Istanbul is where East meets West and is the 2010 Culture Capital of Europe. After our week visiting the city we can see why. Our first impressions were of a large expansive city, lots of high rise apartments, traffic jams and lots to explore. On leaving the airport terminal we noted the heightened security as to get back in to ask where our shuttle bus left we had to put all our bags and ourselves through security once again. When leaving the last security check to return to England the security staff took the tops off our water bottles telling us we needed to drink it before getting on the plane - needless to say we had purchased these bottles after Customs and weren't going to give them up lightly so smuggled them in topless to our seats - we weren't the only ones!! The city straddles the Bosphorus River and Golden Horn and on the way to the hotel we saw many a fishing line dangling over the bridge, over the diners at restaurants below and into the water. There were traffic jams, lots of honking of horns in blocked narrow roads which we enjoyed because it was the start of the holiday and gave us lots of opportunity to observe. However, I did close my eyes and brace myself at times as the driver negotiated corners and made an extra lane when he got bored with staying within the white lines.
Seeing how and where others live is a past time of mine. Besides the high rise apartments, there were lots of little houses dotted around. Some were made of wood and provided an upmarket life style while others were abandoned a long time ago. Apparently these places are causing quite a problem, expensive to maintain and to insure (wooden buildings and high fire risk) illegal to demolish.
Our hotel was situated in the old part of the town - down a hilly cobbled street wide enough to get one vehicle up or down if goods, pedestrians or vehicles were not in the way. It was in the heart of the shoe making sector (our room was next door to a sewing machine) and was close to restaurants, trams and lots of tourist attractions. Barbers were open all hours (9.00 on a Saturday evening) and their trade mark was a clothes dryer out on the pavement with their towels drying regardless of the weather. Our hotel did have its disadvantages though - it was close to a number of mosques - hence we had a wake up call every morning at 5.00 am (one morning we didn't hear it and we can't decide if we slept through it which seems an impossibility, or perhaps that the Muezzin (caller) over slept which seems equally improbable). There is a photo of the 'guilty' minaret below. Anyway, after listening to the call 5 times a day for a week I thought I'd find out what the call was all about and apparently it means something like Allah is Great, Muhammed is Allah's Messenger and that believers should hasten to prayer which leads to success. Indeed the Turkish people seemed to be at peace with their fellows, polite to tourists and it is a fairly alcohol free community (Turkish tea is top of the drinking list - the alcohol is for the tourists). What a difference a little tea makes. A healthy diet is important for Muslims who consider excessive eating a sin (there is very little obesity in the city - the only evidence really was the chef at the hotel we were staying at who didn't quite look like an authentic Turkish citizen and other tourists from all over). They must wonder at the size and the volume of food and drink consumed by tourists. Healthy living was evident - stalls sold cucumbers, nuts, corn on and off the cob, bread sticks, roasted chestnuts, freshly grilled fish and salad rolls for the hungry - you had to search for hot chips, burgers (we did see 2 Burger Kings and a Mcd's). Cakes, baklava and turkish delight were sold through the various cafes and shops).
Some quotes...
O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Qur'an 7:31)
There was very little street music, some beggars and lots of people to ask us 'Do you want to visit my carpet shop?', 'How can I help you spend your money?', 'Do you speak English?' (to which we replied No), 'Would you like a guide book, we have them in German, Italian, English?', 'Come and see the menu we have ...' The nice thing though it was all said in good humour with a friendly smile and a no thank you usually left us alone - no following, nagging and pestering like in Egypt. However, the sad and sometimes overwhelming site is seeing children sitting on the ground hoping for some money with their parents clearly further down the road doing the same thing. Those big imploring eyes... Most people have lent their hand at ingenious ways to make money eg laying out balloons on poles or in the river for people to shoot at (no reward except fun I guess), selling toys, scarves, food and offering shoes to be shined (didn't appreciate us showing them our sports shoes!). One weekend we caught the tram which was standing room only - lots of very big plastic bags taking up space - filled with goodies to be sold at the park or along the river. Although tempted by the stalls selling some of this food we stuck mainly to the restaurants just in case....
