Unfortunately galoshes were not on my packing list! It has been raining in Istanbul all day and the temperature is in the 50's. This is very unusual weather, but we didn't let the rain deter us! We pressed on to see the sights of Istanbul.
Today we visited:
Hagia Sophia http://www.hagiasophia.com/
Blue Mosque http://www.bluemosque.org/
Grand Bazaar http://www.grandbazaaristanbul.org/
The Spice Market and a carpet store
I can't possibly record our entire day in one blog post! I will try to hit on the hightlights!
The Hagia Sophia was my favorite today. It is the 4th biggest cathedral in the world. It was also turned into a mosque and is now a museum. It was pretty incredible. I felt smaller than normal as I looked up at the dome. It is 100 feet in diameter. It is not exactly circular because of structural issues. The art has been covered by plaster by they are working on restoring it. The mere size of Hagia Sophia is breathtaking!
The Blue Mosque was very beautiful and proably my favorite building from the exterior in Istanbul. I just keep taking pictures of it! Inside we were required to take our shoes off. The rain made this easy task a bit of a nightmare as the crowds were all anxious to get inside and out of the rain. I enjoyed the warm and dry interior very much. Isa taught us how Muslims pray and we were also there during the noon prayer time.
Carpet shopping was next on the agenda. Before we could buy we were well educated on how carpets are made and hot to gage the value of them. These carpets are made of cotton, wool, or silk. The number of knots, the workmanship, and the type of fiber all determine the price. I saw a carpet that took someone two years to make. Incredible. I have pictures from this experience posted on the link at the bottom of this post.
The shopping continued at the Grand Bazaar. Be ready to bargain if you ever plan to visit. The crowds were heavy and the salesmen persistent. I bought an evil eye magnet to appease my professor :) It is a magnet and I plan to place it on my refrigerator at home to ward off evil from myself and my roommates!
The most exciting find of the day occured at the spice market. We found a spice named Melissa! I was very excited and I knew that this mean that Istanbul was glad to have me!
Istanbul has been a great city to visit. It is time to move on as our journey continues early in the morning when we leave for Troy! I will post again once we find the precious internet. Thanks for following and for the comments!
Happy Friday!
Melissa
link to more pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029300&id=125300168&l=33a8b771a3
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