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“TRAINS…AND BOATS AND…” or, the 800 minute dash.
We assembled at 8:45 after our
typical Turkish breakfast at the Hotel Aya Sofya. First stop of the
day was the Kapali Carsi—the Grand Bazaar. After a brief intro to it
from Meli, we were left to explore for a short while, but an entire
day would not have sufficed to poke around every gallery and corner,
inside and out. The quantity and variety of merchandise was stunning,
and the very age of the place—dating from Byzantine times/15th
century—mind-boggling.
Then to the Museum of Turkish and
Islamic culture along the Hippodrome. There, Meli introduced the
theme of religion as a function of culture and culture as a function
of religion. Especially memorable were 300 years’ worth of Turkish
carpets—many having been reclaimed from Transylvania after they had
fallen out of favor and respect in Turkey itself.
Our first major stair climb of
the day was up, up, up at Istanbul’s oldest and most respected kofte
house for a lunch of kofte and ayran.. From there, we hustled to Aya
Sofya for a talk by Meli and to crane our necks in amazement at the
soaring space with its Islamic decoration superimposed on the even
more ancient Christian.
From there to Beyoglu for our
second stair climb of the day. Up, up, up into a beautifully restored
old building for a visit to CEKUL, a Turkish environmental
organization. With the same number of members as the Sierra Club, in
a population one fifth the size, its emphasis was on reforestation.
They offered a variety of inventive and original fund raising
schemes. Many of us bought cards, and Leona arranged for the planting
of seven trees.
Dashing across Istanbul (to the
Golden Horn?), we boarded our Bosphorus tour boat. As evening fell,
we motored past the palaces, castles and yalis along the shores.
Debarking, we were glad to repair to the warmth of the restaurant
chosen by Meli. Could it have been all those cold beers on board that
chilled us? Or merely the experience of seeing the sun set over one
of the world’s most spectacular settings? After a delicious dinner,
by taxi to the ferry station, crossing the water in a boat crowded
with commuters, students and families—so different from the lone
splendor of our boat trip completed earlier. Another taxi caravan
took us to the train station. After a bit of a wait, we boarded our
sleeping car for our over-night on the Ankara express Chocolate
candy bars for each traveler! Some were lulled deeply by the clickety
clack of the wheels—those who weren’t got a picture window view, once
the sun rose, of the dramatically changing countryside, harvest season
winding down, with squashes and other crops piled in heaps, awaiting
pickup. One memorable sight—a large dog, loping across a field
wearing an unusual, huge, spiky collar. Meli later mentioned such a
collar was throat protection in case of wolf attack.
As we pull into Ankara station, I
yield to the next chronicler.
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