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Published: June 19th 2011
Day 9
This morning we head for the restaurant breakfast instead of the executive lounge in search of better food. The restaurant does have much better food and we find out that it is included in the price of our room. Lesson learned.
We hop in the cab and set out on another Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as we make our way to Topkapi Palace. Topkapi Palace is massive! This monument was the home of the turkish Ottoman rulers from the 1450's to the 1850's. It is the home of many ancient artifacts as well as an 86 carat diamond. One of the rooms is considered the circumcision room and still holds vials of removed foreskin.
As we walk towards the Hagia Sophia there are more street corn carts but some of them are now offering roasted chestnuts. Last Christmas was the first time I have tasted roasted chestnuts (thank you Alfredo) and they were very good. We buy a small bag of fresh, hot off the grill chestnuts for 5TL or $3. They are initially too hot to eat. When they cool down, the three of us demolish the bag in less than five
Topkapi Palace
Massive tiled domes of the circumcision room minutes. They are a really good pre-lunch snack.
A two minute walk later we find ourselves if front of the amazingly large Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom). The inside is expansive with big chandeliers, fresco paintings, and towering columns. Hagia Sophia dates back to 537 and is a great example of Byzantine architecture.
From the Hagia Sophia we move across the street to the Blue Mosque. We hear the call to prayer which starts with a sound resembling an air raid siren and then a voice calling Muslims to pray. As we near the mosque a gentleman informs us that the mosque is now closed to enter while prayers are occurring. The Blue Mosque was built in 1609 and was an attempt to one up the Hagia Sophia across the street. We are, however, allowed into the center square of the mosque. We are dwarfed by the giant stone walls while we pose for pictures. As we walk away from the mosque we are approached by a guy selling Istanbul informational books. Every time we go on vacation we like to buy a book about the destination we are visiting. The guy starts with an
asking price of 37TL($22). We are not desperate to buy the book because they are being sold on every street corner. Warren makes him an offer of 5TL($3). We keep walking and the guys keeps on Warren and lowers the price as we continue to walk. Every time the guy lowers the price Warren keeps stating "no". Eventually the guy gives in and agrees to the 5TL price. So the guy goes from $22 all the way down to $3. What a racket! So never give up when trying to make a deal.
Now are stomachs are ready to be filled and we leave the mosque and head to the #1 rated restaurant on trip advisor. It is a quick walk in the heat. We are all thirsting for a cold beverage. Our lunch restaurant is Albura Kashisma. We eat on the shaded third story terrace. The food is good but we wonder why this restaurant is rated as the number one on trip advisor. It is good but not that good. Lunch and the heat hit us and we are all feeling a bit sluggish. Time to head back to the Hilton. The cab ride is the
usual nail biting experience.
In the room we change into cooler clothing and go to the executive lounge for afternoon drinks. After grabbing a few beers we take a table by the floor to ceiling windows to enjoy the view. We quickly realize that the beers are not twist offs. Have no fear and fear no beer. Warren is wearing his trusty Reef flip-flops with a built in bottle opener on the bottom. Slipping his flip-flop off he wastes no time in popping the tops on our beers. Classy. Only Warren can pull this off in the number one rated executive lounge in the world. Got to love him.
The hotel has a Lebanese restaurant and none of us has ever eaten it before. We dine on the outdoor patio. The food is very similar to the Greek and Turkish food we have been enjoying on this trip. Very good for hotel food. Tonight we are calling it an early night.
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