I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud, Hovering Over the Honey Baklava Tree

Whelp, today's weather was absolutely awful. It was chucking down rain all day long and at times, it was super windy. Like, knock you over, prevent you from walking in a straight line, umbrella-bending windy. Yet, there were millions of people all over the place. There was a huge line at the Topkapi Palace so instead I wandered the streets for a little while until I found a boreka place (they make pastries stuffed with cheese- and I had been craving one all morning) and then headed over to the Arasta Bazaar, which is much smaller than the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar but also with less calling you over to a store. It was a long block but the goods seemed a lot more legitimate than at the Grand Bazaar- and a lot higher quality. Right in the middle of the Arasta Bazaar is the Mosaic Museum. The Grand cuts through what was one a palace and the floor is still quite intact (although there has been a long, on-going restoration project). The mosaics are incredibly detailed and not at all religious- at least not Christian based. There are examples of Greco-Roman myths, scenes of everyday life, reflections of the animal kingdom, and much more. It was very "Roman", especially compared to what I saw yesterday at the Chora church. It was a much appreciated way to get out of the rain for 30 mins.

The blue Mosque was about to close for mid-day prayers, so I went to the Turkish and Islamic Arts museum, mostly to keep staying out of the rain.  The museum was sectioned off by dynasty and mainly had examples of carpets, Qurans, and religious objects, including pieces of Muhammad's beard. Yep, for real. The museum was very nice and some of the Qurans were just gorgeous but I'm not sure if it lived up to my expectations. Although I'm not sure what my expectations were. Maybe more than just religious items? More everyday items, looking at what life is like in Turkey over the course of the dynasties and the caliphates. But again, it was a good way to get out of the rain.

The line for the blue Mosque was around the block practically when I got out so I decided to come back on my return day and a half in Istanbul. My hostel is near the area and I could make sure to get there early enough to see it right when it opens to visitors. Instead I stood on line to see the Underground Cistern. There were at least 8 different men hawking ear muffs, plastic rain jumpers, and umbrellas. Any temptation to buy an umbrella went out the door by seeing how many broken umbrellas were laying next to trash cans around town. Clearly they don't last long. The underground cistern was pretty cool.  It was built by the emperor Justinian and looks like an underground palace because of the massive columns that support it. Because of its size, it's able to hold 100,000 tons of water. Two of the columns have large Medusa heads used as plinths. It's not entirely known why this was done but they're pretty incredible. The place seemed mysterious and because of the rain, water dripped in huge drops onto the floor and into the water which was swimming with monstrous fish. There were a ton of people and I would love to see what it's like down there with less people.

I wandered around a little longer and then took the tram up to Istiklal Street and wandered through some of the back alleys and the hidden markets until I got to the Pera Museum again. I had so enjoyed the silence and the serenity of the cafe the day before than I got another cup of tea and a piece of cake and was free to sit and read for about an hour without anyone bothering it. It was perfect. I actually could take my two layers of coats off and relax for a little while. When I finally left, I grabbed some dinner at a kebap place to take home with me. Already there were men on the street selling glow sticks and LED light glasses, preparing the street for New Years Eve, even though it's supposed to still rain and be cold at midnight.

I

I held out til midnight and at about a quarter til, went down to Istiklal Street. It was very busy and police lined the streets. There were a lot of big groups of people hustling up and down the street and the atmosphere seemed more like a bunch of intense fans heading to a soccer match than people celebrating the new year. Compared to Barcelona two years ago, it felt much more gritty and tense. At times, random chants would break out and there was a lot of hooting and hollering. I pretended to be on my phone so I wouldn't be bothered. Up towards Taksim Square, it started to logjam, so I turned around and walked back down the street. A few minutes later, I heard people counting down in Turkish and looked up just in time to hear them get to zero and see some fireworks right in between the two sides of the street. I know that they shoot fireworks off the Bosphoros Bridges but I didn't know if they would with the rain and the fog. I don't know if these were sanctioned or not but they were beautiful. I stuck around for a few more minutes and then headed home- I just didn't feel totally comfortable out on my own. And the ratio of men to women on the street was pretty high. I can still hear parties in the street though and I'm glad people are having a good time.

Mutlu Yillar!

Turkish Delight on a Snowy Cold Night (and Day)

The weather today was absolutely miserable- a combination of rain and snow that did not let up for the whole day. So I decided to walk over 5 miles outside. Good going, Yadlin!

It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. After a lot of bumbling around and looking helpless  asking for help, and wondering why on earth anyone would think about having to go underground to catch the bus, I filed onto the 87 bus headed towards the Chora Church. I luckily kept an eye out for signs and managed to get off at the right stop. The Chora Church, named for the Greek word for territory or land, was originally built outside the city walls but when they were extended in the 5th century, it ended up inside the wall. According to the Rick Steve's book, "the current church dates back to about 1100 but was damaged by Crusaders in the 1200s. In the early 1300s, the Byzantine primer minister Theodore Metochites was selected as Chor'a patron and he oversaw the church's reconstruction." He was all about creating and financing the creation of the mosaics that are still around today. Interestingly, because the Eastern Orthodox church essentially remained consolidated under the Byzantine Empire, church power was centralized and thus artistic decisions filtered down from Constantinople to all other Byzantine churches. This is why Roman Catholic art in churches is so varied but Byzantine art is typically very similar across the board.

