Our second full day, Thursday February 23, was all about focus. First on the list was a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It really was a religious experience! Mahmood coached me in advance about how to bargain if I decided to purchase anything. He also emphasized not paying any attention to the stall owners as we passed by. Let me tell you, it was an overwhelming experience. The purchases will have to be made on another visit. The atmosphere was super charged business. Crowds constantly on the move. Cay, chai, tea transported in traditional glass cups on delicately balanced trays. Nary a drop was spilled.
After wandering up and down the long halls of the Bazaar, we headed into the relative peace of the streets outside. Not for long, we and all pedestrians had to keep a sharp eye for motorcycles. They have their own set of rules for the road: they can travel the wrong way on a one way street and weave in and out of traffic and through pedestrian walkways with impunity. Our next goal was to be my first ever full fledged mosque. On the way, there were some eye-catching things:
As we climbed further up the hill, we came to Suleymaniye Mosque. According to Wikipedia, it’s an Ottoman Imperial mosque commissioned by Suleimann the Magnificent in 1550. It is built on the second hill of the city and was inaugurated in 1557.
And then it was time for a rooftop lunch on a nearby terrace with a splendid view of the Bosphorus.
Next stop was the Haifa Sophia. So we set off on foot rather than taking the tram. The goal was to take in some of the neighbourhood and arrive at the mosque later in the afternoon when there might be less of a lineup.
A bit of impromptu urban comedy happened while we sitting on the wall at the Martyrion. Up the bank opposite us were three dogs stretched out on the grass sound asleep. One of them languidly got up and stretched at the same moment a man hopped over the wall onto the grass. The dog reacted instantly starting to bark and run after the man. The man’s reaction was to quickly scamper back up the hill and over the wall. The dog stopped barking and running and sauntered off in the opposite direction. Now we know why the dogs are there: to keep people off the grass!
Hagia Sophia
Fortunately, the lineup was moving quickly and we were inside within 20 minutes. Haiga Sophia started out as a Christian church with the largest central dome of any building in Europe until St. Paul’s Cathedral in London was built. It was the centre of worship in Constantine’s New Rome. After the Muslim invasion, it became a mosque with the addition of minarets. Sometime later, it was religiously neutralized and became a museum. Today, it is a functioning centre of Islamic worship. We were lucky enough to be there for afternoon prayers and although I couldn’t understand a word, atmosphere was so relaxing. The last photo reminded me of a famous Montrealer who lives in Rigaud. An so another day living the life of a tourist came to an end.
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 
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