Two weeks ago I was in my favorite city, Quebec City, Canada! I love this shot in Bas-Ville and the view of the street that is now closed off to vehicular traffic. Notice the cruise ship in the background? Enjoy!
Photography 101: Street Quebec City, Canada
Day 1 in the Photography 101 Challenge is Home! I live in the North Carolina and it has been in the 70’s-80’s daily here for several weeks, our typical Fall weather. Suddenly last evening the overnight temperatures dipped into the mid thirties! I took this shot on my cell phone of the wilting Elephant Ears foliage on my evening walk through the neighborhood. I hope the temperature goes back up!
Home
On a recent visit to Baie St Paul, Quebec, Canada, I came upon these vibrant scarlet berried trees. Can anyone tell what the name of the tree is? Enjoy!
Scarlet Berries, Baie St Paul, Quebec, Canada
The Ship is Moored and Awaiting the Harvest! Quebec City, Canada
The new underground parking lot at Town Hall has been completed. There is now a lively garden area on top of the underground parking complex and it is the perfect spot to spend a fall afternoon! This year the focus of the park surrounds a sunken pool area, where a replica old sailing ship is moored among the fields of the harvest. Every year I can’t wait to see the adventure that awaits at Town Hall! Using the same props from year to year the displays created are always a new design. Hats off to all the workers and designers who make these displays possible! It is what sets Quebec City as the premier city in North America! Let’s load up the Harvest! Quebec City goes all out to decorate their city for Fall. What fun! Enjoy!
The Welcome Sign at the Public Market during Fall Days in Quebec City, Canada
Can Mums be More Beautiful? Quebec City, Canada
Gotta Have the Spooky Tree! Quebec City, Canada
Gotta Have the Spooky Tree in a Field of Pumpkins! Quebec City, Canada
Stacks of Pumpkins from a Vintage Truck, Quebec City, Canada
A Maiden in the Garden! Quebec City, Canada
A Vintage Tractor in the Fields of Pumpkins, Quebec City, Canada
The Mums of Quebec City, Canada!
Carefully Planned Fields of Pumpkins, Wheat, and Mums, Quebec City, Canada
A Farmer in the Field, Quebec City, Canada
Rows and Rows of Pumpkins! Quebec City, Canada
The Sunflower Fields Surrounding the Harvest Ship, Quebec City, Canada
The Harvest Ship, Quebec City, Canada
The Harvest Ship, Quebec City, Canada
The Harvest Ship Is Ready to Load!, Quebec City, Canada
The Back Side of the Harvest Ship, Quebec City, Canada
Giant, Giant Red Pots of Blooms in the Park! Quebec City, Canada
Giant Red Pots of Blooms in the Park! Quebec City, Canada
Le Parc au Petit-Champlain, Quebec City, Canada
It’s that time of year for the annual trip to Quebec City. Without a doubt, it is my favorite city in North America! The shops and parks are decorated for Fall and the weather is sunny and cool! Here are just a few of my favorite sights on a quick walk through Petit-Champlain! Lots to look at here! There is COLOR everywhere! Enjoy!
Stick Trees! Fall Decorations at My Favorite Hotel, Hotel Saint Germaine
My Favorite Basket Planters, Quebec City, Canada
More Fall Planters! Quebec City, Canada
New Planters! Quebec City, Canada
Simple and Chic!
New this year were the four different displays of Plastic in Bas-Ville. Entertaining to say the least and as I studied them there were some baskets I could have used!
Plastic Baubles Anyone?
More Plastic! Quebec City, Canada
And Yet Another! Quebec City, Canada
And Yet Another! Plastic Everywhere! Quebec City, Canada
Perhaps the Plastic Baubles remind us of the fun of Summer and the Sea?
Fall Decorating in the Park! Quebec City, Canada
Apple Anyone? Quebec City, Canada
Street Sign, Quebec City, Canada
Outdoor Seating at Park Next to Le Lapin Restaurant, Quebec City, Canada
Pumpkins, Corn and Rakes! Where Is That Rabbit?
Another View of Le Lapin Restaurant, Quebec City, Canada
I Loved the tiny purple pots!
Decorations at Le Lapin Restaurant, Quebec City, Canada
Le Lapin Restaurant, Quebec City, Canada
I’m Back! We had the most wonderful time in Quebec City! More posts to come about Thanksgiving weekend in my favorite place! Won’t you join me? I’m ready for fall!
