Daily Life in Istanbul

Evenings in Istanbul usually included walks to nearby places for dinner, though once in awhile, Kevin and his friends would stumble across some noteworthy places... 

... the Dolmabahce Mosque for example...

The food in Istanbul is superb, with lots of spices and flavour!

Kevin found himself addicted to the 'islak', small, moist burgers that originated from Taksim square. In total, he had 7 of them throughout his stay. Kevin has concluded that Istanbul has the best burgers in the world, even better than Ramli burger! Their patties are always filled with an interesting blend of spices... yummy!

Shopping for some turkey delights to bring back to Perth... 

Each evening would also include 'family time' skype sessions... 

Out and About in Istanbul

There is no better way to spend a sunny Sunday morning in Istanbul than at the Sultanahmet district, undoubtably the most 'touristy' place in Istanbul. Kevin started off with a stroll around the Hippodrome...

The obelisk of Theodosius, erected in 390 AD

The outer courts of the Sultanahmet Mosque (or more popularly known as the Blue Mosque)

Hagia Sophia can be seen from across the gates of the mosque...

Kevin's first time inside a mosque!

Then it was time to visit the Hagia Sophia (Church of  the Holy Wisdom), once crown of the Byzantine Empire, then converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest, before being turned into a museum in the last century. Having read so much about it in books on the history of Christianity, Kevin had been looking forward to visiting this place. He got himself a self-guided audio tour kit, costing 10 Turkish Lira.

Once inside the Hagia Sophia, one can understand why it has such a reputation for inspiring awe in vistors past and present, from near and far. It's domes were designed to evoke a sense of Heaven on Earth in the hearts of worshippers. Apparently the statue of liberty can easily fit under the domes.

Both Christian and Islamic elements can be seen...

There is much debate about whether the ancient Islamic artwork on the dome should be removed to unveil the mosaic of Christ Pantokrator underneath (assuming it can be recovered)

The mosaics (or what remained of them) were absolutely beautiful...  much work has gone into restoring these mosaics which had been painted over when the church was converted into a mosque. It's just too bad that most of them have deteriorated...

Graffiti carved into the marble by Viking invaders...

Next stop, Topkapi palace, seat of the Ottoman Empire...

The entrance to the relic room, where various sacred relics are on display, including locks from the Kaaba, David's sword, Moses' staff, John the Baptist's skull and arm, Prophet Mohammad's sword, beard and footprint, swords of the first four caliphs, the first copy of the Quran etc. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed. The authenticity of some of these relics is doubtful, especially Moses' staff, but they definitely date back to at least the Middle ages, when they were highly sought after by the Christian and Muslim pious...

Lunch break at the Konyali restaurant within the palace grounds... nice view!

Hagia Irene (Church of Holy Peace), the only church that was not converted into a mosque under Ottoman rule. Unfortunately, it's only open for official functions like concerts...

some colourful shops and cafes...

All in all, it was a great day out. It would have been better if Kevin had not been scammed twice. Once by a peddler selling books and postcards, and then by the taxi driver on the way back to the dormitories. Yes, Istanbul is full of scammers trying to take advantage of the hordes of tourists! And Kevin managed to avoid most of them after reading about their sleazy ways online, with the exception of these two unfortunate incidents...

Arrival in Istanbul...

After 5 hours on a flight from Perth to Singapore, 9 hours at Changi airport, and another 11 hours on a flight from Singapore to Istanbul, Kevin finally arrived at the Ataturk airport. It was another 45 minutes on the airport shuttle before he would arrive at the dormitories...

The historicity of Istanbul was apparent right from the beginning, as the bus passed by various ancient structures on the way, like this aqueduct built by Emperor Valens in the 4th century...

Istanbul roads can be pretty messy, and it took awhile before Kevin managed to get his bearings and find the Istanbul Technical University where he would be staying for the next 8 nights. 

The welcome pack included body shampoo, a towel, a face towel, and a roll of kitchen towels (to use as toilet paper?)...

Kevin's spot in a room which he would share with 2 others...

A room with a view!

Even though tired and jet-lagged, Kevin and his room-mate from Indonesia, Fikih, headed out to Taksim Square to do some shopping and wander around... and of course, they needed to get themselves some Ethernet cables to connect to the Internet.

Aya Triyada, or the Holy Trinity Church, set amongst busy shops and cafes

The popular Istiklal Street is one of the main shopping areas in the Beyoglu district... the sheer number of people walking around there was just crazy!

Fikih walking by one of the many street stalls selling roasted chestnuts...

Although Turkey is officially a Muslim country, one will notice how liberal Istanbul generally is - there are pubs everywhere, alcohol is abundant, stray dogs roam the streets and many Turks have pet dogs too, and you can even see ladies wearing headscarves ('tudung') selling lottery tickets by the roadside! All foodstalls and cafeterias were open even though it was Ramadhan, and many local people did not appear to be fasting. There are no local moral police and state laws to enforce religious practices. Religion is a private matter and no one is judged by others... unlike in Malaysia.

Support Judy!

Not long after we started Jacynth on solids, she sometimes refuses her food. Two quite contrasting thoughts came to mind:

1. My poor baby will go hungry if she doesn't eat her food
2. Here is she wasting the food when many others do not have enough to eat

They were both almost the same age when these photos were taken... 

As parents (or future parents), we will never want our children to go hungry. Can you imagine those children (and their parents) who are going to bed hungry tonight?

Judy Siddins is a church friend of ours. She really loves her food but has decided to take up the challenge to go hungry for 40 hours. This is her participation in the World Vision 40 Hour Famine over this weekend (19 - 21 August 2011). It is a sensational cause to raise money for those who live with hunger every day... HERE'S WHERE YOU TOO CAN DONATE.

Donations to the 40 Hour Famine this year will support projects to fight hunger in East Timor, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Tanzania and Kenya and to respond to emergencies in other poorer parts of the world. For example, in East Timor, 49% of all children are malnourished and 54% of children under the age of 5 are currently suffering stunted growth as a result of severe hunger. :O

Give a little...
Give a lot...
It really doesn't matter because it will make a difference... you can help change the world for all those who will benefit from this work. AUD$40 can feed a family of 5 for ONE WHOLE MONTH!

p/s remember that donations are in Aussie dollars, so do think about conversions before you authorise your other currency's credit card payment!