Who is Sophia?

 

 

Before heading out of Istanbul, I had to make one more stop that just couldn’t be missed while in the area. Known by many as the “8^th wonder of the world”, Hagia Sophia is one of the most influential buildings in architectural history.

 

 

 

So who is this Sophia anyway? And why is this building that is apparently so significant named after her? Well actually, there is no Sophia! However, that doesn’t mean that this name doesn’t have meaning. Translated, Hagia = divine and Sophia = wisdom. So, put it together and it makes a lot more sense than figuring out who Sophia is! Haha.

 

So the next question is why is it so influential in architectural history? This is the building that influenced others such as St. Paul in London by being the first one with a dome ceiling! Before this, it had never been done and this became the prototype for many thousands of buildings to come.

 

 

With that being said, this next bit will blow your mind. I have just today learned that this building, a brand new style of architecture at the time, was built in a short 5 years! They started it in 532 and finished it in 537. That’s impressive…

 

 

It was first built to be a church and stayed as such for 916 years. After being conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, it was transformed and used as a mosque for 482 years. It was only in 1935 that it was turned into a museum.

 

 

 

If you are in Istanbul, this is a must stop, no exceptions!

 

 

After Hagia Sophia, it was back on the bus and on the road to the coast! The bus ride was about 6 hours long, and I slept for a lot of it, but for the times I was awake I was amazed at the beauty of the landscapes. Out of the main city and into the countryside, there were plenty of sheep with their shepherds watching them, mountains, cliffs, and seas!

 

Backpackers on the side of the highway - taken from my bus window

 

We finally made it to the edge of the peninsula, to Gallipoli, where our bus drove onto a ferry and we sailed off on The Dardanelles to the other side.

 

 

 

Good bye Europe, hello Asia!!!

 

 

 

This ferry ride was so much fun. Jessica and I climbed the stairs to the top deck of the ferry to enjoy the sun and breeze. Little did we know that we were about to get the surprise of a lifetime. From where we were standing, we could look over and see the Captain of the ship through the glass. We waved and after waving back, they signaled us to come in! So we went into the Captain’s quarters where he and his first mate were steering the ship and they both were so friendly and happy to show us what they do.

 

 

 

 

We got to hold the steering wheel and he even had me press the button to blow the horn! He grabbed my finger with a huge smile on his face and ran with me over to the little green button, and pressed my finger down on it. What fun!

 

 

 

The ride only lasted about 30 minutes, but it was well spent. We ran back down to quickly get on the bus before the ferry reached the other side and then we were off to our hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Captain throwing the symbol for Alpha Chi Omega with me!

 

 

This hotel has by far been my favorite as it is right on the beach! The moment we got here, we threw off our backpacks in our rooms and ran down to the ocean. The water was ice cold, but we didn’t care, we were running and jumping and splashing the water on ourselves and each other. This wonderful day was ended by watching the sunset with my feet hanging off of the end of the pier, the sound of waves crashing on the shore and good friends by my side. I’d have to say that I am one lucky girl and life is so, so good.

 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Until next time!

What a Turkish Delight!

After a very long and tiring journey, I am finally in Turkey! Our plane landed in Istanbul last night after over 24 hours of traveling: two layovers that were 5-6 hours EACH, plus the fight time. Needless to say, after wandering the airport for as long as possible and sleeping on their carpeted floors using my backpack as a pillow, smelling fresh air as I stepped out of the building was beyond refreshing.

 



 



German Fountain

Once we got a good night’s sleep, it was off to explore this old city of Istanbul. Our first stop was the Hippodrome which used to be where chariot races took place! It was the social and sporting center of what used to be called Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Now it is square where you can visit, walk around, and see some really amazing statues and fountains that were put there many years ago, and by different nations.
 

 

The first structure that I saw when I walked to the Hippodrome was what is called the German Fountain. It was built in Germany, taken apart, and then rebuilt here in 1900 as a commemoration of the alliance between Germany and the Ottoman Empire.

