Istanbul (not Constantinople).

Thanks to K, I had that 50’s swing song playing in my head all week before I left for Istanbul, which wasn't such a bad thing after all as I ended up doing some research on Constantinople.

Constantinople, founded in AD 330 and was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin and the Ottoman Empire. It was the largest and wealthiest European city of the Middle Ages. Although besieged on numerous occasions by various peoples, it was taken only in May 1453 by Turkish sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror" and became the third capital of the Ottoman Empire. İstanbul was officially adopted as the sole name of the city in 1930.

The name İstanbul derives from the Medieval Greek phrase “to the city”…. As back in the day, Constantinople was really the only city around and all signs leading to Constantinople would say “to the city”!

………….. so, “to the city” by Metro bus and not horse carriage;

Istanbul is like walking through a history book and reflecting on stories, myths and legends you’ve heard of overtime and yet it is by far one of the most modern cities in the area. As far as modern goes, it has everything a city of the new world would have (Yes, Starbucks and Gucci is what I meant) and yet you still feel like you just travelled through time.

Basilica Cistern or the Sunken palace is an ancient cistern that lies below the city. What I found most fascinating about this place was that I ran into Medusa. Meduda! Yes, the same one whose gaze turned everyone to stone. There were 2 stone pillars with her head on it; one looking sideways and the other looking upside down.

As you enter the Blue Mosque, there’s a sense of peace and calm just as you would feel in any other place of worship. And as you start to look around, the huge stain glass windows and just the expanse of it all can make anyone feel overwhelmed. My recommendation is to sit a few quiet moments and reflect as the place is so conducive to that.

Then you walk out of the blue mosque and run into, the Obelisk of Theodosius transported from Alexandria in 392AD to Istanbul or should I say Constantinople. Ancient and yet looks shiny and new like it was build yesterday. However, what I found more fascinating was the 10th century Walled Obelisk built by the Emperor Constantine as the turning point for his chariot races. Yes, it may have once been covered in bronze but today the stone core remains as sturdy as ever.

There’s a lot more history in the city that awaits exploration and I intend to do that when I return to Istanbul 4 weeks from now. However, talking about going back in time, we as a team got to pretend for a short while that we were princesses, sultans and prophets!

Talk about team building!!!