The other thing we noticed was the lack of woman in the service industries in the city. Men served you at restaurants, cafes, shops and in the bazaar stalls. Women sometimes worked in the hotels and at the airport cafe bar but it was fairly evident that woman were highly respected, but there place is in the home. They are not forbidden to go out into the community (most wore colourful scarves and not a full burkha), if they have permission from their husband or guardian but must behave according to Islamic guidelines. So, a bit more about their dress. Those in full burkhas were probably not from Turkey as the dress is mainly secular ie jeans and long skirts seem to go down well. About 30% of woman wear the tesettür which is the scarf and are colourfully co-ordinated with their clothes - apparently this keeps everyone happy and satisifes the Islamic followers while abiding by the Turkish law which prohibits religious dress in public places. The veil is outlawed in Turkey (but not really enforced) and even wearing scarves is controversial particularly in government work places and unis - yes woman have a right to education."To seek knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim."
The street outside the hotel was alive all day and all night. During the day it was busy with shoemakers, people holding carts as they trundled warehouse goods down the hill, fruit sellers (£7 for a handful of grapes - we didn't buy cos I am sure the locals would have paid a fraction of that cost) and cafes. It would have been quiet at night if there wasn't calls to prayer, people loading wares into shops, drivers honking horns trying to get past pedestrians and parked vehicles, shoe makers loading material, chefs enticing people into their restaurants, men yelling at each other, rubbish trucks picking up the incessant mess left on the streets, cats fighting. We weren't far from the fish restaurants and went to explore the first night. There were about a dozen restaurants down one street, all with fairy lights and all with the same menus with the same pictures!! Needless to say it was a bit hard to choose! We decided very early on the locals throw rubbish everywhere (butts, pistachio nut shells, paper, boxes) and if it wasn't for the large number of scrawny cats the Istanbul authorities would have to call in the pied piper. It really was very sad to see - but I guess it kept the street cleaners in a job - and the next morning most of it was tidied up. 
We did all the touristy things ...Dolmabahce Palace - The queues were horrendous due mainly to the system of guided tours through the palace (which are not frequent for those that do not speak Turkish). We had read that it was wise to go to the harem first and after waiting for security to screen our bags and us, waiting at the ticket office, we again waited for the harem to open. This is a place with a difference - the place where the 'royal family' (Sultan, his Mum, and all the Sultans concubines who have given him a son, and the children before they reached puberty) lived. It is sumptious, relaxed, sparsely furnished and you could imagine yourself sitting in one of the high backed chairs reading as the sun shone through the large windows. The Palace, where the Sultan entertained guests and 'did business' was also sumptious, but in a different way. Where the harem had paintings and frescoes of flowers and country scenes the palace had furnishings to impress with more 'war and battle' paintings much more like the stately homes in England. The Muslims don't go in for portraits much and tucked away along a dark corridor was a painting of Queen Victoria and Albert donated to the Sultan during some visit. The palace has 285 rooms and we will always remember the wonderful 'crystal' lined stair case and chandeliers. Ataturk died here in 1938 (he was the founder of the Turkish Republic but more about him later in the blog on Gallipoli).
Hagia Sophia -Another impressive place is the Hagia Sophia which was a cathedral for the first 900 years (the largest cathedral in the world until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520) and then converted to a mosque for 500 years. The conversion involved plastering over all the Christian mosaics and today you can see a splattering of mosaics with Jesus, Mary and the prophets alongside the more simple mosque decorations. We were fortunate enough to be able to explore both the ground floor and the mezzanine which gave some spectacular views of the two religions mosaics and paintings including minarets and a mimbar (like a pulpit) and some marvellous marble wall panelling.Basilica Cistern - This was built somewhere around the 3rd and 4th centuries - an underground cistern built to provide water to the palace and its surrounds. It was where some of James Bond's "From Russia with Love" was filmed and it sits directly underneath a mosque. According to one story 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern and provided an eerie underground experience.