 

After appreciating the beautiful mosaic pieces in the ceiling of the fountain, I turned to my left and saw a substantially sized column with distinct writing on it. The Egyptian Obelisk, which was built in Egypt in 1500 BC with hieroglyphics decorating its sides. Remarkably, it is only 1/3 of the entire structure! The rest of it was left in Egypt when this was brought to Istanbul about 3500 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Next to the Egyptian Obelisk is the spiral Serpentine Column. This column today looks like three spirals put together and it is difficult to tell what it is at first. It dates back to 479 BC and back then, it was easier to see that it was really three snakes intertwined! It was brought to Istanbul from Delphi fully headed but the snakes' heads were broken off the column in the 18th century, unfortunately.

 

The other oblique structure behind it looks much older, but in reality it is not, and only dates back to a few hundred years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

My next stop was the Blue Mosque, one of the most well-known destinations in Istanbul. From the picture above, can you guess why it is called the “Blue” Mosque? I would be surprised if you could, since it does not have the blue roofs like you might have pictured in your head perhaps. The reason why it is called this is because of the 21,000+ beautiful blue tiles from Iznik that decorate the interior of the mosque.

The proper name for this magnificent place of prayer is The Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It was built between 1609 and 1617 by the order of the Sultan Ahmed (if you couldn’t have guessed). 

 

 

As can be seen with almost all mosques around the world, there are large and tall pointed column looking structures that accompany the dome. These are called minarets which surround staircases that lead to the balconies. Originally, 16 people would climb the steps 5 times a day to make the “adhan”, or call to prayer 5 times a day. Now, there is modern technology that allows them to make these announcements more efficiently and without using people, but it is still a traditional part of the architecture of a mosque.

Before each of the prayer sessions, those who wish to pray sit alongside the outside wall of the mosque and chose a spicket where they wash their hands, faces, arms, feet, or anything they feel needs to be cleaned before prayer. These are called ablution facilities and are on each side of the building. Muslims are required to be physically pure and clean before worship. Although the men do this right outside, the women are in a covered area for privacy.

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Topkapi Place. Much to my surprise, from the outside, it didn’t look much like a palace at all.  It was quite plain and not as dramatic as I had pictured it to be in my head.

However, the inside of the palace was much more beautiful.

 

There are 4 courtyards within the palace walls and the entire thing sits on the very tip of the peninsula overlooking the channel of water that splits Istanbul into the European side and the Asian side. So I was standing in Europe, looking over at Asia, how cool!!

 

 

 

Walking through the palace grounds was fun and there were lots of small, pretty details in the architecture that made it definitely seem like a palace.

 

This place was the heart of the Ottoman administration in its time and on a daily basis, held over 5,000 people within its walls. It is where politics took place as well as education, as it held the most prestigious schools in the nation.

 

 

 

As we made out stroll out of the palace gardens, we took a long walk to have a quick lunch before heading to a spice market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The local spice market was amazing, they sold all types of spices, teas and dried fruits.

 

 

 

You could find everything from pomegranate Turkish delight (which I had to purchase because it was so good) to jeweled silverware. The aroma of the hall was delicious and the colors brilliant. This along with traditional Turkish music playing outside of the market by a political rally made the experience even more real. Just imagine yourself shopping for spices with traditional music from that place playing in the background. It felt like we had our own soundtrack!

 

 

Loose leaf teas

Turkish Delight



Spices

 

With our senses tingling, we left the market to catch the boat that was headed out for a cruise on the Bosphorus Straight! The Bosphorus is what connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and is the waterway between Europe and Asia.

 

 

This was a relaxing part of the day and I definitely recommend taking a cruise like it while here. It was really fun knowing that I was in the middle of two continents, accompanied by little fishing boats and happy dolphins.

The last stop of the day was…drum roll please…the Grand Bazaar!

Talk about a sensory overload here…there were more shops that I could count and the most eager shop owners I’ve ever seen. We had a really great time going from shop to shop and haggling prices down like champs. Three shop owners actually asked me if I was Turkish because I looked like it! How funny!

