Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

On Friday, we decided to visit the Basilica Cistern. It’s one of several ancient underground water reservoirs that are open to the public for a fairly substantial sum of money and they’re not part of the Istanbul Museum Card program. The original floor is covered with several centimetres of water and we were walking on a metal grillwork several centimetres above the water. To enhance the experience, there is a continuous light shoe and there are sculptures by Turkish artists installed throughout the building. A damp and haunting experience.

The cisterns were the storage part of a much larger system of aqueducts the carried fresh water into the city. They were never intended for public display so marble columns left over from other projects were used. It’s said that the Medusa capitals are upside down to prevent her gaze from turning people to stone.

Once we resurface into the sunlight, a stroll through Gülhane Park, the oldest park in Istanbul. It borders the grounds of the Topkapi Palace. It was lovely with hints of great beauty to come. The tulips were beginning to show their points and several daffodils were in full bloom. It is, after all, still winter.

We left the park for the waterfront where we soaked up some sunshine, watched the people fishing and actually saw some jelly fish.

From here, we had a leisurely walk across the bridge towards Karakoy and our apartment. There’s always something new to see!

We discovered a local luthier – he builds lutes and other stringed instruments and actually gave us a demonstration. The instrument he’s playing at the table is an Iranian wire strung harp played with felted mallets.And then it was time for food.

And another day in Istanbul comes to end!