Istanbul

After a lot of planning, finally the D day came. I really hoped everything came together and this was a safe and fun trip. I bought the flight back around New Year. I was a bit bored and started planning for my next trip. I always wanted to go to Istanbul. This city was full of history, mixed culture and religions (Christianity, Islam, Jewish), and heavily influenced by the Romans. My mom did a 10 day tour in Turkey several years ago. I remember she told me that her guide was Turkish but fluent in Indonesian.

The week prior to the trip I was stressing out a bit. My flight was at 7.10AM departing out of Heathrow. I checked Heathrow Connect and Express, both would not get to Terminal 5 until 5.46AM. Since I didn't know how busy the terminal would be, I'd rather get there early... like 5.15AM. Two hours before the departure time. The other options were Uber (discounted taxi) that would cost me 37 pounds or a bus from Baker Street and one transfer at Hyde Park Corner to Terminal 5. The latter took 1 hour and 30 minutes. I had to leave the flat by 3.20AM. I was going to suck it up and pay 37 pounds, but decided that I would play it by ear on Friday morning. If I decided to sleep in a bit, then I would take a cab. On Thursday I dropped off Chloe in the morning at Linda's on the way to work. When I got home from work, I ate a light dinner and went to bed at 7.15PM. I know.... I set my alarm at 2.30AM. I had to have a shower. When the alarm went off, I was wide awake and decided to get up. So excited for the trip.

Walking to the bus stop wasn't too eerie. There were cars on the street. A McDonald's employee went to work around the same time (the stop was in front of the store). A couple of normal people walked by. No drunken screaming people... whew! The bus arrived timely. I was waiting at the bus stop at Hyde Park with a lot of people. Some were going to Heathrow also. I could tell from their luggage that they carried. Again, the bus arrived on time.

I got to Terminal 5 on schedule. The security check wasn't long. The flight was fine. They fed us. I thought we weren't going to get a meal but since it was a 4 hour flight, we did. That was the first time I flew British Airways. We landed a bit early. When I passed the passport control, I couldn't believe the lines. Hundreds of people were already in front of me. I thought I was going to be there for over two hours, but surprisingly, it moved pretty quick. It took about an hour to get out.

I had to get some cash from HSBC ATM, but the machine broke. Fortunately I brought $100 with me, so I just exchanged that at the counter. Behind me, they was an older Indian couple who were Americans. We made a small talk and they asked me where I was staying. It turned out that we all stayed in Sultanahmet. The guy offered to share a taxi. They looked nice, a bit younger than my parents. I thought it was a good idea, even though I was planning to take the Metro to the hotel. I already know what lines to take and where to transfer. Taxi in Istanbul wasn't that expensive either, especially when shared. When we talked to the cab driver, he had no clue where both hotels were. I read that it was common, but at that point, I thought, why even bothered taking a taxi? the traffic in Istanbul was bad, I might get stuck with a driver who didn't know where to go and bad traffic. I told the couple that I changed my mind and I was going to stick with the original plan.

Sure enough, taking the Metro and Tram was super easy. At the station, a local asked me where I was going. His English wasn't really good and hard to understand, so I was just saying yes a lot. He was a bit annoying because he followed me when we got off at Sultanahmet stop. I was kinda ignoring him and pretended I knew where I was going. He took off. The hotel wasn't difficult to find. The nice thing was it was right by Four Seasons, and their building was bright yellow.

I checked in. The room was very clean. It was around 3.30PM and I headed out. Not really sure what I was going to do that afternoon, but I thought it was a good idea to go to Grand Bazaar since it was closed on Sunday. I only had today and tomorrow to go. It was overwhelming. Lots of tourists and traders. I was looking for a pashmina. The third place that I looked offered 40 liras. I asked for 20 ($10) and didn't budge. I was ready to leave when he stuck with 25. He finally gave in but not too happy.