A Furrier Sign in Quebec City, Canada
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Just like Rome, Istanbul’s Old Town is built on seven hills. The district called Sultanahmet, on top of the first hill, is the historic city center. This site gave the Greeks control of three surrounding bodies of water; the Bosphorus Strait, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. Leaving Hagia Sophia at one end of Sultanahmet Park, we walk past the beautiful fountain where the arcs of water mimic the domes of Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Here the gardeners are busy planting new flowers in swirls of decorative display.
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
At the opposite end of the park is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque, noted for the interior of blue paint and 20,000 rich, blue, handmade, ceramic tiles in fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at the lower level are traditional in design while the tiles at gallery level are flamboyant with exquisite flowers, fruit and cypresses. The upper floors are dominated by blue paint and more than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs. In addition to the natural light there are massive chandeliers. Ostrich eggs were placed on the chandeliers to repel spiders and prevent cobwebs inside the mosque.
The Courtyard of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
A Chandelier Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
The Sultan’s Tale goes like this.
The Blue Mosque was built in six years from 1609-1616 by the architect, Mehmet Aga, who also built the giant black cube at the center of the mosque in Mecca, the holiest shrine of Islam. Sultan Ahmet I (1590-1617) ascended the thrown at the age of 14 and his greatest achievement was the construction of the Blue Mosque. To prevent future conflicts it was customary for a new sultan to kill his closest brother. Ahmet went against tradition and spared his brother Mustafa’s life. After Ahmet’s death from typhoid at the age of 28, in 1617, his 11 year old son Murat IV, became sultan and had his younger brother, Prince Beyazit strangled, which ended the new tradition and reverted to the old. Murat’s mother, Kösem, was one of the most influential women of her time. Following Ahmet’s death, for nearly a decade Kösem ruled the empire without intrusion because Murat IV, now the the sultan, ruled at such a young age. When Murat died, Kösem placed her grandson, Mehmet, as the next sultan. Mehmet’s mother, tired of Kösem’s domination, had Kösem strangled in her sleep by the eunuchs. And so the story goes.
Outside the Blue Mosque are six minarets. Only one is needed. The imam (prayer leader) or muezzin (a man noted for his talent in voicing the call to prayer) would climb to the top of the minaret five times a day to announce the call. Sultan Ahmet requested six minarets, to flaunt his wealth, but since there were six in Mecca, he had a seventh built in Mecca, as not to upstage the holy shrine.
A Minaret of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Right outside the Blue Mosque is the Hippodrome, the spot for chariot races and a place where people gathered for social and religious disputes, political clashes and violent uprisings. Today there are market stalls here and at night families gather to eat and party.
The Hippodrome, Istanbul, Turkey
The Hippodrome, Istanbul, Turkey
The Hippodrome Market Stalls, Istanbul, Turkey
Eating at Sutanahmet Park, Istanbul, Turkey
The Egyptian Obelisk was carved 1500 years before the birth of Christ to honor the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III, and to commemorate his military achievements. The obelisk was brought here from the Upper Nile and is only the upper one third of the original massive stone block. The base of the block was cut of local marble and the four sides tell the story of Theodosius the Great, and his family, as they sat here watching the chariot races at the Hippodrome.
The Egyptian Obelisk, Istanbul, Turkey
The Column of Constantine was constructed in Istanbul. It was originally sheeted with bronze panels, but in the Fourth Crusade, (early 13th century) the city was looted and the panels stripped to make weaponry.
The Column of Constantine, Istanbul, Turkey
The Column of the Serpent was a victory monument dedicated to the 31 Greek city-states to commemorate their victory over the Persians at Plataea. (479 BC) Originally, this column showed three serpents twisted together, their heads supporting a golden trophy. The golden trophy is long gone and only the jaw of one snake still exists and it is in the Istanbul Archeological Museum. The Hippodrome also was the place of the famous four cast-bronze horses from ancient Greece. During the 4th Crusade they were plundered and taken to Venice, where they now reside at St Mark’s Basilica. (See a photo of them in my Venice posts)
The Column of the Serpent, Istanbul, Turkey
The German Fountain was a gift from the German government to commemorate Kaiser Wilhelm II’s visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was constructed in Germany and transfered in pieces to Istanbul in 1901 and re-assembled on this location.
