Mediterranean Trip
Mediterranean Trip
We flew into Istanbul. We had to connect in Frankfurt which may be our least favorite airport. They don’t have jetways and cram too many people in buses to go between terminals. In contrast, the Istanbul airport is new and seemed to be easy to get around. In Istanbul we had two days of touring: first on a pre-cruise extension and then as part of the cruise.
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Photos of the waterfront
Rustem Pasha Mosque and Spice Market
The Blue Mosque
We took these shots after we boarded the Viking Sky. The waterfront is new and filled with shops and restaurants. The flags celebrate the 100th Anniversary of democracy in Turkey. The picture is of Kemal Atatürk who was the president and created the modern state of Turkey. He remains a huge hero to Turkish people. His story is: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kemal-Ataturk>
We visited the Rustem Pasha Mosque (very blue!) and a visit to the famous Spice Market where the odors are abundant. To enter mosques, women have to cover their heads. Everyone has to remove shoes. Shoulders and knees must be covered.
The Blue Mosque was finished in1617 by Sultan Ahmed Camil. It is spectacular Ottoman architecture. The history is here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mosque,_Istanbul>
The Hagia Sofia
The Basilica Cistern of Constantinople
Our Guide
Mosques from the Bosporus
The Hagia Sofia was built by Emperor Justinian I and completed in 537 AD. It had the largest dome in the world until St Peters in the Vatican and it was done 1,500 years before that structure. It has been a mosque, church, museum and once again a mosque. History is here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia#Architecture>
On this tour we down a lot of stairs to the Basilica Cistern which supplied water to Constantinople under Emperor Justinian. What marvelous engineers the Romans were. <https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/basilica-cisterns-istanbul>
The last stop of one of our tours was at the Persian Carpet Shop to the left. Below is the Certificate for the hallway rug we bought, and to the right is the rug itself.
