Istanbul - The New City

After breakfast we took the tram across the Golden Horn and to the end of the line in the New City.  From there we took an underground funicular up to Taksim Square at the top of Istikal Caddesi, and started the back down the pedestrian only street.  Jeff quickly and aptly declared the New City less charming than the old.  It basically looked like a busy street in any major city, seemingly without much character.  We set off walking at a rather quick pace since it didn’t seem there was much to see.  When we finally looked back to see where mom was, she was waving the Rick Steves book at us, telling us that we had missed most of the important sites because we were walking so quickly.  We backtracked a little to the famous Turkish delight candy stop (Haci Bekir) and started reading the guide about what we were passing.  Mom was right...it got much more interesting when we knew what we were walking by.  This is an area where real Turks go out to shop, to eat, and to be seen.  There were lots of local delicacies to try and though we all skipped the sheep intentines, Kat and Jeff got some fried mussels on a stick that she said were "the best things she’s ever had".  She wasn’t so lucky with the buns that reminded her of China Town but where very dry. 

We made it about half-way down the street when Mom started talking about a place for lunch, mainly so she could sit down for a bit.  Kat had in her mind that a restaurant that she had read about in a different guide book was very close by and started asking people for the Joseph Lodi Café – but no one had any idea what she was talking about.  (Later she discovered she remembered wrong - it was the Pierre Lodi Café and it was about seven miles from where we were looking!) We got down to the end of the walk, where we had the option of getting into a second funicular to take us all the way down to the water.  At that point Jeff took control and found a restaurant that was still further downhill that we could walk to – so we skipped the funicular and kept walking.  Though the walk was entirely downhill, it  was very steep and long and the cobblestones made for difficult walking.  It was hard on Mom’s knees and she was more and more ready with each step to find a place to sit.  On the way down the hill, we stopped under the Galata Tower to take a picture or two and then continued down to the very bottom of the very steep hill.  At the very bottom, Kat asked where we could find the restaurant and were informed it was back up the hill, right where we had stopped at the Galato Tower…mom made it clear she was NOT walking back up that hill, so we hopped on the tram and went back to the Old Town.   Mom reached her limit in front of a cozy café so we just sat there and had a nice lunch.    

We went into a store that sells books in English and mom bought a mystery by a woman who is touted as the Donna Leon of Istanbul.  The enthusiastic book seller sold me a couple of books set in Istanbul as well.  When we got back to the hotel, Mom rested while Kat and Jeff went down to an art market and then back up to the Blue Mosque where Kat finished her book and Jeff sketched.  I worked on getting us caught up on the blog. 

Jeff was determined to get another Turkish Bath on his last night in town, and Kat and I were happy to go along for the ride.  This time we went to the Omer-recommended bath house Cemberlitas Hamami.  It was very different, more spa-like, than our first time and we splurged for the additional 30-minute oil massage that was well worth it.   We met mom back at the fountain between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and went to dinner at an Ottoman Kitchen where it is all out there for you to see and choose.  The food was actually really good.  We repeated our baklava and tea on the tables outside of our hotel before going inside to pack up and get ready to wake up 3 hours later to get to the airport for a very early morning flight.  

As I finish writing this I am on the plane heading back to California with mixed emotions after more than two months away.  This has been an incredible and unforgettable experience (especially since I managed to record it all so I won't forget)!   Thanks for following along on our adventure!!!!

To the Edge of Town and Back

On the morning of day 3 in Istanbul, Jeff sketched the view from the roof while waiting for the rest of us to make our way up for breakfast.  By the time we arrived at the Blue Mosque still very early in the day, the line to enter was already pretty long.  Kat got increasingly frustrated with the people who pretended to not see the line or for other reasons felt like they could join the crowd at the entrance rather than at the back of the line, but only because she is well versed with that trick and wished she had thought to do it herself!   They were well prepared for tourists showing too much skin, and I was given a longer skirt to wear in addition to the headscarves we all received.  The famous, gorgeous Blue Mosque gets its name from rich color that dominates the interior. Amazingly, it was built in just 7 years.  

From the mosque, we walked across the Hippodrome to the Turkish and Islamic Arts museum to see the collection of carpets, calligraphy, ceramics, and Quaran holders, among other things.  Mom felt was it was disappointing and not all that interesting.  Kat liked the oldest piece in the collection - a 7th century AD milestone (distance marker) that states the distance to Damascus.

Mom wanted us to see the Chora Church Museum on the edge of town just inside the Old Town walls, most easily reached by taxi.  Our taxi driver seemed to take a very long route, but we didn’t really have any idea where we were going so we paid the 40 lira fare.  Kat was not very excited about going to see a Christian church, and Lord knows I’ve seen my fill of some pretty important Christian churches this summer, but we were both won over by the beautiful mosaics that the Byzantines had perfected and the Ottoman Islams were kind enough to whitewash over rather than destroy.  The most impressive works included the entire family trees of Jesus and Mary.  It was amazing to see the facial expressions they were able to achieve with the use of such small stones in the pieces. 

