Remember when James jumped into the rowboat and he….?
Istanbul Turkey, 2008
I first saw this cistern back in the 70’s. It wasn’t all lit up then. We just walked down some steep stone steps and came out on a small landing where James Bond had once jumped into a small rowboat to escape the bad guys. Oh! It was thrilling. We were all enthralled with James Bond back in the day. Sean Connery played Bond and to me he is the only James Bond.
There are wooden walkways over the water in the cistern now. This is the best shot, at least the walkway ends here.
Some of the pillars have bases made of huge stone faces stolen from ancient Greek temples. Those gigantic, moss-covered faces resting in a foot of murky water are now hidden from view except for the few tourists who know to look for them. Fame is fleeting.
The army of columns remind me of Diocletian’s palace in Split, Yugoslavia…now it’s Croatia. Well, it should. It was the Roman Emperor Justinian who built the cistern and of course, the Emperor Diocletian who built the palace in Split.