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ISTANBUL
boatING on the BosphorouS
Few places are quite so "foreign," fascinating and
exotic as Istanbul.
It sits on two continents, where East meets West and the waters of the Black Sea flow down the
Bosphorous to mingle
with the Sea of Marmara.
To explore the river I went
down to the Galata Bridge where amid the bustle of people from
the buses and the ferries fresh fish is cooked on the quayside.
Strolling vendors sold chai (hot tea in small glasses) and
there was a hubbub of different music from the loudspeakers on
the nearby stalls.
From the stern of a ferry we gazed at the magnificent
Mosque of Suliman the as the city fell away behind
us.
We zigzagged across the river, collecting
passengers from Asia and Europe. It was all very pleasant,
but as we passed some great fortified walls that led down to
castles on either side, I was reminded that visitors had not
always been welcome. We stopped off at Chora, to visit the
Kariye Camii, now a museum in a mosque, but once the former
Christian Church of St Saviour. In 1511 after the fall of Constantinople,
the frescos and golden mosaics had been plastered over. Now they
have been lovingly cleaned and restored.
There
is so much to attack your senses in Istanbul. It is a dream of a
place and when you awake in the morning, it is to the call
of the Muezzin drifting over the misty city. You hear it
five times a day; before sunrise, noon, afternoon and after
sunset. It is part of the Koran, or holy book. "In the
name of God and Prophet, the call is to the mosque"
When you do awake what images will run though your mind?
Will it be the narrow streets, where strange spices and fish are
artistically laid out for sale
.............. the bustle of the Grand Bazaar's four thousand
shops, ...............
.......or the splendor of the jewels at the
Topikapi Palace.....................
....................or perhaps it may be the tour that ended up
at the
Kervansaray Night Club ...where you were distracted by
the
gyrations of not one,but three belly dancers.
LINKS:
www.istanbultourist.com/forum
www.searchturkey.com/istanbul/Tourism/touristbureau.html
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