some time doing, the reasonably priced and tasty snacks providing more than enough excuses to stop and take a break and rest my legs after walking what seemed like miles up and down the hills that this ancient city is built on.

Aya Sofya

However, it's impossible to come to this city on the crossroads of Europe and Asia and not go in some of its picture postcard splendours.  Dominating the sky line and the old city area of Sultanahmet and located opposite each other are the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque.  These wonders of ancient and Ottoman history are majestic and seemed to be the first places that tourists rush to.  And for good reason, one of these buildings would overshadow what most cities have to offer, but both within a few metres of each other is surely giving Istanbul an unfair advantage. 

Aya Sofya

Getting to the Aya Sofya early in the morning was a good call, the crowds of coach tour groups had still not arrived and this meant the inevitable flags and umbrella waving had not yet begun.      Outside the building glows with a red hue, domes, and minarets frame the structure.  Inside one of the first thing that strikes you are the large circular rings holding light bulb candles suspended from the ceiling by many metal chains.  This adds to the muted lighting of this cavernous building,  follow these metal chains up and you can appreciate the vastness of the space inside. 

Inside the Aya Sofya

Four huge black wooden circular discs emblazed with verses from the Koran adorn the walls, interestingly next to the early church frescos of Mary and Child still found above the alter.  This meeting place of religions seem totally at ease with one another, something reflected in the people of the city itself.  Climbing up a cobbled passage spiralling up and up one side of the building brings you out to the first floor where balconies offer perfectly framed images of the views below. 

Inside the Aya Sofya

In contrast to the Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque is a perfect example of orderly and almost symmetrical architecture.  Shoes off and head scarf on, you can't fail to be impressed entering the building.  Intricately decorated with patterns and shapes in colourful tones and gold, thick carpet covers the floor and the whole building hums with the chatter of visitors and worshippers alike.

Blue Mosque at night

 

Inside the Blue Mosque

Not far from both of these sites is another place well worth a look.  The Basilica Cistern recently seen in several feature films has beauty of a different kind.  This subterranean structure is an eerie place lit in a single orange glow from bulbs that light up each individual column.  These marble and granite columns built in 532 are survivors of the largest Byzantine Cistern in Istanbul.  Placed in 12 symmetrical rows these 9m high columns lead out into the darkness.  At the back of the vast space are found two Medusa heads, one upside down and one sideways both supporting huge pillars, no one really knows why.  In the shallow waters below the wooden walkways ghostly fish swim in semi darkness.

Basilica Cistern

In this glowing space there's a cafe, a cool place in both senses of the word to sit and reflect on the wonders seen in the first full day in this, one of the worlds' most giving cities.  With another 3 days here to come, I had the feeling I wouldn't be disappointed.

 

Memories of Indian highlights

Fatehpur Sikri built in 1569, is a gem of a palace.  It glows a burnt red in the full sun of the day and heat radiates off the walls.  This breathtaking palace is intricately designed with beautiful sandstone carvings, patterns and text covering many surfaces.  Really impressive was the fact that the buildings although being a great age had all been designed to get as much natural light as possible, and to let a cooling breeze through.  Despite the burning 40 degrees of the day the shady interiors of the buildings provided some welcome respite from the oppressive heat. 

Fatehpur Sikri

We had arrived mid morning and took a tour, moving from one shady bit to another.  The palace had space for wives, concubines, entertainment and punishment.  It took 8 years to complete but was only inhabited for 15 years or so, as the natural world fought back from these early pioneers of building, and despite building a reservoir, three years of drought meant the palace had to be abandoned.

 

The palace provides outstanding views of the surrounding area, and although not as famous as its other contemporaries stands out as a peaceful and calm retreat.  Gone were the crowds we had experienced in Delhi, the Amber Fort and the Taj Mahal, instead few people milled around at a much more restful pace.  The only real work being done by a man with a broom, fighting a never ending battle against wind and sand.

This visit was a complete contrast to the time spent at the Taj.  We had been there the day before, getting there relatively early by 8am or so.  Of course this is one Indian site that all would recognise and it was slightly surreal to be standing in front of such an iconic building.  The entrance itself is impressive enough, a huge red sandstone archway, adorned with marble and onyx, and passages of the Koran.  Then you see the awesome spectacle of the Taj itself.