Blue Mosque - One of the first places we visited was the Blue Mosque - probably the most famous Mosque in Istanbul with its 6 minarets. It isn't blue outside but inside blue tiles adorn the walls and the ceiling. It is rather a spectacular example of a Mosque and was built in the early 1600's. It is still used today and we arrived just before the 'call to prayer' where a man stood at the door waving us through saying 'quickie, quickie' before the door closed for the time of prayer. Apparently Pope Benedict XVI visited here in 2006 - the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. During his tour, the pontiff turned towards Mecca in a gesture of Muslim prayer and silently prayed. He removed his shoes, just like us and then said: “May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.” The Pontiff suggested that Turkey “will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West” and he thanked the Turkish people “for the cordiality and sympathy” they showed him throughout his stay, saying, “he felt loved and understood.”
The other thing we noticed was the lack of woman in the service industries in the city. Men served you at restaurants, cafes, shops and in the bazaar stalls. Women sometimes worked in the hotels and at the airport cafe bar but it was fairly evident that woman were highly respected, but there place is in the home. They are not forbidden to go out into the community (most wore colourful scarves and not a full burkha), if they have permission from their husband or guardian but must behave according to Islamic guidelines. So, a bit more about their dress. Those in full burkhas were probably not from Turkey as the dress is mainly secular ie jeans and long skirts seem to go down well. About 30% of woman wear the tesettür which is the scarf and are colourfully co-ordinated with their clothes - apparently this keeps everyone happy and satisifes the Islamic followers while abiding by the Turkish law which prohibits religious dress in public places. The veil is outlawed in Turkey (but not really enforced) and even wearing scarves is controversial particularly in government work places and unis - yes woman have a right to education."To seek knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim."
The street outside the hotel was alive all day and all night. During the day it was busy with shoemakers, people holding carts as they trundled warehouse goods down the hill, fruit sellers (£7 for a handful of grapes - we didn't buy cos I am sure the locals would have paid a fraction of that cost) and cafes. It would have been quiet at night if there wasn't calls to prayer, people loading wares into shops, drivers honking horns trying to get past pedestrians and parked vehicles, shoe makers loading material, chefs enticing people into their restaurants, men yelling at each other, rubbish trucks picking up the incessant mess left on the streets, cats fighting. We weren't far from the fish restaurants and went to explore the first night. There were about a dozen restaurants down one street, all with fairy lights and all with the same menus with the same pictures!! Needless to say it was a bit hard to choose! We decided very early on the locals throw rubbish everywhere (butts, pistachio nut shells, paper, boxes) and if it wasn't for the large number of scrawny cats the Istanbul authorities would have to call in the pied piper. It really was very sad to see - but I guess it kept the street cleaners in a job - and the next morning most of it was tidied up.
Dolmabahce Palace - The queues were horrendous due mainly to the system of guided tours through the palace (which are not frequent for those that do not speak Turkish). We had read that it was wise to go to the harem first and after waiting for security to screen our bags and us, waiting at the ticket office, we again waited for the harem to open. This is a place with a difference - the place where the 'royal family' (Sultan, his Mum, and all the Sultans concubines who have given him a son, and the children before they reached puberty) lived. It is sumptious, relaxed, sparsely furnished and you could imagine yourself sitting in one of the high backed chairs reading as the sun shone through the large windows. The Palace, where the Sultan entertained guests and 'did business' was also sumptious, but in a different way. Where the harem had paintings and frescoes of flowers and country scenes the palace had furnishings to impress with more 'war and battle' paintings much more like the stately homes in England. The Muslims don't go in for portraits much and tucked away along a dark corridor was a painting of Queen Victoria and Albert donated to the Sultan during some visit. The palace has 285 rooms and we will always remember the wonderful 'crystal' lined stair case and chandeliers. Ataturk died here in 1938 (he was the founder of the Turkish Republic but more about him later in the blog on Gallipoli).
Hagia Sophia -Another impressive place is the Hagia Sophia which was a cathedral for the first 900 years (the largest cathedral in the world until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520) and then converted to a mosque for 500 years. The conversion involved plastering over all the Christian mosaics and today you can see a splattering of mosaics with Jesus, Mary and the prophets alongside the more simple mosque decorations. We were fortunate enough to be able to explore both the ground floor and the mezzanine which gave some spectacular views of the two religions mosaics and paintings including minarets and a mimbar (like a pulpit) and some marvellous marble wall panelling.