 

 

Highlight of the day: I was also proposed to by a guy who was selling scarves! I was haggling him down on the prices and unlike many others in the shops around us, he was actually a really nice person and we had a great time. By the end of me figuring out which I wanted, he and I had gone at it for a bit and he started laughing, got down on a knee and asked me to marry him before quickly saying “wait!”, running out of the shop, and coming back with a ring from his friend’s shop to make it even funnier! After he proposed to me, I told him I’d only marry him if he gave me the price I wanted for the scarves….guess who’s getting married!!! Haha!

Ali was such a fun person and he definitely got my business. I got great prices for scarves and a memory to last a lifetime.

 

Istanbul has proved to be a really incredible city already, and it is only my first day here! I can’t wait to see what other fun things will happen here in the upcoming days. Keep your eyes open for the next bit of exciting news I bring you from Istanbul!

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time!

 

 

A Walk for Royals

Edinburgh Castle up ahead and to the right!

The route that links a castle and a palace is what makes up The Royal Mile in the beautiful, historic city of Edinburgh, Scotland (pronounced ed-in-burrow, not edin-burg). Beginning at the very top of Edinburgh Castle, I made my way down the road and walked the mile to the Palace of Holyrood House!

Edinburgh Castle is incredible. As the former home of many Royals including Queen Margaret and Mary Queen of Scots, it is a great icon of Scotland and holds some of the nation's most prized possessions. The Crown Room is the home of precious royal jewels and the famous Stone of Destiny, which was only just returned to Scotland in 1996 after being "stolen by the Brits" as I was so sternly informed by a tour guide!

Cheering to friendship and the flavor of life!

Walking the Royal Mile down from the castle was a chilly experience! Getting off of the bus in Edinburgh, we was greeted by frigid temperatures and quite a bit of snow. Thank goodness it didn't last the whole trip, but this was a cold walk none the less. Because of that, and my curiosity, a friend and I stepped into a building with a sign out front that read "Scottish Whiskey Experience" as our first stop along the Royal Mile.





Not only did the whiskey tasting experience warm our bones, but it also taught us so much! The woman at the bar didn't seem surprised to see what looked like two American college students walk in and sit down eagerly on her stools. She was wonderfully bubbly and was happy to fulfill our request of tasting only whiskeys that are specific to Scotland, those which would be difficult to find anywhere else.

Listening intently to our "whiskey professor"!

She taught us everything you could think of when it comes to whiskey; color, legs, consistency, etc. and we were absolutely intrigued. The best thing about travel, in my opinion, is being able to dive into another culture and try all there is to try, especially if they are famous for it as Scotland is with its whisky!

After finishing our taste testing, we continued our walk down the Royal Mile, passing small shops and alley-ways called "closes" which, if traveled down, lead to gardens, shops, or homes! The ultimate cherry on top of this entire day was that we were walking in downtown Scotland as a gentleman played the bagpipes for us, making it seem more real than ever, almost like we were part of a story book or movie!

 

 

 

By the time we were about half way down the mile (which takes a surprisingly large amount of time if you really take every chance to enjoy it), we began to get hungry. As we walked by local pubs and smelled the aroma of Scottish cuisine coming out, we knew we had to stop soon!

 

 



 

 

We met up with some friends and decided to eat at the Almanac Bar, which turned out to be an excellent decision! We all ended up eating the same thing: haggis! We were feeling quite adventurous that day... and it really was delicious by the way!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a lovely (and very inexpensive) meal, we was back on our mission to make it all the way down the Royal Mile.

 

 

After stopping and venturing down a few "closes" or alleys, and poking our heads into cute shops, we finally made it down the mile!

 

The Palace of Holyrood House is the Queen's Scottish residence and she stays here when on business or for leisure. We weren't able to tour inside and only saw it through the gate, but it was also beautiful.

 

 

 

Because I couldn't get a shot of my own, I've pulled the one below from the internet just to give you a sense of what it looked like. Queen Elizabeth II is lucky to have such a luxurious place to stay while here!

http://merrypursuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/palace-of-holyroodhouse.html

 

 

Downtown Edinburgh was amazing and has become one of my all time favorite spots in the UK. Be sure to take in each little piece of the mile, as every step has significance and beauty.

 

 

 

Until next time!