I walked around aimlessly a little bit. I passed lots of Turkish Delights and baklava stalls. There were sections in this market from gold/ silver, lamps, leather, food to clothing. I pulled out my map and looked confused. the locals were good asking you if you needed directions. Of course I did. I asked how to go to Galata Bridge. They gave me precise directions. Walk 500 meters, turn right, and direct... meaning go straight. Easy enough. Next thing I knew I was outside and could see the bridge from where I stood.

South of Galata Bridge was near Eminonu tram station. I remember from Trip Advisor, the Bosphorus tour company that was recommended was around there. I walked over the bridge and was heading to Galata Tower. Once I was there, I knew I wasn't too far from Istikhal street. It was much easier to ask people where to go rather than reading the map because it was hard to find the street names.

Istikhal Street was like Bond Street in London. Lots of shops and packed with people. There was an old tram that ran from Karakoy (north of the Galata Bridge) to Taksim Square. I decided to walk. Once I got to Taksim, I took a tram back from Kabatas to Sultanahmet. I was tired and got back to my room around 6.30PM. I went to the small store next door to buy popcorn and Diet Coke, that was my dinner.

This was the second trip I was going solo. I felt when I was in Rome, I was more invisible. Over here, it was the opposite. People tried to talk to me all the time because they wanted me to buy something from them. If you didn't acknowledge them, they were quite persistent. It didn't get to me on the first day but towards the end of the trip, I got tired of that.

My room at Berk Guest House. The yellow building across the street is Four Seasons Hotel.

Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia. What a gorgeous blue sky!

I wish I could bring a couple of lamps home

Beautiful Ismik (ceramic) at Grand Bazaar

  My new pashmina

Galata Bridge. Notice there are restaurants under the bridge.

I was facing the sun. I struggled to keep my face relaxed. Pretty good selfie, right?

Bosphorus Strait from the bridge

Galata Tower

Fresh squished Pomegranate Juice

Tram to Taksim Square on Istikhal Street

Street performers on Istikhal Street

Taksim Square Monument

On the second day I joined a walking tour. One thing I learned in Rome was I had no idea what I was looking at. I mean, I went to Palatine Hill, I had a basic idea of what the place was, but no clue on history of the place. The tour that morning was pretty small, there were 7 of us plus Ahmet, the tour guide. Forgot to mention, breakfast was provided at the hotel. I had a small piece of crepe but not sweet, with slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, soft cheese and olives. That's Turkey's breakfast sandwich. Very tasty.

The first place on the tour was Topkapi Palace. I read an Istanbul guide book that I borrowed from the library, so it helped to know the history of the palace before going there. It was the primary residence of the ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.

The main entrance. The writings are in Persian.

The palace looks over Bosphorus sea.

Turkey spends lots of money planting tulips every spring. $2.5MM. This is the courtyard, no fee to enter.

You need to pay passed this gate.

It shows how big Turkey was back in the old days. They conquered a lot of areas before falling apart in 1800's. The red stripes were the conquered area. Blue is water.

This is the meeting house

Beautiful gold design

Inside the meeting place, they call the cushioned bench, divan.

Gorgeous ceiling

View from the patio

 Bosphorus Bridge is in the back ground. Left is Europe. Right is Asia.

Topkapi was like a little town. It comprises of many sections, separated by beautiful gardens. Men and women areas were separate. One interesting building is Harem, originated from the word haram meaning forbidden. I know this word because Indonesian uses the same word, originated from Arabic. This was where the Queen Mother, wives, servants, concubines and female relatives lived. I imagine living there was like living as Real Housewives of Ottoman. Maybe 10 times worse. There was a separate entrance fee of 15 liras for Harem. This part of tour was optional. I went there during our free time.

I love their tiles. Blue and Green are my favorite colors.

The hallway that separate the common area from the private area of the Harem

More Tulips in the courtyard

Not sure if this is a fireplace or what

The only painted room in Harem

Divan aka living room. Place to entertain the Sultan.

Beautiful glass windows

Tulips as part of the design

From the Courtyard

These windows were in the second floor. I guess they put the railings, so the women didn't jump out.

Me and the green tiles.

