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Security Back on Ship

Each time we leave the ship, we punch out with our personal sea card. This functions as our room key, credit card for any purchases on board (the ship is essentially cash-free), and general ID. And when we return to our ship, we punch back in. They know exactly who’s on shore and who’s on board at all times. And no one comes back on board without having everything they carry run through the X-ray machine for security. After security, someone tries to get me to use a little Purell (which I avoid), and we’re back into our fantasy ship world. Here’s the security action from the point of view of my camera. (If you’ve never personally gone through an X-ray machine, you’re in for a treat.)

The cruise ship security was very impressive. It was a comfort to know that no strangers could ever get on board. How was your cruise ship security experience?

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Eyüp and the Super Faithful

It’s easy to spend all your Istanbul time at the famous sights (Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Grand Bazaar, and so on). But it’s important to get out and see some other slices of the city. Outside the mighty walls along the Golden Horn is a district that has been famous among Muslim pilgrims for five centuries. Its venerable mosque holds the tomb of the Muslim holy man and saint, Ayyub Al-Ansari, called Eyüp by the Turks. I come here to get a sense of how the fundamentalist, moralist, and conservative wing of Turkish society is doing.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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İstiklal Caddesi — Istanbul’s Leading Pedestrian Scene

Istanbul’s main street, İstiklal Caddesi, throbs with crowds all day and into the wee hours. I visit it almost every year, and it changes with each visit. As Turkey becomes more affluent and Western, the action here becomes more and more vibrant. This clip is actually a quieter part of the mile-long stroll. And it’s early in the evening. On weekdays the action peaks around 10 p.m., and on weekends it keeps building until about 2 a.m. The side streets are just as vibrant.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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The Calls to Prayer

A favorite thing for me anywhere in the Islamic world is to hear the chaotic chorus of cheaply amplified voices erupting into song as they sing the call to prayer from mosque minarets all over town at the same time. Here, just outside Istanbul’s fabled Grand Bazaar, it’s that time. People seem to ignore it, but I can’t. It’s part of the audio track of any visit to this corner of our world. Mix the sounds with the people and you get Istanbul stew.

The warbling call to prayer used to unnerve me, and now I find it actually beautiful…even comforting. What happens to you when you hear this Muslim call to worship? When it wakes me early in the morning, I remember that that prayer has an extra line in it. It roughly translates, “It’s better to pray than to sleep.”

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.