Babymoon

So, I'm not sure that is really a word but I've been told that sometimes people take a big, fun trip just before having a baby as a farewell to the DINK life and transitioning into parenthood. That is what we did :o) Plus, we have wanted to go to Istanbul and Athens since we moved to Europe and now seemed like the perfect time.

So, we headed out last Saturday for Istanbul. What an amazing city! The history there is overwhelming. It was basically part of Greece since ancient times and had known civilization even prior to that. The ancient city of Troy (think Trojan horse) was in Turkey and the Bosphorous strait acted as the main port between the East and West long before Jesus was born. In the 4th century, Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Istanbul and named it Constantinople. It was the capital of Rome (and therefore most of the known world), the heart of the Christian church and then of the Eastern Orthodox church until 1453 AD when it was overtaken by the Ottomans. They ruled until around WWI when a secular government took over and is still in power today.

All that history led for some amazing site seeing. First there was the Hagia Sophia - built by Emperor Justinian in the 8th century AD it was the largest cathedral in the world until the Duomo in Florence in the 1500's. The name means Divine Wisdom. It was built by 2 geometicians who created an enormous dome that rests on several other domes with all of the support structures being hidden in the walls. The result, when you step inside, is an enormous interior that looks like it is floating. This church was the patriarchal church of the Eastern Orthodox church until 1453 AD. After the Ottomans took over it was converted into a mosque. It is now a museum and contains both Christian and Muslim artifacts.

Other great sites in Istanbul included the Blue Mosque - built by the Ottomans it is the largest mosque in the world and is known for it's intricate blue tilework done on the inside of the mosque as well as the blue hue seen from the outside; Grand Bazaar - world's first shopping mall and now a huge bazaar filled with anything you could imagine, Spice market - smaller than the Grand Bazaar but great place for all kinds of typical and exotic spices, as well as Turkish delight!; Topkapi Palace - built for the Sultans of the Ottoman empire it is called "Versailles of the East" and the Chora Church - built in 1100 AD and decorated with amazing mosaics in the 14th century that survived after being plastered over by the Ottomans. Other than these "showstopper" sites, there are tons of quaint Eastern orthodox churches, small shops, ancient obelisks and pillars and fresh squeezed orange and pomegranate juice on every corner! Shane and I faithfully did all of the recommended Rick Steve's "walks" and managed to buy a patchwork kilim rug for T3's nursery.

After 3 days in Istanbul (where it was, sadly, quite cold still), we boarded a plane and headed for sunny Athens. We actually left a day earlier for Athens since we found out that the day our flight was supposed to take off, the Athenian air traffic controllers were on strike. The following day the taxi drivers were on strike so we were glad we landed when we did!

Other than rain the first day it was 60 degrees and sunny in Athens! And the historical sites completely lived up to their fame. We visited the New Acropolis museum which houses pieces that were discovered on the acropolis as long ago as the 13th century BC! It also has several originals and replicas from the Parthenon and gives a good history before heading up to see it. After the museum we headed for the site only to discover it was closed - for a strike! But, the day was not wasted: we were able to climb up on Mars Hill, the spot where Paul delivered his famous sermon to the Athenians (a copy of it is on a plaque on the side of the hill) and get an amazing view of the city. We then headed for the Agora, main area of commerce during ancient times, and saw the Church of the Holy Apostles (built in 1000 AD to commemorate Paul's preaching on Mars Hill), the Stoa (main area of commerce in the Agora), the Temple of Hephaistos (main pagan temple in the Agora) and many other ancient ruins that have been very well preserved. That afternoon we saw Cathedral square where the primary Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox church stands (unfortunately under scaffolding), Hadrian's arch (built 132 AD) and the old Roman Forum from when Rome conquered Greece.

The following day the acropolis was open for business and we headed up the hill to see the Odeon of Herodes (ancient theatre that is still used for shows today), Temple of Dionysis, propylea (entrance gate to the Parthenon)and the Parthenon itself. The Parthenon is truly amazing - built almost 2500 years ago (432 BC), it stood nearly still complete until the mid 1600's when the Venetian army bombed it during a war with Athens, taking out part of the middle section.

Other fun sites in Athens included the Parliament building and the square around it - full of shops and eateries it is a great place to see the newer side of Athens; Lykavittos Hill - where Greeks believe honey was discovered (I was too tired from the Acropolis to make it up this hill so Shane faithfully hiked it for us both and took pictures while I "sunned" on a park bench!); and the Temple of Zeus - HUGE and took centuries to build, was finally completed by Hadrian (Roman Emperor and total Greekophile) in 134 AD.

Since we had an extra day (thanks to the strikes) we rented a car (they gave us the world's smallest Chevy!) and drove to Delphi to see the ancient oracle. It was amazing! Built into a hill that overlooks the Gulf of Corinth there is a long, winding path that leads you past the Treasury of the Athenians, by the Rock of Sibyl (predecessor to the oracle), by the omphalos (Greek for naval - was once considered the center of the world) to the Temple of Apollo. The theatre above the temple is one of the best preserved in the world and dates to the 4th century BC.

The next day we said goodbye to the sun and vacation and headed back to London (where we were met by rain and cold, of course). It was a great trip and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to take it. Please check out our pictures on facebook!!

Love to you all,
Sarah and Shane