To Newspaper or not?

 Rajasthan has a funny climate. It is so hot and dry in summer that I can make sub-dried tomatoes in just one afternoon. But sometimes, for short periods, it pours. When it pours at night, my first action in the morning is to check the drains for clogs. Else, the water collects there and everything around them which can soak up water, will do so. 

One such casualty is my newspaper. Happened again today morning. I tried separating the pages to dry them under the fan (they tend to stick together when they are wet) but I only got 10 torn pages. The soaked newspapers just turned to damp fragile mass. So I decided to use more intense method, Iron. I realised that if I dry one side of the paper the other side is still wet. And when I turn over to iron the other side, the first side soaks up as much moisture as possible from the other side. So ironing a newspaper is an iterative process. First side, second side, first side again, second side again....

Well, one mystery was solved by this exercise, " Why Jeeves ( in PG Woodhouse novels) irons the newspapers. In a country which is wet most of the year, very likely he is regularly in the same situation as me. It must have therefore become a ritual... makes sense. The crackle of the dry ( or dried) newspaper is often enough incentive for my cat to attack it. Must be working to get the lords out of their morning slumber. Very useful!

Pondering upon the uses of a newspaper in an Indian household... no I don't need them to get my lord husband out of bed; he is usually the one who wakes up the whole household ( and neighbourhood!) even after the kids flew the coop. During the pandemic when the newspapers were not being delivered, the most unhappy person was my maid. I had often seen her, in past, sneaking out a bundle of old newspapers while leave for the day. If she happened to come across me at that time she sheepishly explained that they were to line the shelves in her house. Any why just hers, Newspapers have been the primary choice of shelf/ drawer liners throughout my childhood. 

Another regular use of newspapers during my school days was the "under-cover" covers for the books... yes under-covers. The top cover was brown with the school logo and label. To provide strength to the top cover ( brown cover costs, old newspaper is free) there was an undercover. I still find under-covers of newspapers in some of my old books. Glossy paper like those from magazines / Calendars were preferred, but those were rarely available at that time; newspapers were the vanilla variety. 

I have often used a rolled up newspaper to whack a truant child, lots of noise but very little physical damage. These days I use them to make sewing patterns, noting down a telephone number or grocery list on the margins. My sister used to line the kitchen table top with newspapers daily while cooking and bin it after she was finished. No cleaning required. I reach for the newspaper if I spill anything...reaching for the kitchen paper is not preferred, after all kitchen paper costs and old newspaper is free, and newspaper is faster if you don't mind the black ink marks. I have often smacked the flies or shooed away a stray larger flying varieties ( birds). If there is any still left after my maid takes her share, they are collected and sold at a princely sun of 20 Rs / kg. That almost pays for 20% of my monthly newspaper bill. 

Now-a-days when online news is invading us at all times of the day, newspapers have the old world charm. Only those who enjoy their morning cuppa with them can appreciate that itself is worth the price. I, for one, am not cancelling my subscriptions for a long time to come.  

Physics: TeDx Talk at St.X Mumbai

 

Ephesus: The Port City?

 

Our next stop was Kusadasi, a port city south of Izmir. Kusadasi was our base for visiting the two Greek / Roman ancient cities of Ephesus and Hieropolis and of course the beautiful terraces of Pammukale. Ephesus was just inland from Kusadasi, we took a city taxi to go there.

The region around Ephesus has been populated since 3000 BC, by Hittites who had ruled parts of lower Egypt for a short time.  It became famous as a port city which was earlier ruled by Greeks and than by Romans.  Yet, it was a few kilometers inland. The whole area between Ephesus and the sea was actually a bay with the Menderes river flowing into it. Over time, the silt carried by the river swamped the bay. The whole city had to be moved closer to the unblocked part of the bay to keep the port for trading.

Being a prosperous port city with a population of about 250 thousand, it was coveted by many kingdoms.  Many earthquakes and invasions had weakened the city, but it rose again, and again. Romans took control of the city in 140 BC and even made it the capital of Asia minor. Over the years, when the port was blocked again due to silt, they dredged a canal through to enable ships could come up to the city. Ultimately, the port was completely blocked and Ephesus was abandoned. Ever practical Romans stripped much of the city to use the stones elsewhere. The hippodrome vanished completely in the process, yet much still remains to make the ancient city of Ephesus very interesting.

