![]() ![]() You can imagine in these streets the imperial legionaries of Constantine himself, the janissaries of Islam, looting Christians from Venice on their way to the Crusades, merchants from all the nations setting up their stalls in its famous markets. No refreshment break is more satisfying than a cup of thick coffee and a sweetmeat taken at a table beside the Golden Horn, frequented by seafarers since the days of Homer. Nowhere in Europe is more suggestive than the rambling enclave that is the Topkapi Palace, where once the Ottoman sultans held court, where the harem gossiped and the executioners sharpened their blades and from whose gardens you can look out across the fateful waters of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. The most celebrated of all its monuments, Hagia Sophia, began as a church, became a mosque and is now a museum and to my mind this overlapping of civilizations makes it all the more suitable as the cultural capital of a continent becoming inexorably more various as the generations pass.īut still the fascination of the magnificent old place is its Turkishness, the ultimate patina (so far) that covers its successive layers of historical memory. It has been in its time pagan, Muslim, Christian and officially secular. The moment travellers step ashore in Istanbul they know they are in a city sui generis, partly familiar, partly marvelously exotic. It is the chief city of republican Turkey, which is not yet a member of the European Union, and it is as monumentally a western gateway of Asia as it is an eastern portal of Europe. Technically it is, of course, only debatably European at all. In all European travel there is no spectacle more tremendous than the sight of Istanbul massed beside the sea – a solidification of history, jumbled houses and docks and palaces along the shore, mighty domes and soaring minarets, ships and ferries swarming everywhere, rumbling traffic over bridges – a timeless metropolis, familiar to travelers for a thousand years and of such consequence that for centuries it was known to half the world simply as “The City”. I would remind you that some parts of the path are wonky but it adds to the excitment-I really loved it.A Maze to Amaze : ‘Culture” is a flexible conception but if you interpret it to mean the whole range of human experience and achievement, then nowhere is better qualified to be the cultural capital of Europe than Istanbul, nee Constantinople. The common also has swings and slides, with a wide open space to enjoy why not bring your dog-my puppy loved it.Although, he couldn't understand why I was walking round and round the same area!!! This would be good for all especially children as you could challenge them on how fast they could complete it. The maze is on utube so you can get an idea of what it is you will be doing. Would advise doing it twice to really get that hypnotic effect but try to keep your feet on the wonky red bricks-it is fun and free. Took 14 mins in total to walk around the red bricked narrow pathway. The nearest SATNAV CODE is CB102AB Chaters Hill Saffron Walden -free street parking and admission free as it is on the common. A must see and do! I undertook this mini adventure by car. The very long path winds back on itself constantly and extends into four outlying corners. Of easy access, as it is on the town's common at TL 543385, this beautiful and complete labyrinth has a raised bank surrounding it and a central mound with a socket like depression which may have held a maypole or simlar focus. Walking it brings on a feeling of dizzyness and detatchment from the surroundings. The path is narrow and demands concentration. It is 35m in diameter and the path to the centre is 1,500m long! Of uncertain origin, the chalk path has been recut several times and is now laid with brick. ![]() ![]() Saffron Walden in Essex has the largest publicly owned turf maze in England. ![]()
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