We started our trip to Istanbul at 8 a.m. Our team going to Comenius meeting to Sagmalcilar Anatolian Lysesi in Istanbul consists of four people: the tenth – formers Migle Plentaite and Ernestas Macijauskas, English teacher Lilija Mikalauskaite – Dziumajeva and deputy – teacher Silvija Pesteniene. The trip was long, we changed the planes at Riga airport where we met our Latvian Partners from Lubana Secondary School, and then we travelled to Istanbul together. We landed at Ataturk airport almost at 6 p.m. and were glad to meet students from Sagmalcilar Lysesi waiting for us. Our trip from Alytus to Istanbul airport lasted 18 hours, and it took one more hour for the teachers to reach their hotel “Ayasultan” in Sultanahmet district and for the students to get to their host families. Hello, Istanbul!

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The morning was sunny though cold when we all, students and teachers, gathered at Sagmalcilar Anatolian Lysesi. We were welcomed by headmaster Cengiz Ozturk, host students and teachers. We enjoyed watching the traditional Turkish dances performed by a group of male dancers, a bit later we all tried to learn dancing one of the dances. Then we had a look at the display of the pictures, paintings and posters made by the students of the lysesi. Later we watched the homework – Istanbul presentation made by all partner schools while getting ready for this meeting. As usually lots of fun was learning some most necessary Turkish phrases and words and trying to pronounce them. Then students were divided into multinational groups and got the tasks they had to fulfill while staying in Istanbul. In the afternoon we visited the museum “Panorama 1453”. The museum is about the conquest of Istanbul city which belongs to Byzantine Empire and used to be called Constantinople by Ottomans under the command of Sultan Mehmed II in 1453. The other museum visited that day was the Kariye Museum also known as the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora. After Hagia Sofia it is the most important Byzantine monument in Istanbul. The interior of the building is covered with mosaics and frescoes.

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The day full of beautiful, interesting impressions and sights… First we visited Rumeli fortress which is located at the narrowest section of the Bosphorus Strait. We’ve learned that the fortress was the fortress is used for concerts and performances. We climbed the walls of the fortress and were fascinated by the views of the Bosphorus. The other place offering the admirable views of Golden Horn in Istanbul was Pierre Loti Hill. We also had a nice walk in Miniaturk park, a miniature park which contains 122 models done in 1/25^th scale. The structures are from Istanbul, from Anatolia and from Ottoman territories that today lie outside of Turkey. And the last place visited that day was the Suleymaniye Mosque. Famed architect Sinan built this majestic structure for one of the greatest rulers of the Ottoman Empire in 1550 – 1558…

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In the morning we visited the impressive Dolmabahce Palace, the building of the 19^th century located on the Bosphorus bank… We also enjoyed our free time at Taksim famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels… Later we climbed the Galata Tower constructed in the 14^th century (1348) by the Genoese. From the upper balcony of the tower we enjoyed magnificent 360 – degree views of the city. Two more places visited that day were Egyptian and Grand Bazaars. In the evening students spent time with their host families and teachers attended Mevlevi Show – the Mevlevi Sema ceremony with whirling dances…

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It was long day full of indelible impressions… We started it with visiting Hagia Sofia which is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque and now a museum… Then we had a walk along the city park called At Meydani where Istanbul’s Byzantine Hippodrome was located, it was the heart of Constantinople’s political and sporting life, and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history as well. We passed the Hippodrome and headed to Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. The next place visited that day was Basilica Cistern constructed by Justinian in 532 to supply water to Byzantine Palace primarily. We finished this day by visiting Topkapi Palace which was home for the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years and also having a look at the exposition of the Archeological museum located next to the Topkapi Palace…

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In the morning we all met at Bayrampasa Youth Centre (BAYGEM). Here we had workshops on art of Turkish water marbling (Ebru) and art of Turkish calligraphy. Everyone could try to do this. Later multinational groups of students prepared presentations of their discoveries in Istanbul. And teachers discussed the details of the future meeting in Germany. We also had the Istanbul Photo  Contest choosing the most interesting photos made by Comenius teams in Istanbul. In the afternoon we met with the mayor of Bayrampasa district and had Bosphorus tour by boat.

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The first place visited that day was Maiden’s Tower, or as it is called in Turkish “Kiz Kulesi”, constructed 2500 years ago. The tower was served as a lighthouse and many stories were told about its history. Now the tower is used as a restaurant and café. From the top of it we enjoyed beautiful views of Bosphorus. Later we moved to Camlica Hill located 267 meters above the sea level. From here we saw absolutely magnificent view of the city. In the afternoon we visited the exposition of the Military Museum and later enjoyed the Mehter Show, the concert of the world’s oldest military band …

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It’s difficult to describe everything we saw, experienced and tasted in Istanbul. It’s impossible to describe the taste of Turkish coffee or tea, the variety of Turkish kebabs and sweets… But for sure we know that Istanbul is a city worth a visit. We hope that some day we will visit it once again. It was hard to leave already warm and sunny Istanbul full of bright spring primulas and yellow narcissus.  Our trip to still snowy and cold Lithuania lasted a bit more than 10 hours. Good – bye, Istanbul!

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