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Nazarenos From Sevilla (2002)

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September 15, 2025

Semana Santa…….and we were in Sevilla!

Ku Klux Klan?

Look at these pictures. It’s not some Ku Klux clan rally or some costume party or some parade. This is a Good Friday procession in the heart of Seville, Spain. We stayed in Hotel Don Paco, and right in front of our hotel, some 4 to 5 processions must have passed. Carried on the shoulders of locals called “costaleros” , the pasos(religious statues) weaved through the narrow streets from almost all corners! Behind and in front of the pasos walked locals called “nazarenos” wearing capes as you’d see in these photos. Some are in white capes, others in purple, some in blue, and many others in black and green . From our hotel , we watched as all these processions emerged from all streets………..and seemed to merge in the plaza near the shopping center (Serpies). Not too far away, we found a St. Joseph’s chapel where we heard Good Friday mass . It was ironic that the streets outside were fully packed with crowds of all ages, and then find many vacant seats inside the church. Among the churchgoers were senior folks, young children obviously towed by their grandparents, and us. The other adults and young teens were all out in the streets watching the religious processions and then disappeared into the many tapas bars all around Sevilla. A bit sad about this, but then times have changed. Walking back to our hotel, we got stuck with more processions.

City Tour of Seville

The following morning, our local guide Carmen toured us around Seville, starting with Casa Pilatos which sadly pales in comparison with Alhambra. But of course. Yet it is not bad at all. Then there is the cathedral with the Giralda Tower which only happens to be the 3rd largest Gothic Cathedral and the biggest altar in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican , and St. Paul’s in London. The Cathedral also happens to be the resting place of Christopher Columbus. And then there is the Alcazar, the royal palace where Muslim taifa rulers and Christian monarchs including Pedro I (Peter the Cruel) lived. Before calling it a night, we went to watch a Flamenco Show in this place crowded by tourists of almost all nationalities. The ticket to the Patio Sevillano show already included a glass of diluted wine or some diluted juice. The show started with 4 female flamenco dancers, each one good. It was wonderful to watch the dancers’ agility with the fans, castanets or even their shawls! But the best was the solo performance of this male flamenco dancer who sweated through his routine. He stomped the floor like there was no tomorrow, he flipped his hands better than the women dancers, his back arched more than any other. That performance alone, makes it worth it. Such intensity!

A famous landmark in Seville is the Plaza Espana in Maria Luisa Park where they had the 1929 American – Iberian Exhibition marking 500 years since the time Christopher Columbus discovered America. Truly a panorama of tiled ballustrades, fountains, towers, etc. Most of the lovely buildings were converted into embassies. We took many of the photos on this spread in this park.

Lunch meant more tapas and a good paella. But we were finding it difficult to appreciate the paella here as we were not used to a very wet paella. Perhaps that is really how the Spaniards cook their paellas? Mind you, we have tried many while touring around Spain.

Here in Sevilla, it was not different. It was just as wet as the other paellas we have tried. But then, there were the many tapas to try. Jamon Iberico, quezo manchego, and those baby eels. Hmmm. Yummy.

Remember the opera “Carmen”? Our guide reminded us of this young maiden working in a tobacco factory where 6,000 other women worked, and which magnificent building now houses a college in Seville. This is very near the Sevilla Pavillion which by the way, now houses a casino. And here’s some trivia from our local guide: Lope de Vega, Cervantes and Shakespeare all died in the same year. Hmmm. Okay.

The next day, we left Sevilla soon after breakfast on our way to Lisbon, Portugal. Two hours into the ride, we reached the border. Before crossing, we stopped by this village where they make my favorite ham : Jamon Iberico de Jabugo. What makes it so special? Hogs used to make this ham are fed acorns! After this, you can forget Jamon Serrano.

Spain is one country certainly worth visiting. But if there is one area where we would choose to stay longer, that would be Sevilla. Tapas, flamenco, jamon jabugo. If you get lucky, you may even watch a bullfight.

