Istanbul, Day 1

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Thursday May 16th, 2013. Istanbul Day 1

We had another posh breakfast today as were were in no hurry to explore the city as we have another 3 nights here before we return to Barcelona. We eventually walked down the gangway at around 10.45 am. We walked up to Taksim Square through a rather lovely pedestrianised street (supposedly!) with old fashioned trams running through the middle of the road. This was a very modern part of the city with skyscrapers and all the big high street names represented. There was a McDonald's where you could 'enjoy' a McBeefy or a McSpicy. Taksim Square is a large open area where the photography museum is located.

There were lots of stalls selling fresh flowers. We later found out that it seems to be a Turkish tradition for shops selling similar items to all be located in the same place. It is also where the HoHo (Hop on Hop Off) buses go from. We investigated these but decided that we would do our own thing. In the middle of the square there was the Republican Monument of Taksim. The 11 metre monument is made of bronze. One facade of the monument symbolizes the Turkish War of Independence and the other shows Mustafa Kamel with his Cakmak soldiers. We walked down to the Christian Church which is called Ayatriada Church. It is usually only open on Sunday but a guy swinging some keys let us inside. Apparently the Catholics worship on the left hand side and the Protestants, Anglicans and everyone else on the right hand side. We gave him a 'donation' as we left. We found somewhere to post a blog then we went back to the ship for lunch and went to the quiz (came second again!).

We got off the ship again later and turned right and walked along the promenade on to the shores of the Bosphorus Strait towards the ferry piers which we had seen from the ship. It was all very clean and pleasant with Hawker Stalls selling grilled fish and corn on the cob. M spotted a girl who seemed to be very upset, then she saw 2 or 3 blokes all crying and then all hell let loose! There were crowds of students all running at full speed towards us closely followed by Turkish Police who were lobbing tear gas canisters at them. We took refuge behind a cafe on the shoreline by one of the piers. There were a few student victims rubbing their faces with lemons - must be some kind of antidote to the gas (not sure)?! Anyway we poked our heads out from our refuge, only to see a couple of water canon heading down the street spraying everything and everyone out of the way as they went - they are amazingly powerful. There were plenty of sirens, there was a real commotion, and it was quite scary. It all subsided after about another 10 minutes so we went on our way.

We caught a ferry over to Uskudar which is on the Asian side of the city. We walked along the promenade there. Here it felt very different to the European side. The stalls were still there (but much cheaper), there were cafes along the promenade and lots of mosques within a short walk. We walked along until we reached The Maiden's Tower which is an ancient monument whose original structure dates back to 341 BC. The functions of the tower have changed throughout the years - serving as a lighthouse, a quarantine prison and a defensive tower. The myth surrounding the tower gives an insight into its usage. The story is a tragic one and tells the tale of the death of a young princes locked here as a means of protection. Today the tower has been transformed into a luxurious restaurant. We caught the ferry back to the European side and rejoined the ship for our last night on board.

We had a final dinner with Karen and Alan with the traditional Baked Alaska Parade. We popped in for the final 5 minutes of the Dancing with the Stars Competition before returning to the cabin (sorry stateroom) as we had to put our cases outside ready for collection at 11 pm in preparation for disembarkation the next morning.

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Photos

European Istanbul
View across the Bospherous from the Asian Side

M Checking Out The Hawker Stalls
Istanbul, European Side