The German Fountain, Istanbul, Turkey
The Divan Yolu was the main thoroughfare in Byzantine times. The road started right here where the Golden Milestone still stands in a pit. 1500 years ago this was considered the point of the center of the world and it showed the distances to key locations within the empire.
The Tram Station at Divan Yolu, Istanbul, Turkey
The Golden Milestone, Istanbul, Turkey
Below ground, the Underground Cistern, was a vast reservoir that held water reserves for ever growing Istanbul. The cistern covers an area of two football fields and could hold 27 million gallons of fresh water. 336 columns support the brick ceiling, most of them coming from earlier Roman ruins. Clay pipes and aqueducts carried the water twelve miles to this cistern. Today the cistern is open to the public. The cistern is a shallow pond with a walkway around it. At the exit of the cistern a stage is in the water and serves as an exhibition hall for art festivals and concerts!
Underground Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
Underground Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
The Ancient Columns in the Underground Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
Underground Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
I hope you enjoyed the day at the Blue Mosque!
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
A Restaurant on the Way to Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Another Look of the Restaurant on the Way to Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Walk Past the Turkish Delight and Bakery, Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom, has been called the greatest house of worship in the Christian and Muslim worlds: Hagia Sophia, the Great Church of Constantinople, a Greek Orthodox basilica, was built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in A.D. 537 over the remains of two churches. More than 5,000 architects, stonemasons, bricklayers, plasterers, sculptors, painters and mosaic artists worked around the clock for 5 years to complete the church. People came from all over the world to watch the great dome slowly rise above the landscape and for a 1000 years it was the greatest dome in the world until the Renaissance when Brunelleschi built the dome over the Duomo, in Florence, Italy. In 1204 it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral. It remained the largest cathedral for nearly 1000 years until the Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. In 1453 Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered the main church be converted into a mosque. The relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, His mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were removed or plastered over. Islamic features and the minarets were added. In 1935, the first Turkish president, and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed the building into a museum. The carpets were removed and the marble floor decorations appeared for the first time in centuries, while the white plaster covering many of the mosaics was removed, revealing the beautiful mosaics still intact. The plaster had actually preserved them.
Today, Hagia Sophia is a beautiful museum, featuring the best of Christian and Muslim architecture.
After going through tight security and inspection let’s look at this wonder of the world!
The Fountain at Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
The Ottomans added this fountain in the 18th century, when Hagia Sophia was used as a mosque. It was used for ablution, ritual cleansing before prayer, as part of Islamic traditions.
A View of the Courtyard, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
A View in the Courtyard of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
A View in the Courtyard of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Courtyard of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Rooftop Views from Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Decorative Pieces Taken from Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Decorative Pieces Taken from Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Original Baptismal Pool, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Unearthed in 2010, the immense baptismal pool was hewn out of a massive piece of marble. More than ten feet wide and four feet deep, the pool was used for communal baptisms common in early Christianity.
Intricate Gold Lace Partitions, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Marble Tiles and Calligraphy, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Huge Chandeliers, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
The green marble columns carry the upper galleries and provide support to the domes, easing the burden of the buttresses and exterior walls.
Inside Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Many of the marble columns were brought here from other, even more ancient monuments and temples.
The Nave of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
The Nave of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
To get a perspective of the size of the Nave, Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral would fit within Hagia Sophia’s great dome.
One of Many Icons in Hagia, Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Icon in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Icon over Doorway, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
The religious use of icons, depictions of human figures in mosaics, frescoes and other art forms, were very controversial throughout Byzantine history. Church and political leaders clashed over icons. The public liked the figures, and since most people at the time could not read, these pictures told the stories of the church teachings and emperors used them to bolster their claim to divine power, often depicting themselves as holy figures.
One of Two Winged Seraphims, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Medallions and Mimber in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
The mimber is the pulpit in a mosque used by the imam to deliver a sermon on Fridays or to talk to the public on special occasions. The imam stands halfway up the stairs as a sign of respect, reserving the uppermost step for the Prophet Muhammad.
The 24-foot-wide, leather wrapped, wooden medallions, were added in the 19th century and decorated by master calligraphers. In a church you see paintings of Biblical figures and saints, however in a mosque, which allows no depictions of people, you see ornately written names of Allah and Muhammad.