Basilica Cistern - This was built somewhere around the 3rd and 4th centuries - an underground cistern built to provide water to the palace and its surrounds. It was where some of James Bond's "From Russia with Love" was filmed and it sits directly underneath a mosque. According to one story 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern and provided an eerie underground experience.
Blue Mosque - One of the first places we visited was the Blue Mosque - probably the most famous Mosque in Istanbul with its 6 minarets. It isn't blue outside but inside blue tiles adorn the walls and the ceiling. It is rather a spectacular example of a Mosque and was built in the early 1600's. It is still used today and we arrived just before the 'call to prayer' where a man stood at the door waving us through saying 'quickie, quickie' before the door closed for the time of prayer. Apparently Pope Benedict XVI visited here in 2006 - the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. During his tour, the pontiff turned towards Mecca in a gesture of Muslim prayer and silently prayed. He removed his shoes, just like us and then said: “May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.” The Pontiff suggested that Turkey “will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West” and he thanked the Turkish people “for the cordiality and sympathy” they showed him throughout his stay, saying, “he felt loved and understood.”
Galata Tower - One of the nicest views of the city is from the top of the Galata Tower (another queue) built in the mid 1300's. Though the city seemed to be covered in a haze throughout our visit we could see the rivers and roof tops of the local communities - you can tell a lot from up high. The tower can be seen from many parts of the city as it sits on a hill and is nearly 70 metres tall. We were looking forward to a climb up the spiral staircase but they have installed lifts and there is no option to use leg power. Up the top is a squeeze - heaps of visitors come to see the view so patience is necessary to do the full 360 degrees. The tower is well known for jumping off it - and in the 1600's someone glided 6 kilometres with the help of some wings. About a century later the tower was used to spot fires in the city but unfortunately later on someone didn't spot one in the tower itself.
Topkapi Palace - A well known tourist attraction, though for some reason which we can't put our finger on we found it a bit disappointing. It has a lovely garden outside the walls filled with tulips that leads you slowly down to the harbour. The palace was built in the mid 1400's by Sultan Mehmed II and is a complex - with lots of different buildings for different purposes - library, harem, armoury etc. In its hey day nearly 4000 people lived in the palace including the concubines and eunuchs which were all slaves to the royal family. Over time as the Bosphorus became more popular the Sultans spent less time at the palace over looking the harbour and in 1924 it became a museum.
Hippodrome - there isn't much left of the Hippo which once was a circus, sporting and social centre for the city. Horse and chariot racing would occur up and down the long straight area where now there is grass, garden and a few relics to show that these past times once occurred between the Blue Mosque and Sophia Hagia. It was also the place where the sons of Sultan Ahmed III were circumcised in ceremonies that lasted at least a day. Not far from here is also the archaelogical museum which we accidentally went into thinking it was the entrance to Topkapi Palace. We were glad that we did. Besides lots of relics of Istanbul's previous lives there was a Sarcophagus - late 4th century BC stone coffin with carvings of Alexander the Great - mint condition and intricate in design. It was found during an excavation in Lebanon and was originally thought to belong to the King of Sidon Abdalonymus who died in 311 BC but some now argue it was for Mazaeus, a Persian noble and governor of Babylon. I guess we will never know for sure.
Emigran park - the 6th international tulip festival was on - and it was great. Lots of locals picnicking in the sun and a few tourists enjoying the photo opportunity - we really have too many photos of tulips - but who could resist them on a sunny day. After the long walk we hopped onto a ferry to take us across the river over to the Asian side - the guide books didn't have a lot to say about the 'newer' part of Istanbul - and we could see why. However, the walk along the river was pleasant - our aim to get to the Florence Nightingale museum and then the next ferry stop. We found the ferry stop but not the museum - but this is where she nursed the injured during the Crimean War. "She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds."
