Life in a year full of Saturdays: September 2016

Monday, September 19, 2016

Istanbul (Turkey) - holier than thou

Istanbul (Turkey)
19 September 2016

Flights in and out of Tbilisi occur mid-morning, as in, the 3am sort of mid-morning where you internally debate the validity of sleeping as it seems a redundant concept. What this early departure time means therefore is that it puts you on the ground at your next destination at awkward hours, leaving you to remain tenuously supported by the quality of sleep that can only be uniquely defined by economy class seats, turbulence and calisthenics at 40,000 ft.

Our flight out of Istanbul to Belgrade was leaving at 1600 that day which meant that we had 9hrs of time in the lovely city of Istanbul. Unfortunately we spent close to 3hrs of the allocated 9 hours spread out over a few benches right in front of the baggage carousels in the arrival halls. Sleep, no matter how brief or strangled, can be sweet when you desperately need it. During this morning all I really recall of those truncated hours was the human tide filling the hall and then washing away past me through exit signs and barriers. A wash of travellers moving with the rhythm of global flight arrivals.

When the both of us eventually came to our senses later in the real ‘mid-morning’, i.e., around 10am, the plan that we had for the day was to get into the city centre in the suburb (area) of Faith and see both the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and Hagia Sophia. Both world renowned structures for their offering to incredible architecture, their sheer enormity and religious significance.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque "Blue Mosque" - Istanbul - Turkey

On first sighting you recognise quickly that Sultan Ahmed Mosque has scale, it is enormous! It’s size and grand posture certainly gives the building an aura and sense of overwhelming power. The mosque itself has five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes. It’s final design being the culmination of nearly two centuries of Ottoman mosque development. It incorporates some Byzantine Christian elements of the neighbouring Hagia Sophia design with traditional Islamic architecture. Standing inside and witnessing the space it envelopes and occupies just makes you wonder at both the audacity and human intellect & ability to be able to complete a project of this magnitude.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque "Blue Mosque" - Istanbul - Turkey

The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles and the upper levels of the mosque, dominated by a blue paint colour, have more than 200 stained glass windows. Standing there was simply impressive and something that I’d always wanted to do considering it has always been an iconic and symbolic structure of the city that straddles Europe and Asia. Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia juxtaposed with Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is just as grand in size as Sultan Ahmed but far more attractive in terms of its interior and overall design. Incredibly moody and atmospheric, there’s a weight and presence inside the building that is captivating. I often wonder how inanimate objects can be so revered , but standing under the grand dome it’s not difficult to understand why it’s held in such esteem and apotheosized.

Formerly a Greek Orthodox patriarchal cathedral, later becoming an Ottoman mosque, and now a museum, this building has worn many hats during its time. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the middle ages, it became famous for its massive dome and was at one stage in time the world’s largest building. A true marvel of engineering.

Hagia Sophia - Istanbul - Turkey

The building has a tumultuous history, entering and exiting many phases of ownership throughout its life. As recently as this year, 2019, Turkish President Erdogan made the suggestion that Hagia Sophia should once again be turned into a mosque, ending its tenure of being a museum since 1935 after Turkey became a secular nation in 1927.

As one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, the interior is decorated with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings that have immense artistic value. The temple itself was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian proclaimed, ‘Solomon, I have outdone thee’.

Hagia Sophia - Istanbul - Turkey

Vast, impressive, heady. So many much that can be felt from just a building. Certainly it stand as testament to human endeavour and capacity, especially when driven by an assumption of the divine.

Istanbul - Turkey

Another iconic building of Istanbul and indeed the world, I feel fortunate to have spent a few hours in its shadows simply appreciating it.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Mtskheta - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Hidden in plain sight

Mtshketa - Tbilisi
17 September - 19 September 2016

Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia. Standing at the confluence of the Mtkvari & Aragavi rivers, this town is an attractive town that contains some of the most significant monuments of Georgian Christian architecture, historically significant for its contribution of medieval architecture throughout the Caucasus.

We spent the best part of a morning discovering the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and finding out a little more about independent producers of Georgian wine. Always good to discover the bootleggers.

Mtskheta - Georgia

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia

This is the moment that Davis got told off by a priest for entering wearing a tank top - LOL

'Get out of my cathedral you punk!'

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia

Georgian wine bootlegger - he looks like one too!

Mtskheta - Georgia

The next day we were in more professional & legitimate hands as we attended a winery just outside the lovely town of Signagi. Located in the eastern most region of Georgia the area serves as one of the main tourist destinations as the cradle of Georgian wine making now resides in this area.

Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia

Georgian wine - wine not - Tbilisi - Georgia

Answers can always be found at the bottom of your glass

Tbilisi - Georgia

Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia

Outside of Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

As I mentioned in an earlier entry, Georgian wine making has an 8000 year old history and it’s believe that the famed Georgian clay pots hold the secret to the formulation of their fantastic wines. The ancient Georgian method holds no barrels, or vats or monitoring systems, just the qvevri which imparts a unique taste to the wines. I have to say, after 8000 years of tradition the Georgians have learnt a thing or two about making these precious drops. There are some great Georgian white varietals such as Rkhatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane Kakhuri & Tsolikouri but admittedly, for me, the real hits were the reds such as Saperavi, Kindzmarauli & Shavkapito. All of these are varietals that I’d never encountered before coming to Georgia, in fact, never knew existed and least of all knew that they were probably the forerunners to all of the wines around the world! Not a bad claim to fame I’d say, and something that I believe Georgia should make a bigger deal about into the future. Once again, as per an earlier entry, for many reasons I believe Georgia is still off the radar in terms of many peoples travel itineraries. Needless to say, with a bit of self-promotion and a few good words, I believe it will enter a Lonely Planet top 10 soon enough, with a bullet!

Signagi - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Self made churchkela - Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Our last couple of days was spent in the wonderful city of Tbilisi. Another one of the plethora of attractions in this city is its sulphur baths, a time honoured ritual in the city ever since the King of Georgia discovered the sulphur springs in the area and decided to build his city around them. Of course now it’s very much set up for tourists but how can you go past having a soak, scrub and traditional massage beneath the domed roofs of these baths. An absolute treat.

We had really managed our luck quite nicely with the weather during our stay. Aside from a later afternoon thunderstorm in Batumi we had been blessed with some gorgeous sunshine for most of our stay. Our return to Tbilisi was no different and we took full advantage of the beautiful days to enjoy dining outdoors, partaking in some rooftop tipples and also finding some nice shisha spots. The later was another bonus of Tbilisi. It appears that Georgians are all smokers and their penchant for taking on a bit of nicotine also extended to the good ‘ole hookah, something that both Inga & I are fans off.

Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

It looks completely 'desolate' here but we were the early arrivals. One hour later this place was full

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

On our last evening Inga & I went to wonderful restaurant named the Tsiskvili, http://tsiskvili.ge/english/home, located a little drive outside of the city centre, the set up was a real pleasure, with a natural waterfall, water mill, Georgian antiquities, funicular and national folk dance, all with delicious Georgian cuisine thrown into the mix, it ended up being a fantastic way to round out our time in a country that surprised at nearly every turn.

Even the long wait for the 3am flight out of Tbilisi to Istanbul was made a breeze with some late night shisha and a few drinks on Shardeni Street to help us on our way.

To you Georgia I say thank you. Unexpectedly wonderful, you’re a treasure hidden in plain sight.

Life in a year full of Saturdays

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Istanbul (Turkey) - holier than thou

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Mtskheta - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Hidden in plain sight

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A year full of Saturdays