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Im having a glass of red wine in a side street in the old town of Istanbul. I am hoping it will help counteract the minor jet lag I have. I also have a ticket to visit the Basillica Cistern so need to get off my ass and see it before I fall asleep or order the rest of the bottle. It is only lunchtime. I have also been asked out by the proprietor of the restaurant for a drink later tonight (Turkish men-very very forward). Time to pull out the fake wedding ring trick. The attention is mildly amusing-Im too old to get too much of it (luckily) but thus far it has not been too sleazy but it gets a bit old especially when you are in a rush. However, getting my butt grabbed in Prague was way worse. A friendly rebuff is generally sufficient.
My morning began inside the blue mosque. Its pretty majestic and beautifully detailed inside. I then headed to Aya Sophia-once Christian, then Muslim, where motifs from both religion exist side by side.
Made it to the cistern. The Basillica Cistern is something else altogether. It forms part of the underground water system from ancient times. Is held up by columns. Still has water in it-and fish (I think Carp). The place is dimly lit with pools of light from adjacent lamps creating dark shadowy places. The movement in the water from the fish adds to a general feeling of being somewhere rather unusual. Its also very serene. Two of the columns have bases with medusa heads carved on them.
I later went to Takism Square, a bustling square of people and shops. There is a tower which provides a beautiful view if the city.
Dinner was on the top floor of a building which also provided a stunning view of Istanbul at night. 360 is apparantly the new 'it' restaurant so it was a bit of a fluke to get the table. The food was a mix of Western and SE Asian fusion type thing. Not too shabby.
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