Istanbul

Istanbul, known in previous centuries as Constantinople, is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world.  Irene and I had a week off at the beginning of December and decided to visit this historical and vibrant city.  We were lucky to get business class both ways on the flight from Toronto (what a difference a flat bed seat makes!)  It was our first time as well getting accommodation through Airbnb, a great experience.  I don't think I'll book a regular hotel ever again.  Over the course of 8 nights, we rented two places, both in the central district of Belogyu,  both old European style apartments with a lot of character and excellent rooms and at a fraction of what a hotel would cost. 

Being the month of December, it was cloudy most of the time and a bit chilly with the humidity of the Bosphorous,  that strait that divides the European half of the city from the Asian side.   However, the bonus was that there were much less tourists than most of the year where line ups at all the historic monuments are, apparently, legendary.  We spent the first day just strolling around the main pedestrian street of Istiklal up to the famous Taksim Square.  It did not take us long to sit down at a cafe for a Turkish coffee with a snack of baklava.  There are dozens of cafes and baklava shops in that neighbourhood.  It would be a pattern repeated several times a day during the week, but alternating with tea, which is even more popular with Turks than their coffee. 

Our second morning, it was time to visit the historic peninsula of Sultanahmet by walking over the famous Galata bridge which crosses over the Golden Horn, yet another famous body of water in the city, an inlet that curves northwest a few kilometres.  First though, we went up the Galata tower, a medieval stone tower built in the 14th Century which gives you a great view of the old city.  Crossing the bridge, I was reminded of a documentary I had seen years before, which had shown the passion of Istanbullus for fishing.  There they were on the bridge, with their long rods over the edge of the railing, fishing for sardines. 

Galata bridge and the New Mosque

 The 'New Mosque', (built in the 17th century) is a prominent architectural landmark as it's right near the water of the Golden Horn and across the bridge.  It was the first of several mosques we visited and the interior space under the dome was indeed impressive.  I love the geometric patterns of the tiles and the calligraphy, verses of the Koran, throughout the marble columns and domed ceilings.

We wandered through the Spice Bazaar sampling a variety of Turkish delight, then on to the world's oldest shopping mall, the Grand Bazaar.  It's huge and quite impressive with its vaulted ceilings and shiny lights however, somewhat touristy and locals, I was told, don't really go there to shop. I did buy a few pepper grinders as gifts for friends.  We ate at a popular style of restaurant called lokanta, a sort of cafeteria-buffet where you can point to several intriguing dishes. The lentil soup and the rice pudding were very nice.   We then continued on to one of the larger mosques in Istanbul,  the Süleymaniye Mosque built by Sultan Süleyman, (the Magnificent) in the 1500s.  We were getting to learn a little more on the Ottoman Empire with each visit and it gave my the desire to read more on this period of history once I got back home.

The next day was devoted to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia,  the most famous landmarks in the city.  Irene looked like an Asian Muslim whenever she put on the obligatory shawl over her head to enter a mosque.  Again, more impressive domes, tiles and calligraphy.  The Hagia Sophia is quite simply one of the most fascinating architectural structures on the planet.  Built as a Greek Orthodox cathedral during the Byzantine era of Constantinople, which lasted from 537 until 1453, then converted to an imperial mosque by the Ottoman Turks from then until 1931, when it was converted into a museum. For a thousand years, it was the largest interior space in the world.  The domes had Christian Orthodox mosaics of Jesus and other Christian figures which were then covered in plaster once converted into a mosque by the sultans.  The plaster was removed once it became a museum revealing the Christian mosaics once again, alongside the geometric patterns and Islamic features such as the minbar (pulpit) and mihrab.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque,  popularly known as the Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

We took a break from the mosques and monuments the following day and took a boat up the Bosphorous strait, hoping to get to the last small town on the Asian side, before the Black Sea.  However,  an hour into the ride, the fog rolled in and the boat could go no further.  Along with a dozen other tourists, we had to take the bus back.  We did see most of strait however, including some old forts and  Sultan palaces from centuries past.  Always nice being on the water, even with the palette of grey skies, low clouds, rain and fog.  

Spending a day on the Asian side of Istanbul, a short ferry ride across the Strait, was a nice change from the older and denser European side of the city.  Just wondering the streets, a coffee here, a bite to eat there, strolling through markets and some residential districts...  made for a pleasant day.

Simit - a sort of turkish version of a bagel covered with sesame seeds

t'was the season of pomegranates! 

Being cat lovers, we were both amazed at the amount of street cats in Istanbul.  They are everywhere! People feed them,  shop owners let them stroll into their stores, passers-by stop to pet them. Unlike other mega-cities, they are all in relatively good shape too.   Some did get beat up though as we heard tom-cats fighting with their wailing screeches in the wee hours of the night.

Another must-see in Istanbul is the Topkapi Palace Museum,  the primary residence of the Ottaman sultans for over 400 years. The complex, which includes mosques, courtyards, kitchens, a mint and a harem with hundreds of rooms and chambers all are fine examples of Ottoman architecture. There are some superb displays of the Sultan's jewels, calligraphy and holy relics of the Muslim world.

                                             

The sultan's crest

The Ottoman Empire collapsed in the aftermath of World War I and we were reminded constantly of the father and founder of modern Turkey,  Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  His portraits and bust are everywhere, on each note of their currency,  framed on restaurant walls, woven in carpets, in public squares and in schoolyards.

After a wet and chilly day,  it was time for that classic experience one can get in most muslim countries,  the Turkish bath or hamam.  There are many in Istanbul, some dating back over a thousand years.  We chose one in our neighbourhood that was less expensive and was said to be the first co-ed hamam in the city.  It was also one of the older ones,  originally built in 10th century.  The "classic package" which consists of the bath, a scrub and a massage costs about  $30.  The main room had a dome and a marbled floor with a raised heated slab of marble in the centre.  We were given a cloth sarong and,  after wetting yourself at one of the many hot and cold taps along the walls,  you lay down on the hot slab to tenderize your muscles and body.  This hamam seemed to be geared to tourists and there were a few European couples steaming on the marble.  Eventually an older woman comes in the main room and says "woman come" leading Irene away to another room for her rub down and massage.  A well built young man came in and I was able to get a preview of what was in store as he worked another male tourists' relaxed body.  Essentially, they wash and cover you in suds, then scrub off all your dead skin with a sort of mitt.  Then comes the 10 minute massage.   He was pretty good and having seen the technique moments before, I was ready for the strong open handed whack on my back at the end.   Relaxing in that hot steamy room, it felt great to pour buckets of cold water on your head.  There was no time limit either.  After about an hour, we were wrapped up in dry towels in the entrance room and relaxed on cushions with a cup of tea, before heading out back into the rainy evening which, of course, does not feel quite as cold as before you entered.

Being in Istanbul an entire week,  we had the time to relax in the flat we rented,  having breakfast at home, making some turkish coffee... We enjoyed going for long walks, checking out some local shops, thinking of a few gifts to get family and friends such as the ubiquitous evil eye key chain or Turkish delight.  Of course, we had to indulge in the local pass time of smoking apple flavoured tobacco in a nargile pipe whilst playing backgammon.  There were a lot of street musicians and we got a good sample of different local music.  It was on our last night however, that I really enjoyed watching a performer in a bar sing traditional folk songs while playing the baglama,  a stringed middle eastern musical instrument which had a melancholic sound.  Our time was at an end and I thought that I would most likely return one day,  to explore other fascinating regions of Turkey that I have heard so much about.