Susan is spoiling my dog! Look at Skye looking at her birthday loot! Skye turned 4 on May 18th . . . and had a party to boot . . .
So the chandelier held on and nothing fell overnight! And it is earthquake proof! . . .
Looks like we resolved the problem by keeping the pieces from touching each other and putting no weight on the level below. Kathy and Jay are very pleased to say the least!
At lunch time we decided to head to Taksim Square, which is on the other side of the metro station we take to get the installation site, for a change of scene from our usual lunch spot.
Istiklal Caddesi is a crowded pedestrian walk way off Taksim Square. It is a busy place full of street vendors, tourists, restaurants and shops.
We found a restaurant for lunch in an old converted house, probably like the one that Orhan Pamuk writes about, where he grew up, in his book "Istanbul." You could just imagine all the relatives and various generations living on the floors surrounding a courtyard.
After lunch, and a hunt for baklava and chocolate for dessert, we continued back to Divan Taksim, to work on the chandelier. I worked on a small red one that is in the arch above the reception area. We will have to see if it is the correct proportion for the rest of the room.
Kathy and Jay worked to finish the large red one.
Jay lying under the chandelier - defying all odds of an earthquake - so he can lift up the 2nd to last tier under the massive chandelier above. We needed to fit the glass bowl Kathy is holding, slide it up the metal rod, without it touching the glass, for fear the glass bowl would shatter, then put on a crystal cup to and two nuts to hold this in place. This was followed by the final two pieces, the bubbled red dome shape at Kathy's left (right in this photo) and the glass finial.
And it is complete! And looks wonderful! And all are pleased! Only two more to go!
For dinner we were to meet Juliana and Luc at the end of the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn. We took the metro to the Galata Tower, going to the Sishane station. We were not too sure which way to walk, but Robert and Juliana were talking by cell phone for our rendezvous. Here is the Galata Tower
And old buildings on our way to the bridge . . .
And our first glimpse of the Golden Horn and the old mosques of the ancient city across the water
All the fishermen were fishing on this side of the bridge, some not even looking at the rod, but just doing it by feel.
This photo is looking across the Bosphorus to Asia! Simge lived in this area last year - now she lives near the hotel we are working on . . . (Simge is the Turkish girl who lived with Rob, Liz, Chase & Liam for a year in Greenwich)
The mosques are so beautiful on the outside. We finally heard the call to prayer as it echoes around the city from mosque to mosque
These are the floating boats that serve fish sandwiches. The food is served off the boat and you sit at tables on the shore.
We ate at a restaurant on the lower level of the Galata Bridge. This was the selection of fresh fish we chose from for dinner. We shared a delicious selection of appetizers that Jay chose, followed by a sea bass that was from the Black Sea (north up the Bosphorus.) It was very good!
As we ate dinner, this was our view of the sun setting behind another mosque.
And our view from the restaurant looking over to the floating fish restaurant boats. I think that this is Faith Mosque that we can see beyond the boats.
And all the city lights start coming on . . .
Our gang at dinner (l-r) Juliana, Jay, Robert, Kathy & Luc . . .
Luc waiting to put a flower into the fisherman's bucket that is being lowered to get some sea water, from the bridge level above where the fisherman stand . . . Then home to bed via a bus. It was fun to be tourists and see something other than the two hotels . . . Back to work tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment