The trip with our family has continued throughout the week.
It has been fun to travel with them and hear about Istanbul over the years. We
were able to see some parts of the city that we didn’t know existed.
We ate dinner at one of the old part of the city just over
Dolmabace in a home that overlooks the Palace and the Bosphorus. It was
BEAUTIFUL to sit in the cool evening air and watch the sunset. The home and the
view are part of the culture of Istanbul—sadly, I think that it is one that the
Modern Istanbul is losing so we were glad to sit and enjoy it.
Traditional Turkish Fountain |
We toured the Deniz Muzesi (Sea Museum) and saw ornate boats
for the Ottoman Sultans in all their luxurious splendor. We liked seeing the
well done museum and the features of Istanbul’s past displayed.
Boats for the Ottoman Sultans |
Most of the last few days were filled with visits to
Istanbul’s mosques. Some of them popular to visit because of tourism or history
and others are more hidden from the general public. The reality is that each of
them have their beauty in style and architecture.
We went to Rustempasa Cami and then to Sulimaniye Cami.
Rustempasa Cami is hidden among the busy shopping streets near the Spice
Bazaar. And Sulimaniye Cami is up on top of one of the “Seven Hills” of Istanbul.
In size and splendor, it rivals the great Blue Mosque down in the city center. Because
it is Ramadan this month there are several chances to listen to the Call to
Prayer and readings inside the mosque. In one of the mosques there were some
young men practicing their melodic singing of the scriptures from the Koran by
memory! TALK ABOUT MEMORIZATION SKILLS! There were several older men reading
along to make sure it was done correctly.
We love the fresh orange and lemon juice here |
This is where they wash their feet, hands and face before going in to worship |
Our little Lucky Dragon has been such a sport. We have traipsed
him all over the city and for hours on end and he loves all that he sees. One
he finally falls asleep in his stroller he is out for a few hours. He wants to
crawl everywhere and see everything. We have to wash his feet and legs whenever
we get a chance to keep him semi-clean. People love to talk with him and say ‘hello.’
They are always offering us gifts for him and wanting to hold him, give him ‘high
fives’ (Or “Chuck” in Turkish), and one guy offered to wash his face and hands
for us—why not? Tau’aho seemed to like it, who knows where the water came from
or how clean it was, but the gesture was kind…so we went with it.
It is COLD! |
Waiting for the metro after a LONG day |
It has been fun to have family here and we are glad they let
us invite ourselves to tag-a-long with them. Lucky seems to really like having
extra people who will play with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment