Turkey - Istanbul - East of Eden - Carnet de voyage - Travelogue - Europe - Middle East

Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire. The Ottomans.
Men playing shesh-besh in smoke filled cafés, women veiled in black from head to foot walk in flocks down twisting roads...
The city burns with a thousand lights, all of them blinding; hypnotizing, dream-inducing. The whole of it is greater than the sum of all its parts, and standing in the open space between Saint Sophia's (Holy Wisdom) and the Blue Mosque is to stand in a space of vibrant tranquility and brilliant silence.

How I envy the birds who can fly and fight the winds above the majestic minarets; how I envy the birds as they swoop for fish as the boats head for port. How I envy the birds, who soar as a hundred muezzins call; each louder than the other, each a hoarse plaintive call to unify the name of God.
In the late afternoon as the lethargy of evening overtakes the city, we sit in a tea shop and smoke the narguile, drink tea after tea and play sesh-besh, and then go to dinner, happy as Sultans.
Near the Holy Wisdom is a cistern dating back from Roman times and revamped during Byzantine rule. Column upon column of sleek sculpted marble ride above the dark waters, rippling with lights. Someone has the good idea of putting on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and the violin work plays for preference against the faithful dripping of cool water from above.
Istanbul! Why didn't anyone mention it before? Here is a city which has in it all the mystery, romance, intrigue, and delight of a Harem. Here is a city for those who love to live and eat and drink and love.

A word about earthquakes. The word is out here that the next one will be the big one and it will not hit some outer suburb, but rather will strike at Istanbul with devastating accuracy.

If you look at the map and remember your geography studies from High School you'll realize that this is very possible, and that the Marmara Sea is the next Ground Zero.
However, the area of Sultanahmet, which is the only one worth staying in, was built on a rock and promises to remain stable.
Well, more or less stable.
During the 4.2 quake on Friday we were sitting in a fish restaurant on the banks of the Gold Corn (The Olympic, sublime fish and sauces at reasonable prices. Excellent white wine) and watched in horror as the entire building seemed to dance.

The fish mongers outside left their stalls to turn their faces upwards, as if to question destiny, and the chandelier swayed. The sign on the building swayed.
Our waiter, however, showed no sign of panic and just kept on swaying and taking our order. It was over for a minute, and then came the aftershock.
Life returned to normal in Istanbul, but the following day we learnt the sad truth that things were far from over and watched the scenes on television. More than 300 dead.
I advise all of you to get here before there is no more Istanbul.

Mair and Marie-Do