From there we walked to the Walls of Theodosius built in the early 5th century.  We climbed up to the top of it to walk along it briefly for the great view of the city.  Mom’s fear of heights kept her on the ground, but us kids all went up the stairwell with no handrail to a 10 foot wide wall with no barriers on either edge…and added it to the list of things that would not be allowed in the USA (right after the fact that when you exit the tram you are allowed to walk across the tracks of other trams to cross the street).

Rick Steves suggested a long walk back to the center of town along the wall, but we opted instead to spend time near the Golden Horn.  So we took the next cab we saw back to the Spice Market, the 12 lira fare adding to the suspicion that driver on the way to the wall may have taken some unnecessary turns.   Among the stalls near the Spice Market we found the entrance going up to the elevated Rustem Pasa Mosque just as the call to prayer had sounded (one of the five times each day).  We weren’t allowed in during the service, so we sat outside in the courtyard to wait and appreciate the impressively tiled facade.  Kat got more pictures of us posed in front of tiles, but this time she wore a solid shirt so as not to clash. 

Istanbul is situated on an interesting section of water between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, connected by the Bosphorus Strait.  Certainly a great way to get a sense of the city and area would be on a Bosphorus Cruise.  Needless to say, I wasn’t super excited about that option especially after my recent experience in Capri, but I was willing to do the two-hour ferry.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to make the choice.  I learned that while I thought my mom would hate a boat ride and my sister would love one, the truth is the exact opposite.  I didn’t know Kat wasn’t a boat person, but was glad that she made the choice to stay on dry land especially as the smells of fish and boat fuel were already difficult enough for me to take.  Instead, we walked half-way across the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge, which is lined with restaurants and people trying to get you to choose theirs.  The restaurant we ended up picking was good enough – Kat was happy with her fish, Mom was happy to have a beer with lunch, I was happy we would be leaving the smell of the water’s edge soon, and Jeff was happy to sketch what he saw…which included the waterfront topped by the Sulumaniye Mosque.  Since we had decided to forgo the ferry, we made that mosque our next destination.    

Conveniently, the tram exit for the Sulumaniye Mosque is the same one as the tram exit for the Grand Bazaar, and Kat and I had a couple of things we wanted to pop back in to get if the opportunity presented itself. This time Jeff didn’t even bother to pretend to go with us – rather than take the tram he walked all the way from the bridge up to the mosque and made a plan with Kat for meeting in the courtyard of the mosque a couple of hours later.  If there were any problems we decided to just meet back at the hotel.  In the Bazaar, Kat badgered a merchant until he cut the price of a sultan dress-up outfit for Jack more than in half and was happy to see us leave.  We were also able to find the same jeweler we had bought from the day before so that I (who does not make buying decision as quickly) could get myself a marcasite bracelet like mom and Kat. After making our purchases, we pushed our way through a crowded street and made it to the mosque about 5 minutes after 5:00 – the time Kat said we were supposed to meet Jeff – but couldn’t find Jeff when we got there.  Services had just begun so we were not allowed to go inside to see if maybe he was sketching the interior. Mom and I sat in the courtyard to the rear right of the entrance while Kat circled the mosque searching for Jeff before declaring he was nowhere to be found.  Though I was sure he wouldn’t have left just five minutes after our meeting time, Kat was certain that he had already gone back to the hotel…so we walked back.  Surprisingly, Jeff was not at the hotel when we returned.  He came back over an hour later, after having waited for us past the 5:30 time he remembered being the agreed upon time.  If he was sitting where he claims and where the vantage point of the sketch places him, mom and I would have been sitting practically on his lap.  It is still a mystery how we did not see each other.

I spent the hour that Jeff was missing in the pottery store visiting with Omer and narrowing down my options further.  Jeff and Kat came in and quickly picked out more things to buy while I still looked.  I had planned to make my final decision on Sunday before leaving Turkey, but Omer forced me into a decision when he told me that he had to go visit his family and wouldn’t be around on Sunday.  Mom was getting very hungry so we went to find a place for dinner.  It is never a very quick process because you are always walking by shops and stalls and Kat in particular likes to poke.  So, just before we reached a hunger crisis, we sat at a table at the Dervish Café.  It could have gotten very ugly when there was not only no wine but the chicken Mom ordered was finished for the night.  But, the Whirling Dervish entertainment had a calming effect and crisis was averted.    After all my hemming and hawing, I decided at dinner that all I really needed was a single large bowl and a table runner.  Kat bought some baklava on the hippodrome, which was very active given it was the last night of Ramadan, and we sat at a table outside the hotel and had some tea and dessert with Omer.   I imagine that after three full days of being in his store he was probably expecting a larger purchase from me, but I did my part by bringing in my mom, sister, and brother.  I will need to return to Istanbul someday if just to get more pottery.  It is all so beautiful.