We took a taxi to the upper gate of the ancient city since that is at a higher level, making it easier for us to walk down. No queues here! Most of the group tours were  people from the cruise with "organised" tours, leaving the windows free for walk-in tourists. Great!

Even 2000 years back, this city had piped water flowing into the houses, obviously the houses of the prosperous people, but the concept existed. The ruins have both Greek and Roman influences. I assume that the more decorated column capitals are Greek and the more practical ones are Roman :).  The most remarkable site in Ephesus is the terrace houses. They are houses which were meant for the wealthy. They had indoor plumbing ( terracotta pipes are existing at the junction of walls) and some of the most beautiful mosaics. It was not easy for our old knees to climb all the scaffolding to the top, but the lovely mosaics on the floor of these houses kept us going. These houses are still being excavated.... here are some mosaic photographs.

Besides the huge stadium, Ephesus had a vibrant market which dealt in the goods that came by the sea, a library attributed to Celcus ( Greek period)  which today only has a two level facade with lovely statues of Greek Goddess. There are other interesting sites like the temple of Hardin, the Odeon where the administrators of the city met, public latrines and ruins of a pleasure house.

We visited the temple of Artemis (the patron goddess of the city since ancient times also respected by the Greeks) the last.  In course of time, it was destroyed multiple times but was rebuilt better each time. The last one built was considered one of the ancient wonders of world. 

 

 

 

Today, just a lone column made by piling random pieces, is standing at the site of the temple. Most of the marble structures were used to make St.John church a few kilometers away. On the top of that column was a mighty nest of a migratory stork. "Four chicks", the only guide cum photographer there told us very proudly. Artemis was the local goddess of fertility after all :-), and the replica as a statue can be seen in the picture on the right.

 

Cappadocia: The fairy land

 

Cappadocia is a surreal land. The bizarre natural formations appear to be a part of an elaborate setup.

Apparently,  a few million years ago the whole area was covered with volcanic ash (which compacted to make a soft stone called tuff) and this was topped by a thin lava layer which cooled to formed the hard basalt. When the basalt cracked, the softer tuff was eroded by water and air resulting in these odd look mushroom stalk/ hoodoo / fairy chimneys.

 

We loved this beautiful landscape creation of the eccentricity of nature which people had embraced as a part of their daily life. We were staying in Uchisar which is famous for a whole castle (Uchisar castle) dug out of tuff.

Tourists can opt for horse back or quad riding, get photographed in a love seat, flowing clothes or camel back.  A balloon ride with areal view of the fairy chimneys should be worth getting up at 3a.m.  Sadly, we missed the balloon ride due to bad weather. 

Here is a photographs of the flying balloons the next day while we were on our way to the airport 😒.

 

 

 

One of the most wondrous sites is Kaymakli underground city.  This was humankind taking full advantage of their natural resources to get an out-of-the-box solution for their housing problem. The caves were dug into the soft stone tuff.  One may wonder the reasons for digging up a whole multi-level city.  It could be claustrophobic for many ---- the walls were looking frail and not very confidence inspiring. A visit to the city makes it clear that the residents of this place were very keen to keep there whereabouts hidden ( from whom?). The entrance is small and could be locked by rolling a hard rock in front of it. 

For air-circulation, horizontal shafts open in vertical shafts which go down to the water level (ensuring water supply to the cave dwellers) and from the top one just sees the well! 

The kitchen (has an atta-chakki like the one I still have) and forges are in the innermost part of the caves to hide their presence. The larder, animal caves indicate that these were not very long term measures, but not just a few days either. There are multiple such caves cities in this region with an indication that some of these might be connected to each other. Why would the top of the food chain humans decide to go subterranean? Was the climate outside these caves too harsh to survive? Did they do it to escape the invaders? 

Some fairy chimneys near Goreme were dug out to make churches and are about as old as Hagia Sofia of Istanbul. They still have very colourful frescoes.

Pamukkale & Hierapolis

In Turkish Pamukkale means the cotton palace; the most apt definition of this place. The mineral rich water from the thermal springs has been dripping down into the valley for many centuries. In course of time, the dripping water deposited calcium carbonate forming a series of dazzlingly white, shelf like structures called travertines. These almost look like a frozen mineral waterfall. 