The mosaics in the church are absolutely stunning. Essentially, they tell the entire church story from before the birth of Mary to St. Anne, through the birth, life, and death of Jesus, through to the Final Judgement and the New Jerusalem. The nave was closed for restoration so I missed the middle of Jesus' life but what I did see was breath-taking, both the frescos and the mosaics. Your neck is certainly sore by the end of the tour but I went back through everything twice because it was so spectacular.

After leaving the Church, I made my way through some back alleys until I reached the Walls of Theodosius, built by Theodosius II. There was a steep set of stairs to get up to the top and you could wander, although there were no railings and I was worried I'd get blown away and off the walls. If it had been nicer and clearer, I'm sure the views would have been stunning. After descending from the walls, I walked back the Tekfur Palace, the only remaining Byzantine palace which is currently under renovation, and the Kastoria Synagogue, of which remains only a wall and a gate. Eventually I walked underneath the Egrikapi Gate, which translates to bent gate, leads to some great views of the wall and also houses the Surdibi Cemetery, the legendary burial ground of several sahabe- Muslim equivalent of Christian apostles to Muhammad.

 

synagogue

Erdikapi Gate

cemetary

I began my walk through the Lonca, Balat, and Fener neighborhoods, following a path that wound through back alleys, narrow streets, and very non-touristy areas. It was nice to not be cat-called and propositioned to come into stores every two feet, and I felt like I was seeing the real Turkey. I passed through some mosques, palace ruins, old dungeons, and several different churches, but many were difficult to identify or closed to the public. The first place I was able to enter was the Panagia Blachernae Holy Spring and Church, a Greek Orthodox church with a holy spring believed to have healing properties. It was incredibly colorful inside, a definite change from the colors of the Chora Church. As I walked through the Balat Neighborhood, there was s long market being step up with shoes, clothing, household goods, but also eggs, cheese, fruits, vegetables, and just so much color. Everyone was unloading trucks and hand carts, setting up overhangs to shelter them from the rain, and calling back and forth to each other. I also passed by the Ahrida Synagogue, the only one in the city that can be dated back to the Byzantine period. The last stop was the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the modern HQ of the Greek Orthodox Church Patriarchate is to the Greek Orthodox church as the Vatican is to the Roman Catholic Church, and the inside of the church was very gold and very Byzantine. And there were some disturbing paintings up at the apse of the church.

Panagia Blachernae Church

Ahrida Synagogue

St. George Greek Orthodox Patriarchate

 With the guided walk complete, I walked along the Bosphorus towards the Golden Horn, eventually finding my way to the Rezam Has Museum, where there was a small but extensive exhibit of Urartian bronze jewelry. The Urartian Kingdom was a strong Asian state during the 9th to 7th century BCE and the museum owned some incredible bronze belts, beaded jewelry, decorative pins, snakes, and all sorts of intricately designed pieces. The room itself was also really unique architecturally- it was like being underground in a cistern or something like that.

After getting incredibly lost and wandering around in circles for a while, I finally used the TripAdvisor app to get myself to the Turkish Jews Museum. It was a small museum but it had some really fascinating artifacts and great information about the role of Turkish Jews throughout Turkey, from the expulsions throughout Europe to the similarities between Jewish and Muslim traditions found throughout Turkey. For such a small museum, it was quite well done and there was only one other person there, so I didn't feel rushed at all.

On my way to the Pera Museum, I happened across a contemporary art show curated at one of the small galleries on Istiklal Street called "The Roving Eye." It presented more than 40 works by 36 of Southeast Asia's "most innovative contemporary artists." As there typically is in contemporary art, there were a lot of bizarre pieces but a nice way to spend 30 minutes and get out of the snow.

My last official stop for the day was the Pera Museum, also off Istiklal Street. The top two floors were all dedicated to Polish artists that used the Ottoman Empire and its characteristics. What I loved most about this section was how many different styles were used- no two pictures were the same and the techniques and mediums used were all different. Plus there were some fantastic paintings that would make for some great captions. There was a floor about ambassadors and artwork and the marriage between the two: there were portraits of European ambassadors to Turkey painted in the Turkish style and vice versa. Again, such a wide assortment of techniques and mediums. The bottom floor had an exhibit dedicated to coffee and the different ceramic holders used in coffee ceremonies. The museum had a posh little cafe and I relaxed for a little while reading and drinking some Turkish tea. It was perfect.

Before heading to dinner, I popped into one more exhibit about the Ottoman's role in the First World War with a focus on propoganda. I absolutely love propaganda and so this was so much better than the non-English exhibit from the day before. They had some excellent postcards and posters talking about the unity between the Germans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.

It was dinner time so I found a place down the street and had gozleme, a thin Turkish pancake stuffed with spinach, minced meat, potatoes, and cheese. It was delicious, if not a bit spicy (I think it was the meat) and filled me up more than I thought it would. It was such a great ending to a very wet and cold day and the restaurant was only a block and a half away from home so I could go straight there and take a shower to warm up.