Tags: Europe, Food Trip, Musings and Ramblings, Sevilla, Spain, Travel, Travels

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The Rock of Gibraltar (2002)

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Who wants to go through all the trouble of securing a UK visa for a day trip to the Rock of Gibraltar? In my home country, a UK visa is as rare as a visa for the US, and costs quite a lot. A day in the Rock of Gibraltar does not do justice to the nearly US$100 we paid for the visa to enter this UK colony.

The Rock

The Rock is a crown property of United Kingdom in the southern coast of Spain. This limestone promontory juts out into the Strait of Gibraltar and on a clear day, one can enjoy a glimpse of Northern Africa across the Strait . History claims that the area was named after a former slave Tariq who led an army guarding the Rock. Natives thus called the rock Jabal Tariq, which meant Tariq’s mount. Through the years, Jabal Tariq assumed the name Gibraltar. It is interesting to mention that before Columbus discovered America, Gibraltar was thought to be the end of the earth. In fact, the Spanish town Tarifa actually means end of something in Arabic. It was thought then that if one were to go beyond Tarifa, one would fall over the edge of the earth!

With its extended tunnel system or underground passages, the site proved to be a keystone in defending the area against the Germans during World War II. Such military significance inspired the saying “solid as the rock of Gibraltar” . In fact, Prudential Financial uses the Rock as its logo to signify how solid the company is!

Hell Lady Driver from Gibraltar

With 40%!o(MISSING)f the land area classified as nature preserve, there was very little area and very little to do within the Rock. We took a taxi driven by a 67 year old hell of a driver grandmother cum tourist guide. Cost us 20 euros to zigzag our way up to the highest point . Right on this site, we found the “Two Pillars of Hercules” . The myth went that one of the pillars rests on the Rock , while the second pillar rests on the African side.

We visited one of the hundred caves that can be found in this peninsula . The most famous are St. Michael’s Cave and Gorham’s cave. The stalactites are really no different from the usual, and we found ourselves out of the cave soon enough , only to find that the place at the mouth of the cave is littered with monkeys. My apologies, but I was never a big fan of monkeys. Especially the unruly kind. One even got comfortable sitting on the head of one of the elderly ladies. There were so many we felt crowded out. So we decided to take the cab down and simply check out the shops. Just an hour and a half strolling around, and that was it for our adventure on this rock fortress. If we had a chance to stay a couple more days here, I am almost sure we’d run out of things to do. So there. Been there, done that.

Tags: Europe, Gibraltar, Musings and Ramblings, rock of Gibraltar, Travel, Travels

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From Alhambra To Costa del Sol

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September 12, 2025

The weekend seemed promising as we planned to spend it in a beachfront hotel in Fuengirola in the Costa del Sol area. There was time enough too to visit Mijas, a quaint little town with whitewashed houses, cobble-stoned paths, and donkey or buro carts. Looking at pictures from Mijas, I swear one can easily mistake them for shots of Santorini with its whitewashed stone houses and blue-painted doors. Plus, from what we hear, the shopping is good too!

But I am really getting ahead of my story…………

It was an ordeal having to wake up early today to visit Alhambra Palace before driving out of Granada towards Costa del Sol. If you care to have a good 8hour sleep, make sure you don’t spend Semana Santa in dear Espana. I have no problems with our accommodations in Granada. It was a big mistake though to open the windows and enjoy the breeze last night, when all seemed quiet and tranquil. The commotion outside in the streets below our open windows drew me out of a deep slumber. When I woke up, I couldn’t even think if I were home in Manila, or in Madrid, Toledo or Granada. Granada it was, and it was only 2:30 in the morning. As the shuffle of passing feet and lighted candles finally dawned on me, I simply said my prayers as this religious procession passed and turned the corner from our hotel. The mild shock was hard to shake off, so I struggled to catch a few more winks before our tour of Alhambra Palace early this morning.

