Alsacian Wine Route

The region of France where I live is known as Alsace, but it is an area disputed between France and Germany for centuries.  However, while its nationality hasn't always set in stone, what has been clearly understood throughout its history is its reputation for great wine.  Miles upon miles of vineyards cover the region and a wine route connects the small towns that dot along the trek.  Nowadays, driving along the wine route is seen as a must-do attraction when visiting Alsace.  Hence, some of my friends and I decided to rent cars and see what all the fuss was about...

Our first stop, the small town of Obernai.

Next we drove up to a beautiful monastery with an incredible view from atop a mountain.

It happened to be Palm Sunday and we stumbled upon a Catholic procession.

The amazing view!

Rows and rows and rows and rows of grape vines line the hillsides as we see here by the town of Barr.

The busiest city we visited, Ribeauville.  There were many tourists traveling along the wine route stopping by for the festivities.

Look up!  You can see the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle looming above the city.

Heading home I snagged a shot of only a very small part of the wine route.  These pictures can't fully get across how very beautiful this part of the world is.   We visited several other quaint and pretty cities whilst driving along the length of the miles and miles of vineyards.

Istanbul!

Alright, just getting back from the first of many trips that will conclude my stint here in Europe.  This one was in Istanbul, Turkey- a city I had been hoping to visit all year after reading the memoirs of Orhan Pamuk last summer.  Istanbul is an incredible place with an incredible amount of history and culture to share dating back to the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, and the Ottoman Empire.  The city is actually split between Europe and Asia as well, so it was my first time ever in Asia!  I was in Istanbul for 5 days and couldn't get enough of the great food, hospitality, architecture, and Turkish coffee.

Above, you see me standing in front of the iconic Blue Mosque in the heart of the old town district, SultanAhmet.  It was built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet between 1609 and 1616 during the glory years of the Ottoman Empire.  Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and was the capital of the powerful Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1923 after World War I.   Remember too, that this city was renamed Istanbul by the Ottoman Turks.  Before it was part of the Byzantine Empire and known as Constantinople.  Turkey is a very unique country in that it is democratic and secular while being just nearly 100% Muslim.  Turkey is historically renowned for its cross-cultural heritage and its interesting position between the East and the West. 

If you look across from the Blue Mosque you then see the Hagia Sophia.  I'll talk more about this old church/mosque/museum later.

Inside the Blue Mosque, which is officially named the Sultan Ahmet Mosque.  The nickname comes from the elaborate blue tiles that covering the inside walls and domes.

I learned that in mosques they are hanging lanterns style chandeliers that reach down from the tall ceilings to light up the prayer areas.

There are no seats inside mosques.  There is thick, soft, very comfy carpet that worshipers use to kneel on facing the city of Mecca.

Looking up you see the impressive domes with the famous blue tiles and the chains for the chandeliers.                                This ends the trip to the Blue Mosque, which was actually the first mosque I had ever been inside.  It was extremely serene and much different than any other church or synagogue I've seen.  There are no paintings of people like in the great Catholic churches since Muslims worship no icons.   Also, there is always an altar under a dome facing Mecca, the holiest city in Islam.

Next, we have the Basilica Cistern dating back to the times of Constantinople.  It was built under Byzantine emperor Justinian I during the 6th century.  This cistern for centuries was a filtration system for the palaces of Constantinople and later for the Ottoman Topkapi Palace.

Not sure if there have always been gold fish swimming around the columns.

In the very back corner of the cistern are two columns with the head of Medusa built into the base.  These heads were actually brought from other Roman buildings and built into the cistern later.  Medusa was the snake-headed woman in Greek mythology who gaze turned those who looked at her face into stone.  Therefore, these structures were built into many important buildings and monuments for protection.

 

YUM!  Turkey has amazing pastries!  Remember Turkish Delight from the Chronicles of Narnia books?  I got to try some!

Random man dressed in funny, "traditional" clothes with whom tourists could take pictures for a few Lira (Turkish money).

Entrance to the Hagia Sophia. This church was finished in 360 AD and was a part of the Byzantine Empire until 1453 as an Eastern Orthodox Basilica.  At the end of this empire came the Ottomans who added minarets to the basilica and turned it into a mosque.  In 1931, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, this building was secularized and made a museum under the new democratic rule of Ataturk .

Huge domes!

Like in most mosques, the low hanging chandeliers from the ceiling.

These enormous medallions with Arabic script spanned 24 feet.

Here was the interesting Sweating Holy Hole.  Over the years this hole appeared naturally in one of the columns from water that developed from within.  Apparently, if you stuck your thumb in and turned your hand 360 degrees  getting the water on your thumb while saying your prayer itwould then come true.  I decided to give it a go.

Upstairs in under the mosaic ceilings.

These christian mosaics depicting Christ were covered by the Ottomans as mosques do not allow images of people or other icons (even though Christ is recognized as a prophet by Muslims).  Once the Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum restoration work began on uncovering these Byzantine masterpieces that are made entirely of gold pieces.

Huge doors at the entrance made of Bronze that no longer close.

At the gate to the Topkapi Palace that was part of the old city walls. 

Entrance to the Topkapi Palace.  It construction was ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II after his defeat of Byzantine Constantinople.  It was the home of the Sultans for over 400 years.

