CAMBRIDGE - May 21

OK, we've been home for a couple days now, so we are cheating a little by posting about Istanbul, but there is so much more to share! We've written about most of what we did on Saturday (eat!), but the Aya Sofya deserves a bit more of a mention. Built by Justinian from 532-537 as a huge Byzantine cathedral, it was later commandeered by Mehmet I and converted to a mosque. Right now, the building is a museum and not an actively religious site and we found the historical preservation of it quite interesting. When originally constructed, the walls and ceilings were adorned with the most magnificent mosaics depicting Justinian, his wife Theodora, Jesus, and many of the saints. The backgrounds were gold, the detail was astounding, and the size and quantity unbelievable. Later, when it was converted to a mosque, the mosaics were covered with plaster which was then painted ornately. Today we think it is considered a mosque, because that its most recent usage, but more than that it is a living piece of history. The mosaics are slowly being uncovered and there are constant restoration projects. We found it so interesting that the conservationists were removing the painted plaster in favor of the mosaics, when the plaster itself dates from the 1400's. We were really glad that we had arrived so early as we got to walk in and really feel the awe that the space inspired.

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art had an amazing collection of rugs and antiques. A bit fried from the night before at the hottest live music venue in town, we just enjoyed wandering through and looking at the pieces, and probably didn't learn as much as we should have while we were there. Same was true at the Istanbul Archeological Museums, though we really enjoyed the Byzantine relief sculpture there.

We guess we did squeeze in a bit more than just eating, because we spent the latter part of the afternoon gallery hopping through contemporary art galleries in the Beyoglu area of town. We had been to the Istanbul Modern museum the day before, and were nonplussed by its collection. Armed with Time Out Istanbul, we set out to see something that was actually hot, and we were not disappointed. We visited half a dozen fairly large private galleries with pieces that were though provoking, intelligent, and well crafted. It was a real treat, as the work we have been seeing in Boston for the last few years has been much less cutting-edge and creative.

Sunday, we did a little shopping in the morning at the Arasta Bazaar. Then, in the early afternoon, we took a ferry ride through the Bosphorus- the narrow strait that divides Europe from Asia. Istanbul is a unique city in that it straddles both continents, though the Asian side is now mostly residential, so we did not visit it. The city is built on a series of hills on both sides overlooking the water. We spent the most glorious afternoon enjoying the sunshine, sea air, and views of the city's skyline and suburbs.

Our memory card from our camera is at the doctor's office, so we promise to get the rest of our photos up as soon as we can. Don't worry-- there are plenty more good ones.

Lots of love,
Jillian + Ari