Alhambra and the Cathedral of Malaga

Our local guide, Antonio, looked like your average retired professor of history in university. He rattled off dates and other details relating to Alhambra Palace , a former Moorish royal residence . Alhambra dominates the skyline and has 2 parts : the Alcazaba (fortress) and the Palacio de Nazaries. Nasrid Granada, being one of the richest cities in Medieval Europe, certainly showed off their wealth in this magnificent palace. History dates Muslim conquest as early as 711 A.D., until they were expelled after ruling for well over 700 years. As Antonio explained, Granada was the last Muslim stronghold which was finally recaptured during the reign of Fernando and Isabella, the royal Catholic monarchs of Castilla and Aragon, two of the four major provinces of Spain. Antonio did not fail to point out to us the original concept of airconditioning where antique plumbing drew water to flow around and through the Palace to “cool” it , how tiled walls and intricate wood carvings obviously bear Moorish elements, and how the Moorish monarchs may have enjoyed the Generalife Gardens right beside the palace.

In the afternoon, we passed by the famous Cathedral of Malaga where “pasos” bearing the statues of Christ and Mother Mary were being readied for the procession. (Let’s hope this time, it won’t pass our hotel at 2:30am). We did not stay very long here and just had enough time to check out the Cathedral and view the Palace atop a hill . Which was fine, as we longed to reach our hotel in Fuengirola. Our room in Hotel Pyramides offered a beachfront view in this golf club resort town. Many of the guests were tanned to the bones either from sunbathing or from playing too much golf. The hotel served good food and our spacious room even had an anteroom! My friend Emy promptly checked out the nearby supermercado and bought a few hundred grams of Jamon Iberico de Jabugo (to die for, take my word for it) and Quezo Manchego (from sheep, love it!). Not bad. And all that ham and cheese went with Sangria too. Oh, such a lovely day! But not for long………our very big room looks out to the bars and nightclubs by the beach, with all that disco music blaring without let up till 5 a.m. My, these Spanish teens and yuppies surely know how to live it up. And it was a Thursday night!

Day Trip to Mijas

We woke up late the following morning. After all that disco music, who cared to wake up early? Not wasting time, we checked the maps and bus routes and slipped out of the hotel to take the bus from Fuengirola to Mijas. This quaint little town did not disappoint. We had our very own little Santorini minus the beach and the caldera. Touts for donkey rides were hard to shake off, but we managed to stroll around the little town on our own and enjoyed it immensely. I bought an ottoman footstool, a leather backpack, Spanish fans, even a flamenco dress for my grandniece! Oh, I can’t wait to see her in this red and white polka-dotted dress with its tiered skirt. The flamenco dress for the 4 year old went with a pair of castanets too! Now, tell me which doting grandmom could resist that?

By the time we were done with our shopping , we were really ready for our lunch. We feasted on frituras (flour coated and fried seafood such as squid, fish, shrimps) , paella, grilled swordfish and that cold very Spanish soup called Gazpacho. I liked everything else, but I wasn’t a big fan of cold soups. So there……..

On our way back to our hotel, we thought there was time enough for a stroll at the beach. So, soon after we dumped our stuff, we headed for the beach. There were not too many people around. We wondered why. We were almost back at the hotel when we finally discovered why. It’s siesta time!

Tags: Alhambra Palace, Costa del Sol, Europe, Food Trip, Fuengirola, Granada, Midas, Musings and Ramblings, Spain, Travel, Travels

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Toledo : City of 3 Cultures

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September 9, 2025

Just a short, comfortable one hour drive from Madrid to reach this impressive city of 3 cultures. I have to admit that I had my expectations of Toledo, having seen too many paintings of the Spanish city. Yet, I was still awed by its sheer beauty. This place shouldn’t be missed, and should be in everybody’s list to visit after Madrid. Through many narrow alleyways, we passed many houses with Moorish balconies. These ‘extensions’ served as ‘peek out’ places for Muslim women staying indoors and preferring not to be seen. I can just imagine them sneaking a look into the vibrant street scene in Toledo’s narrow alleyways while fiddling with their worry beads.

