My favorite mosque

Rustem Pasa Camii

I have visited this mosque on each trip to Istanbul and often many times.

I remember the first time, when Jim and I tired to find the entrance.

As this tiny mosque, is hidden amongst the shops and street vendors of the Egyptian Bazaar.

It is in fact above them you enter, if you can find it through the street stalls and up the stairs you come to a courtyard. There the noise, the crowd, the chaos of the Bazaar disappears.

The mosque is special. It s completely tiled floor to ceiling. The tiles are quiet extraordinary they represent the finest period of Iznik tile production.

Lunch

Along with tulips and cherry blossoms spring has brought some most interesting lunch venues as well,

Durum, made of spicy bulgur with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, mint and a squeeze of lemon rolled up tight. For 3 lira

The following day I had to part with 5 liras for a very fresh smoked fish sandwich right off the boat.

The golden horn park is across from the university.

So now that it is spring it is the perfect spot for lunch.

Blossom

Over night the city bloomed

Tulips and cherry trees abound.

The church, St Stephen of Bulgars, in the background is an oddity a neo gothic structure built entirely of cast iron.

everywhere a view

From everywhere in Istanbul there is a view to the seaside, as it is called.

Of course this means that to go anywhere in Istanbul you must walk straight up hill.

I will have to pay more attention once I am back state side, but I do not recall that we fly so many flags so large and stately.

preparing for spring in istanbul

I have to make a note about the dogs and cats of Istanbul

They navigate the city of 15 million as strays; perhaps not really, as they are well taken carry of my everyone. You see businessmen come out of offices with bags of pet food and fresh water. They sleep with out fear. It is really sociologically a very interesting cultural tradition.

And expresses the deep sense of humanity with in this increasingly crowed urban landscape.

The parks are being spruced up.

In a city of 15 million green space is in short supply and precious.

Bikes , you do not see often, perhaps a sign of spring.

And yes the cafés are getting ready too, love that astro turf!

santra istanbul

Santra Istanbul about 25 minutes from the center ( taksim sg) by bus up the golden horn to the very tip.

The museum opened one year ago it is called the TATE modern of Istanbul, it was a former power station and it is a wonderful exhibition space.

I went the last day of Yuksel Arslan’s exhibition he is considered the most important artist of Turkey. Five floors of work and quite interesting…

This little painting I of course love, I have been missing mine in the backyard and having been thinking about an essay by Tom Friedman “birds don’t fly here”.

Note the title of the painting…

I have the past week explored quite a lot of the contemporary art scene there are a hand full of galleries showing interesting work. And more I am certain to be found.

gunaydin

I began Turkish classes today.

I am talking them in the Sultanahmet area, where both Aya Sofia and the Sultanahmet mosque (blue mosque) are.

This is the major tourist area and I avoided going over there till this morning.

The photos speak for themselves there is little one can say of the majestic scale and massiveness of these extraordinary structures.

Gule gule