Hey all! I've finally arrived in a hostel that has free Internet! Sorry I've been incommunicado for so long, but the bill really starts to add up when you've got to pay Euro for blogging privileges. Life's been awesome - Oktoberfest, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg were all delightful in their own rights, and I can fill you in on them later. But all that can wait, because yesterday we arrived in the crown jewel of the trip - Istanbul.
The world's greatest (and only) intercontinental city and not ceased to delight me since the moment we made it through customs. Even before touching down on the runway I got shivers of excitement down my spine as the approach to the tarmac revealed a massive city peppered with countless minarets rising from the ground like arrows caught just before their vault into the sky. Our hostel is situated only a few blocks from the Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque (more on those later) and from the rooftop bar we can see across the Bosporus to Asia. Today we went to the former Ottoman Topkapi Palace and took a stroll through the Emperor's old harem. The beautiful women are gone today, but the gorgeous frescos, mosaics and furniture have survived. After a Kebab lunch (awesome, cheap and incredibly unhealthy) we ventured into the subterranean Bassilica Cistern built by Justinian in Roman times to hold the city's drinking water. It's not a reservoir any longer, but instead a massive underground room with a ceiling 30 feet above the floor held up by more than 300 columns. As we walked along the catwalks (there's sill a few feet of water kept down there so the carp and trout can stay alive) I could hardly believe my eyes. To finish the day off right, we went to the Aya Sophia, an almost unfathomably large cathedral-turned-mosque-turned-museum. Inside her massive belly, I filled my mind (and SD memory card) with gorgeous frescos, calligraphy, columns, arches and domes that I truly hope to never forget. This building is without a doubt the most impressive place I've ever been. If you don't believe me, google it. The photos might help you understand a little, but in all honesty you should probably just fly over here at some point in your life.
More later, time to grab a drink and play cards on the roof. Cheers!
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2 comments:
dude. I can picture it. Just like I am there all over again. I am so glad Istanbul is not disapponting you. I am getting very anxious for you to be home so we can trade stories. Enjoy your turkish bath. Miss you brother.
I was watching some of the Jamaica/Mexico game today on Telemundo...it was ridiculous...shoving, kicking opponents on the ground, the works. Somehow it doesn't seem as awesome as your trip though...
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