ISTANBUL IS TRULY FASCINATING

 I begin with departure from Izmir.  We had drinks in the observation lounge.  Piano player added to the atmosphere, which was serene and secure, yet stirring.

Then off to dinner, starting with Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Compass Rose is a classy and sprawling restaurant.

Tomato soup, Caesar Salad and Escargot.

Then Rib Eye Steak.

Ending with a soufflé.

Went to the theater for a broadway show.

Walked 4042 steps.

As the song goes by The Four Lads in 1953, but first recorded by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra in 1928:

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

The city proper was founded in 660 BC by Greek settlers, and called Byzantium.  

• Yesterday I said that this the only city on two continents (Asia and Europe) and today has the largest population in all of Europe with 15 million.

• 
  In 324 AD, Roman Emperor  Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it New Rome, or Nova Roma.
• Six years later the city was changed to Constaninople.
• The city fell to the Ottoman Caliphate in 1453.
• Then move along to 1923 when Angora (now Ankara) replaced Constantinople as the national capital.
• 
  Officially, it was in 1930 that Constantinople became Istanbul.
• Interesting, though, that the song mentioned above was written in 1928, before that date. So?  Don't know.
• The names of cities change all the time.  Each has a different story, as for example New York from New Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, then Leningrad.
• Istanbul is now the most visited city in the world with 20 million foreign visitors.

While there are numerous reasons why Istanbul is so popular, two structures are especially monumental, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

• Hagia Sophia:
• Built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 532 as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople.
• Converted in 537 to an Eastern Orthodox church.
• Said to have changed the history of architecture, for it became the world's largest interior space (remaining so for a thousand years) and the first to employ a fully pendentive dome.
• Converted to a Catholic church in 1204.
• Became a mosque with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
• Served as a mosque until 1931 when it became a museum in 1935.
• But again became a mosque in 2020, a very controversial decision, appreciating the state of religious fervor of the times.
• 
  The Blue Mosque.
• Also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
• Constructed between 1609 and 1617.
• A major restoration took place from 2013, and completed a decade later.
• There are a lot of stories about the six minarets.

We arrived in Istanbul, and our cabin was right next to all the activity.

April 23 is National Sovereignty and Children's Day in Turkey. It is a public holiday, and there were crowds everywhere.  We took a bus tour that drove us to the Asia side, then to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque on the European side.

A telecommunications tower at 1211 feet is the tallest structure in Istanbul.

Faces in the crowd.

That's the Voyager in the background.

We stopped to walk through the Grand Bazaar:

• Has 4,000 shops.
• History dates back to the 15th century.
• Draws up to 400,00/day.
• Bargaining is a must.
• Closed on Sunday, but open from 9AM to 7PM on other days.
• Shopkeepers speak English.

Then off to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, the two perhaps greatest city landmarks that face each other, separated by Sultanahmet Park.  In fact, just around 5PM there were dual ezans (call to pray) from both, each trying to outdo the other, for their voices are strongly amplified by speakers.

Right in the middle of the two is the Obelisk of Theodosius, first erected around 1450 BC in Egypt, but moved to Constantinople by Roman Emperor Theodosius in 390AD.  These are the kinds of artifacts that will be demanded back by Egypt.  Most of these objects were simply looted, and there is movement to repatriate them back to ancient grounds the world over.  However, this will take time and a lot of resistance.  Perhaps a kind of middle ground solution can be worked out, such as a rental fee.

Istanbul is captivating.  This is my third or fourth time here, and I had a sense that this part of the world was too dangerous.  While that's probably true, I gained a new respect for this city.

Our ship was docked very close to the final stop, and when we returned, we stopped by to view a special showing of Turkish dances in the theater.

The show was about 40 minutes long, and belly dancing must have taken up almost half of the time.

So dinner again in Compass Rose.  They've all been great, and so was this one.

Sushi.

Duck.

Risotto.

Nw York Steak with Baked Potato.

Roast Pork.

Big walk day with 6545 steps.

We next head for Mykonos.