The three hour journey to Pamukkale required a few breaks on the way, including lunch, and the hitherto unseen large strawberries from the farms en route. This was one of the few conducted tours --- the guide, a young lady, was full of pep was very helpful. Too many people, and almost all crowding the travertines. 

The Greco-Roman town itself had been developed to take advantage of the hot water springs of the region which was considered to be healing. It boasts of a number of baths, a Roman theater that could seat 12000, a necropolis, an agora(market) and a large number of temples which gave the city the name "the holy city", Hierapolis. 

 

The town was destroyed by earthquakes but rebuilt  more elaborately to became a big center of art and trade. A series of earthquakes hit the town after 7th century following which it was abandoned. Excavation started in 20th century and are still going on. A small museum enclosing a roman bath exhibits the findings. Hierapolis is now a UNESCO protected site. 

On the other side of Hierapolis, the whole of the mountain-side is covered with travertines. The mineral water is nowadays directed to a series of travertines cascading down one side only. So you can walk down the travertines to lower levels which made them less and less crowded. The path was slippery and narrow --- Sudhir went only up to the first, I braved it to the fourth travertine. Loved it.

Pide: Turkish Pizza

 

 We thought Pizza to be an Italian dish. Turns out something very similar exists in almost all countries bordering Mediterranean Sea. Turks call it Pide. It is shaped differently but is exactly that. Having Pide in Uchisar, Cappadocia with the local turkish beer.

Topkapi Palace: The jewel of Ottoman Istanbul & the other palace :)

Here, we had our first encounter with the long queues at the entry (we had escaped on the first day for Hagia Sophia). Still not too bad, 30 minutes of wait time. 

With a few palaces within the city where I was born and brought up, most of them now converted into hotels, I was not sure if Topkapi would hold our interest much. We went there following the 'completeness theorem of tourism' --- it was a good decision ! Topkapi palace was not just a palace but a palace-complex, practically a mini-city. The layout of the palace with 4 courtyards from the time of Mehmet the Fatih, has remained mostly unchanged. The various building have been added, replaced or restored through the time till the royal family moved to the Dolmabache Palace in 1856 AD. 

 The palace compound has a series of courtyards, each more protected than the preceding one, each with a large number of small pavilions. The outermost (first) was the court of Janissaries (army) with Hagia Irene, which was part of the earlier Byzantine palace, used as the armory. The army paraded here and on special occasions, public was given access to this court.

The second court had the buildings for royal administrative functions including that for the meetings of the ministers. The Sultan eves-dropped on these meeting through a grill that opened into the Harem.  Today this building houses the clock collection of the sultans. 

The Palace kitchens are a part of this court and here food was prepared daily for all the residents of the palace. Some very fine Chinese vases, dinner services, table runners and porcelain are exhibited here at present. Looking at the influence of Chinese culture, the two countries probably had very strong trade and diplomatic relations.

The family of the Sultan lived in the Harem. Besides the living quarters, this is where the education of the children of the family was undertaken along with education of arts and religion. Special suites were reserved for the mother of Sultan and his favorite wife / concubines. It also had schools, mosques, baths along-with special pavilions and courtyards for family functions. The baths were particularly ornate with running water and gold detailing.

Sultans personal chambers, baths, pavilions and courtyard also formed a part of the Harem. These chambers had huge carpets, elaborately decorated walls, canopies and thrones. The walls were covered with blue Iznik tiles. The Harem was guarded in past by black eunuchs and no person from outside was allowed access here. 

Courtyard from the Harem had beautiful view of the Galata Tower on the other side of The Golden Horn.

The Third court had the Royal Library and Imperial Treasury which today holds exhibits of the most amazing jewels including the 67 carat white diamond. Very beautiful gems formed a part of the this treasury some of which were spoils of various wars and some gifted by their vassal.  Also on exhibit are the holy relics of Prophet Mohamed.

Detail of a gold encrusted throne literally covered with pearls, rubies and emeralds. This throne was gifted to the Sultan by Nadir Shah of Iran to Sultan Mahmud I. It is believed to be the famous peacock throne that Nadir Shah took with him after looting Delhi. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust the Arabians to have yet another option of a chess board. The chess pieces were crystal but the board was breathtaking inlay work. Attaching a collage of some more pieces that I was intrigued with..