I learned that the sultans took girls from non moslem families as their concubines. Actually not the sultan who selected them, it was the Queen mother. The reason was because if they took them from Moslem family, most likely the family wanted to have some positions in the empire. They could be a threat to the sultan. The girls most likely tried to escape the first months they were there. They were re transformed by Turkish culture and Islam. If they were selected, the Sultan would spend a night with them. Their rank went up if they bore a son. Even luckier, if they were one of the favorites, because they got their own rooms.

They really splurge on the tulips

On the way to Basilica Cistern

From the Topkapi porch. They picked a good location for the palace.

The next stop was the cistern. It was an underground water storage for the city of Istanbul. There were several hundred cisterns in this city but this was the largest one at approximately 105K square feet.

One of two Medusa heads, sat at the bottom of the pillars.

The second head

This place doubles as a catfish farm. Just kidding. Catfish is actually good for the cistern. They eat the crap at the bottom of the floor.

The place we went to next was Hagia Sophia (read: Aya Sophia). It was a church under Byzantine then turned to a mosque during Ottoman empire, then in 1935, Ataturk dedicated the place as a museum, it's like a middle ground, nobody won. Since then, the moslems went to Blue Mosque to pray. I didn't know what to expect but Hagia Sophia was one of the best museum that I've ever been. The size was overwhelming. Giant dome that looked like it was unsupported because the support beams were hidden behind the walls. Amazing mosaic design. Very impressive.

Turkish meatball (basically kebab) for lunch

Part of the fountain in Hagia Sophia's courtyard.

Metal Door at Hagia Sophia's main entrance.

Love the mosaic on the ceiling

Jesus mosaic that was uncovered behind the plaster.

Giant chandelier. You can see the ongoing restoration on the background

Four important names in Islam. Written on the round plates.

The view from the second floor.

The second floor. Until I got up there, I didn't realize how thick the plaster they put to cover up all things related to Christianity. No wonder the restoration is still ongoing.

The plaster in a closer look.

The coronation circle for Byzantium kings

On the left is the altar, on the right is the mimbar, where the imam (Moslem priest) preached.

Mary and baby Jesus

From the outside

Then, we walked across the street to Blue Mosque.

The outside look is similar to Hagia Sophia with a giant dome and its minarets.

In lieu of a chandelier, they have this metal cage with a star in the middle

It's definitely big, but not as big as Hagia Sophia.

Beautiful tiles decorate the ceiling

The second floor is normally for women

They did have a prayer when we were there but they let us in as long as we were outside

There was not much to see in Blue Mosque to be honest. It's just a massive building with a dome. Everybody had to take off their shoes (they gave you a plastic bags). All female had to cover our hair. I used my pashmina. This was the reason I bought it the day before because I didn't want to use the covers that they provided. If you wear shorts, skirts or tights (I wore a capri that day), they gave you a sarong to put around your waist. I forgot to mention that we went to Hippodrome right before lunch break. It used to be a giant stadium but what's left now was just two monuments and a couple of statues. 

One of the gates in Grand Bazaar.

The second day I joined the same tour company but instead of doing all day tour, I just did a half day tour. The agenda was Dolmabahce Palace and Yildiz Park. Actually this tour was my plan B. My first pick was Chora Chuch, Golden Horn and Cafe Pierre Loti, that sits on a hill looking over Golden Horn. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough people to sign up, so it was a no go. It was not a total lost by the way, because Dolmabahce was the Versailles of Istanbul. The place was built in late 1800's to show that they still had power and money even though the Ottoman kingdom was deteriorating. The last sultan that occupied the palace actually ran away to France and never came back. The rest of the royal family came back to Istanbul and lived like non blue blood.

Ataturk, the father of Modern Istanbul, actually lived and died here. He took over the power after the Ottoman empire went down. Ataturk did a lot for his country. Under his leadership, thousands of new schools were built, primary education was made free and compulsory, and women were given equal civil and political rights, while the burden of taxation on peasants was reduced. He insisted that Turkey was a democratic country (not ruled by Islam). He changed the alphabet to Roman alphabets, which was very smart. Unfortunately, he died in his 50's from cirrhosis of the liver (caused by too much drinking). He passed at 9:05 AM, so all clocks in the palace was set at the same time.

