Istanbul

After waking up in our tiny bed, my admiration for our hotel is slightly diminished. However, the excellent shower and breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Bosporus begins to make up for it.

Went to the Hagia Sophia in the morning, which is the originator of the multidomed design. Because it’s older, it doesn’t have the grace and lightness of the Blue Mosque, but the sheer size of the place is still overwhelming. It’s near impossible to take effective pictures inside, as the central scaffolding for the perpetual renovation blocks the view.

However, I did get a good picture of this Jesus mosaic. You know what they say about a savior with large feet?

Big sandals.

After the Hagia Sophia, we followed our trusty Rick Steves book on a tour of the Grand Bazaar. In a quiet corner, we found Osman’s Carpet Shop, where Hannah and I both fell in love.

After seeing dozens of fine specimens, we each had our heart set on the first carpet we saw. Hers is a red and black prayer rug made for a baby on their birth, and mine is a blue nomadic design with orange highlights. I am now a much poorer man, but how else am I to furnish my abode with artifacts from my adventures? Besides, Harvey Keitel shops there, and I don’t want to mess with the Wolf.

After the Grand Bazaar, we walked to the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. Hannah wants to add that honorific to her name, but I’m not convinced it’s better than “Emperor of the East and the West”, or even “Supreme Allied Commander.” The mosque is actually under renovation, so it’s distinctly less magnificent than intended. However, the tomb of the sultan and his empress are both quite impressive, so we got a sense of his magnificense.

Had dinner overlooking the Golden Horn, which separates the new and old parts of the city. Again, the food astounds me with its lightness and simple but evocative tastes. On our walk home, we saw a whirling dervish, which only made me want to lay down. Sadly, Hannah had her camera stolen on the tram, which made us both want to kill someone. However, at least it wasn’t money or her passport. She will just have to endeavour to go back to Paris and recreate all those arty shots of La Tour Eiffel.