Public Gyms

I think we need this in America. Numerous places around Istanbul I have seen these little areas, typically near a playground for kids, that allow adults the ability to get a little exercise as their little one is getting their exercise. I would like to see these in America...but my only fear is that people would get hurt and sue the city. :(

I did not take advantage of this public gym. Instead I took advantage of this public street. A 1/2 mile up this will nearly kill you!

The Northern Bridge.

A few scenic pics from the Fahit Sultan Mehmet Bridge (AKA The Second Bridge). This bridge isn't too far from the house. Just a short walk down a steep hill (that becomes a LONG WALK UP a steep hill) and this is the scene. Such a beautiful view on such a beautiful day! Not too far north of the bridge, the Bosphorus Strait meets with the Black Sea.






Approaching the bridge, usually you are stuck in traffic. There are only 2 bridges connecting the European and Asian side of Istanbul. Traffic has been one of the biggest cultural differences for me. Drivers, generally, do what they want to get where they need to. In the picture below you can see a car in the far right shoulder. He's not parked there...he's driving. On my way home from the airport on my first day here, we passed so many cars along the shoulder, I thought I was working for some diplomatic family that did not need to obey traffic laws. There will be no driving for me!


Before using the bridge you must go through a toll booth. It's all electronic, so I am assuming every car MUST have a magnetic device in their car that allows the toll to be charged to their account. While waiting to go through, it is common to see vendors selling their goods in the middle of the freeway. Usually they are items such as bubbles, toys, or breads. The Turkish are very brave when it comes to walking alongside cars. Even on the streets (which are typically very narrow), cars, motorpeds, people, and dogs nearly miss eachother.

The castle here is the Rumeli Hisari. It was built in 1451. I love how it just sets it self out from everything else around.





Watching the boats head from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.

Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar

The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofia). On my first venture out, this was the main attraction. I honestly did not know...anything...about this Cathedral, turned Mosque, turned Museum. I did a little reading before going and this is what I learned. The Ayasofia was built in the 530's AD as a Cathedral of Constantinople. So, that makes this building almost 1500 years old. Take that America! The architecture was above all others the best for it's time. In fact, until the 1500's it was the largest place of prayer in the world. The Seville Cathedral took over after that.
In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conqured the area and turned the cathedral into a Mosque. Many items were taken down (i.e., the bells and alter) and more Islamic features were built. The mihrab is the niche in the wall that represents the direction of Mecca. In the picture below I am in front of the mihrab. The minbar is the location to the right of the mihrab where the Imam delivers sermons. In the picture below the one with me you can vaguely make out the minbar. It looks like a tall narrow thrown. A third feature that was added to the cathedral converted mosque were minarets. Minarets are the tall onion shaped crowns on the outside of the mosques.

The mosaics that decorated the cathedral until the 1400's were plastered over when the cathedral was turned into a mosque. Some restoration has taken place and you can see many of the mosaics when you tour. They are very beautiful. If my camera hadn't died I would have more to show.

The picture below is of the internal ceiling. The mosque was turned into a museum in the early 1900's when the Republic of Turkey took over from the Ottoman Empire.

Along with my first venture out into Old Istanbul, I took a little tour of the Grand Bazaar. Quite the marketplace they have going on there! I was quite impressed with their use of space. Personal space is nonexistant, especially when you are in the shop. This picture below is of the walkway. Each store has a small little closet like room you can go in and look at more items. I was also quite impressed with the shop owners/workers. Many of them are multilingual...which is necessary when your many clients are foreigners. Of course the main foreign language is English, but I heard some Spanish (and even saw a Spanish dictionary lying around in a store) and French. I was talking to an owner and he said that the Bazaar offers language classes for their shop owners. The man I spoke to was currently learning Spanish. Very interesting!

From Asia to Europe

A very unique fact about Istanbul is that it is the only city in the world that is located in two continents. To the east, Asia. To the west, Europe. And the dividing line between the two is the Bosphorus Strait.


To get from one side to the other you have a couple of options. You could drive by car across one of the two bridges (yes, there are only two bridges to get across! And the traffic is insane!) or you could take a ferry. Since there is no chance I will be competing with native Turkish drivers, I choose the ferry for my ventures from Asia to Europe.


And incredible number of buildings line the Bosphorus. It truly is impressive how much they can fit in such a small space. While on the narrow streets I really worry about being hit by cars...they drive so close to eachother and people. Personal space, people. We Americans need a good 3 feet of personal space! :)
The picture below is one of the two bridges. This bridge is the Bosphorus bridge, or Old bridge as they call it. The other bridge is further north and is called The New Bridge by many...eventhough it was built in the 1980's. I guess that wasn't THAT long ago.


I did notice, while crossing by ferry for the first time, that there are jellyfish in the water. At first I thought they were thin plastic bags, but after seeing MANY in the form of circles I concluded they must have been jellyfish. Now, I don't know exactly how bad it is to be stung by one, but I don't think I will count on swimming across the Bosphorus to save my life.