Our nomadic lifestyle

Ted. There is a notion that nomads wander around the world aimlessly. That is not true. Typically, nomads move between two or more fixed points to support their livelihood. They follow grazing animals, food sources or employment. 

After more than five years, Judy and I are falling into our own patterns of travel. We like to explore new places but then return to places that we know well. We tend to linger longer at each destination now, as each change is a bit unsettling. Certainly, the travel days are exhausting. 

We enjoyed new friends and places in the familiar surroundings of Málaga, Spain and stretched our rubber bands seeing new sights and making new acquaintances in Turkey. Now, we are back in Athens, GA for two months. 

Is life better here? No – it's just different. We have swapped new friends for long time (certainly not old) friends. We have traded the roses of Turkey for the gardenias of Georgia. Instead of savoring lamb kebaps, we drool over pulled pork. True - we are not currently learning more about the history of our civilization but we do get to hang out with four incredible grandsons (and their folks). So life remains beautiful, but in ways that always change. 

Our youngest grandson, Callum

Though we are resting back in our saddles for the moment, we will soon be leaning in to more adventures. Western North America beckons once again. Before too long, the Canadian Rockies, Alaska, Washington and New Mexico will offer their own unique joys. 

For us, more than ever, home is the here and now.

On the old city wall of Antalya

By ferryboat to Asia

Ted. I have always loved ferries and have ridden on dozens around the world. I can still remember riding the Staten Island Ferry as a kid. For just 10 cents each way, we got a harbor cruise and a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty. 

My one “must do” during our time in Istanbul was to take a ferry across the Bosporus to Asia. Figuring out where, and how to buy the tickets (about $1.50 each way) took darned near as long as the ride itself. However, we eventually got our tickets and found our boat, which traveled from a pier near the Galeta Bridge to the town of Kadiköy. 

Boarding our ferryboat

Our route

I have to admit to a bit of trepidation as we headed out. The Bosporus is less than two miles wide here and I was amazed by the amount of traffic on the water. Dozens of ferries, private boats and fishing boats puttered around the huge cruise ships, tankers and freighters. 

Ferries loading up

Over 200 commercial ships typically travel past Istanbul each day (north bound in the morning and south bound in the afternoons). However, that number has dropped in recent months. Since the beginning of the "unpleasantness" in Ukraine, hundreds of mines have been positioned in the Black Sea and marine insurors have taken note.

We successfully wove our across the main channel and after about 45 minutes, docked in Kadiköy. It was fun to think about all of the ships that have plied these same waters over the millennia; Jason and the Argonauts, Persian invaders, Byzantine traders, Viking raiders, crusaders, Ottomans and many others.

After a quick stroll around the town, we stumbled upon a market, complete with vegetable stalls and fish and meat vendors. My favorite was the goat head guy. Talk about a specialty niche! The ferries depart every 20 minutes so there was not much of a wait to get back to Europe. 

As we often find, the views of a city are much better from the water.

Ferry dock

Galeta

Galeta bridge

Many fish restaurants line the lower level of the bridge

All in all, it was a fun way to spend a half day and a good final memory of our visit to Turkey.

L to R - tug, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia

Judy on Istanbul

 

Judy. Ted’s mom had a great saying when we disagreed about something: “Well, that’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla!” 

So Ted and I are a bit chocolate and vanilla about Istanbul. I loved it. My only issue was the 1-hour drive from the airport into the city. Not my favorite part of the trip. But I would go back in a heartbeat! 

Our friend Ben told us we needed at least a week to see it, and I think he was right, but to Ted’s point, it was hot and crowded, so we caught the high points, which absolutely wowed me. 

To begin with, Ramezan, the aide at our hotel, treated us like his treasured parents, and really pushed me to speak Turkish. I could answer in one or two words, but he’d push me to say the whole sentence. (He even referred to us as "Mamo & Bobo".)

with Ramezan

 Our hotel itself was reasonable, including a delicious breakfast, as well as tea or coffee in the afternoon in the garden or the salon. At breakfast we marveled at the Blue Mosque and enjoyed watching the mama seagull and her baby on the roof across the street. Whenever you left or returned, there was a bottle of a lemon cologne to refresh yourselves. Actually, they were in shops and restaurants, too!

The other half--across the Bosporus

Green parks

The history of the city and the views of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara (shades of performing in Medea and hearing those terms over and over) really gave me a sense of why it’s the crossroads of the world. I was blown away by the Hagia Sophia, its history, and the deep respect of those who are now the guardians. Hidden in corners and behind sheets are ancient Christian murals, although it is now a mosque. 