 

The fourth court has the courtyards and personal chambers of the emperor itself.  It has elaborately decorated marble pavilion which offer beautiful views of the Bosphorus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Topkapi, we went to Dolmabache Palace. Taking pictures inside the palace is forbidden. But I think it was not really a loss. Unlike Topkapi palace, Dolmabache palace could be plucked from Istanbul and put anywhere in Europe and you will find nothing amiss. Though the private marina for special guests was rather remarkable.

 

 

 

Walking about Fatih, the Old Istanbul

 Most of the tourist sites of Istanbul lie in its southern peninsular region which was the old Istanbul. After the Ottoman conquest this region was called "the Fatih". Here Fatih, the conqueror, was the title given to Sultan Mehmed. The old Fatih region with its multiple mosques, schools, wooden houses must have been a charming place. Today only a few of the wooden houses survive, most were destroyed in various fires and earthquakes. 

Whenever we decide to visit a new country, Sudhir obtains a copy of Lonely Planet guide of the country. He maintains that while all the latest information is available on the net, Lonely Planet remains the most reliable source. Lonely planet recommends a walk though the Fatih region to see some of the old world charm and that is what we intended to do on our third day in Istanbul.  

We started from Suleymaniye Mosque, where I left in the last blog, crossing the whole complex with school, hospital etc. Walked through Kayserili Ahmedpasha Sokak which has a couple of beautiful Old Timber houses. 

Had sweet boza, a fermented grain drink, at Vefa Bozacisi one of the oldest Boza shops in Vefa region. This shop has been around since 1876 must have sold a lot of boza. It was nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After crossing narrow winding streets filled with cats so cute that is was difficult to tear ourselves from them, we reached the magnificent arches which held the old Aqueducts of the Byzantine times.  This is s series of double stories arches which were used to carry water for the city during Byzantine times. 

We walked through the Fatih Monument Park with the statue of Mehmet the conqueror on a horse with his ministers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next lay the Women's Bazaar, a local shopping area. A number of quaint eateries and some very interesting spice shops. A lot of familiar spices and a lot which were not. Didn't / Couldn't buy any because I did not know how and where to use them. Regretting it a bit now, but I have the consolation of being able to buy them on Amazon 😏

 

Final stop was The Grand Bazaar with its myriad shops, brightly lit beautiful corridors, the buzz of equally loud tourists and touts. Chai shops, souvenir shops, more spice shops, and fake everything shops. This bazaar had a whole diwali vibe with all the lights, sweets and unusual curios shops. It was not an easy choice for Sudhir... which one first? The Ottoman chess-men set or Baklava or Turkish delight. Some very Kashmiri style embroidery left me puzzled initially .... but then Istanbul was on the ancient silk route and hence a unique amalgam of cultures from China to all the other cultures on the way, including Kashmir. The whole effect of the Bazaar was practically an assault on our sense.

It was Friday evening and the prayer time came to the rescue of our wallets :). We were not able to return to Grand Bazaar again during this trip. Sudhir tried, but it was Sunday that day :( else I would have the Ottoman Chess set adorning my living room. 

The Mosques of Istanbul

 

On our first day in Istanbul, though weary from the journey, we wanted to get oriented to the city and adjust our body clocks to Turkey time. Despite wanting to lie down, we  went to Sultanahmet (square) and crossing the ruins of the Roman Hippodrome, walked to the Sultanahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque). We were there just at the right time --- in between the prayer times.

 

The inner hall was cool and given the number of tourists, very quiet. People were sitting about and taking in the beauty of the place. Huge stain glass windows gave most of the light. The dome, pillars, walls were covered with painting, carvings, calligraphy and blue colored Iznik tiles in100s of different designs of lily. The roof was a series of domes from the highest being the biggest and then cascading down to smaller one. The whole effect is so harmonious and serene that people were talking in hushed tones. 

To complete our orientation we passed by the entrance of Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) which is 5 minutes walk away. To our surprise the ticket lines to Hagia were only 10 deep when we expected 100s to be lining up for entry. This was an unexpected opportunity and we soon found ourselves in the old cathedral. 

