The Bosporous Has A Soul

Today is our first full day in Istanbul and we began our very full day with a visit to the Spice Bazaar, where we found all sorts of fresh spices, sacks of henna, many varieties of oils and herbs and of course the world's very best Turkish delight. Afterwards we visited Robert College, a private high school founded by Americans. This prestigious high school is the number one high school in all of Turkey and graduates of this school go on to attend the best Turkish Universities as well as top universities in the US and Europe.

The remainder of the morning we had the ride of a lifetime-an incredible cruise along the Bosporous. The views took my breath away. At that moment I realized that I was in Istanbul, the city that is the crossroads of Europe and Asia. And this great waterway is its heart and its the soul. It breathes today with a life force that has existed for thousands of years, as man, vessels, goods and ideas have passed through this waterway. Along its banks lie opulent palaces, fine mosques, fortresses and traditional wooden Ottoman mansions. Orhan Oamuk, Turkey's most famous poet wrote of the Bosphorus, " To be traveling through the middle of a city as great....and historic as Istanbul, and yet feel the freedom of the open sea-that is the thrill of a trip along the Bosphorus."

In the afternoon, we visited the seaside neighborhood of Kuzguncuk and there we toured three houses of worship, a Sephardic Temple, an Armenian Orthodox Church and a Greek Orthodox Church. These places underscore Istanbul's long history of religious tolerance, where Christians, Jews and Muslims have lived together in peace and mutual respect. Today the Kozguncuk neighborhood is still cultural mosaic of Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Turkish communities.