With the Bosphorus Breeze in My Hair

5/16/15

Biblical Heritage & Social World I

We started the weekend off with some shopping at the slightly less touristy Spice Market, where I bargained for hand-made mugs, tasted too many Turkish Delights, and got another glimpse at Turkish culture. My favorite part of the market, other than the hilarious vendors that attempted to make a sale at every chance, was the mosque just outside the entrance. It still amazes me how many beautiful mosques there are in this city, so many that they seem commonplace. Especially as we began our boat ride on the Bosphorus, mosques were seen frequently on the coast. Although they all had generally the same structure, their number of minarets varied from one to four depending on the size of the mosque. Other than church buildings, we saw the castle and its walls of the inner city, many palaces renovated into hotels and embassies, and five million dollar seaside estates. The much needed break was followed by shopping and lunching on the new side of Istanbul in the city of Bebek. All of this was in preparation for the long wait for the worthwhile views at the top of Galata Tower. Offering a panoramic view of Istanbul’s Old City, we saw all the highlights of our tour, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque, as well as a clear view of the Golden Horn that separates the the New Instanbul from the Old. The weekend's adventures winded down as we enjoyed another dinner on roof top restaurant of our hotel, The Blue House, facing the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia as the sun set.