Lost in Istanbul (as good times would have it).

We began our day visiting the Aya Sofya, a mosque built a really long time ago (originally circa 11th c.) with an amazingly decorative free standing dome.  How an architectural feat of this magnitude would be completed today is hard to fathom, much less nearly a millennium ago.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.  Many of the original mosaics were still intact inside, adding to its celestial beauty.

After grabbing a quick lunch we spent much of our time in the western district of Istanbul, an area where many tourists do not take the time to venture to.  Not only do I know this because the guide book said so, but it was made quite apparent by the number of stares we received walking through the small alleys and narrow cobblestone backstreets of what I can only presume to be a more true representation of a "realer" Istanbul than the more touted and visited tour districts on the eastern edge of the European side.  On the western edge many of the women were dressed much more traditionally as I had orginally anticipated of a predominantly Muslim city.  We visited a large local market, obviously where the locals did their shopping and not at the main bazaar where many tourists shop -- the prices were much better here and we saw very few other tourists.

After the market we were taking a short break and were invited to join two older men for tea outside their shop.  This is the hospitality that I remember so well from Egypt, and what I am beginning to believe to be an intrinsic part of Islamic culture, Istanbul, and I'm sure much of Turkey as well.  Although they spoke absolutely no English or German (and us obviously no Turkish), we enjoyed a friendly "conversation" expressing our love of Istanbul and our gratitude for their generosity -- these our the memories which will stick out the most when I remember my travels.

We were able to take a 30 min ferry ride back for 1.50 TL (Turkish Lira which is about $1).  We ate dinner at the "Pudding Shop", made famous in the early 1960s as one of the first places in the area to provide local travel information to the hippie generation of backpacking tourists (and yes, the pudding was fantastic).

Tomorrow we shall head to the Prince's Islands for a day of R&R.  We have been packing so much into our days but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Still don't know how I'm getting to Bulgaria or where I'm staying so I hope to tackle that problem tomorrow as well!

CM