Strolling Through Istanbul... Soon

I’ve been reading Strolling Through Istanbul, a book so detailed with descriptions of palaces, museums, mosques, Turkish baths, sultans and conquerors, that I’m pretty much totally overwhelmed by the city’s amazing history, dating back to when it was the capital of the Roman Empire 330-395. 

From 395-1204 Istanbul was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, then the capital of the Latin Empire from 1204 to 1261, then capital of the Byzantine Empire again from 1261-1452, then capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1922. Finally, in 1923, Ankara, not Istanbul, was named the capital of the newly proclaimed Republic of Turkey. 

I’m getting a sense of the city from this book. Such as when the author talks about one of the streets in the Bazaar: “But today the street is mean and squalid, although always crowded and picturesque.” Is that like saying “I wouldn’t go there, but if you do it’ll be interesting one way or another”? 

The author is talking about the Secondhand Clothing Bazaar, where the poor sell one another clothes. He continues “It is said, if you are clever enough, you can stroll through this bazaar, sell all the clothes you are wearing, and buy them back farther down the street at a small profit.”

Gertrude, Iambic Pentameter, & Cat, Etc.

The usual Wednesday night stuff. If you're in Robin's Wednesday night class. Also rhetoric. And imagery. And sonnets. By the end of the semester I'll have Sonnet 81, my favorite sonnet, memorized. That would probably sound a lot more impressive if I didn't tell you that all Shakespeare sonnets are only 14 lines long.

Aargh! Shouldn't have told you that.

After class we walked back to the apartment and stopped in at the Gardeners Arms, our neighborhood pub, for a pint of cider. Pretty quiet in there except for Celia, the barmaid from Ireland, also Ian and Cynthia who we met the first time we went there. Ian remembered us as the Americans and asked how our friends were (Wally and Maria). Ian works at the RAF complex just a block or so down the street.

Our Occasional Cat is still here, enjoying the two-bedroom-giant-couch lifestyle.

Just a Sketch

Wally and Maria, in Robin's class.

Walking Home

On the walk from Brunel to our apartment, we have to cross a busy intersection. Fortunately there are underground tunnels connecting the various sides of the intersection to a small plaza in the middle of the intersection.

I realized I'd never stopped here to take a photo so I decided to take one.


As soon as I lined up the shot, I thought "Good, there's people coming out of the tunnel on the other side and that will help show the scale of the plaza and it won't be an empty looking shot." The mates coming out of the tunnel, who obviously have very good eyesight and could tell I'm using a phone camera, start posing and yelling. As you can see, it sort of escalated from there.

Hey mate, wait for us!

Got it! OK, one more.

That should do it. Looks like the couple still in the tunnel have stopped, waiting to see what's going to happen next. 

Just another day in Uxbridge.

One World Week at Brunel University

This week is One World Week at Brunel. Events are scheduled to promote multi-cultural peace and understanding. Which is a really good idea, especially at Brunel where it seems most students are from everywhere except Britain and the Americas. It doesn't get much more multi-cultural than Brunel.

Robin went to the campus early this morning for an all-day seminar on thesis writing for doctoral students. I stayed at the apartment until noon because I had to wait for a repairman to fix the washing machine/dryer.

Repairman: "Be sure and only try to dry half-loads. It can't handle full loads. And don't ever push the pause button, it will burn the thermostat out."

Maria to the repairman "The owner of the apartment says it never did work right."

Repairman: "You're starting to sound like my wife now."

After the repairman standup comedy routine I left for the Brunel campus to meet Robin for lunch at The Hub, the campus pub. The campus was hopping with free food booths from lots of countries, a farmers market, and several religious venues (No thanks, don't want to take my shoes off and go in your tent. No thanks, not hungry even if it is free food). No one was too pushy. Pushier than I would ever be, but not as pushy as chess set salesmen in Kathmandu (that story some other time).

When Robin returned to her seminar after lunch, I gravitated toward music coming from the other side of the Quad (a big plaza on campus). The music was nice. The singer was good. I memorized the lyrics: "Hare krishna, hare krishna, hare krishna hare krishna hare krishna hare krishna... " I don't remember the rest of it.

I totally could be a cymbal player in a rock band like this. Will it be too weird if I use a chair? Do I have to have stripes on my pants?

The music stopped and a blue woman appeared. Now that's multi-cultural! She started dancing with a non-blue girl. 

Then, Envy, Jealousy, Intoxication, and Greed starting tempting the innocent, non-blue girl, right there in the Quad.

She struggled to escape the temptations that all university girls face, desperately trying not to smile, poor thing.

The blue woman returned and banished the temptation guys from the Quad. When a blue woman tells you to leave, it's best to just go.

As the non-blue girl recovered, the brave and virtuous blue woman gestured that she's in good blue hands now.

The two engage in a multi-cultural, blue-white thing. Right there in the Quad. 

I'm totally OK with this One World stuff.

London Walk 2

Trafalgar Square, with the Neslon Column monument in the background. Horatio Neslon is Britain's most famous naval hero, killed in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The British Royal Navy took on the combined fleets of the French Navy and the Spanish Navy. 27 British ships against 33 French and Spanish ships. Ships lost: France & Spain - 22, Britain - 0. Unbelievable.

Coincidentally, the text on Robin's shirt reads "Fortune Favors The Bold." The shirt is by Forged Clothing, designed by her son Ryan, a Navy Seal. Forged Clothing was founded by Ryan and another Navy Seal. 

To get to The Inner Temple (famous, but made even more famous by The Da Vinci Code) go through the entrance on the right for a short distance. The Inner Temple takes its name from the Knights Templar. There are effigies (stone knights laying on the floor, burial-like) of Templar Knights inside. The Inner Temple dates back to around the 1200s and was the new location for the Knights Templar.

The George pub.

Ye Olde Cock Tavern. Just barely squeezed it in there. 

A monument in the middle of the street is much more common here than some places, such as Santa Fe for instance. This monument on Fleet Street marks the location of a previous "bar" (a stone gateway barrier) that marked the division between East and West (London and Westminster). At this point Fleet Street becomes The Strand. Even though it's now an open street, the Queen still stops here momentarily (and symbolically) when her entourage happens to come down this street. Nice wyvern on top.

Robin goes on a self-guided tour to inspect the plaque on the monument.

Always in research mode.

"I hope you will be enjoy stay from our hotel..."

So begins the letter of confirmation from the owner of the Istanbul hotel that we just booked for a three night stay, starting February 25th.

The hotel was recommended by Jay, the Turkish exchange student who lived with us in 2000, and now lives in Istanbul, his home town. And he knows the people at this hotel. It looks like a great boutique hotel, in the old part of the city, close to everything we want to see. Our room is on the terrace with views of both the Blue Mosque and the Marmara Sea.

The hotel owner concludes the confirmation letter with "We will be drink something together at the roof terrace."

No way we're missing out on an offer like that. I don't know about Robin, but I personally have never had an opportunity to be drink something together on the roof of a hotel, with the hotel owner... in freakin' Istanbul.

Robin wrote back to ask the owner if we can pay cash for the room, in British pounds. He responded with "Sure, you can pay in GBP. I love Money. Doesn't problem for me."

I love this place already.

I have a funny feeling... that three nights in Istanbul is not going to be enough.

The Blue Mosque from (I assume) the hotel.

The Marmara Sea from (I think) the roof terrace of the hotel.