Here is the link to the photos for the trip.

Bev's Russia Photos

Turkish TV

It's pouring rain outside and nothing is open. I can't even get my morning coke from the corner store. So I'm laying around watching TV. I found that Netflix show Lilyhammer; it's English with Turkish subtitles. Check out the cigarette.

Haiga Sophia

I'm not going to write this history you can find it here.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Photos are difficult because of the lighting and ever present scaffolding used for restoration. Based on the amount of dust on the supports for the scaffolding I think it's the same from the last time I visited. 

Anyway, as John's lovely post a few days ago said, this was originally a Varangian trip so I will end with a shot of the Varangian guard graffiti. It is in runic written in the 10th century and seems to be in support of the guard commander. 

 

[John: this is the Halfdan "Half Dane" Inscription and is illegible except for the name]

Roman Istanbul

Istanbul is focused very much on the Ottoman & Byzantine empires while glossing over the Roman history of the city (The Hippodrome with its ancient Egyptian obelisk isn't even marked on the local tourist map). I tend to think of Istanbul as a Roman city and glaze over the separation between the Roman Empire and the Byzantine period. This can make it difficult to see the parts of the Roman city.

The original Justinian palace is now partially buried under the Blue Mosque. However, part of the old palace has been found and the mosaics have been restored and remain at the original site in the Grand Palace Mozaic Museum.

The actual restoration of the mosaics was partially completed in the Haiga Irene which is itself linked to a Roman history. 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Irene

Unfortunately, the stage is directly under the dome and most of the ceiling is covered by a net so I couldn't get a great dome shot. But as you can see from this photo it is very simple. 

And of course, the cistern, famous because they stole building materials from the surrounding area. 

Blue Mosque

I don't think I'm going to go into the Blue Mosque this trip. It's generally has so many people praying that it is a very uncomfortable environment to be a tourist. I understand that there is currently only a very small section open to tourists and the lines are huge. Anyway, I found a great photo.

And this great blog with history and photos from different times and angles. 

http://cannundrum.blogspot.com.tr/2012/11/sultan-ahmed-or-blue-mosque-istanbul.html?m=1

Please note: I did not fact check the blog. 

Turkish Money

The portrait on the front of each bill is Ataturk. 

I didn't have any issues with the money in Russia, but with the green 20t bill and the same tone of blue as our $5 on the 100t I've started confusing the bills when I pay. No one would ever let me under pay but sometimes people hand me back a wad of bills when I give them a blue bill and I end up with an awkward moment with a stupid look on my face.

Time Passes

I remember last time I was here it seemed like there were a lot of temporary structures. Everything seemed fragile and impermanent. Now everything feels more settled.

There are even flat screens in the grand bazaar. 

In Russia the Burger Kings looked exactly like in Canada. McDonald's was translated to Cyrillic and losthe logo. But here Burger King is golden. 

The 400 year old hamam is still here, at the top bazaar entrance and now they have a website. 

http://www.cemberlitashamami.com/index.php?dil=en

Topkapi Palace

The haram and private quarters have the best tile work. In this first shot notice how they started with one pattern and then end with another. 

Istanbul

I dumped my stuff at the hotel and ran out into the city to the sound of duelling mosques. In areas where there are mosques close together the muezzins can interfere with each other so instead of singing simultaneously they alternate; I sing the first line then you sing the first line; I sing the second line you sing the second line. It has a lovely effect. 

This is a bad photo of the blue mosque. 

Haiga Sophia. 

Varangian Trade Routes

This trip started out as a kind of the "Varangian Trade Route" trip.  However, tensions along the route of the Varangians to the Greeks, passing through Kiev, down the Dnieper river close to the Crimea on the Black Sea, obviously changed that plan.

The Varangians ran two great routes the one "from Varangians to Greeks" connecting the Kievan Rus and Vikings with the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople and a second route connecting Varangians with the Khazars and the Muslim World through the Caspian Sea.

Both routes in "Russia" began at the mouth of the Neva on the Gulf of Finland where Saint Petersburg now stands then along the shores of Lake Ladoga.

The first route was down the Volkhov River to Novogorod  then through various river systems and eventually through Smolensk, where the Dnieper River rises, to Kiev, the Black Sea and across to Constantinople.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_route_from_the_
Varangians_to_the_Greeks

So important were relations with Byzantium that the newly Christianized Rus under Vladimir I of Kiev sent 6,000 men to Emperor Basil II as part of a military assistance agreement. The proven loyalty of the Varangians, many of whom had previously served in Byzantium, led the Emperor to employ them as his personal guardsmen, becoming the core of the famous Varangian Guard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard

The Volga River route would have passed by the sites of Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan before it emptied into the Caspian Sea many kilometers to the south.

