Sunday was our last day in Istanbul, and we wanted to see a couple of more sights while still having time to relax a bit. After breakfast, I took a morning nap (morning naps are the best) and Ross took a walk to find a good restaurant for dinner reservations. He found a really neat neighborhood just beyond the Blue Mosque with lots of good restaurants and cafes, so after I woke up, he showed me the neighborhood before we headed over to the Blue Mosque.
 |
| Ross discovers a nice neighborhood, good restaurants, and very unique people! |
At the Blue Mosque, it was prayer time (it came a bit earlier than I expected) so we decided to visit the nearby Basilica Cistern and then come back after lunch. I didn’t expect much from the Basilica Cistern since it didn’t look very interesting in our guidebook, but it was actually quite fascinating. The cistern was built in the Justinian Era, in the 6th century, and held the water system for a large portion of the old city. It is kind of spooky, with an odd mishmash of mismatched columns, including two decorated by Medusa heads. The entire underground cavern, with the exception of a few raised platforms for walking, is filled with a shallow pool of water. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to find goldfish swimming around!
 |
| Upside-down Medusa head in the Basilica Cistern |
 |
| Goldfish in the Basilica Cistern |
Ross and I had trouble capturing very much of the cistern in photographs, because it was so dark. So after a walking around, we ascended back to ground level, and headed out for lunch. I had become such a fan of mezes that I had another mixed meze plate for lunch, while Ross ordered a "real" main dish. It seemed pretty warm, so we sat outside. After sitting in the chilly wind for a few minutes, we realized that it really wasn’t so warm after all, so we ate quickly and headed back to the Blue Mosque.
 |
| A little too dark to photograph the cistern columns |
 |
| Just outside the Blue Mosque |
The Blue Mosque was especially beautiful because it was a sunny day, and the bright light poured in through the stained glass windows. The mosque looks quite large from the outside, but seems even more humongous when you go in. Like most of the beautiful buildings we saw in Istanbul, large portions of the interior were covered with blue Iznik tiles (hence the name), and I quietly admired my surroundings before we exited.
 |
| Looking up in the Blue Mosque |
 |
| Sunlight coming through the stained glass |
Our last sightseeing stop was the Architecture Museum nearby the Topkapi Palace. There seemed to be an endless number of ancient sarcophagi: room after room filled with them, and some even open to display the preserved bones found inside. There were also pieces from the ruins of ancient cities that had be excavated throughout Istanbul. On the upper two levels were various artifacts from Turkey and other parts of the Middle East, mostly from the Bronze Age. I have old childhood books, toys, clothes, etc, from the mid-90s that are starting to dissolve, so I cannot believe that some things have been preserved for so many thousands of years!
 |
| Ross and I were happy to find Bronze Age Yahtzee |
 |
| The Architecture Museum Entrance |
 |
| One of the many ancient Sarcophagi |
For our last evening in Istanbul, Ross made reservations at a restaurant called Metropolis that had particularly good reviews online. Metropolis is also the name of one of my favorite restaurants in Sarajevo, so I found it fitting. I think Ross had a lamb dish, while I had some grilled vegetables in a curry sauce. The flavors were so complex and delicious that I can’t even begin to guess what spices were in my dish. In terms of the food, it was the best meal I ate during the whole trip to Istanbul, and I think maybe even the best meal I’ve had in Europe. The only thing I didn’t like is that they put us at a four-person table, with another couple sitting at the other half. I found it pretty awkward to be in such close quarters with strangers, especially because they could understand us while we couldn’t understand them. (I think they were from Northern Europe, but I couldn’t tell what language they spoke.)
Sunday night was a little bit sad, because saying goodbye to Ross, and not seeing him for 6 weeks, was imminent. I really miss having him around all of the time, especially right after I see him for a few days and am reminded of how much he makes me laugh. However, I tried to enjoy the moment, and we still had a final breakfast with a rooftop view to look forward to.
No comments:
Post a Comment