Turkiye 2023: Fener-Balat Neighborhood Tour, part 1
We pre-booked a walking tour today to fill the hours until the Welcome Dinner. So after visiting the Spice Bazaar we walked to the meeting place, which is on the other side of Bosphorus.
Had to go through the underpass, which is like a mini bazaar filled with tables selling all sorts of merchandize. We were tempted to buy fake Nike's, becase they look good and cheap enough. But we didn't.
View across the Bosphorus on this glorious sunny day.
We walked past this line of waterfront restaurants, whose main attraction is balik (fish) ekmek (bread) or fish sandwich. Note the people fishing on the bridge.
Day and night we see people fishing here.
Along the way, we passed by a couple of different photo shoots happening. I photographed this one. She looked pretty.
There was a little confusion about the meeting place, coz we could not find it. When we did, we were the only ones that the group was waiting for. There were less than 10 people on this tour. The tour that we signed up for is a walking tour of the Fener-Balat neighborhood.
The first item on this walking tour was a ferry ride of sightseeing to the Golden Horn, which is a bay of the Bosphorus along its western, European coast. However, all ferry rides were canceled due to a regatta. Such a wasted opportunity, but well we rolled with the punches and took the tram ride to our destination, the Fener and Balat neighborhoods.
The neighborhoods of Fener and Balat are popular for tourists who like to go off the beaten path. Fener has been the seat of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. That being said, it has been one of the most important Greek neighborhoods of Istanbul since the 1600s. Neighboring Balat apparently is home to less affluent Greeks and Jews.
The walk was wonderful. I enjoyed looking at all the colorful houses, the cobblestone streets that go up and down, the many cats along the way. However, I wasn't listening to the guide, instead I was indulging in my love of photography.
The first spot we visited was the St. George Orthodox Church whose facade was pretty simple. Thus, it was a surprise to see what awaited me inside. The interior is very ornate with frescoes and a ton of gilding.
This is the most treasured artifact of the church. This is believed to be a portion of the column (Column of Flagellation) where our Lord Jesus Christ was bound and whipped by Roman soldiers during the Passion and before the Crucifixion. It is believed to be brought by St. Helena, the mother of emperor Constatine to Constantinople after a visit to the Holy Land. It is believed that there are two other portions of the column in existence, one is in Rome and the other in Jerusalem.
Can you believe my disbelief and surprise when I saw this. Completely flabbergasted, I had no inkling that something like this exists in this time and that it's here. What a blessing.
To be continued......
Had to go through the underpass, which is like a mini bazaar filled with tables selling all sorts of merchandize. We were tempted to buy fake Nike's, becase they look good and cheap enough. But we didn't.
View across the Bosphorus on this glorious sunny day.
We walked past this line of waterfront restaurants, whose main attraction is balik (fish) ekmek (bread) or fish sandwich. Note the people fishing on the bridge.
Day and night we see people fishing here.
Along the way, we passed by a couple of different photo shoots happening. I photographed this one. She looked pretty.
There was a little confusion about the meeting place, coz we could not find it. When we did, we were the only ones that the group was waiting for. There were less than 10 people on this tour. The tour that we signed up for is a walking tour of the Fener-Balat neighborhood.
The first item on this walking tour was a ferry ride of sightseeing to the Golden Horn, which is a bay of the Bosphorus along its western, European coast. However, all ferry rides were canceled due to a regatta. Such a wasted opportunity, but well we rolled with the punches and took the tram ride to our destination, the Fener and Balat neighborhoods.
The neighborhoods of Fener and Balat are popular for tourists who like to go off the beaten path. Fener has been the seat of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. That being said, it has been one of the most important Greek neighborhoods of Istanbul since the 1600s. Neighboring Balat apparently is home to less affluent Greeks and Jews.
The walk was wonderful. I enjoyed looking at all the colorful houses, the cobblestone streets that go up and down, the many cats along the way. However, I wasn't listening to the guide, instead I was indulging in my love of photography.
The first spot we visited was the St. George Orthodox Church whose facade was pretty simple. Thus, it was a surprise to see what awaited me inside. The interior is very ornate with frescoes and a ton of gilding.
This is the most treasured artifact of the church. This is believed to be a portion of the column (Column of Flagellation) where our Lord Jesus Christ was bound and whipped by Roman soldiers during the Passion and before the Crucifixion. It is believed to be brought by St. Helena, the mother of emperor Constatine to Constantinople after a visit to the Holy Land. It is believed that there are two other portions of the column in existence, one is in Rome and the other in Jerusalem.
Can you believe my disbelief and surprise when I saw this. Completely flabbergasted, I had no inkling that something like this exists in this time and that it's here. What a blessing.
To be continued......
A stunning series of photos. Thank you for bringing us along with you on your travels and for sharing your photos at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/12/off-to-farm-in-county-antrim-ireland.html
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