The mixture of artistic styles speaks volumes on how Arabs, Christians and Jews once lived together in this former imperial capital. Much like the mixed settlements found in the walled city of Old Jerusalem ( check out my earlier blog: When Every Prayer Bead Counts in Israel). The maze of streets make up this city bound by walls and accessed through various gates. We entered through the main gate, the Bisagra Gate, and passed a number of synagogues, mosques and churches. The highlight of my trip to Toledo is easily the Church of Santo Tome , made famous by El Greco’s painting “El Entierro del Conde Orgaz” which translates to “The Burial of Count Orgaz”. By itself, this painting makes the trip to Toledo truly worthwhile. To this day, I can still imagine the many shades of black in this painting. El Greco is truly a genius. The sheer white organza over the black garment showed his genius to the fore. One can almost feel how thin and gossamer the organza fabric was. So with the lacy cloth adorning the necks of those depicted in the scene. El Greco lived out his sunset years in Toledo and truly paid homage to his second home as he immortalized the now famous vista of the entire township, the skyline dominated by the Alcazar and the Toledo Cathedral, and the many winding alleys and cobble-stoned pathways of this place so rich in history and steeped in culture.

Mudejar Style In Art and Architecture

All around the historic city, there is the mozarab (Christians who lived under the Muslim rule) and mudejar styles expressed in the art and architecture.

The arches, ornately designed windows , and other architectural elements envelop you as you walk their streets. While viewing Toledo’s famous cathedral, we saw many tourists shunted to the sides as cars weaved through the very narrow streets of this former capital of La Mancha, now declared a heritage site. (That is the 3rd time I used the word narrow). While waiting for the cars to pass, it was easy to get tempted to get inside some of the quaint looking stores selling mazapan and turrones. And so we allowed ourselves to be tempted and then and there, decided to leave space in our bags before flying home to load up on these goodies. While munching our new finds back into the square, we paused to take in the cathedral with its very flamboyant Gothic architecture. The doorway, with its 3 doors, depicted features of hell, forgiveness and judgment. It was reported that there was a time when indulgences were granted to penitents passing through the door of forgiveness or pardon. These days, it is almost always closed except for very special occasions.

A Hero’s Sorrow

On a hill to the right of the Cathedral is the Alcazar, the military citadel. A most interesting story has been attached to this monument of art and heroism. The Siege of Alcazar recounts the heroism and supreme sacrifice in the name of patriotic duty of General Jose Moscardo Ituarte back in 1936. For 70 days, Moscardo held out for General Franco’s Nationalist forces and defended the citadel. The Republicans then captured Moscardo’s 16 year old son, Luis, and threatened to shoot him unless Moscardo cedes the citadel. Asking to speak to his son, Moscardo said “Commend yourself to God and die like a patriot” to which his teenage son replied “That, I can do”. Truly, Luis is his father’s son. Moscardo lost his son and up to his final days, wore a black cloak of mourning over his army uniform. The drama and the tragedy are now integral to any story relating to the cathedral.

Long after we left Toledo, we can’t help wondering if the religious tolerance accounted for the very diverse character of this heritage site. Imagine the very Gothic Toledo Cathedral with Mudejar characteristics (claimed to be the 3rd largest in the world), or houses lining the alleys with their Moorish balcony extensions over your heads as you pass, as well as imagining the interfaith harmony as Arabs, Jews and Christians all established their settlements here in this place where their respective arts and culture were allowed to flourish and blossom. The peace and harmony fostered by this religious tolerance may have encouraged many Arab, Jewish and Christian scholars to settle in Toledo and hone their crafts. Just like the Pax Romana where art and culture flourished, here is another example that indeed, “Peace Pays” .

Tags: Europe, Food Trip, Musings and Ramblings, Spain, Travel, Travels

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Ola or Olé ? (2002)

Filed under: Europe, Spain, Travel, travels — 2 Comments

I have been practicing my Spanish for a while………and felt confident enough to go around Spain just a month after my surgery. My doctor said I drive her crazy. My surgeon said I should go ahead and celebrate life. Between those 2 medical opinions, I favored my surgeon’s advice.

Long Trip to Madrid From Manila

With my nephew Ryll and good friend Emy in tow, we braved the long trip from manila to madrid. Left 5 pm Monday; arrived noon next day in Madrid. It was a long trip via Hongkong and Paris. And that is not counting the 3 hour wait in each airports! The Air France flights all went smoothly, and we actually enjoyed all the in-flight meals and movies.

