Today was an amazing first day in Turkey.
 
I woke up early this morning to watch the sun rise. It was a very unique sunrise and it was very humid outside. So humid that my lens on my camera fogged up for about 20 minutes. I stayed out to watch the pilot board the ship and as we pulled into port. We made our way past the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque which was really amazing to see from afar.

Then I went to eat breakfast, and then went back to my room and went back to sleep. We had our standard mandatory diplomatic briefing this morning, but I ended up sleeping through the entire thing. I did not have anywhere to be today until 11am so I made the decision to sleep in till 10.
 
I finally woke up and got dressed for the day. I worked my way down to the bus and boarded for a full day of city orientation. The description is as follows:
        Drive through the streets of ancient Pera (Latin Quarter) and Taksim Square. Then cross the Golden Horn over the Ataturk Bridge to the old town. View the city walls dating back to the fourth century, which were destroyed during the conquest in 1453, and the Roman Aqueduct of Valens from the second century. Tour the Sehzade Mosque, which was designed by architect Mimar Sinan. As chief architect of the palace, Sinan designed more than 360 structures. The Sehzade Mosque represents his mature style and the first grand mosque he created. Then take a break to eat lunch. Next, visit the Byzantine Cistern and the Hagia Sophia. Then, visit the Blue Mosque with its unique configuration of six minarets and blue tiled interior. Walk by the Hippodrome and view the Serpentine Column and the Theodosius Column, both of which were brought from Egypt in the fourth century. Then return to the bus and back to the ship.
 
We drove around for about an hour viewing the entire city. Our first stop was the Sehzade Mosque. I really enjoyed going into the mosque. It was the first mosque that I have ever visited and was a truly unique experience. It was also not full of tourists, other than all of us SAS students. I like that you have to take off your shoes before entering. It was very nice to run my toes through the soft Turkish rugs. We stayed for a good amount of time before moving outside to enjoy our boxed lunches. They are some of the worst lunches possible, but it’s nice to sit around and meet new people. We also took a picture will all of the females in my group with our head scarves on.
We then got back on the bus and work our way over to the area where the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque are located. First we went into the Byzantine Cistern Basilica. This is a truly unique place, like nothing I have ever seen before. It is an underground basilica. There are numerous pillars and paths to walk on all surrounded by water. In the water there are fish swimming around, some small, and some are the biggest fish I have ever seen. There is one pillar with a small round hole in it. It is said that if you are able to put your thumb into the pillar and rotate it in a complete circle, an angel will grant you one wish. I did it and now hope that my wish will come true. I can’t tell you what it is because then it won’t come true. At the end of the basilica there were 2 pillars with medusa heads on them. One head was sideways and the other was upside down. They were actually pretty scary to look at.
 
We then made our way to the Hagia Sofia which was once a church, then a mosque, and now is a museum. It was very large and had many different parts to it. It is a pretty cool thing to see and be able to say I have been to. I wrote my SAS admissions essay on the Hagia Sofia. I’m going to include it because it was surprisingly accurate.
        “I just spend the day in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. The architecture of this building is unbelievable. It is the most beautiful building. And the dome. I cant even believe that I was able to stand there, look up, and admire how vast and how much light is let in. I can see how it took so long to build it. I also cannot believe the religious history of this building. Starting as the largest cathedral in the world, then turned into a beautiful and one of the most principal mosques of the area, and finally turned into a museum.
        The Hagia Sophia was considered a monument during both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. It is now considered a world heritage site.
        Throughout the ages, cultures have been based around religion. Many cultures today are still based around religion. Last fall when I was thinking about studying abroad, I couldn’t decide what culture I wanted to experience. I found out about the Semester at Sea program and know that it was exactly what I needed to really enhance my global perspective.
        Being born and raised in California I have always been exposed to a number of different cultures. But until this journey, I never had never studied the way that the cultures interact and work together to form a cohesive society.
        I have been able to spend my days exploring so many different cultures and religions. My classes have also broadened my opinions about many cultures. It is amazing that one day I am on a ship learning about a culture and the next day I am in a city experiencing the culture first hand.
        This program is more than I could have ever imagined. I feel like it has made me a global citizen and prepared me for an increasingly globalized world.
                Can’t wait to see what is in store for me tomorrow."
 
We then worked our way to the Blue Mosque which is just across the park. I don’t know much about why the Mosque is famous, but it was a true sight to see. There are 6 minarets on the structure and a huge interior.
After seeing the mosque we went and viewed what was left of the Hippodrome and the pillars from Egypt. After that we worked our way back to the bus. Somehow we managed to lose our professor while walking to the bus and ended up leaving her in the city on her own. She was able to make it back to the ship eventually, but when I talked to her the following day she told me it was quite an adventure.
 
When we finally got back to the bus I showered and ate dinner. Then I packed up my stuff for my trip the next day and got in bed early for the early morning tomorrow.