Last Day in Istanbul

Before leaving Istanbul we toured the palace adjacent to our hotel. Ciragan Palace is much smaller than Dolmabahce Palace and housed the hotel restaurant. The palace was destroyed by fire and restored many times but was renovated in 2007 to resemble more of the original building.

Here's a picture of the crystal staircase. Made me feel that I should be wearing a ballgown. For a while there, I was having a Cinderella moment.



















Our view from our balcony.































More pictures of Istanbul:





























In Ayasofya Camii, a private praying room for the Sultan during prayer times.














Vaulted ceiling on the second floor of Ayasofya Camii:















Men had to wash their feet at the ablution fountains before entering the mosque.















Inside Yerebatan Sarnici


















Ortakoy Mosque by the Bosphorus















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Last Night in Istanbul

We made our way to Sultanahmet area to visit the Topkapi Sarayi or Topkapi Palace but found that it was closed on Tuesdays. Oh well. Since we had not eaten we made our way to Buhara 23 and had more kebaps. (Tamara is a bit more better).

We decided to forgo the taxi and try out the tram. So for 1.2YTL per person, we enjoyed the ride from Sultanahmet to Kabatas. At Kabatas, we walked for about five minutes to the to Dolmabahce Palace.


















Dolmabahce Sarayi is rather new - built in 1840s by Sultan Abdulmecid. There were two parts- the more public state rooms and the private apartment (or harems). The state rooms were vast and sumptuous in its European styling. It was gilded in gold and the housed the largest and possibly the heaviest crystal chandelier in the world. Of course, no palace is complete without a grand staircase with crystal bannisters. One comment overheard during our tour: "It's so beautiful it makes you weep."














The second part of the tour is the Harem where the families of the Sultan lived. The mother of the Sultan seemed to have the most comfortable apartments. My favorite was the nursery in one of the apartments with its small furniture. I can picture Emma and Lauren playing in there.















One of the interesting things about this palace is the role the Bosphorus play in its architecture. Most state rooms had two entrances that mirrored each other. One door lead to the street to welcome those that came by road and the other door lead to the sea for those that came by water.















After touring this palace we walked to our palace, the Ciragan Palace Hotel, a few minutes by the waterside. I headed out for my massage (didn't get the Turkish Bath which gets you some flogging, I mean, pummeling, okay, massage). I opted for a more gentle hot Indian oil massage which at the end made me looked like I was basted for roasting. No roasting though just lots of relaxing.

As always, we headed out to Ortakoy to take on the Kumpir (stuffed baked potato) but started our evening with a relaxing before dinner drinks. Efes the Turkish beer is very light but comes in these big huge mugs.














Here's another picture of the waffle guy smearing on oodles of chocolate cream on the waffles.


















A good close up of the masterpiece.















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Istanbul Continued

Today's itinerary was to visit the Bazaars. Woke up late past breakfast so our first meal was an early lunch (or late breakfast?) of donner kebap (thinly sliced lamb roasted in a spit) on pita with french fries (inside the pita not on the side), tomato, lettuce, onions. Perfect.

We entered the Misir Carsis also known as Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Bazaar. Colors overwhelmed. The spices were mound high and I was afraid one sneeze would create an avalanche of spices.
















Then the sounds followed. Vendors were offering free samples of Turkish Delight to everyone. We did taste different varieties ranging from chocolate, coconut dusted, rosewater, pistachio, walnut, sugar and honey. I'm sure that there were more than what I listed. You can also buy caviar & tea (chamomile, rose-hip, apples, lemons and oranges). By the time we got to the other end of the building, I was already full but of course had to buy some baklava (again, the variety was endless- although Colin and I really liked the pistachio ones).

We ventured out and walked uphill to get to the Kapali Carsi or Grand Bazaar.














It was a labyrinth of stores selling anything from Turkish Delight to carpet to leather goods. It was a mall in more exotic setting - more loud, aggressive and confusing. But the vaulted ceilings are beautiful.


















We made our way back to the Spice Bazaar (preferring that market) but took another way. We found ourselves on a street selling camouflage clothing, brass knuckles, ammo and rifles. I definitely preferred the Spice Bazaar.