International trade along the Volga only declined after the fall of the Khanates of Kazan (1552) and Astrakhan in (1556), when the entire length of the Volga came under Russian control. But the river kept its importance for long-distance trade—this time, trade within Russia, as well as, between Russia and Persia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_trade_route

Leaving Russia

Next stop Istanbul!

Just sitting here in the airport waiting to board my flight and I'm experiencing an immense feeling of relief. I had a great time here but I realize now I've been feeling oppressed. I think it's the need to make sure I'm following the rules while being on my best behaviour which here essentially means letting everyone push in front of me. 

I'm looking forward to Istanbul. I was there in the late 1990's so I feel like I know what to expect. In Istanbul it's always fair to push so long as the competition is not elderly. 

Kremlin Tour Guide

My guide has a master or PhD in linguistics but works as an English and history teacher. She has travelled inside Europe, is married and a bit older than myself. Her husband works in business. She lived through the end of the Soviet era. For years she has been giving tours to English speaking tourists and not ignorant tourists; her tours attract business professional and professors.

She is a staunch supporter of Putin and thinks Russians need a strong ruler to keep Russians in order.

She says some Russians think that Lenin was paid by Germany to start the revolution.

She has an interesting story on the Crimea at the time of separation in the 1990's and the current conflict.

When the Ukraine originally separated Russia / USSR gifted the Crimea to the Ukraine as an autonomous province on the condition that the people of the Crimea consent by vote. This condition was forgotten and the vote never held. The most recent vote in the Crimea was the vote that should have been held. It was democratic and a proper vote to international standards. Russia is the most democratic country in the world and Putin always follows the law and is very clever because he found the law on the Crimean vote. The current troubles in the Ukraine are caused by American interference in the O&G interests in the Ukraine. The US doesn't want a strong Russia. (That I agree with; a strong Russia means US has more trouble in the UN). Russians have access to the BBC and other foreign news and are not kept in the dark. 

Soviet Reforms

During the Soviet era, religion was abolished and many churches and cathedrals were destroyed or turned to new functions.

This church, the All Saints Church on Kulishki, was used by the KGB. When the church was reverted back for religious purposes in the 1990's bones of the KGB victims were discovered in the basement. 

The original church of the now Pussy riot church was demolished to build a grand sky scraper (one of Stalin's seven sisters). The ground turned out to be too swampy so instead the largest outdoor swimming pool was built on the site and remained there until the church was rebuilt after the fall of the Soviet  Union. 

This church, Our Lady of Kazan, sits on the corner of Red Square. The original was destroyed and a large public bathroom made of marble was installed in its place. 

The Pussy Riot Church

Formerly known as the cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

The original cathedral was built to celebrate Napoleon's withdrawal from Moscow. It was designed based off Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (I'll be there next week). Like many of the religious institutions, this church was destroyed in the Soviet era and has since been rebuilt.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Christ_the_Saviour

River Cruise

I spent most of the day on and off a Volga river cruise. One side was primarily nature reserve and Gorky Park whole the other was big city.

I'm dying to know what this building is going to be. I love that they decorated it while some floors are still being built. 

Food Part II

I just want to soften my previous comments on food. Although, the breakfast are in my mind in edible, the pizza is really quite good as is the roasted or grilled meat, kabobs, sushi and fried potatoes and other grilled veggies. I really like dill, so I don't care if they put it on everything. I'd kill for a carrot tho. 

I'm not taking back anything I said about ghost railway stations. They are maddening and now, in Moscow, they have troops in full kit moving through and taking priority. 

Cemeteries

Cemetery at Ruriks hill fort in V. Novgorod.  

Unknown plot in Nevsky monastery in St Petersburg. 

Unknown plots in unknown church cemetery in Kostroma. 

Flea Market

I spent most of the day at the Izmaylovo market. During the week this is a giant tourist trap but on Saturdays it becomes a giant tourist trap + flea market where you can find anything from nesting dolls to 15 century icons, antiques, stamps, and coins.

I spent most of my day discussing the Calgary Flames, their Stanley cup win, Fluery, the Saddledome, Rocket Richard, Bobby Orr and who ever the goalie in the '72 series was. 

This costs 200 roubles or $6. A $1 bill costs 100 roubles or $3. I wonder if the $1 bill is worth more here or at home. 

Here is my loot from the day:  professional Russia themed patriotic poker cards (they assure me there are 52), a coin from Catherine the Great (re-struck - originals go for $75) and Pushkin's Fairy Tales with traditional illustrations designed for the black lacquer boxes.