May 19,2024
Another beautiful morning in Istanbul. I headed down to the square by the New Mosque to feed the wishing birds. Pigeons are revered in Istanbul and if you feed the wishing birds your wish will be granted. My wish was granted immediately with the perfect sunrise!!!
I wandered around the park by the mosque which included a machine that dispenses food for the People’s Pets (strays).
I wanted to spend the day like a local rather than a tourist so we took the ferry from the Europe side to the Asian side and did a walkabout. We encountered a spirited rally of people supporting their football team in the championship finals and joined in the chanting.
The church bells were ringing at a Greek Orthodox Church so I wandered into the courtyard where there was some spectacular art.
We headed back to the old town area by taking the train that runs under the Bosporus Strait to the spice market. The spice market was founded by the Egyptians in 1597 to trade goods with Turkey. The market is used by locals to purchase food especially cheese.
As part of my local immersion I tried the street corn, bretzel (similar to NYC pretzels), Turkish coffee ( very strong) and the most fun was the ice cream. The vendor does a fun magic show with the ice cream that had me laughing so hard!! Turkish Delight is the sweet that everyone craves and is sold in every shop!!! It is delicious!!
At the mosque near the spice market men were washing to prepare for prayers as the call to prayer was blasting though the market.
The crowds were overwhelming as sounds of multiple languages mixed with the chaos of too many people in a small space.
For the evening I went to the Whirling Dervishes show. Little did I know before going to the show that the this is a spiritual ritual meant to become closer to god. The dancing was captaining and evoked a spiritual feeling as the crowd watched in silence.
Then the mood shifted as the next set of dancers entertained us with whiling of a different sort!!
Walking home in the rain I reflected on how much I have learned about Istanbul and the diversity of this city.
Tomorrow I end my time in Istanbul with a Turkish Bath then board Queen Victoria and head to the Greek Isles.
