Merhaba, lutfen!

"Hello, please!", which happens to be what one hears constantly while walking past the myriad vendors throughout istanbul. At least people who are clearly not from these parts... Turkish is not an easy language to just pick up for an English-speaker. Or, I would imagine, a French, Spanish or German speaker. It sounds very much like Russian meets Arabic - like this region's Spanglish. One of our waiters, one of the few Istanbulus who speaks decent English, said the best way for English speakers to learn how to say "thank you": "tea sugar and dream". Amazing history and brand new culture experience here.

Few early shots:


















Around the "New Mosque" - one of the hundred or so around the city that most starkly stands out from the skyline. It's "new", as in 600 or so years old - and extremely impressive inside. As perhaps expected, everyone must remove their shoes before entering and Jean had to cover her shoulders and head. The women worship behind even where the tourists stand inside, with the men up front.







One of the walkway tunnels under a busy intersection. This is one time when I had second thoughts about the swine flu. Also, it smelled like expired cheese. A sharp, sharp cheese. Fermented in old bowling shoes.


















The Haghia Sophia has been around since 537 AD - built by Emperor Justinian after the fall of Rome. It supposedly held pieces of the "true cross" and St Thomas' doubting finger - literally - before the Crusaders plundered it (shocker). Those pricks destroyed so many would-be relics around here, but it still doesn't get old to walk around and see the names of emperors and architecture from when this was the world's City.


We found this sweet patio restaurant overlooking the Haghia Sofia and park, along with the Topkapi Palace (the former center of the Ottoman Empire). Took this during one of the regular calls to prayer. They blast them over speakers from every mosque, so it permeates every bit of the city. It's interesting in that it sounds as it probably did hundreds of years ago, but it's obviously pretty unfamiliar and, well, uneasing.