Happy Lutheran

Today’s post is going to be short again: I had a really long day today with lots of walking around–it was another sunny day, which I loved, and which I feel I should celebrate by being outside as much as possible. So, I walked to the Theodosian Walls–one of the most impressive and arresting reminders…… Continue reading More Mosques!

Random thoughts and reflections: Cats. Cats abound in Istanbul, while there are very few dogs. Part of the reason for this, I am sure, is the fact that the Prophet Muhammad had a few things to say about both: cats, he felt, were proper companions for a household; dogs, he felt, were not. [Don’t ask…… Continue reading A Turkish Miscellany

Just a quick note on the day, which was devoted entirely to tourist pursuits! I spent all day on the Bosphorus, taking the typical tourist tour: it was really beautiful, and definitely a steal at 25 lira, I think! You leave Eminonu Port at 10:30, with a gorgeous view of Old Istanbul behind you as…… Continue reading Touring the Bosphorus

The day dawned clear and beautiful in Istanbul today, so I spent the morning wandering around Sultanahmet a little more, visiting a few more mosques and also the Istanbul Crafts Centre: that was really interesting, because you can actually watch the craftsmen & women at work—making traditional dolls, porcelain, calligraphy, etc. It is housed in…… Continue reading The Grand Bazaar

Since I have now been to somewhere around a dozen mosques, I thought I would say a bit more about some of the main features, and include some pictures. [I didn’t bother to identify from which mosque each pictures comes–I don’t see how that helps you at all!] So, many of these mosques, which were…… Continue reading Mosques, in Detail

This morning, I got up and went back to Beyoglu to attend Mass at the Basilica of Saint Anthony. In case you haven’t already guessed, there aren’t very many churches of any description in Istanbul–I haven’t passed a single Protestant Church in all my walking around, and I wanted a church that had an English…… Continue reading Prayer in Two Forms

The last twenty-four hours have been Sufi-filled, and so that is what I want to post about today. Sufis [Sufism is called “tasawwuf” in Arabic] are generally described as Islamic mystics–although some more conservative strains of Islam do not recognize them as legitimate practitioners. They are not a separate “sect” of Islam–Sufis can be Sunni…… Continue reading Sufism

I love that name: “the Golden Horn.” It sounds very exotic to me, and I just enjoy saying it. So, today’s post will be short. It was supposed to rain today, which meant that I went to bed last night without any plan for today–I wanted to wait and see what the weather was like.…… Continue reading Crossing the Golden Horn

Today was a really great day–equal parts Christian and Muslim! I started the day with a visit to the Church of St. Saviour in Chora–also called the Kariye Museum. It was an hour’s walk from my hotel, which I loved: it was a gorgeous day today and a great day to be out walking the…… Continue reading One Part Christian, One Part Muslim

After yesterday’s shall we say “overposting,” I am going to keep it short today. I had a little bit of a frustrating day, as two of the museums I most wanted to see today were closed–that happened to me yesterday, too. I’m not sure what that means: I think that Turkey’s economy is strong right…… Continue reading A Palace & A Cistern