The Aegean Sea Cruise: Istanbul

Our journey through the Aegean Sea continues with a day in Istanbul. I didn’t know quite what to expect from this ancient city, but nonetheless, I had high expectations. Since I was a kid, I’ve had a mysterious curiosity about this city; I was finally able to satisfy my curiosities. Over many centuries, Istanbul has seen a tremendous amount of history and change, serving as a central point of development for entire civilizations. The Greeks saw Turkey as a crucial point for commerce and trade between Europe and Asia, and settled the town of Byzantium for that purpose roughly in 700BC. For a long period, all trade between Russia and Europe passed through the sea of Marmara, which they later referred to as the Golden Horn. It was a thousand years later when Emperor Constantine chose this area as a new site for a Roman power. He was concerned about the future of Rome, and wanted to branch out his base, so to speak. By this point there was a great deal of turbulence and fighting, and with all the power of the Roman Empire, Constantine in the year 313 AD issued an edict to allow toleration of all religious beliefs, paving the way for Christianity to flourish along with Pagans in the area. To further show his power, he built a collection of Roman style buildings, monuments and infrastructure that reflected the glory and authority of Rome. In addition to government buildings, he introduced Roman baths, public buildings, forums, and churches. Three structures in particular defined the city and continue to do so even today. The Imperial Palace, The church of St Sophia and the Hippodrome. The Imperial Palace was of course where, the Emperor’s family and government resided. Lavishly appointed, it had throne rooms, terraces, sprawling courtyards and gardens and as was common in Rome, water fountains everywhere. St Sophia church was built to be the “queen church” of his new empire. The Hippodrome was sort of like a new version of the Coliseum; an entertainment arena for chariot races holding 100,000 spectators! To impress his people with Roman glory and power, the Hippodrome had public embellishments such as a huge Serpentine Column brought from Apollo’s Temple at Delphi, an Obelisk from the temple of Karnak in Egypt, and a bronze statue of Horses from Venice. All this was accomplished by the year 330 AD, and by this point people commonly referred to Byzantium as Constantinople. His vision for using this city and port to strengthen the Roman Empire was hugely successful; it remained under Roman rule until its fall in 1453. A period of infighting and new violence followed, with the rise of Moslem into the area, and soon the Ottomans emerged as a new force. Sultan Mehmet assembled a huge well trained army and soon Constantinople became the center of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan converted the Imperial Palace to Topkapi Palace, St Sophia was converted to a mosque and various elements throughout the city began to reflect their culture. The Sultan wanted to revive Constantinople, having lost much of its population from all the war and fighting with the decline of the Roman Empire. Greeks, Armenians and others were encouraged to return and settle here. By the time Constantinople was renamed Istanbul, a variety of elements from its long Roman and Ottoman heritage remained intertwined and still evident today. Sunday was the Eur-Asia Marathon, so Istanbul was preparing for the throngs of media and observers by closing streets and blocking normal pathways. We met our driver and guide extra early to get across the city before everything was closed down. Since we were in a small car it was easy to navigate the side streets. We started with a walking tour of the Hippodrome, where we saw the Obelisk, what is left of the Serpent Statue, and views of the Imperial Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia. We were looking at structures dating back over two thousand years, which is really mind-boggling. The combination of cultures and civilizations that remains is truly remarkable.


The famous Blue Mosque was an Imperial Mosque for the Sultans, therefore were very grand and elaborate. Incredible architecture, beautiful tiles decorate walls with intense colors and intricate patterns. As it remains a place of worship, we followed the custom to remove shoes before entering the mosque. I was very impressed and touched by the beauty of this great structure. Here are some photos:

above: standing outside in front of the Blue Mosque





above: multiple interior photos showing the beauty of this great Imperial Mosque.
We went onto the Haghia Sophia museum, a truly stunning structure with interesting contrasts of styles, materials and purposes. Originally built at St Sophia church, it was converted to a mosque, and served as a place for learning and social discussion. It was converted to a museum and is under a lengthy restoration to uncover some of the Christian mosaics that were covered by plaster when it was converted to a mosque. While many aspects of Christianity are acknowledged by Muslims, their religion do not allow for the personification of physical people within a mosque. So images of Christ, Mary, angels were covered up. The intent is to retain the best of both periods, showing the beauty and history from throughout its history. Here are some images of the Hagia Sophia:

above: The Sultan's library inside

above: beautiful gold mosaics now uncovered and restored

above: incredible tiles with beautiful designs


above: multiple colors and styles of marbles throughout


above: this photo is especially for my brother Joe to figure out the reference. It's from a movie scene....
I also enjoyed our visit to the Imperial Topkapi Palace, home of the Sultan and seat of his governmental affairs. It is a grand, sprawling estate, richly appointed with opulence and splendor. Here I saw some of the finest examples of tile work and textiles. Colors that cannot be replicated naturally today, and intricate patterns that embody their rich culture. Let’s just say it was good to be the Sultan. Here are my photos:




















above: a room where the Sultan's advisers would meet. The Sultan would sit in a room behind the gold screen, so they never knew when he was actually in their presence, so they always had to behave as if he were there.

examples of incredible tile work and designs. above: mother of pearl and tile







above: the tree of life design is found throughout Istanbul

above and below: Jewel encrusted robes worn by the Sultan.

