Istanbul

I'm so glad we decided to squeeze Istanbul into our busy fall this year.  It was really different than any other city we've visited yet and a nice change of pace to the typical European city break.  We stayed in a Hilton that was a little outside the old city area, so after checking into the hotel and throwing on some more layers (it was really chilly; much colder than London had been in recent weeks which we did not expect at all!) we grabbed a taxi and headed for the Eminonu port.  Eminonu is just south of the Galata Bridge, the bridge that spans what is know as the "Golden Horn" (a flooded river valley flowing off the Bosphorus, separating "old Istanbul" from the Beyoglu quarter, which is more commercial/residential.)  Eminonu is the main port for ferries over to the Asian side of Istanbul and the departure point for most of the Bosphorus boat tours, which is what we wanted.  We boarded one of the tour boats and set off for a 2 hour tour up the Bosphorus.  It was a great way to get an overview of the city and catch a glimpse of some of the sights we were planning to explore in the next few days.  The Bosphorus has beautiful turquoise water and even though it was cold, it was bright and sunny which made for great views.

Fishermen on Galata Bridge:

 Galata Tower:

 pulling away from the port, view back towards the old city:

 Topkapi Palace:

 

Dolmabahce Mosque:

 Dolmabahce Palace (built in the 19th century and replaced Topkapi as the main residence for the sultans):

 Bosphorus Bridge (connecting Europe and Asia):

 Fortress of Asia:

 Fortress of Europe:

 Beylerbeyi Palace:

 Asian side:

 Leander's Tower (used to be a customs control/maritime toll gate):

After the boat tour, we took a stroll around the Bazaar Quarter.  This area is made up of winding cobblestone streets packed with stores and street vendors selling everything imaginable.  There are two enclosed bazaars, the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar.  The Grand Bazaar is massive so we saved that for another day but spent some time in the Spice Bazaar checking out all the delicious sweets and buying lots of Turkish delight and baklava.

Baklava:

 turkish delight:

 Spice Bazaar:

We then walked back across the Galata Bridge and had dinner at a place right on the water; delicious sea bass (fished right out of the Bosphorus) and Efes beers.

The next morning we were up early to hit some of the main historic spots in Istanbul.  Our first visit was to the Basilica Cistern (made famous in Dan Brown's book "Inferno") which is an underground water reservoir built during the Byzantine empire in 532 AD.  It is a really beautiful place; boardwalks have been built so you can walk around and there are actually fish swimming around in the water.  Unfortunately, it was pretty dark down there so our pictures aren't great.

Medusa head (one of two in the cistern):

After the cistern, we made our way over to the Blue Mosque.  The proper name for the Blue Mosque is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, after the sultan who ordered its construction (and even personally worked as a laborer to ensure the mosque was completed in just 8 years) but it is called the Blue Mosque because of the exquisite blue Iznik tiles covering the walls inside.  It was stunning and had a very different feel to a church with carpeted floors and multiple domed ceilings.

 ablution fountains (where worshipers wash their hands, faces and feet before praying): 

Next to the Blue Mosque is the Hippodrome.  The area was once a chariot racing stadium in Roman times but is now a large park.  Three columns still run along what was once the center of the track and it was at the entrance to the Hippodrome that the famous bronze horses from St. Mark's in Venice once stood.

Constantine Porphyrogenitus obelisk:

Egyptian obelisk dating from 1500 BC:

From there we made our way over to Haghia Sophia.  Haghia Sophia is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction in Istanbul, and for good reason.  It was built more than 1400 years ago, in 6th century Byzantium, and as such is one of the oldest churches in the world.  During the Ottoman empire it was converted to a mosque so it has beautiful Christian mosaics along side the standard miharb (indicating the direction of Mecca) and minbar (pulpit) of a typical mosque.  It is no longer used as a mosque but the call to prayer is still broadcast from its minarets.

mosaic ceiling:

 minbar (pulpit):

 ablution fountain:

After Haghia Sophia we walked around the cute surrounding neighborhood, known as Sultanahmet and found a nice restaurant for lunch and a few rounds of Turkish tea (which we drank extensively all weekend.)

street vendor selling roasted chestnuts and corn on the cob:

 Sultanahmet:

Following lunch we headed for the Topkapi Palace.  Built in the 15th century for Mehmet II, it was the main residence of the sultans until the 19th century, when Dolmabahce Palace was built.  The palace was also the seat of government and had a school and soldiers quarters on the grounds.  It is a gorgeous, sprawling palace with lots of separate pavilions and courtyards.