On our way home, the rain came down and we ducked into one of the outside eateries with makeshift tarp covering by the Galata Bridge. These boats have grills in them and would sway violently with the tide. The cooks would grill mackerel while swaying. I was getting sea sick just watching them. The balik ekmek (fish in bread)was eaten with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice available at each small table. It was fun eating the sandwich while watching Istanbul go about their day.

After a good rest we wandered out again to Ortakoy village for dinner and had to try what everyone seemed to be eating. It was no street food we had ever encountered, it was a stuffed baked potato called kumpir. Not just any stuffed baked potato, this one can be piled on with everything including the kitchen sink!


The vendor sliced open a hot potato and ladled on cheese and butter and whip it to resemble mashed potato still in its jacket then asked you what you fancy for toppings: potato salad, pickles, cous cous, corn, sausage, green olives, more olive paste, yogurt and other toppings that I still cannot identify. And we said yes to all of them. We settled in one of the park benches overlooking the Bosphorus and tackle this football of a potato - glad that we were sharing just one!

To top the evening off we went to another vendor selling waffles and, of course, had to buy one. Again, just like the humble potato, this humble waffle is transformed into a wrap filled with white and dark chocolate sauce, peanut butter, strawberries, kiwi, banana and chopped nuts. Again, sharing was a must.















Here's Colin browsing through one of the stalls for a book which cost $9 and up for a used copy. Luckily he did not find one he liked. (Later on the trip, he did find a new copy at the same price)













The stalls at Ortakoy












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Istanbul

After a total of 16 hours of flight/layover/car ride, Colin and I arrived at Ciragan Palace Hotel in Istanbul. On our first night we gratefully slept to compensate the lost hours and woke up refreshed to see what Istanbul had to offer.

We did all the touristy things and on the first day went to the Sultanahmet. We explored Sultanahmet Camii (or Blue Mosque) and promptly got waylaid by a carpet seller (which we artfully gave the slip). To be fair he did pointed out little things that weren't in the guidebooks like the pattern of the carpet was to point the worshippers to Mecca. We told the carpet seller that we would be spending some time in the mosque that he shouldn't wait around for us. He insisted that he would wait outside the exit and promise to take us to his store. We promptly found another exit to make our escape and made our way to see the rest of the Sultanahmet area.

We walked the cobblestones and found the 16th century Sokullu Mehmet Pasa Camii, a smaller mosque but nonetheless fascinating. We removed our shoes (as in every mosque) and I covered my head with a scarf. The old caretaker showed us certain aspects of the mosque such as the three black stones (I learned later that they were stones from the Kaaba in Mecca) and pointed at things original to the mosque such as the stunning Iznik tiles. There were just one other person in the mosque and the caretaker was so eager and proud to show us this beautiful mosque.

Nearby was another mosque the Kucul Ayasofya Camii (also known as Little Hagia Sophia). It was constructed in the 6th Centruy and was the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus and was converted to a mosque in early 16th Century.


















On our way to lunch, we heard a loudspeaker and no it wasn't a call from mosque but from a pick up truck selling potatoes and onions.














I realized that when I write about our travels, food is always in the forefront and I will not disappoint you this time. We ate at Tamara in the Sultanhamet had a plate of kebap, cheese pide (flatbread with cheese-- so yummy!) and lentil soup. We sat outside enjoying the weather and smoke-free atmosphere.















Fed and watered we toured Ayasofya Camii (or Haghia Sophia) which was comissioned by the Emperor Justinian in 532AD. The Ayasofya is now a museum and offered a glimpse of history into Istanbul. It started as a church and was the largest religious building in the world but when Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, Sultan Mehmet II decreed the church should become a mosque. In mid 1930s it became a museum.

Afterwards we went underground to see the medusa heads in dark eerie Yerbatan Sarnici (a citern to supply water to the Great Palace). The dramatic lighting and dripping water made this underground site pretty cool. Jazzed by this cistern we searched for other cisterns in the area but found it closed and decided to call it a day.











For dinner, we walked over to the Ortakoy village and mingled with the locals and tourists at the waterfront. We had our afternoon tea. We shared a chestnut souffle over my Turkish tea and Colin's beer in one of the outdoor cafes. Dinner at the Banyan Cafe gave us wonderful view of the Bosphorus Bridge while sheltering us from the rain.















Other pictures:
Disney invasion in Turkey!














Tempted to try but wasn't feeling too jet lagged!












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