The Exit of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Courtyard, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Stone Pieces in the Courtyard, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
On the Boat Tour, Istanbul, Turkey
We are out on the boat tour on the third part of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn Tours! It is a beautiful day to sit in the sun and enjoy the ride! Take your sun lotion! I named the spots that I knew and the rest of the time I was gabbing with my new Australian friends! It is a good way to see all the old and new in Istanbul, eyeing the beautiful homes and palaces along the shore. They certainly love their yachts! Enjoy!
The Start of the Tour at the Docks, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Restaurant Lined Galata Bridge, Istanbul, Turkey
Galata Tower, Istanbul, Turkey
The Cruise Ships Have Landed!, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Ciragan Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Beautiful Homes Along the Shore, Istanbul, Turkey
More Yachts, Istanbul, Turkey
The Yachts Along the Shore, Istanbul, Turkey
The Ducks, Istanbul, Turkey
More Boats are All Along the Shore, Istanbul, Turkey
Rumeli Castles (1452), Istanbul, Turkey
Baylerbeyi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Kuleli Military School, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Kiz Kulesi, Istanbul, Turkey
The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
Part 2, of the “My Best Tip of Istanbul, Turkey” post continues. We are walking from Pierre Loti Hill down through the Eyüp Cemetery to the boat docked at the pier, that will take us around the Golden Horn. Our tour guide from the Blue Brothers Tours tells us interesting facts and stories about the cemetery and the grave markers. This is what I learned.
The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The Eyüp Cemetery is the most sacred cemetery in Istanbul. The mosque was erected by Mehmet the Conqueror, over the tomb of Halid bin Zeyd Ebu Eyyüp, known as Sultan Eyüp, the standard bearer for the prophet Mohammed, also the last survivor of his inner circle of trusted friends. Sultan Eyüp, while serving as a commander of the Arab forces during the siege of 688 to 659 was killed and buried on the outskirts of Istanbul. One of the conditions of peace, after the Arab siege, was that the tomb of Eyüp be preserved. A little village of tombs blossomed on the site by those seeking Sultan Eyüp’s intervention in the hereafter, and it is still considered a privilege to be buried in the nearby cemeteries. Today it costs more than $50,000 to be buried here. To most people in Turkey that is equivalent to buying a home.
The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The tombstones reveal a lot about the people buried beneath them. The older grave markers, those before 1829, are long narrow markers with tops shaped like a turban for the men. The turban represents a pasha; a high ranking person of the Ottoman Empire or a prominent military man, or the turban of a Dervish order. The green painted turbans represent the burial of an Imam. After 1929, the fez shaped hat replaced the pasha turban on the grave markers. The tombstones shaped like a sword represent a soldier.
The Turbans, Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
Imam, The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The Soldier, Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
The older tombstone markings were written in Arabic. After WWI, when the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new states, and following the Turkish War of Independence, (1919-1922) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, established the Republic of Turkey, with himself as its first president. The Arabic language was out and the Turkish language was designated the official language. This caused a great deal of confusion in Turkey because for several generations the older people spoke Arabic while the children learned Turkish in schools.
For women, the top of the grave marker can be a tiara, noting a princess, or a head-dress represented by flowers, most often the rose. The number of roses depicts how many children the woman had and the opened rose means the child was still living at the time of her death and if the rose is closed, a child has preceded her in death.
A Woman’s Marker, Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
At one spot in the cemetery are two markers for two women separated my an empty hole between them. The guide tells the story of two wives of one man. Muslims are allowed four wives. Well in this situation there was the older wife and the much younger wife and all the headaches that could possibly be created between the two women. One day the women decided to end the bickering and their unhappiness by killing the husband. The two women were hung for their crime, and buried in the cemetery plots that their husband had provided for them. However, since it is shameful in Muslim culture to be killed by a woman, the husband was not allowed to be buried there, hence the hole.
Two Women, No Man, Eyüp Cemetery, Isatnbul, Turkey
Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul, Turkey
Also, it is popular to have written messages from the deceased placed on the tombstone. Here are some that have been translated.
Stopping his ears with his fingers Judge Mehmut died off from the beautiful world, leaving his wife’s cackling and his mother in law’s gabbing.
O passers by spare me your prayers, but please don’t steal my tombstone.
I could have died as well without a doctor than with that quack that my friends set upon me.
Enjoy! We are now approaching the boat! Stay tuned for more!
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