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| Istanbul, Bulgaria, and Rome (Part 2, Istanbul with Sandra) | Page: 1 2 3 4 |
Date: June 23rd to 27th, 2023
I left the prior page as I was making my way to the airport to meet Sandra. I was excited to see her as by now it has been almost a month since I left home for Slovakia. I got to the airport about an hour early. Despite now being in Istanbul for nearly a week (including the pre-cruise time with my mom), this was actually my first time to the airport as all my other travel was by bus. This airport is really neat. Of course I couldn't get in past the security, but the arrivals hall is actually outside, under a massive canopy roof. Sandra finally popped out, almost an hour after touch down due to long queues. She looked quite tired but it's a long way from Los Angeles! We then metro-ed back to Galata, dropped off the bag, and went for dinner in Karakoy, at the same restaurant where I previously enjoyed kebabs with my mom. We then walked over to Galataport which this time had the barrier lowered since there were no ships boarding. This was actually my first time seeing it like this. It looks to be a popular spot for evening strolls.
We started the next morning with a coffee and pastry at the Decamondo coffee shop. We then set off on our first day of sightseeing. We started at Sultanahmet for another (for me) visit of the magnificent Blue Mosque. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I, and continues to function as a real mosque. I much more appreciate the gritty magnificence of this structure over the Instagram-worthy Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque we got to tour later this year in Abu Dhabi. We then walked through the Sultan Ahmed park and made our way into Hagia Sophia. Apparently as of now in 2024 when I am writing this, tourists are no longer allowed on the ground floor and instead can only access the upper balcony? Well during our visit it was the opposite. We could access the ground floor but the balcony was closed. I think we got the better deal because it is hard for me to imagine how one may experience the true grandeur of this place and its incredible scale being so much closer to the ceiling. From there it would also be easy to miss the massive chandeliers which tower overhead to worshipers.
Near Hagia Sophia you will find the Hurrem Sultan Hamam. This traditional Turkish bath house was constructed in 1556. Ignoring the various times when it was closed or used for other purposes, let's assume that only 50 people come here per day (I bet the actual number is much higher). Then multiplying by 365 days in a year, we calculate that over 8.5 million people have bathed here already. Wow! This was my first time to a hamam and I frankly did not know what to expect but I envisioned it will be less awkward than the spa Sandra booked me in India which involved me standing naked in a tub while another guy poured milk over me... The hamam has two completely different sections so men and women don't ever see each other. This is different from the typical Korean spa where there will be a separate wet section but a common dry sauna room. Upon entering, you are given a sheet to cover up and a locker to store your things. You then have an attendant take you to different sections. The main part has multiple individual alcoves where you sit on a stone and get water poured over you. You then move to the central section where several people are washed at the same time on a central pedestal. This involves the attendant using a bag to release bubbles all over you, this part is really fun. Then finally after rinsing off, you relax in the vestibule with some hot tea. This is definitely a must experience, and just writing this report now, makes me want to go back to Istanbul just to do it again!
After the Hamam we headed back to the hotel to change but then returned to visit the truly amazing Topkapi Palace museum. Construction was started by Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) six years after conquering Constantinople. It became the primary residence of sultans until the end of the Ottoman empire in 1923. One could easily spend a full day just exploring here. This is even more so true for people like me not too familiar with Turkish history. There is so much to learn. The vast palace complex houses several buildings, including a mosque, kitchen, treasury, doctor's residence, dormitories, and a massive harem.
The palace also houses various artifacts of Prophet Muhammad. One is the staff, at which we saw several people crying. There are also various footwear items (sandals) and also a footprint, but I gotta say they are all of very different size so there appears to be some discrepancy here.
The grounds are also spectacular with amazing views towards Galata and the Golden Horn, which once used to be blocked off by the massive chain that Mehmed II cleverly bypassed on dry land. We had lunch at the Konyali restaurant located within the palace. The food was good and was served on silver trays. Next to us was apparently some top-level meeting of suspiciously looking men in suits, either government, top level corporate, or mafia (but is there really a difference?). Not long after sitting down, they all got whisked away to a more private part of the restaurant.
We ended this exhausting day with a walk back to the hotel. Here we took a brief refuge in a cemetery. I found it interesting seeing the tombs topped off with columnar headstones, instead of the crosses found on Christian graves. We found this style all around so I presume this is they traditional way to perform burial in this part of the world.
Despite all the neat places visited so far, there was much more sightseeing to do. We started this Sunday with the aptly named BusForUs sightseeing bus that took us over the Bosphorus (get it?) and to the Beylerbeyi Palace. The bus picks up in multiple places and one of the earlier highlights was the 1400 BC Obelisk of Theodosius located in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. This a large open area that used to feature horse races during the Byzantine empire. It is located literally right next to the Blue Mosque but somehow I totally missed it on my two prior visits. Being on the bus, we learned about it from the audio narration.