The clock on the courtyard of the palace

Entrance to the palace

Main Gate

The palace has its own private dock

Beautiful gardens and fountain

Cats and dogs are every where in Istanbul. They're well fed by people too.

The main dock by Bosphorus Sea

The only bad thing about this tour was long lines. The tour company didn't expect the lines to be this bad, but it was Sunday (Turks tend to work on Saturday) and it's a long weekend for Europe. Perfect storm. While Ahmet queued for the tickets, we waited at the cafe and enjoyed a cup of Turkish tea. After 1.5 hours, we went inside. The palace was carpeted, so we had to wear shoe covers. It's a shame that we couldn't take a single pictures inside. It was really beautiful. Full of crystals, gold, expensive hand woven rugs. It had 285 rooms, 6 baths and 68 toilets. I didn't take these pictures. They're from Wikipedia. This is just to show how grand the place is.

Ceremonial Hall with the world largest Bohemian chandelier. A gift from Queen Victoria.

Pink Hall. No surprise why it's named that. They also have Blue Hall if you wonder.

Ataturk's death bed

Ahmet mentioned a couple times that we were lucky because the palace happened to open some rooms that were normally closed. We saw the sultan's Master bedroom complete with a floor to ceiling marble hamam.

Yildiz park was just a park, nothing special. I wonder why it was even part of the tour. The most interesting part was since it was Sunday, we saw a lot of wedding parties doing a photo shoot. Even though I grew up in Indonesia, a country with 200 million moslems. I had never seen a modern wedding dress with a head cover, like below. Indonesians usually get married in traditional costumes, not wedding dresses with long trains.

Peach color wedding dress. There's always a first for everything.

Dogs chilling at the park

I'll stick with the white.

After the tour ended, I got dropped off at Eminonu and got a ticket for the short Bosphorus cruise. They had the long cruise which was pretty much all day. They went to almost to the Black Sea. The two hour short cruise was just from Eminonu, made a loop in Bosphorus and came back.

Before boarding, I went to a fish restaurant under Galata Bridge. 6 liras ($3) for a fish sandwich. Ate it with a bit of salt and lemon juice. Super good and cheap.

When we were still docking. Left is Galata Bridge.

North of Golden Horn with Galata Tower in the background.

Dolmabahce Palace

Ortakoy. The only stop in this cruise. This area has nice cafes and restaurants.

Suspended Bridge, Bosphorus Bridge that connects Europe and Asia.

If you look hard, you'll  see a dolphin. I saw three.

This bird was following us for a while. Came really close to the cruise.

After the turn around, I heard somebody called my name. It was the Indian couple who lived in Miami that I met at the airport. I couldn't believe the wife recognized me. We chatted. They were on a 2 week Turkey vacation. After Istanbul, they would go to Cappadoccia and Efesus. I heard a lot of good things about these two places, especially Cappadoccia. I hope I have a chance to go there someday.

We then went to the Spice market. It was pretty much like Grand Bazaar, except, they had spices. They also sold a lot of Turkish Delights. I found out the pomegranate one was tart and not as sweet, this became my favorite one, especially with chopped pistachios in the middle.

Vibrant colors of different spices

My last meal in Istanbul. Eggplants with minced lamb and tomato salad. Simple but delicious.

On the way to the hotel, I saw a demonstration.

Pretty carpet store in Sultanahmet

A friend told me that he never saw an Asian restaurant in Istanbul. I found one, a Japanese Chinese restaurant.

This has been a wonderful trip. Despite sick of being asked to buy carpet or whatever stuff people sell, I loved this place. I found it a lot more interesting than Rome. Every body should go to Istanbul once in their lives. There's a saying in Istanbul. "People call it chaos, We call it home". Well said. It's an organized chaos.