And he said, "Go Out and Walk" and she did...

Yesterday was "Istanbul by Wheelchair." Today, miraculously, I am mobile once again --- and loving it! You recall in the Bible Jesus healed the ailing people. Well, I guess either Jesus or Mohammed decided I had been immobile long enough and I am walking briskly today!

Last evening we went to a fresh fish restaurant (still don't know the name!) in the old town that was such fun and full of local color. The restaurant sent a car and driver to pick us up at the hotel and afterward brought us back to the hotel. That's service. A meal here begins with mezes, which means appetizers in turkey---things like feta cheese, olives, shrimp marinated in lemon oil, calamari in oil and vinegar, salad. Then on to the main course, where you pick your fish as they lay there on ice. I had seabass, caught right in the sea of Marmara and Bos had blue fish. Our waiter -- well, too bad he is married with three kids. I do think these Turkish men are the most gorgeous men I have seen. Could all be movie stars, if their lives had turned out differently! Tonight we are going to a fancier restaurant on top of a tall building to view all of Istanbul from above. It is our last night in Istanbul, as tomorrow we go to Cappadocia, with Janset along to show us around. We sleep in a very fancy cave and see the land of fairy chimneys and other-worldly landscapes!

What did we see and do today?? Well, we did lots of touristy things. Like going to Aya Sophia, called the Great Church of Constantinople", which used to be a church and then used to be a mosque and is now a museum. It was built by Justinian in 537 a.d. and, when the conquering Ottomans came, they turned it into a Mosque, covering up all the Christian mosaics and putting up calligraphy of the Muslim religion. It was forbidden to have images or pictures of Mohammed or God in the Muslim religion, so the Turks used calligraphy, poetry, and writing instead. Through the years the plaster covering the Christian mosaics has come off and here you have pictures of Mary and Jesus living comfortably with the names of Allah and Mohammed in calligraphy! Why can't we do the same in the modern world?!

Mixed with the sites were street vendors selling roasted sweet corn, pretzels with sesame seeds, and roasted chestnuts! Lots and lots of women covered head to toe with coats and hajibs were mixed in with the tourists. And Bos took a side trip down many many steps into the ancient Roman reservoir built by Constantine in the sixth century a.d. when he moved the Roman world to Constantinople. The cistern holds 27 million gallons amidst all the pillars and reminders of the Roman engineering feats and is still connected to the aquaducts used by the Romans in ancient times!

Next up: the bazaar, with over 5,000 shops under roof, the world's oldest shopping mall! One could easily get lost on the many side streets off the main drags. All the jewelry stores are in one street, the leather merchants in another, the fabric stores in another, the pottery stores together, and on and on. I had such fun in the pashmina aisle, where I captured, with fun fun bargaining, gorgeous pashminas for Betsy and Kathy 2, my future daughter in law. Then, on to lunch at an outdoor cafe for a little rest. And, in the middle of our lunch, the imams starting singing the call to prayer for 1 p.m. What we learned was, if you did not get there on time, your prayer vigil extended from the normal 15 minutes to 30 minutes, as a punishment, I guess.

After lunch we went to the Blue Mosque, which is an actual active Muslim mosque with worshippers there. We saw the men washing their feet, their arms, their noses, their hands before going into the mosque. And women from all over Turkey, in tribal garb, modern garb, half and half, with children, grandmas, teenagers -- mostly with heads covered, if not all covered, going to and from worship. The mosque closes for tourists for a short period, so we sat on a bench and watched the parade of families, couples, children. Most interesting. And we discussed the role of women and Janset's opinion of Turkey in the religious world. Her grandfather was an imam, yet she is a very liberated woman, who sees the struggle other women have with wanting to observe the old customs, but wanting the growing freedom of women in Turkey. Ataturk started it. But it still has a long way to go. We did learn, as men were leaving the mosque after prayer, that the men who wore little crocheted or felt beanies were men who had made their hajj to Mecca and Medina. They wear light colored coats or suits and the hat. We asked Janset if she was going to make her hajj to Mecca. She said she would probably do that, but, once you made the trip, you MUST pray 5 times a day and give up all alcohol. Makes for a very strict life. So one does have to think twice!!

We also saw the hippoddrome, now more a grassy park, that at one time seated over 100,000 people for the chariot races, foot races, horse racing and other physical contests in ancient times. Each of the social classes had their color, blue, red, etc. Reminds us of horse raises today, or even jousting in England, with people choosing up colors. Then we went to the museum across the street that depictions of lifestyles of Turks in not only current times, but in past times -- the nomads with their yurts (tents), their winter homes, life in Istanbul's early times as well. So interesting...

This whole trip has given us a lot to cogitate on! It seems we are all so naive about other countries and religions. It is obvious here that this secular country, which is a friend to the U.S. and even Israel, is sitting in a very precarious place in the middle east -- but here is a Muslim country that deserves more respect from the west. Not just from its deep roots in the beginning of civilization, but from its forging ahead in the modern world. That is why we feel this has been a worthwhile trip for us...