Some photos of in and around Istanbul:




above: a case of baklava and Turkish Delight. Wow I was in heaven!
Our time in Istanbul exceeded my expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and would gladly return again to explore the friendly Turkish people. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time. Today we’re in Mykonos, Greece. It is sunny and warm…so come back tomorrow for a fresh report.
-Rick Rockhill

The Aegean Sea Cruise: Kusadasi & Ephesus

Until today, I had never been to Turkey or the Asian continent. Now I can say I have been to both. (Part of Turkey is considered Asia, and part is Europe) The Grand Princess ship arrived at the beautiful port city of Kusadasi, which is on the west coast of this wonderful country. This is a modern day destination for Turks who want summer villas or seaside homes. It is a lovely area that is well maintained and welcoming to tourists. Having never set foot in a Muslim country I had trepidations all of which were dismissed after spending a day here. Mind you, Turkey is not a typical Muslim nation; it has strong roots and ties to Europe, so this does not have conservative Muslim regulations. People here dress just as many people throughout the Mediterranean. It is a free open, democratically elected society that share the same values as the rest of us. Many of you may be aware that Turkey is in the process of applying for admission to the European Union, which takes many years to adjust a wide range of internal programs, laws, and operational standards relating to trade, commerce, transportation and secular laws.
We started out with a visit to what is known as the House of The Virgin St Mary. Christians know her as Mary, The Blessed Mother, or mother of Jesus. The mystery of this site started with a German nun called Caterina Emmerish who was born in 1772. She documented a story called The life of the Holy Virgin Mary, where she describes in great detail the exact description locating the house where Mary lived, on a mountain in Ephesus. In the late 1890’s two priests were fascinated by her writings and decided to research what she wrote. The priests were amazed with what they found, by an invalid nun who had never left Germany. Her visions described what they found. In 1951, the site was
carefully restored to reflect the way the home was when Mary lived there over 2,000 years ago. It sits on a natural spring, which today serves as holy water from which the faithful come to drink. I must admit, it was quite impressive and inspiring. Several Popes have visited this site and officially recognize this site as the home where Mary lived until the end of her life on Earth. Here are some photos of the home:

above: if you look at the low quarter of the side- along the foundation, you can see bricks of a different color. That was the original level of walls that were still in tact.
above: these are the three fountains they installed that tap into the natural spring water, which the faithful drink and use to heal themselves.

above: this was the same baptismal pool that St John and Mary used as they converted followers to Christianity.

above: the nuns who maintain the site built an area for church services. The House of Many was an interesting stop, even if you are not a religious person or catholic. But I do recommend doing a tour or reading the background story of the nun with the original vision, it will enhance the experience.
From there, we traveled to the ancient city of Ephesus, which in ancient times was a major city to both Turks, Greeks and Romans. Its origins actually date back prehistoric, but it came into its own starting roughly in the 400BC era. It was in 133 BC that Ephesus became a major site of power for the Roman Empire. Ephesus is referenced many times in the Bible, most notably by Sts Paul and John who wrote letters to the Ephesians and spoke publicly on Christianity here. Ephesus has been pillaged by archeologists who removed many of the artifacts and sent them to museums back in their home countries. But it was in the last few decades through a combination of government and private grants that excavations have unearthed really significant discoveries. Ephesus was n enormous city, with a well developed, advanced society, heavily influenced by Roman technology. It is a marvelous blend of Roman, Turkish, pagan and Christian symbolism and traditions. It is a history lover’s dream and nirvana for an archeologist. I took the following photos to give you an idea of the city. It is believed that only 10% of ancient Ephesus has been uncovered so far. The rest remains buried in the adjacent hills. There is a residential development of terrace houses currently under significant excavation. They have constructed a roof overheard to protect it from the elements. Today they work to carefully uncover and re-construct components that reflect life in those times. Ephesus was truly a remarkable city to visit. I was very impressed by our tour guide and how committed the Turkish government is to protect its culture and promote tourism today.

above: a floor mosaic depicting Zeus (right)

above: floor mosaic of Medusa. It is highly unusual she would be in a home, as it was believed looking at Medusa would turn you to stone. They surmise the inhabitant of this particular home may have been a follower of witchcraft.

above: lion floor mosaic

above: I think this was a floor mosaic of Apollo
above: excavations in progress of house terraces. Note the incredible wall decor

above: another view of the excavations. Considering this was built about 2,000 years ago, its amazing it is still in tact at all.

above: the early origins for the symbol for medical doctors. Wish I had the time to explain it, but its very cool

above: Within the Roman Baths, these were the men's toilets. They had advanced sewer systems in place.

above: at the Temple of Hadrian

above: Medusa, depicted at the arch over the entrance to Hadrian's Temple

above: one view of the main "street" in ancient Ephesus. It is huge, and this is just one road.

above: The Goddess of Victory, Nike. (yes Nike)

above: me standing in front of Celsian's Library

above: exterior facade of Celsian's Library

above: one of the statues at the Library.

above: from Hadrian's Temple

above: from Hadrian's Temple We also had time to visit a family ceramics establishment. Here they make all kinds of ceramics and decorate them following traditional methods and techniques. I watched as they worked on the various ceramics.

above: The ceramics artist begins his work

above: and begins to create jars and egg cups

above: the women paint each item, with incredible precision

above: Each color is painted by hand (not patterns) with organic colors, no lead or chemical paints I’d highly recommend a visit to Turkey, while we only spent a day in Kusadasi and Ephesus, I feel enriched and better educated on this wonderful and important city. -Rick Rockhill