Talking about first experience in good old Madrid……….we hired a cab as soon as we stepped out of the airport to take us to Hotel Praga where we would meet up with our travel group same day 6pm. The taxi driver was some hustler who reminded us so much of Mel Gibson with his unshaven moustache and beard. Senor Gibson overcharged us – we paid 50 euros for a cab ride that should have just cost us only 30 euros. He said it was the Spanish fiesta, as we arrived right on Fathers’ Day (which we later learned was the Feast Day of St. Joseph), and therefore there are extra cab charges. We did not bother arguing with him on our first hour on Spanish soil. By the time we reached Hotel Praga in Madrid, we were just too eager to wave him goodbye.

We met Roberto, our tour director from Cosmos, along with 48 (yes, 48) fellow travellers. A real big group which included 11 Filipinos including the 3 of us. There was this Filipino-Chinese family of 6 pax and a couple from Dallas, Texas who have not visited the Philippines for nearly 2 decades. The tour group also counted some Canadians, British, Australians, Mexicans, Americans. Mostly senior citizens except for the Canadian group made up of young Cornell University graduates, maybe in their mid 20’s. Emy and I roomed up, while Ryll roomed up with Douglas. After our meeting with the Tour Group, Ryll , Emy and I didn’t waste time and went to explore Madrid straight away. We took the bus from the hotel to reach Plaza Mayor.

Right smack in the middle of Puerta del Sol near Plaza Mayor is Kilometro 0 where 10 streets converge and where distances are all measured. There were so many people around. And so many pickpockets too! Too many shops, tascas, tapa bars. Except that the shops were all closed because , as Senor Gibson said, today is a holiday!

Long Walk For A Cup of Chocolate and Some Churros

Armed with our Lonely Planet travel book, we walked up to Calle de Preciados and found Iglesia de San Gines. No, we weren’t planning to go to church today. The LP book had the iglesia as landmark to find what was allegedly the best place for churros con chocolate. Mind you, the Chocolateria de San Gines has every right to boast it has the best churros in town. It was an experience just dunking those churros in that thick hot chocolate. While enjoying all this, we can’t help but notice this old man we assumed to be the owner of the chocolateria with his loyal dog by his side, seated at a corner table. He saw everyone in, and barked orders from his seat. We likewise assumed that the busboy , cashier and other servers must be his son and daughters. I told Ryll that i can see myself in that old man. Tucked into a corner with a loyal dog, reading a good pocketbook, sipping good chocolate or coffee, and barking orders without let up!

Energized by the hot choco and churros, we tried walking back to the Plaza Mayor to catch our bus back to the hotel, but instead ended walking along Calle de Alcala. It was the other way. No problem. The LP book said we should find the Plaza de la Cibeles and the Palacio de Communicaciones here. What a magnificent sight! And it is only their Post Office. The lights did justice to the ancient building, so we took turns having our photos taken here with all that illuminated background. We were sure the Goddess Cybele wouldn’t mind. We also found a church nearby, which happened to be St. Joseph’s Church. The Church was all darkness with lights focused only on the altar where a small choir was singing church hymns. Got goose bumps right that moment, just watching and listening.

Of Siestas, Old Restaurants And A Bit of Shopping

On the way back to the hotel, we also found El Corte Ingles, a famous department store chain. Of course it was closed. We thus kept our money. And since it is nearly Holy Week, we expect to save a lot of money at the rate the Spaniards spend siestas and close shops on almost any excuse or holiday. Let us just hope the restaurants, tavernas, tascas remain open. After all, we do have a long list of Spanish food to check out: paella, callos, cocido madrileno, chochinillo, fabada, bacalao al pilpil, manchego cheese, jamon jabugo, jamon serrano, chorizos, pescado en salsa verde, sopa castellano, turrones, etc.

On our way out of Madrid, we did have a chance to dine at Casa Botin, the acclaimed oldest restaurant in the world. Or so it is claimed in the Guinness Book of Records. El Botin is famous for its cochinillo (suckling pig), cordero (roast lamb), pescado (fish) with accompanying mushrooms and green beans. Ernest Hemingway was said to have dined here often, even had a favorite spot by the brick wall. You can only imagine how many diners tried to sit in that same spot (I should know, I did) and rub their backs on the brick wall.

