Back in Istanbul
Rather than spending just one day in Ankara, I caught a connection to Istanbul on an overnight bus. There’s a lot here that I’d still like to see.
Goreme to Ankara
Cappadocia has been really beautiful. I’m headed for the to bus to Ankara in a few minutes. Nobody has had anything nice to say about Ankara, but it’s halfway to Istanbul from here, and hopefully the Archeaology museum is worth a day-long layover there. …much later, I’ve added photos from my second and third days in and around Goreme.
Cappadocia, Day 1
Here are some photos from Goreme in Cappadocia. I feel lucky to have snow on the ground and some blue skies this afternoon.
Konya
Here’s a quick post to say that I’ve made it to Konya. I’ll post more about the last few days soon, but for now I’ll say that I’m amazed at how helpful people here have been. I’ve felt completely safe and very well taken care of. …much later. I’ve added photos from my time in Konya.
Happy New Year
Last night was a lot of fun. There are about seven of us who have become friends since I got here. Alex and Marta got us invited to a house party through a friend from back home in Croatia. It was about 1/3 Turkish people and mostly expats. I think I was the only Amerıcan. It was the second night in row that we didn’t get back in until after 5am, so today was a nap day. Tomorrow after seeing a couple more sights in Istanbul I’ll be heading to Troy and then on to Ephesus. I’ve uploaded some entries…
Istanbul Modern
So far so good. I’ve been having nice time. There is a ton to see in Istanbul, and I’ll try to get photos up tomorrow. I’ve fallen in with a good crowd at the guesthouse, and we’re heading to a New Year’s party tonight. It looks like I’ll arrive in 2011 a few hours ahead of schedule. Istanbul Modern started in 2005. Often with art I find that most pieces I could take or leave, but a few grab me, and this was the case here as well. There was an extensive use of video loops and some computer-generated video.…
Basilica Cistern
This underground chamber was used as a water supply. Nobody knows why the Medusa heads were used to support those two columns, but it may just be that they were the right size and the builders got a good deal on them. Many of the columns and capitals were reclaimed from older buildıngs. I had seen this place on TV, and it’s just as cool in person.
Topkapi Palace
This photo is of the Library of Ahmet III, just one small building at the palace. Perhaps every school kid ın the country was there en masse, so it was a game of trying to get to each of the rooms either before or after a stampede came through. Museum displays of some of jewels were really amazing, including an 82 carat cut diamond. Bokyong and I toured the harem, which cost extra but was well worth it for the architectural interiors. Unfortunately for me the harem is no longer in use, but I hope for the sake of its…
Aya Sofya
My first day in Istanbul I went to the Aya Sofya. Built in the sixth century, it was the largest church in the world for about a thousand years until the Ottoman invasion, when it was turned into a mosque. Much of the original artwork was left intact.