Istanbul - Europe Meets Asia

Istanbul is where east meets west.  It sits on an isthmus between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara which connects to the Mediterranean.  The Bosphorus river unites the 2 seas and Istanbul sits right at that junction.  Some of us remember this in grade school history class as Constantinople.  In fact, it was at one time the capital of the Roman Empire.

The picture is taken from the old Galata watchtower overlooking the 2 great mosques:  Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.  This may be where Dylan got his inspiration for All Along the Watchtower (Pete's story).

We were here holding regional meetings with partners of Daktronics. You may recognize another Brookings neighbor on our Bosphorus cruise. 


The cruise took us just underneath the suspension bridge linking Europe with Asia.  On the right is Asia and the larger part of Turkey.

Ottoman Baroque Architecture

The streets of Istanbul are filled with the over 13 million people here.  The mosques are the real link to the past but are generally museum pieces now.   
 

It is a very western country in terms of dress.  This just may be the shopping capital of Europe.  This was the scene on a Satuday in May.  All along the streets are tiny shops with all kinds of knock off brands and western clothing.  And of course, there is the spice market... amazing aroma as you pass through.
 

It was daunting to see all the different spices arranged so perfectly in piles ready for vacuum packing.  I ended up with a variety pack and some interesting teas. 
 

Inside the market, there are endless passageways to meander around and find some of the same things over and over again.  Honestly, how many hooka pipes and pashmina's can you buy? Certainly though, there is a healthy economy here based on the transactions that were happening. 



And on the bridge, one fisherman after another catching these tiny fish that could only be used for bait for the sport fishermen.  Or maybe they are served in the restaurants just below on the first level of the bridge.  The world of commerce keeps moving in Istanbul.

Tschus!  Elveda!