Saturday Oct 20, 2012 – Istanbul, Turkey

We entered port at 9:00 AM and tied up at a pier next to the old city part of Istanbul. We parked in the Bosporus Straight that opens into the Black Sea just to our north, and separates Europe from Asia. As we sailed into town we passed about two dozen cargo and tanker ships anchored to the south near the newer commercial part of the city. From where we moored we could see the modern suspension bridge that connects the continents. It was great to be able to sail right into the heart of the city, like we did in Naples.

In addition to being old, Istanbul is a huge city with 15 million people living here. It’s no surprise that car traffic is crazy, but even ferry boat traffic is crazy too. The harbor in old town has mosques end to end at the skyline and ferry boats end to end on the shore line.

We took an all-day tour inside the old city that included a shoes-off walk inside the Blue Mosque, and later to the very old St Sophia Cathedral, built around 530 AD by the Byzantine Emperor, with 10,000 workers. For over 1,000 years it was the largest cathedral in the world; and in 1453 it was converted into a mosque when the Turks conquered the Byzantine city. The Turkish government converted it into a museum in 1934.

On the tour we got to walk through a giant underground reservoir constructed by the emperor in 500 AD that held a 90 day supply of water for the city. The reservoir walls were brick with the roof supported by over 360 columns. Mary was familiar with the place from her reading and was thrilled to get to walk inside.

The tour ended at the Grand Bazaar, a building that houses over 2,000 shops with high end items like jewelry and carpets in the main hall. But the passages became narrow as we walked deeper inside with the goods getting smaller and cheaper.

We were afraid to venture too far into the smaller passages and I’ll have a new recurring nightmare about being abducted by a carpet salesman and bargained to near-death in a dark shop deep inside the bazaar. There would be no escape without the purchase of a $5,000 hand woven wool and silk “art treasure” when all I was looking for was a $2 souvenir lapel pin.

We got back underway at 6:30 and headed south, back through the Dardanelles. Tomorrow we visit the city of Izmir, Turkey and tour more ancient ruins in Ephesus.