Walking Constantinople

This is the former name of Istanbul from AD 330 (when it was given its name by Constantine the Great) until the early 20th century. During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces were Latinized, but the eastern parts kept their Hellenistic culture. Constantine I (reign 324–337) legalized Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople. Theodosius I (reign 379–395) made Christianity the state religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, experienced recurring cycles of decline and recovery.

The Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centered on Constantinople (Istanbul) during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'.

Our second day would be an ambitious one visiting many of the landmarks of the Old City with our personal Turkish tour guide named Serkan. After another wonderful breakfast at the hotel we were met by Serkan in the lobby at 9 AM. We began walking up the street towards our first stop: Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey.

Angels can sometimes be found in this ancient place of worship. Photo credit: Serkan

It was formerly a church built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople between 532–537. The last of three church buildings to be successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in AD 537, becoming the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture".

From its dedication in 360 until 1453 Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, except for the period 1204–1261 when the Latin Crusaders installed their own hierarchy.

As the religious and spiritual center of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years, the church was dedicated to Holy Wisdom. The church has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world", and as "an architectural and cultural icon of Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox civilization".

After our tour of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque we proceeded to the Blue Mosque on the other side of the Sultanahmet Park

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Hagia Sophia served as a mosque, having its minarets added soon after. The site became a museum in 1935, and was redesignated as a mosque in 2020.

According to Serkan many of the massive Byzantine era mosaics were covered over and not destroyed.

But was this Christian symbol of the cross defaced when the cathedral of Constantinople was transformed into a mosque?

The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I. It attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.

This mosque was built on the southeast side of the old Byzantine Hippodrome, near the Hagia Sophia (the most important mosque of the Ottoman Empire), and is a site of symbolic significance that allows it to dominate the city's skyline. The mosque's location was originally occupied by the Hippodrome's bleachers and its imperial box (where the emperor sat when attending events here). During excavations in the early 20th century, some of the ancient seats were discovered in the mosque's courtyard. Given the mosque's location, size, and number of minarets, it is probable that Sultan Ahmed intended to create a monument that rivalled or surpassed the Hagia Sophia.

The mosaics and stained glass windows are exquisite. From the Blue Mosque we walked to a ceramic shop where the boys could try their hand at a Turkish tradition of throwing clay on a wheel.

Then it was on to the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul fame. The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Market’; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Market’) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 7.6 acres attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed No.1 among the world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. The Grand Bazaar at Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world. Between the masses of people and the variety of merchandise sold, it was visual overstimulation. And like most shopping malls, I couldn't wait to leave!

My legs were feeling the long day of walking and we were getting hungry. We needed to eat then get to the harbor to catch our 2:40 PM ferry tour of the Bosphorus so we grabbed a quick bite at a Doner restaurant on the way.

Doner kebab or döner kebab is a Turkish dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. The operator uses a knife to slice thin shavings from the outer layer of the meat as it cooks. The vertical rotisserie was invented in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, and dishes such as the Arab shawarma, Greek gyros, Canadian donair, and Mexican al pastor are derived from this. Our Doner's were made from beef with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise wrapped in a thin flat bread like a burrito.

With time to board our ferry fast approaching we had to hustle past the spice market and a short cut through a mosque's courtyard to just make the ferry. We were literally the last to get on the boat; phew! We could now rest our weary legs and enjoy a two hour cruise up the Bosphorus. It was a delightful cruise and we enjoyed the city views from the water.

The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Turkey which is straddled by the city of Istanbul. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia Minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.

The Rumeli Fortress is a medieval structure with the largest towers of its time located near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.

Our cruise took us up the strait past the Büyük Mecidiye Mosque on the European side near the Bosphorus Bridge. We turned around to return back to the harbor after passing the Rumeli Fortress. Fatih Sultan Mehmet began construction of the fortress in March 1452, completing it in August of the same year. Its purpose was to control ships passing through the Bosphorus. Historical sources mention that during its construction, 300 craftsmen, 700-800 labourers, and 200 coachmen, boatmen, and transporters were involved. After the conquest, the fortress lost its importance and was repurposed as a prison in the 16th century.

By the time we returned to the harbor and disembarked the ferry it was getting late. We still needed to catch the Hop ON Hop OFF bus at stop 11 to get closer to the hotel. By the time we made it back I was totally spent. Tuesday, October 21 we walked 4.85 miles (12,233 steps and climbed 9 flights of stairs). I was so exhausted I passed on dinner and got to bed early. Two straight days totaling over 9.25 miles had taken its toll. I would need a lighter workout for day three.