Saturday, November 20, 2010

Istanbul Chronicles: Bosphorus tour, Blue Mosque, Beyazit


Day 2

Nice home-made breakfast on our hotel terrace enjoying featuring some people watching / city slowly waking up. It’s nice to see locals slowly going about their day without hurry or stress.

Went inside the Blue Mosque, the interior is fascinating and unusual to a European eye or simply someone who has seen too many Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals.

Then took a 1.5-hour long Bosphorus tour where one is able to see the contrast between the wealthy and the poor of Istanbul – great way to recuperate and spend time with purpose after a long walk around town.

Went to the Museum of Modern Art, visited the Body Worlds exhibition (http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html) where actual people were used to create mesmerizing images (and by images I mean actual exhibits made from defunct human flesh and bone).

Then walked around Beyazit and Taksim for the longest time shuffling mostly through crowds and enjoying the unique atmosphere the new town. Also had some tea, coffee, smoked a water pipe, added some wine to the combination a bit later in a couple of restaurants down the Istiklal street. Things aren’t so great with alcohol around here, apparently Islam is not big on alcohol beverages in general, but even the most tourist-oriented of places can’t boast a good selection of wine.

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