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Published: October 11th 2023
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Our hotel on this side is a converted old building from 1867 by the architect Antione Tedeschi. It sits in the banking and gold district of Galata. It is a beautiful reflection of its historical past, updated with all the modern conveniences of a high end hotel. The modern elevator, barely large enough for three adults, is only slightly bigger than the original cage-style elevators, still present today.
Our morning began with a quick breakfast and a tram ride back to the Grand Bazaar. None of us felt, (well maybe Dave did) that we had explored enough of the icon the first time. We steeled ourselves for the adventures ahead and plunged in again. The bazaar is a fascinating place, where every vendor has a brother or cousin who sells rugs. No purchase made ended without the comments: “Do you need a rug? My (insert pronoun) sells rugs for a good price. Here is his card”. There were
many rug dealers, and I would say they were probably the most assertive of the vendors. Most others handle “hayir” (no) well and let you move on.
Our visits in the bazaar again included many cups of çay. We purchased, clothes,
scarves, shoes, ceramics, t-shirts, lamps, jewelry, coffee, tea, pomegranate syrup, çay cups, tapestries, sweaters, but no rugs. While many were tempting, bringing them along for the remaining 13 days of our trip is not doable and shipping them is cost prohibitive. So, Turkey, you must keep your beautiful hand-woven creations, and your salesmen will have to ply their goods with other tourists!
Back at the hotel for a rest, we arranged a car service for dinner at a rooftop restaurant. Another fine seafood establishment, but this one promised choices for this non-pescatarian! Sur Balik Sarayburnu (Ocean Fish Sarayburnu) did not disappoint. We were whisked to the rooftop (probably 7 or 8 floors) to a glass enclosed dining room with a 280 degree view of the city. It was a spectacular sight at sunset with the Galata tower right in front of us. The Bosphorus river flowed past the base of the hill with its many ferries motoring across. A beautiful MSC Cruise ship (a Turkish cruise line) was at the new modern terminal. Then high on the opposite hill sat the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed Mosques, lit like jewels in the night sky. Several other huge
mosques, equally attractive with night lighting dotted the hill all the way across the eastern skyline.
The meal was just as extraordinary. Once again, Sharon and Dave chose their fish from the case and discussed preparation with the staff. They also chose several mezzes (appetizers) for the table. I chose a shepherds salad which is quickly becoming my favorite dish, and a beef filet. The salad was amazing, the beef not so much. But one can easily forgive when choosing beef in a seafood establishment. We enjoyed more çay after dinner and declined dessert, but one came anyway. We think it was baked tahini with ice cream in the middle. We all decided it was likely to be a local favorite, but wasn’t something to which our western palates were accustomed. As we prepared to leave we noticed a dog sitting in a chair at another table. She was being hand fed by her owner! That is something you will not see in the US! We walked over to say hello to the sweet animal. What a special night!
Our driver took us back to the hotel through winding and steep hills that made us appreciate not having
to navigate it ourselves! Traffic was awful, making us doubly glad we had a courageous Turkish driver with nerves of steel! Steps for the day were down, only logging 4.3 miles today.
Tomorrow morning we climb the Galata Tower, then board our cruise ship in the afternoon. We are sailing on a small ship in the Windstar Cruise line. We will sail back and forth between the Turkish coastal ports and Greek Islands, finally ending in Athens.
Lots more adventures await!
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