Fountain at entrance with water flowing out of each side.

Walking along the tram lines in the Old Town.

The New Mosque down by the Golden Horn waterway.

Outside of all mosques are faucets or small fountains with chairs for people to wash their hands, feet, face, etc. before entering. 

Entrance to the Spice Market.

Spices!  Cinnamon, curry powder, cumin, sage, etc.!

Sweet stuff like dried apricots and dates, pastries, turkish delight, and sweetened nuts.

Aaahhhh!  The streets are heaving outside of the market.

The second largest mosque in Istanbul, Süleymaniye Mosque.  Built by the Sultan Suleyman in 1550, this mosque sits on top of a huge hill and can be seen from all over the city.

Unlike the immensely elaborate and comparably loud decor of the Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye is known for its peaceful interior designs.

The big dome.

Entrance to Istanbul University.

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar.  This enormous market claims to be the world oldest shopping experience.  Built between 1455and 1461, it houses over 4,000 shops and almost half a million visitors each day.                

So much stuff for sale!  Spices, treats, coffees, teas, souvenirs, Turkish shirts and flags, lamps, oriental rugs, pottery, and so much more.

There are cats and dogs all over the city.  This kitty found a comfy place in the pretty flowers.

Blue mosque at night.

Hagia Sophia at night.

SultanAhmet fountains and Hagia Sophia.

MMMMM!  Eggplant stuffed with mashed potatoes, chicken and cheese.  Also, a meatball stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheese.

Inside the Archeological Museum known as second to none other in the world.  Here are some glazed brick mosaics taken from the Ishtar Gate which led to the city of Babylon.

Mummies!  Istanbul has a long standing relationship with Egypt through both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

The museum displays over one million artifacts that come from almost all of the eras and civilizations in world history, including ancient Arabia, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Byzantine.

Once was a temple.

The most famous artifact here, the Alexander Sarcophagus.  It was perhaps made for the king of Sidon now Lebanon and has greatly detailed depictions of Alexander the Great.

Entering the part of the museum dedicated to Ottoman tiles, mosaics, and pottery.

Entering the Chora Church on the outskirts of the main Old Town area from the times of Constantine.

The gold mosaics are seen as one of the greatest examples of Byzantine art.  Restoration work has only unearthed a marginal amount of these beautiful gold murals.

Dome of the basilica with angels and the mother Mary.

Fresh in the morning to catch the "Nostalgic" Bosphorus River Tour.  This was an all day boat ride that went up and down the European and Asian coastlines of Istanbul.

Starting out on the tour you see the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower in the background.

Riding away from the harbor you see the Suleymaniye Mosque.

Here was the Ortakoy Mosque next to the Dolmabahçe Palace. 

Dolmabahçe Palace, which was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire for a short period of time.

Map of our boat tour!

Here we are coming upon our three hour layover in the small, Asian fishing village called Anadolukavagi (a mouthful, huh?).  You can see on the top of the hill here some old castle ruins we climbed to after having some fresh fish for lunch.

They caught this during our boat tour.

On the hike up to the castle.

Halfway up, looking back down on the village and the Bosphorus.

Whew, finally made it to the castle.

Wild, but friendly dogs looking for hand outs.

Restaurant in the village for the tourists.

Back on the boat on the way back to the harbor, we see the Maiden's Tower.  This small structure, which dates back to ancient Greek and Byzantine times, sits on a very tiny island.  It was built in 408 BC as a means of controlling traffic on the waters, but it was used for centuries as a light house as well.  Nowadays, you can take a ferry to it and eat in the cafe inside.

Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque seen from the waterway.

Topkapi Palace seen from the boat tour on top of the hill.

Next day, walking across the Galata Bridge that spans the Golden Horn waterway connecting to the Bosphorus.  The bridge was first built in the 6th century. 

Today this is a two-story bridge with restaurants below with servers begging for your service and freeway above with lots of traffic.

The fishermen line up and down the Galata Bridge daily.

After crossing the bridge, we walked up the big hill to the Galata Tower.  Built in 1348, the tower was part of the fortress of an Italian Genoese community living in the Byzantine Empire.  The Ottomans used it to spot fires all over the city.

The Istiklal Avenue in the more modern, cosmopolitan section of Istanbul's Old Town.  This is where you find the nightlife and newer stores.

It was our lucky day as we stumbled onto a random parade on the avenue.

At the end of the long avenue is Taksim Square.  This is in the heart of the cosmopolitan area and was built in 1928 as part of the new Turkish Republic.  The monument was erected for the Taksim Square Massacre in 1977 when a protest turned violent on Labour Day.

A Simit (pronounced see-meet) stand.  These were all over the place selling these simit, which were almost like a bagel covered in sesame seeds.

After seeing it on the boat tour we visited the Ortakoy Mosque.

Entrance to the Dolmabahçe Palace. 

Guards standing outside the palace.

The Istiklal Avenue tram.

The tram fights to get through the immense crowd of people on Istiklal Avenue.

A view of Taksim Square from atop a nearby restaurant.

That marks the end of my journey to Istanbul.  As you can see, it was an action packed adventure.  The city certainly lived up to my expectations and I highly recommend a visit by all who could squeeze it in. 

Also, I collected most of the info about the city from wikipedia.