Other than Casa Botin, there was also that unforgettable lunch at Museo del Jamon. No callos at the time we were there. Instead, we had Fabada, Frituras, Sopa Castellana, Chorizo, Quezo and Gambas. You bet we didn’t miss the chance to try the Manchego cheese. We were still drooling over our lunch here only to be roused out of our dreamy adventure when someone tried to pickpocket Ryll. Nothing stolen, but those 2 gypsies sure came close to it as they managed to unzip Ryll’s front pockets!!!!

No shopping, all eating. Not a bad deal. As we waved temporary farewells to Plaza Colon, Plaza Callao, Plaza Espana, Royal Palace, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, on our way out of Madrid, we felt our bulging waistlines and thought………….Espana is threatening to fatten us for the next 2 weeks.

Tags: Europe, Food Trip, Musings and Ramblings, Spain, Travel, Travels

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I So Love RILA Monastery (1996)

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September 5, 2025

Has anyone been to Bulgaria? Well, our traveling group didn’t cover much ground in Bulgaria but what I remember about this trip is how well we started it. Coming from more than a week’s travel around Greece, we drove from Thessalonika towards Bulgaria. Our introduction to Bulgaria was a visit to the impressive, awesome Rila Monastery. The pictures do not do justice to the lovely sights of Rila Monastery. Do please remember that I was then still using a non-digital camera. Just point and shoot, no reviews permitted. If one gets a double exposure, tough luck.

The Monastery of St. John of Rila

I am not into antiquities. I am not even a collector of anything. I never formed any attachment to material things and a piece of art for me, is really something best preserved and safekept in a museum. At best, I will forever keep a good photo of the place I visited to serve my memory right. It was very cold when we got to Rila Monastery. As in snowy cold. Must be about 3 inches of snow. Which added to the mystery of the place. There were not too many tourists. I’d say there was just our group , which is kind of big at over 30 pax, and perhaps a couple of small groups. I hardly knew where to start.

The Monastery of St. John of Rila is the most famous, if not the largest, Eastern Orthodox monastery in the whole of Bulgaria. This UNESCO World heritage site is a monument to faith, culture and architecture. Some writings cite St. John of Rila as having founded the monastery in the 10th century. Others say he lived in a cave not far from the monastery, and that his remains were safekept in the monastery. (Story goes that St. John or St. Ivan to the Bulgarians, couldn’t put up with the moral decline prevalent during his time, that he chose to live like a hermit in a cave dwelling. Now, if all of us are of the same character as St. John of Rila, I bet this world will run out of caves……..) Whatever, this complex is certainly worth a visit even if one were to skip all other sights in Bulgaria . It is not much to look at from the outside. The front wall looked even bleak.

Alexander Nevsky Church — Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

But as one enters, you will be in awe and marvel at the sights with the high snow-capped mountains as backdrop. One goes through the church entrance and allow one’s self to be enthralled by all the frescoes, the icons, the mosaics which all add to the spirituality within the monastic grounds. This place is Bulgaria’s own renaissance. Now, I wish we could have spent more time here in Rila. But we were told this is just a stopover on our drive towards Sofia. A very pleasant stopover, indeed. Perhaps, next visit we should arrange staying at least a night in the monastery itself. Now, that would really require another visit!

From Rila to Sofia, the Capital of Bulgaria

But hold it………..from Rila, we drove towards the nation’s capital. It was very dark by the time we reached the capital. Hotel Intercontinental provided us with a very pleasant overnight stay. The hotel complex is huge, in stark contrast to the poverty around it. It was hard to enjoy a good meal in the rooftop restaurant and ignore the dilapidated one storey residential dwelling of Sofia’s urban poor. Nor to enjoy the many lanes of the bowling alleys in the basement of Hotel Intercontinental. Perhaps it was constructed as such, if only to discourage hotel guests from venturing out of the hotel compound and risk getting mugged. I wandered around the shops within the hotel complex and felt happy with the single purchase I made. A new cardigan! After dinner and a soak in the tub, I was ready to count sheep.

