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Istanbul - part I

We headed to Istanbul last week. To be honest, I was wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I really liked it. The city has so much history to it and is just a really interesting place to be. The weather was not good. It was warmer here in Munich, it was kind of a bummer. We just bundled up and faced the cold. The people were so friendly and didn't want anything in return for their kindness. We had a lovely long weekend exploring the city.These pictures are totally out of order.
Blue Mosque
(I'll put more pictures of this up in the next post)



Türk Telekom Arena
This is the brand new (3 months old) arena for the Turkish team Galatasaray. We were lucky enough to catch a game while we were in town.



The ceiling of one of the mosques that we went in.


We ate some delicious food! This is a turkish meatball in between two grill tomatoes. It was seriously delicious. I am going to see if I can replicate it.


Turkey is actually part of two continents - Europe and Asia.

A view from the Galata bridge. Galata bridge connects the European side.


Basilica Cistern
This place was awesome. It was built in the sixth century and is the biggest cistern in the city of Istanbul.





There are two columns with Medusa heads at the bottom.
One is upside down and this one is turned to the side.



Hagia Sophia
This is a really interesting place. Here is a little history lesson for you. It was built in 360 and rebuilt in 532. It was the cathedral until 1453 and then turned into a mosque until 1931. It was made into a museum in 1935. There are both Christan and Islamic influences in the building.

inside the Hagia Sophia

Hill family special



My happy little guy


It is a little blurry, but I liked the picture anyway.


Comments

Boyd Box said…
Love all the architecture pictures you post!!
March 12, 2011 at 5:31 AM
Boyd Box said…
Well, and I like seeing your family, too, but that goes without saying. =)
March 12, 2011 at 5:31 AM
SJ said…
I can't figure the Medusa head out. Was it carved specificaly for the cister, or were they using left over building supplies, and wanted to put her at the bottom?
March 12, 2011 at 6:01 AM
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