Whirling Dervish

This is one thing we had our our to-see-list and these pictures are my favourites from the trip. I really enjoyed watching them and did not clap at the end as instructed. I also did not use flash photography which is why the pictures turned out this way - I personally love the look of them! The whirling dance that is proverbially associated with dervishes, is just one of the physical methods used to try to reach religious ecstasy (majdhb, fana). As this practice is not intended as entertainment, the people that have been invited to watch them, should not speak or clap throughout the whole ceremony. Dervishes were known as a source of wisdom, medicine, poetry, enlightenment, and witticisms. Many dervishes are mendicant ascetics who have taken the vow of poverty. The main reason why they beg is to learn humility, but dervishes are prohibited to beg for their own good. They have to give the collected money to other poor people.

Merry Christmas!

Winter in Dubai!

It's so warm that the snowman is melting!

Sirkeci Istasyon Caddesi - Train Station

A short walk from Eminönü (you can see the Galata Tower in the background) we find the train station. We wanted to find the station because this is where we will come see the whirling dirvish later that night. This is also where you would catch a train to most everywhere in Turkey. A train from this station to Budapest would cost about 81 Euros; to Ankara 12 Euros.

Eminönü

Eminönü is the area on the Bosphorus - there are many ferry stations here. As Istanbul is on the water, seafood is abundant! In the pictures above Barry is standing with a man who is selling fresh mussels. We were less adventurous and opted for the fried fish vendor who offered us this interesting treat.

The Bosphorus

Walking down to the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus Strait runs from the Sea of Marmara all the way to the Black Sea. Mythology says that the Bosphorus is where "the cow crossed". The cow was Io, a young girl who Zeus (king of the gods) had an affair with - and got pregnant. When his wife Hera discovered his infidelity, Zeus tried to make up for it by turning Io into a cow. Hera provided a horsefly to sting Io on the rump and drive her accross the strait. Zeus managed to get off scot-free. Io's child became the mother of the first founder of the city Byzas. One picture is the walk down to the port, one is of a mosque near the port and the other is a picture looking across the Bosphorus to the other side.

In and Around Istanbul

Here are random shots of various things we saw during our walk around Istanbul. When in Turkey Barry and I took a cab twice - once from the airport and once back to the airport. Walking proved to be the best mode of transportation even for our walk from Galata Bridge to to Taksim Sq via Istiklal Caddesi on the Beyoglu side of the Bosphorus. Mind you that was a LONG walk and we took the tram back to Sultanahment.