Another treat was a visit to a Hamam(Turkish Bath). Its a bit of a combination between a sauna and a bath with a massage thrown in. Relaxing as we sat on a very warm marble slab waiting decked out in red shorts and top - Harry just had a towel wrapped around strategic places. The room is heated by a continuous flow of hot, dry air which is good for perspiring apparently. It wasn't long before we were dousing ourselves in cold water to cool down. Then two nice young men came along and took us to another place where we got a massage with lots of soap suds. Not quite long enough and the cold water thrown over us at the end wasn't quite to my liking (but the masseuses smiled as though they knew what our reaction would be). We were then wrapped up in white robes and a turban and taken to the bar to sample sweet apple tea. Would do it again any day.
We did wander through the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar - but chose times that wouldn't be busy - closing time is a good time to go - so at least we could see some things without fighting the crowds. The Grand Bazaar had 60 streets and 5000 shops and I have read there are over 250,000 visitors a day. No wonder we aimed for the quieter times so we could look at the jewellery, ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antiques - we didn't buy a thing. It was fairly easy to get lost in the place as every 'street' looks the same...The spice bazaar has an outside street system as well and we found that by winding our way through the clothing shops we had a short cut back to our hotel.
We left on May Day just as people were beginning to gather for the celebrations (thankfully we had ordered transport to the airport before the marches began). It appeared to be a political rally and I read later that workers gathered at 4 different places and then all marched to Taksim Square which by 12.00 was quite full. Amongst the crowd were nearly 40,000 police officers who barricaded the Republic Monument to stop people climbing on it (like last year). At the airport I found a kiwi passport and handed it into security before I saw a very worried kiwi looking around for it.
Hippodrome - there isn't much left of the Hippo which once was a circus, sporting and social centre for the city. Horse and chariot racing would occur up and down the long straight area where now there is grass, garden and a few relics to show that these past times once occurred between the Blue Mosque and Sophia Hagia. It was also the place where the sons of Sultan Ahmed III were circumcised in ceremonies that lasted at least a day. Not far from here is also the archaelogical museum which we accidentally went into thinking it was the entrance to Topkapi Palace. We were glad that we did. Besides lots of relics of Istanbul's previous lives there was a Sarcophagus - late 4th century BC stone coffin with carvings of Alexander the Great - mint condition and intricate in design. It was found during an excavation in Lebanon and was originally thought to belong to the King of Sidon Abdalonymus who died in 311 BC but some now argue it was for Mazaeus, a Persian noble and governor of Babylon. I guess we will never know for sure.
Emigran park - the 6th international tulip festival was on - and it was great. Lots of locals picnicking in the sun and a few tourists enjoying the photo opportunity - we really have too many photos of tulips - but who could resist them on a sunny day. After the long walk we hopped onto a ferry to take us across the river over to the Asian side - the guide books didn't have a lot to say about the 'newer' part of Istanbul - and we could see why. However, the walk along the river was pleasant - our aim to get to the Florence Nightingale museum and then the next ferry stop. We found the ferry stop but not the museum - but this is where she nursed the injured during the Crimean War. "She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds."
Another treat was a visit to a Hamam(Turkish Bath). Its a bit of a combination between a sauna and a bath with a massage thrown in. Relaxing as we sat on a very warm marble slab waiting decked out in red shorts and top - Harry just had a towel wrapped around strategic places. The room is heated by a continuous flow of hot, dry air which is good for perspiring apparently. It wasn't long before we were dousing ourselves in cold water to cool down. Then two nice young men came along and took us to another place where we got a massage with lots of soap suds. Not quite long enough and the cold water thrown over us at the end wasn't quite to my liking (but the masseuses smiled as though they knew what our reaction would be). We were then wrapped up in white robes and a turban and taken to the bar to sample sweet apple tea. Would do it again any day.
We did wander through the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar - but chose times that wouldn't be busy - closing time is a good time to go - so at least we could see some things without fighting the crowds. The Grand Bazaar had 60 streets and 5000 shops and I have read there are over 250,000 visitors a day. No wonder we aimed for the quieter times so we could look at the jewellery, ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antiques - we didn't buy a thing. It was fairly easy to get lost in the place as every 'street' looks the same...The spice bazaar has an outside street system as well and we found that by winding our way through the clothing shops we had a short cut back to our hotel.
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