Imperial gate:

 Gate of Salutations:

 Divan; where the Imperial council met:

 Throne Room:

 Pavilion of the Holy Mantle; containing many of Islam's holiest relics including beard hair from the Prophet Mohammed:

 views from the palace:

 every building had really beautiful ceilings:

 Baghdad Pavilion:

 views of Galata Tower:

After a long day of touring we stopped for some simit (chewy bread rings coated in sesame seeds - sold on the street everywhere!) and ate next to the Haghia Sophia fountain.  Then we wandered through the Bazaar Quarter again and did some shopping before stopping in for drinks and some kebabs.

Raki is an anise flavored liquour, basically just like Greek ouzo:

The next morning we were up early to take on the Grand Bazaar.  The bazaar was set up in the 15th century and is a labyrinth of covered pavilions and booth-like shops selling every traditional Turkish ware you could imagine: carpets, tea sets, scarfs, gold, silver, jewelry, and on and on.  The really funny thing is that every single shop sells exactly the same items so they really have no way to differentiate themselves except on price, which is why they are such hard sellers/bargainers.  We got lost at least three or four times in this maze of shops before stopping for a tea to relax and consult the map to figure out our way out.

After shopping ourselves out we took a quick walk by Istanbul University and then over to one of the city's most beautiful mosques, the Suleymaniye Mosque.

We then made our way to Eminonu port again to take a ferry over to the Asian side of the city.  Most of the guide books don't spend much time on the Asian side as it is mainly residential without much to see, but it only cost the equivalent of about 1 pound to take the ferry over and we figured, how can we pass up the chance to step foot on a continent neither of us has been to yet?! After getting off the ferry at Uskudar, we took a stroll up what appeared to be the main shopping street and then wound our way around some back streets to check out how the regular people live in Istanbul.  It wasn't much to look at but there were some nice views across the Bosphorus.

on the ferry:

 Istanbul commuter ferries:

 we were slightly obsessed with the Turkish flag:

After a quick ferry back to Europe, we sat down for lunch at a cute cafe right on the water next to the Dolmabahce Palace.  It was a warm sunny day and the views were lovely.

Dolmabahce Palace:

 lunch next to Dolmabahce Mosque:

 Dan drinking Ayran; a traditional Turkish salty yogurt drink that tasted like mozzarella cheese (I thought it was horrible but Dan liked it):

After lunch we made our way over to Taksim Square, a main transportation hub and meeting place for locals in the Beyoglu area, as well as the site of the riots last year.  From Taksim Square we took a stroll down Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrianized shopping street and one of the most popular avenues in the city.  It is lined with retail chains, baklava, and kebab shops.

Taksim square:

 trolley on Istiklal Caddesi:

 biggest kebab I've ever seen:

Istiklal Caddesi ends at the Galata Tower.  After deciding we would climb the tower and waiting in the queue, we realized that you had to take an elevator to the top instead of stairs, which we concluded wasn't worth it.  The whole point of climbing those towers is for the satisfaction of reaching the top after working for it, an elevator seemed like a cop-out.  So we decided instead to have a beer in the shade of the Galata tower as we listened to the afternoon call to prayer.

After some more strolling/shopping around the Galata area, and another beer stop, we had a quick kebab dinner before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our early flight the next day.  It was a busy three days but we really felt like we got a good feel for the city.  Istanbul has an amazing history and is a unique and interesting city.