A stunning tour of this ancient Byzantine Cathedral, @sweetsssj!
As always, what sets your work apart from the usual touristy travelogues is the amount of research and your vivid firsthand reporting of what it feels like to actually be there.
Through your impressions the reader is actually able to experience concretely the awe and majesty of the Hagia.
But your work is more than a mere history lesson - you provide a discerning review of the cuisine offered in the local eateries - in this case, the food prepared in a local steak house.
The fact that you noticed the church cat was endearing - it's a tabby and very vocal like my own Muse Cat. Cats are regarded by some as sacred for a reason. For instance, my own tabby prefers to listen to sacred music and I actually went to a local Christian book store to buy him his own instrumental CD of hymns - it keeps him calm and lessens the vocalizing that inspires me but drives my wife, @countrygirl, crazy, lol.
I'm glad I saw your post today :)
john! It's so lovely to see you alive and well, it's been a while since I've seen you but as always, your comments are always very insightful, valuable and very welcome! I had a tough time with this one because like with a lot of other historical landmarks, getting into the research of the history can feel like entering a rabbit hole. I'm never quite sure how much I want to go into, or whether it would be appropriate for the post. Nevertheless, I'm glad that you did pick up on some useful information!
I'm very interested in your muse cat actually - as I am with all creatures of the feline sort. In Turkey, they seem to hold cats in very high regard and that in itself is very endearing to see. Of course, it helps that the cat inside the Hagia Sophia was very conducive to the general public and seemed to welcome all the visitors, petting it, feeding it, taking pictures with it.. It's hard to find "stray" cats like that where i'm from.
I recently discovered that my own cats have certain penchant for panpipe music - it seems odd but maybe the pipe sounds ignite some kind of deep instinct from their times in the wild. Maybe i'm thinking a bit too much into it. In any case, like you, I love it when my cats vocalise!
HI sssj - Yes, I'm alive and well and still posting on steemit - seems like most of my friends aren't though and that makes me sad. Pan pipes? Be still my heart! I think Musey would love that kind of music - I'll try it with him and let you know how it turns out....Wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas season and a prosperous and peaceful New Year :)