Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul....

Sure, a few of us have been singing that song since we landed day before yesterday in Istanbul! We have had another busy two days absorbing the history and culture of this beautiful country. Today is our last full day and we are enjoying a big breakfast to get ready to tackle the Grand Bazaar!

Pictures below include spectacular sites:

The traditional place where it is believed St John the Evangelist was buried...near Seluck (pronounced Seluchick). There is an ancient church there from the 5th century. It was spectacular to sit and imagine the walls of the basilica (now gone) reverberating as the church proclaimed the creeds.

We flew to Istanbul and yesterday visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Spice Market.

The Blue Mosque was grand. We slipped off our shoes and joined hundreds of barefoot visitors on the outskirts of the main floor. Words are hard to find to explain the grandeur.

From there we moved to the Hagia Sophia what was once the largest church in the world. It was a cathedral (defined as a church where there is a place for the Bishop to be seated) as opposed to a basilica (church without seating for the bishop). It was turned into a mosque and is now a museum. If still active as a church, it would be the fourth largest in the world. I fear my iPad could not capture it completely but there are a few pics below. There are still some mosaics in place that were not completely defaced. Interesting that at the top of the columns, the crosses carved into the granite or marble were not able to be removed. The crosses still stand, a powerful metaphor.

Lastly, we took a ferry ride on the Bosphorous--the waterway which runs through Istanbul and separates the continent of Asia from Europe. There are beautiful homes from the Ottoman Empire and hotels and restaurants which line this large waterway. It was a relaxing way to finish the day after our adventure in the spice market (sorry no pics from there). Susan Patterson even steered us into port! Go Susan!! Istanbul is very breathtaking!

Enjoy the pics...