Crossing over the Bosphorus was a treat. This strait divides the European side of Istanbul from the Asian side. The Asian side seems to be much more residential although we did not venture in too deep. We got off at the Beylerbeyi Palace. This stop was something I was particularly looking forward to. It was constructed as a summer house and a place to entertain foreign guests, with the construction taking place in the 1800s, during the realm of European Baroque. I very much enjoy Baroque palaces for their opulence, and this one did not disappoint. Unfortunately, my pictures are minimal since photography inside was strictly forbidden with eagle-eyed guards stationed in all rooms. Now, while I am all for respecting rules and regulations, prohibiting photography is unconscionable. If anything, request that people do not pose for photographs for the sake of crowd control, but not even allowing quick pictures of the architecture? Give me a break! A big benefit of a GoPro, especially the older models without the front screen, is that you can just hold it in your palm and record video without anybody being any wiser. And that's what I did. Unfortunately, I had the white balance locked to some weird mode (still don't know what happened) so the colors came out sort of yellow (it could be that it was shooting in its "RAW" mode). Of course also by shooting from your palm, the composition is not going to be ideal. After touring the palace, we grabbed lunch at a cafe located on the palace grounds. Here I got scratched by one of the local stray cats, which then led to me excessively researching whether stray cat scratch can be a vector for rabies. The consensus was that this is unlikely, and given I am still here a year later, they internet was right!
We then rode the bus back through the Taksim square and got off at the Eminonu port. Here we visited the Rustem Pasha Mosque that is prominently overlooking the Golden Horn. This mosque was complete in 1563, so about 50 years prior to the Blue Mosque. We then ventured in the near by spice bazaar. Here we bought some sweet instant tea mix, which while tasting good (although a bit too sweet), possibly also kept giving me an upset stomach. Then to wrap up the day, we hiked up the hill to climb up the Galata Tower.
But wait, there is more! The next morning we visited the Basilica Cistern. This is a massive underground water storage cavern that was built some 1500 years ago in the 6th century by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. It is really mind altering stepping back and realizing that humans have been producing really awesome technological designs literally for millennia. These days, building something like this would require various numerical simulations and all sorts of exotic metal reinforcements. On top of it, simplicity and cost savings would win over aesthetics. Yet here is something constructed just from stone that not only still stands after over 1500 years but also looks amazing for what is essentially a large underground pool. These days, the water level is kept at minimum so that tourists can explore without needing a bathing suit.
We also visited the massive Gulhane park located next to the Topkapi Palace. Here we encountered a neat Column of the Goths. This column was constructed by the Romans in the 3rd or 4th century A.D. to celebrate their victory over the Goths. From there, we ventured to the waterfront where we encountered a massive statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the George Washington of Turkey, who as the first president took the country onto a path of modernization and secularism.
We then headed back to the Istiklal Avenue, and had a tasty traditional lunch at a restaurant that somebody recommended to us. One note on restaurants, there are so many of them! But they all have the same food! Like you will literally have a row of all kebab restaurants, or fish kebab if you are passing under the Galata bridge. I feel that if somebody opened anything different - burgers? pizza? pasta? - their place would be swarmed by tourists. This reminded me a lot of Japan, where, although I very much enjoy Japanese food, after a week I was really craving some variety, and my most memorable culinary experience ended up being a visit to an Indian vegetarian restaurant. In the evening, we boarded a dinner cruise offered by Turnatour which I highly recommend for any visitor. The price was very low (I want to say well under $50 per person) but included a shuttle pick up from the hotel, and then over 2 hours of cruising with dinner and a show. The show was great. First we got to see dance performances of various local styles (including some interesting ones involving costumes), and then the dance floor opened up for all to the tunes of Despacito.
The following day we visited the Dolmabahce Palace. This impressive sea-side structure was constructed by Sultan Abdulmejid I between the years of 1843 and 1856 to provide a more modern housing over the historical Topkapi Palace. It thus also became the main administrative building of teh Ottoman Empire until its end in 1924. It subsequently became presidential residence of Mustafa Ataturk, but now is a museum. This was another place that prohibited internal photos so I had to sneak in few hidden ones on my GoPro, which was still shooting in that weird color mode. This place is truly spectacular and I would like to return one day. On the way out we also passed by a clock tower that was built about 50 years after the palace.
Finally that evening we made it back to Galataport for cocktails at one of the many rooftop lounges. Surprisingly to me, we saw MSC Splendida back in port. Basically I ended up staying in Istanbul, post-cruise, for the exact duration of the cruise itself!
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