A bit of History: Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and was the largest cathedral of the world for about 1000 years. With Ottomans conquest of Istanbul in ~1450 AD, it was converted to a mosque with added minarets, pulpit and mihrab. The architecture of the Blue Mosque built by Ottomans in 1610, as well as most of the other mosques of Istanbul (even in Cairo) is inspired by Hagia Sophia. In 1935 Ataturk, the father of modern secular Turkey, converted it into a museum. In 2020 the present government reconverted it into a mosque.  

Hagia Sophia was much larger than the Blue Mosque. It is about a 1000 years older and yet it seemed more lighted with light shining off the mosaics on the walls. Sudhir pointed out the mosaics, I was assuming them to be paintings... extremely fine work with gold and silver covered tiles reflecting the light just right. The effect of age was very visible with patches where some of the mosaics had been. With the mosaics of Mary and Jesus, Hagia Sophia looks more like a church than a mosque. The mosaics painted or plastered over during the Ottoman period were probably revealed and restored during it's museum phase. Restoration work still continues.

Despite being a mosque Ayasofya doubles as a museum and allows access to tourists only on the upper levels with best views of the mosaics. To see the Omphallion on the main floor, one has to crane ones neck a bit. The Omphallion is a square area marked with inlaid discs of different colored marbles from different regions of the Byzantine empire. This was where the Byzantine emperors were crowned.

With a very satisfactory introduction to the old Istanbul, we called it a day, and visited the Suleymaniye mosque the next morning. 

Being on top of a hill Suleymaniye mosque offers panoramic views of the region around. Despite the grey skies the courtyard offered lovely views of the Galata tower and the Bosphorus. The mosque is a part of a social complex of with a hospital, a graveyard, a public kitchen, public bath and a school built for Sultan Suleyman in 1550 AD. The main hall theme is red and it was the first to use Iznik tiles in red colour.

Here are some pictures of the graceful prayer hall, the lovely courtyard and a view of the Galata tower.

Taksim Square

During our trip to Turkey we visited Istanbul twice, on our way in and then out of the country. On our second visit we decided to stay in a quaint hotel in the Beyoglu region around the famous Galata Tower. Little did we realize that the hotel was on a steep incline. In order to get to the tramline (read: sea level) one needed to go down about 30 feet and Taksim square was about 40 ft uphill. The narrow lanes deter taxis or any public transport so one just has to just walk it. 

 Well, we proceeded to explore the Istiklal Caddessi (street) and the Taksim Meydan ( Square). Istiklal street is a very beautiful street lined with old buildings and cafes and shopping areas and vintage trams running down the street. It is very popular with the tourists also.

 They go window-shopping, sit in the cafes sipping chai or coffee or late in the evening flock to the number of root-top eateries.  Some of the side squares of Istiklal street were also very beautiful, one could sit and have a meal while absorbing the beauty of the place. 

Taksim Square has another huge Mosque the Taksim Camii and an imposing freedom monument in the center. Very relaxed atmosphere, you can sit around have roasted chestnuts or grab a Simit sandwich from the kiosks, and of course as many sweets and herbal teas and you name whatever.

From Taksim, we took the funicular to go down to the sea level. Having taken the flight from Izmir on the same morning, we were tired and wanted to go to the hotel to get some rest. While climbing up-to the hotel we came across a beautiful little staircase called Camondo stairs which was designed by a french architect. The wavy staircase was a popular place for wedding photographs also :).  

 

Our knees were screaming from this arduous climb and we realized that we cannot do this again (we changed our hotel the next morning). Yet, we could not have left without a close look at the iconic Galata tower where we headed for dinner. 

Galata Tower was built in the Byzantine period by emperor Justinian as a watch tower. It was destroyed during one of the crusades and the presently standing tower was built in 1204. It has served as a prison, a fire lookout and at present is a museum. On top is the lookout gallery offering full view of the neighboring regions which gets very crowded at sunset. The tower was closed for renovation but the lanes around it were bustling with cafes offering food from all over the world. A number of Instagram stars were busy taking pictures with Galata tower in the background. 

 

 

Post dinner walk was very rewarding. We came to a square with a local crowd sitting and watching a local volleyball team match on a huge screen put up right in the square. There was lots of cheering for the home team. No tourists here, just the local crowd. Reminded me of the screenings of football matches in the cafes (even in the University lecture hall) in Italy and watching a particularly interesting football match in a local pub  in France.