Sofia is very cosmopolitan. Truly a nation’s cultural, political and commercial capital. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its golden dome is very lovely to look at. My untrained eye soaked in all that beauty while my fellow travelers got busy checking out the many stalls by the cathedral’s side. I can’t blame them. The hand-embroidered table linens and lacy materials were hard to resist. My roommate on this tour, Marylou, ended up with a bundle of table linens. I thought then that she must have a huge dining table. We also checked out Turkish Bashi Mosque, and admired the ancient Church of St. Georgi. There was also an impressive looking Opera and a few concert halls in the city. I thought then how difficult it must be to listen to the opera while one’s stomach is grumbling. My apologies, but it was hard to ignore the contrasts and the gap between the rich and the poor in Sofia. This is not new to me. I see it everyday back home in my own country. Very sad. On that sad note , I missed the opera tonight and had another good night’s sleep instead. Tomorrow, we move towards Bucharest, Romania!

Tags: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Europe, Musings and Ramblings, Sofia, Travel, Travels

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The Many Minarets of Istanbul (1996)

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September 2, 2025

Coming to Istanbul was a very pleasant surprise. Straddling both Europe and Asia, we motored through rural landscapes to the Turkish border till we reached Turkey’s small European foothold to Istanbul. Founded by the Greeks as Byzantium more than 2,500 years ago, renamed Constantinople in the year 330 when Constantine the Great made it the capital of the Roman Empire. After the Ottoman conquest, this Byzantine city along the Bosphorous was renamed Istanbul in the 15th century. Geographically, Istanbul remains the gateway between East and West, Orient and Occident, Christian and Islamic worlds, Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

It was very cold and windy when we got here. Despite the chill, we were game enough to board a small boat and cruise the Bosphorous Canal. I still remember our Turkish guide, Ahmed. I remember some of us elected to stay below rather than on deck where one can appreciate the vista of the many minarets and palaces of Istanbul. With no exception, all of us in the group were pleasantly surprised with the beauty of this city. Cosmopolitan, yet so rich with history. Think Rome…………but with minarets.

Our hotel welcomed us with good Turkish coffee and is located in a pedestrian alley near some boutique shops. This time, I only managed to buy a cashmere blouse. I was too lazy to wash my clothes. Or maybe I found a good excuse to rationalize my behavior. But the cashmere blouse came in handy when we ventured out for dinner and a bellydancing show. We enjoyed our Turkish dinner in this restaurant meant to feed and entertain guests. It was a big hall with ramps snakings around it. After dinner, we learned what the ramps are for. When the belly dancers got on stage, they surely moved around the hall with ease to the delight of many. I certainly enjoyed our adventure tonight. Satisfied many senses.

Dolmabahce Palace

Next day, we found ourselves in Emperor Justinian’s Haggia Sophia and Sultan Ahmet’s Blue Mosque. Standing across each other, these 2 monuments of competing faiths are marvelous creations ! How I wish we had more time to spend here and appreciate the mosaics, architecture, minarets, etc. But we had to rush to spend an afternoon in Topkapi Palace where a local guide waited to give us a tour of the palace museum. We were all stunned by the Imperial Treasury’s Spoonmaker’s Diamond. So called because the diamond is as big as a spoon! Many in the group opted to sit out the rest of the afternoon. The Palace is huge! But no one missed the tour of the Harem.

As our final stop, we were brought to the Grand Bazaar with its 4,000 tiny shops. Oh, i loved it here. Easy to get lost though, as I went to check out the spices and had to retrace my steps to join the rest of the group. From leather jackets to oriental carpets, to spices and nuts, to gold and more gold. I ended up buying a dozen of scarves. Well, I thought they were cheap. Until another one in our group joined us with the same merchandise, claiming she got it for far less. So much for our shopping adventure. Let me have some Turkish coffee!

Postscript: I had a 2nd chance to visit Istanbul some years later. Do check out A Second Time Around In Istanbul.