Our group was allocated an 'official' photographer and in many respects this added to the memories of the place, not necessarily the photos themselves but the amusement their creation caused.  We were made to pose in all sort of places and positions, fabulously staged shots of reclining, gazing and admiring the view.  Some of my particular favourites include the hands in the 'Namaste' position and of course the almost compulsory shot of looking like you were picking up the Taj in your hand.  There must be millions of versions of this shot in cameras all round the world.

Despite the 'disneyfication' of the photo shoot, the mausoleum itself truly is spectacular.  Gleaming white marble, intricate carvings and symmetry.  Even the gardens were a model of perfection, nothing out of place.  Inside the Taj the temperature falls and the place is filled with the echoes of hundreds of pilgrims to this place.

Stepping out the back the terrace runs the length of the building and the cool marble shaded by the building was providing a perfect spot for sitting.  Large family groups were gathering, each choosing a comfortable spot to rest and make the most of their time.  Ladies in beautiful colourful saris, men in their long sleeve shirts and holy men in burnt orange robes united in the privilege of the visit and the wearing of elasticated cotton shoe covers.    

 

 

 

Later in the evening we drove through a small village settlement and down a dust track road.  All sorts of vehicles were parked up either side, people all getting out and walking one way.  We had all come to the other side of the river to see the Taj from a different angle and to see it glow in the final light of the setting sun.  Unfortunately this was a particularly hazing evening and although a small glow was seen it wasn't the one on the pictures the hawkers were trying to flog on the way back to the bus.  I wasn't too disappointed, how could you be.

 

Two contrasting sites, two amazing views of India, both definitely stops on anyone's itinerary.

 

Travels in Syria

It's several years since I was in Syria, but the images that are filling TV screens at the moment brought back memories, unfortunately not for the right reasons.  Looking through grainy photos and reading travel journals from that time filled my head with stories of adventures and happy times.  My overwhelming memory of Syria is that it was a really welcoming place once we had got through the border.  Many people talked to us, guides were knowledgeable and keen to share stories of places they loved and people in markets and restaurants laughed at our attempts to communicate.

Damascus Souk

Our first stop was in Damascus, we were camping outside the city but got a mini bus into the centre of this bustling place.  Exiting the bus was an assault on the senses, and wandering around was like being hit with so many smells, sights and sounds that it was hard to keep up.  It was also hot, very hot.  We wandered around the Souk, it was a massive place selling all sorts of weird and wonderful things, spices, fabrics, tea making paraphernalia and what seemed like today's special, Stuffed Eagles.   Light rays shone through holes in the roof apparently a legacy of when the Syrian overran the French, today they added a glow in the haze.  Rejecting the stuffed Eagles we made our way to the city's main mosque, one of the most important sites in Islam and splendid in its decoration.

We drove to the ancient city Palmyra, located in the desert.  Again we were supposed to be camping but the wind got up and instead we found ourselves welcomed into the garage /home we luckily came across.  There was a huge Bedouin style tent in the grounds, complete with colourful rugs and cushions to lounge on and weirdly for such a desert location there was also a pool.  The evening was spent with music, hot tea and conversation that continued into the dark of the night.

Palmyra

The next day we explore the Greco Roman ruins of Palmyra.  The sand coloured ruins suddenly appeared on the horizon, something solid in this landscape of moving sand.  An landscape of ancient ruins, a temple, many columns and some engravings.  There were even some remnants of frescos from when the Christians has had control of the temple.  Opposite a road of columns stood the remains of shops and bath houses.  An amphitheatre also remains although some restoration had taken place here.  You could wander freely around and with few other people there you could begin to imagine past splendours.   

Crac des Chevaliers came next.  And for me the highlight of the trip.  I love castles and this is a damn fine one.  Its huge and sits atop of a hill overlooking the ruins of Palmyra below in the valley.  The views from and towards the castle are both spectacular.  Inside there are the remains of lots of rooms, all added at different periods of time and even the remains of a huge table, once rumoured to be table of the Knights of the round table fame.   There's towers to climbs and tunnels to explore.  The best part was that you could go anywhere you like, there was only 10 or so people about so of course games of hide and seek were a necessary part of the day.  Once we tired of that we all climbed to the top of the tallest tower and sat on the vast walls with our legs hanging over the edge, the drop below us falling away into the side of the valley and just sat in silence admiring the view and thinking about how lucky we were to be here.

We explored other towns on this trip but they are for another time.  For now the memories of that great trip remain with me and I just hope one day soon others will get the chance to go and see this beautiful and fascinating country for themselves.