 

 

 

 

Kadikoy: the Asian side of Istanbul

Istanbul sits astride the Bosphorous strait. While such a large water body dividing the city is intimidating to desert dweller like us, for the Istanbul residents it is just another ferry ride from the mad touristy European side to the more sane and modern Asian side. Sudhir and I planned to spend half a day here hoping to find the waterfront promenades and the open art gallery: the street arts of Kadikoy. 

 

 

We covered only half of the most famous works despite a very helpful map for all these arts. Not an easy task since one can only see the distances on the google map and are completely unaware of the steep inclines involved. Old knees have their limits 😞. 

Having already gained some altitude we decided to follow the slope observing the everyday life of Kadikoy residents. Saturday mornings is not really the time to observe the local crowds who are more likely to be out in the evening. 

We crossed a few fruit shops ( Lunch!) and another shop  selling an unusual local specialty, the pickles --- of everything. What vibrant colours!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Eventually we reached the Kadikoy meeting point, the seat of the famous "Raging Bull" statue. The statue was created by the French but came to Turkey through Germany; Turkish support on the wrong side of WWII was somehow involved. Anyway the bull was asking to be taken by the horns and Sudhir did.

This was also close to the artists street which boasts of some boho cafes and the memorial to Ali Suawi, one of the first pan Turkists of the Ottoman Period. 

 

Loved this unusual bookshelf at a cafe --- sought permission of the guy to take a pic. His kindness showed up by removing everything around. 

 

Like almost all our trips, the last stop of this trip also was a Turkish sweet shop to enjoy one  of the many different kinds of Baklava. In the evening we enjoyed the dance show at Hodjapasha... more on that later. 

 

 

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern

 

 

It was our second-last day in Turkiye. We had seen all on our to-do list for Istanbul. Except Basilica Cistern. The queues were intimidating. But how could we not see it. Made enquiries. Having already strained his knees, Sudhir chickened out at the proposition of walking down (no lift 😖). So we bought "Skip the line" ticket tour paying 20% extra ( only for me) for the next day, May 19th, which was also our last day in Istanbul. Many logistics had to be taken care of ... check-out at the hotel, arrange taxi to airport, but we managed to reach the site at 9 am only to realize that the regular queue required only 10 minutes extra. My ticket ( hefty entrance ticket with the added premium) allowed me to save those 10 minutes 😐 and I entered immediately, armed with a selfie stick for photographs.  

To the movie buffs: the photographs might look familiar ... this cistern has featured in a number of Hollywood movies: The Inferno, From Russia with Love, The International to name a few.

When I entered Basilica Cistern, the sheer size of this place hit me. Imagine an area larger than a football field, sunk 10m underground, with a roof supported by 336 symmetrically places columns ( did all Romans have OCD?). Then imagine it being filled with 80,000 tonnes of water ... all this in 550AD for the population of the bustling metropolitan city of Istanbul.

Istanbul was strategically a very important region due to control on the Bosphorus strait that allowed access to Black Sea countries and also being on the ancient Silk Route. It was  the capital of eastern half of the Roman Empire, made rich by the tax and toll, but did not have natural water resources for its ever increasing population.  The way out was getting water from far regions using aqueducts (still well preserved in Istanbul). 

Many underground cisterns were built to  store the extra water for summer months and emergencies ( read: besieged by enemy forces). Basilica Cistern is one of the many in Istanbul that are open to tourists.

 

Basilica Cistern was built by Byzantian Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century BC. It fell into disuse during Ottoman period (post 1400 AD, they liked running water), was later rediscovered by a Dutch visitor. It has been restored recently as a fine example of Byzantian architecture (and pragmatism). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the columns are plain marble, spoliated from older Roman and Greek structures. Two particularly striking columns are propped on huge marble Medusa heads, one upside down and the other lying sideways. 

Medusa was a Greek goddess with snakes for hair and was considered a dangerous one since just seeing her could petrify people. The positioning of the heads could be to petrify Medusa herself ( she looks at her image in the water 😃). People still put Medusa heads at the entrance of their homes to protect it from evil-eye. 

The dark interiors with strategic lighting makes the place look very mysterious. Adds to the allure of the place. Happy that I could visit this beautiful place. 

And Sudhir insisted on singing a song --- Rashmiiii, tum basilica ko dekho, aur main tumhe dekhte hue dekhoon (photo mein :-)).