Kat and Jeff returned to the Hippodrome to wander around, mom went to bed, and I helped Omer close up the shop. An end to another great day.

Harems, Bazaars, and Hookahs

Alexander Sarcophogus

Our day started early with breakfast on the roof of our Abella Hotel – where many restaurants here are located - before setting out on another packed day.  First stop, the Archaeological Museum complex which includes three small, but important, museums.  The star attraction of the Archaeological Museum is the collection of ancient sarcophagi, including the incredibly well-preserved 4^th century BC Alexander Sarcophagus, which wasn't actually made for Alexander but just decorated with reliefs of him in battle.  The Ancient Orient Museum took us back to the even more ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and includes a fragment of the Kadesh Treaty from the 13^th century BC – the first written peace agreement in the world.  The Tiled Kiosk is itself one of the oldest examples of Ottoman civic architecture and contains a collection of centuries-old Turkish tiles.

Harem tiles

From there we walked back up the hill to the Topkapi Palace, former home of Suleyman the Magnificent and an administrative palace for over 400 years.  Jeff had seen Topkapi on his last visit here with Michelle, Gretchen, and Annie, and was more than happy to find a place between the mosques (Blue and Sofia) to sketch while mom, Kat, and I went into the palace.  The palace is huge and even just focusing on three main areas – the Harem, the Imperial Treasury, and the Pavilions in the intimate fourth courtyard – took us a couple of hours.  The palace offers a wonderful view into the sultan lifestyle.  It was certainly most interesting to learn about the Harem (which refers to the women and also the place) and the power of the sultan’s mother in all things, including the selection of women for her son to bed.  The tile work throughout was stunning and gave Kat lots of photo opportunities.  The treasury includes the 86 carat spoonmaker’s diamond and the Topkapi Dagger.

Tiles near Circumcision Room

Jeff's Hagia Sophia

Jeff's Blue Mosque

The Grand Bazaar

We decided to hit the sprawling Grand Bazaar, the world’s first shopping mall, after lunch.  I think Jeff was under the impression that we were doing more of an overview of the bazaar as a sight to see, rather than a place to shop. So, after Kat and I were pulled into two shops in the first 30 feet of the bazaar for over thirty minutes, it became clear that sticking together was not going to make anyone happy.  Jeff gave us a meeting time of 4:00 at the tram and set off on his own to see the bazaar and sketch some more – he loves to sketch so much we were practically doing him a favor by shopping!   Even though Kat, mom, and I slowly made it through a mere fraction of the massive bazaar, we still managed to pick up quite a few things.   Our personalities really came out when it came to haggling – an expected part of the process here in Istanbul.  Kat is very no nonsense and has no trouble pushing until she gets the price she wants (and people often relent to get her out of the store).  I have what some may call a more flirty approach to haggling (I call it friendly) - but in truth if you want the best price it is better to have Kat with you than me (if you want to make friends, stick with me).  You have to watch mom closely because with her math skills she can think she is haggling but may actually be offering to pay more!  The big purchases of the day were in the jewelry section, with Kat coming away with a bracelet and mom getting several pieces…it holds true still that the longer she sits in one place, the more she buys. 

A very happy jeweler

Spice Market

We took the tram down to the waterfront and walked through the Spice Market, enjoying the colors and the aroma of all of the exotic spices, and into the New Mosque, one of the last examples of classical-style Ottoman mosques (before western architectural influences came into fashion).

New Mosque

We walked back to the hotel for some down time before dinner and a visit with Omer and his pottery (Kat’s and Jeff’s big purchase day).  Mom was looking for a nice fish restaurant (with wine) and Omer walked us to a nice restaurant on a roof overlooking the sea and both mosques.   It was great to have him take us because we wouldn’t have gotten a table without reservations if he hadn’t been friends with the manager.  With his introduction, we were given a great table along the glass rail overlooking the mosques and mom treated us to a wonderful and fun seafood dinner.   It was breezy up top and mom was cold which threatened to ruin her time…so I went out in search of a shawl.  As is not usual for me, I chose one very quickly at a store a few doors down from the restaurant and it was beautiful (since then Kat and I have both bought similar ones at the same store).  Only after returning from my errand did we learn that the restaurant keeps scarfs on hand should anyone get cold.  Kat and I both ended up using the very warm restaurant ones before the night was over. 

Dinner view

Dinner view

Say Goodbye to Ramadan

Mom's wine, fish, and new scarf!

