That's what Istanbul makes me think after the first day!
If yesterday I might have been too critical with the city, today I have been really pleased to discover that my baptism-theory has not been just a sterile mental fantasy.
Skipped Santa Sofia (closed on Monday) I went straight to the Topkapi Palace, stunning example of Byzantine art...as you will see in my pics!
Happy for not being surrounded by beggers of any kind, I started to enjoy immediately the carpets from the XVII cent., the incredible diamond of the 3 spoons - it's so big that, when once someone found it into the rubbish...well...really thought it couldn't have been a real one and then just sold it for 3 spoons..- armors, weapons, portraits..everything I had around me..
Or, better to say...almost everything!
Cause, as a non spiritual person...well...I found a bit creepy those John's prophet arm bones....or those small boxed filled in with the prophet beard...
But, still...I guess every religion likes worshipping such items so..
..no one is asking me to like it..just to respect it...
and I guess I can deal with that.
Then, another queue, another ticket and...the harem!
And there I found myself more comfortable...all my luxurious fantasies had finally a place! A concrete "lieu" where to take place!
Endless dedalus of corridors and small room really made me dream about life in a time when it has been really used.
A time when prince's window opened on the favourite's courtyard...
...a time when just snapping fingers was enough for anything...
And the best has yet to come!!
Cause, remembering a small sign I have seen in the morning and totally in abstinence of email check...I started to walk quite fast to a café in Divan Yolu where I noticed was written something as "free wifi".
Found the place again quite easily I just sat down, asked for a coffee, unfolded my itouch and started to feel my personal wire connected to the world again.
And then she came.
At first she was just another eanglish speaking guest...then she showed her politeness giving her big table to a couple of other foreigners and made the mistake of sitting next to me.
Cause when i travel alone I tend to socialize with people....especially when they carry a book and not a laptop...
...and even more when i will soon interview the writer they are reading!
I skip the details...just mention that she's really terrific....that terrific that we chose to wait for her friends for going all together to have dinner in a Korean restaurant.
What to say more...their company has been a real pleasure and meeting such people is the real meaning of traveling.
Such a great conversation,such a tasty dinner shared with pleasure -tho..I had to give up using chopsticks quite soon...as I was totally unable to use also the kiddish, big wodden ones - have been much more than how I would have forgetting about the first night.
So...thanks Istanbul. Thanks Saeyoon.
And happy birthday.
P.s.
Unluckily it seems that i cannot post any picture here on blogger...I hope is simply a temporary issue...
But...if you really, deeply, badly want not just to read...but also to "see" how is it going in here...well..check my facebook albums!
Photoalbum 1
Photoalbum 2
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