Hagia Sophia at night

Christian mural at the entrance, and Jesus mural behind a sheet

Christian and Muslim iconography

Walking through the Hippodrome and seeing sculptures still standing gave me a sense of awe. Even the constant hawking by vendors became a background noise or a chance to pull out old improvisation skills. The closest I’ve come to feeling this way about a city was when I was in Jerusalem. 

We missed seeing the Whirling Dervishes, but one afternoon we saw one in the street!

Gentle reminder

Most of all, I loved watching the people, particularly the women. We saw bridal couples posing in front of Hagia Sophia. There were women in shorts, in full burkas, and everywhere in between. How could they not sweat their eyeballs out in that heat? But they were cool as cucumbers. For the first few evenings, I’d just walk up to the plaza to see them. Nobody hassled anybody. Everyone just enjoyed. 

 On our last day we sat in the park by the Topkapi Palace for awhile. Two young women from the high school came up to us and timidly asked, “May we ask you some questions?” Ah! English class! We had a great chat, and then they asked if we could have a selfie—a word that translates in any language. 

A lovely English lesson

It was the perfect end to a short, challenging, and really beautiful stay.

Topkapi Palace

Ted. I first heard the word Topkapi when I saw a wonderful film from 1964 with the same name. It starred Peter Ustinov and other great European actors and the plot involved the theft of an incredible jeweled dagger from a palace in Istanbul. 

Until our visit to Istanbul last month, that is all I knew of Topkapi. I now understand that the Topkapi Palace served as the main residence of the Ottoman sultans in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries – sort of a Turkish Versailles, but nicer - in my opinion.

I really liked the Ottoman architecture and the intimacy of the small pavilions scattered around a series of lovely courtyards. 

The Palace is a very popular tourist destination but we got there as it opened one morning and were able to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the grounds and buildings. There is a ton of information on the Palace in Wikipedia so I won’t attempt to duplicate that. Here are a few photos.

A small garden

Glorious ceiling

A throne in every building

The Sultan's Library

View of the Golden Horn

One of the pavilions

The Bosporus from Seraglio Point (yep, as in Abduction)

Another glorious ceiling

And finally... The Sultan's Dagger!

Istanbul

Ted. Napoleon famously said, “If the world were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.” 

Officially founded nearly 3,000 years ago as Byzantium, artifacts have been found in the area dating back 8,000 years. The first bridge across the Bosporus was built there by the Persians under Darius the Great in 512 BCE! 

In 324 CE (AD) the city was renamed Nova Roma by Emperor Constantine but was soon called Constantinople in his honor. For hundreds of years, though, the locals simply said they were going istanbul, a medieval Greek expression meaning “to the city.” Istanbul did not become the official name till the 1930’s.

When Rome lay in ruins in the 5th century, Constantinople blossomed and became one of the richest cities in the world. 

After spending a few days there, I have to say that I admire what the city represents, more than the city itself. Istanbul was pivotal in the development of Western civilization. It was the terminus of a "Silk Road" and the Orient Express.

Constantinople had a huge role in the advancement of early Christianity. In the 6th century, the Hagia Sophia was the state church of the Roman Empire. A Christian capital, it was nonetheless sacked by "Christian" crusaders in 1204.  The Ottoman Empire (and Islam) took a great leap forward after capturing the city in 1453. 

Of course, the twentieth century brought the demise of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Kemal Attatürk, a new Western alphabet, "Turkification" and the ensuing ethnic cleansing.  

With a population exceeding 15 million, it is the largest city in Europe and 15th largest in the world. Istanbul is a swirl of sounds and smells, teeming with people from a hundred countries. If you take a walk, you’ll hear 20 languages in 20 minutes. It typically gets 15 million visitors per year, trailing only London and Paris. I am sure there are lots of quiet neighborhoods and peaceful walks but we never found them.

I really enjoyed the Archaeological Museum and my favorite exhibit was the artifacts from nearby Troy. As the site was excavated, it turned out there were actually 10 cities built on the same site. The earliest was built around 3000 BCE. The Troy that Homer wrote about in the Iliad was actually Troy VI, dating from around 1500 BCE. The last city, dubbed Troy X was built around 1300 CE. The exhibit was huge and devoted a lot of space to the processes used by modern archeologists - great for kids.  

Am I glad we went to Istanbul? Absolutely! Will I return? Maybe not. Here are a couple of snapshots.

View of Blue Mosque from our hotel rooftop terrace

Sea of Marmara from our hotel rooftop

Galeta Bridge across the Golden Horn

Galeta Tower

Simit stand (popular sesame seed rolls)

Column of Constantine

Ancient god Bes in Archaelogical Museum

Exhibit representing the layers of ancient Troy

The ten Troys

Hagia Sophia (a church/mosque/museum and now mosque)