 Dinner ended at 10:30 and we walked Mom home then met up with Omer to go to the Hookah Bar, where we had a great time talking culture, swapping stories, drinking Turkish Coffee (all except me), and smoking an apple hookah (I even gave it a go though I am sure I didn't inhale).  Jeff said it was an experience that was glad to have had but has no real desire to repeat (the smoking part).  With or without the hookah smoking, it was very fun to be out in Istanbul together!

The Adventure Continues...Istanbul!!

To top off a perfect summer, I am spending the very last weekend of it in Istanbul with my mom, brother, and sister – a celebration for my mom’s 70^th birthday.  Only after I landed and was looking at the window on the way to my hotel did I realize how little I knew about Istanbul – the culture, the history, the geography – I knew close to nothing.  Both because I had been planning travel itineraries for two straight months and because I was traveling with my very travel savvy and planning family, I figured the greatest contribution I could make to this adventure was to come in without any agenda of my own – happy to follow their leads.  But, my lack of knowledge bordered on irresponsible and disrespectful…I had some major learning to do! 

I landed a day before my travel partners, so had some time to explore Istanbul on my own.  My first stop was into the ceramics shop right next door to our hotel, promising the owner that I would return with my family…and then popped back in to get his recommendation for lunch.  He was the first person to greet me in Spanish.  The Turkish merchants are amazing linguists – and try to address everyone in what they think is their native tongue.  It made me so happy that they would often go through Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and even Turkish before thinking I might be American!  (Omer will play significantly in our story of Istanbul…stay tuned!)   Anyway, I took Omer’s recommendation for lunch and then just started walking. Traveling as a single woman is very different than traveling with two kids, and I made the mistake of speaking to anyone who spoke to me and getting into conversations I eventually learned to just walk away from, but I got the lay of the land and enjoyed seeing this beautiful city from the outside. I didn’t go into any sites, not knowing what would be on the family’s list (and assuming correctly everything would be).

Even though my family’s flight was delayed by an hour or so, getting them to the hotel on Thursday around noon, we still packed in a very full first day.  (It was also the end to my summer of sleep – one day with my family and I’m back to my old self on that point).  Jeff and my mom both arrived with their Rick Steves’ Istanbul guides in hand, so after moving into our room for four (with a couch on the balcony for us to compete for), we took Rick’s advice for a cafeteria style lunch place near the Mosques (Blue and Hagia Sophia) and started his walking tour of the center of Istanbul. 

Our first stop on the tour took us into Hagia Sophia – which was first a church, then a mosque, and now a museum.  It contains unique elements of both the Byzantine (Christianity) and Ottoman (Islam) empires.  Thankfully the Ottomans decided to plaster over the Byzantine church rather than destroy it, so both are visible today.  Hagia Sophia is an impressive piece of architecture that still dominates Istanbul’s skyline and for a thousand years (until the Duomo in Florence), it had the greatest dome in the world.  Walking in you can feel how striking it is and Kat even had to lie down to capture majesty of the dome fully in photos. 

Next we walked by the Golden Milestone (once considered the center of the world from which distances were measured) and stopped at the underground Cistern.  This massive reservoir that used to hold 27 million gallons of fresh water for the growing city of Constantinople is constructed from 336 columns – most recycled from earlier Roman ruins, including these Medusa heads used to prop up a couple of the shorter columns.  In the cistern they had one of those photo places where you could dress like a sultan with your haram around you and Kat decided we needed to pose.  The pictures were really funny (to be scanned later).  

We walked the rest of the Hippodrome, seeing the Egyptian Obelisk, the Column of Constantine, and the Column of the Serpent.  The whole area is set up with street vendors in stalls, because we are here in the month of Ramadan.  The city is very festive after dark, once the fasting has ended for the day. 

We stopped in to visit the shop keeper next door, and as I thought might happen, my mom made a pretty large purchase.  My sister and brother would follow suit soon, but I took longer to make up my mind – requiring many hours of sitting on his couch and looking at all of the beautiful possibilities.  The piece I would have liked, a huge plate in his front window, was totally out of range not only because of the $2000 price tag, but because I would have to buy a new house to put it in. 

At 6:00, my brother could wait for his Turkish bath no longer, so we convinced my mom to join us and headed for the baths.  After wrapping up in towels we were led to a steam room to sit for 10 minutes – and it was hot!  Then they laid us down on a warm marble slab, exfoliated our entire bodies with a loofah and then covered us with sudsy water for the cleaning and massage, followed by a dunk in a cool pool.  By the time we returned from the bath, we all (mom in particular) were very hungry and we went to dinner up the street.  Due to our proximity to the Blue Mosque, there was no wine with dinner – a mistake mom was clear would not happen again this trip!  Kat and Jeff walked back through the Ramadan festivities while mom and I went back to the hotel.  When Kat returned, we had some tea (Turkish apple) with Omer next door before calling it a night.  A very full first day!