A mix of Europe and Asia, old and new, religious and nonreligious, Istanbul is beautiful, nothing like what I thought it would be but fascinating. The skyline is full of minarets, and you are never out of earshot of the call to prayer, sung out five times a day.
We performed our first concert while severely jetlagged in Aya Irini (Hagia Eirene), an old church built around 600. It's in the outermost courtyard of the old Ottoman palace.
There is a significant amount of pollution in the Bosphorus, but it is incredibly blue. The view behind Topkapi Palace is amazing. The palace itself is full of densely patterned tile and carved stone.
Aya Sofya, or Hagia Sophia, is huge and beautiful. It is only a museum now, no longer a mosque or even a church, but the layers of its Muslim and Christian heritage are evident everywhere, from the delicate mosaics formerly hidden behind layers of whitewash to the large crests with the name of Allah and important Muslim figures.
The Blue Mosque is painted and patterned on all surfaces, filling all empty space with the visual rhythm of its design.
Evening fell over Istanbul as we floated upon the water between two continents.
