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Published: April 22nd 2024
An overnight flight meant an early morning arrival into Istanbul. Getting through the airport was unproblematic and I made it down to the airport shuttle. The bus journey was quicker than I had anticipated. It was however pretty cramped and there was nothing to see as it was still dark and I think we were just on motorways. I had booked a place to stay that was near the shuttle drop off point, so there wasn’t a long walk with my luggage. The place was meant to have a 24 hour reception, but I sent a while in the rain ringing the doorbell as the desk staff were MIA. I did get to check-in early, so that was nice and it meant I could have a quick shower and freshen up after my flight.
Once I was sorted, I headed out. It was about a twenty minute or so walk to the nearest tram stop. It was a cold rainy morning and I was surprised that it was still dark so late. The walk to the tram stop was okay, I passed some fancy hotels, and then headed down hill past a stadium, which had a wall with some street
art about police officers on it. I would have to investigate that later. I missed the first tram at the tram stop as I was figuring out if it was the right one, but the next one turned up almost as soon as the previous one had left. I love frequent public transport. I headed into the old town area of Sultanahmet. The tram ride gave me a good look at the layout of this part of the city and seemed straightforward to get around. I exited the tram at the Sultanahmet stop and had a quick walk down to the meeting point for the free walking tour I would be joining soon. Then since I had a bit of time, had a little wander around. I liked how quiet it was. I presume most people were avoiding the rain and staying indoors. It felt like a pretty touristy area with lots of shops and restaurants. I saw a Starbucks, so headed in there to grab a coffee as I knew due to my lack of sleep I would need one to help get me through the walking tour. I loved how people had their dogs in the coffee shop
with them. Istanbul seems to be a very animal friendly city. I was a bit weirded out having to give my name for my coffee. I much prefer the more impersonal numbered receipt system we use in China instead of this fake friendliness vibe. Also you need a phone number to access the wifi, very annoying, why can’t there just be a code, perhaps with a time limit. Anyway, the coffee warmed me up and gave me a bit of a caffeine boost.
I made my way to the meeting point, but since I was a bit early, there was no one there. I went for a little walk around the square opposite. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia looked impressive and I was looking forward to visiting them when I got the chance. The building of the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum also looked impressive. I headed back over to the tour’s meeting point and there were some other people there. I was happy that we were only a small group. We headed back in the direction I had just come from. We headed past the German Fountain and the guide gave us some information about it. The
fountain was a gift from Germany as a sign of friendship and was constructed on the orders of German Emperor Wilhelm II and presented as a gift to Sultan Abdulhamid in 1901. The two empires had a close relationship until World War I. It was bitterly cold as we walked and it even started to snow a bit. It was a small flurry but wet snowflakes. We stopped on the square which had been the hippodrome in time long gone. I was surprised to hear that there used to be chariot races held here as it was the social centre of the Byzantine Empire. I didn’t know that the Roman Empire had spread so far East in the past. I really need to read up more on the history of Istanbul, both the modern stuff and the ancient history. I didn’t have time before my trip and need to do so now that I have the time. There were also a couple of columns in Sultanahmet Square that our guide gave us some information about. The first was the Egyptian Obelisk also known as the Obelisk of Theodosius. The obelisk was built at Karnak Temple in Egypt and sat there
undisturbed for hundreds of years before a Roman emperor decided to transport it up the Nile to Alexandria and then later it made its way to Istanbul, where it has been ever since. The column is quite striking and I only wished the weather had been better as it looked a bit washed out due to the overcast skies overhead.
We were all desperate to escape from the cold and wet for a bit, so we headed into the Blue Mosque. The little research I’d had time to do before my trip told me that everywhere would be heaving and that waiting to enter the mosques and museums would take quite a while. While I do think that this is true for most of the time, judging by pictures I have seen, cold wet weekdays in January are definitely not peak season and we didn’t have to wait at all to enter the mosque. We slipped our shoes off at the door and then carried them over to the shoe racks at the back of the main hall and deposited them there. Something I really like about Istanbul is that it is a Muslim city, but they are not
too hardcore with their views. I had prepared a scarf to cover my head for the mosque, but the staff were happy to let anyone (female) in with any kind of head covering; hat, cap, scarf or hood. We headed nearer to the centre of the main room of the mosque and the guide told us a bit about the mosque and general Turkish history. The mosque’s real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque as that is who commissioned the build. It was built in the 17
th century and has six minarets instead of the usual four that mosques have. It was built to rival the Hagia Sophia, just across the way, which was a cathedral at the time. Inside the mosque was stunning. I love looking at the highly decorated ceilings and walls. It was so beautiful and the low hanging lights glowing on this gloomy day really added to the atmosphere of the place. The only annoying thing about the inside of the mosque was that due to the rain and everyone bringing in their umbrellas the floor was a bit soggy and we were complaining that we got wet socks, which coupled with the cold weather was
a bit unpleasant.
Back outside, we huddled from the rain under the entrance to a rather fancy looking hammam. I had done some research on going to a hammam in Istanbul as I really enjoyed the experience when I went to Turkey years ago, but the costs were rather high. I had found a cheap one, but due to its location I didn’t know if I would have time to visit. From here we got to take a look at the gorgeous Hagia Sophia. Our walk took us away from Sultanahmet Square towards the Grand Bazaar. We dropped into another hammam, where we got to warm up. This place looked nice and a bit cheaper than the other place. It was fun to watch the men in the barbershop all relaxing and gossiping. Outside once again, we passed the Column of Constantine the Great. This was at the former heart of the city and had been built by Constantine the Great with a statue of himself on the top of it. It was built in the 4
th century, but only lasted until about the 12
th century as earthquakes and fires caused it to weaken and eventually fall. It was
only a few steps from here to our last stop, the Grand Bazaar. It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world and was originally built in the 15
th century. We had a quick walk around the bazaar. It was really big and I was conscious of the way we had come and which entrance/exit. I liked that the bazaar looked clean and modernised but still had traditional touches. There were a lot of gold/jewellery shops. The guide told us that Istanbul is a cheap place to buy gold and lots of people come here, especially from the Gulf States to do so. When the tour concluded I made my way back through the market.
I am not the biggest fan of markets so didn’t fancy hanging around in it, and it was also lunchtime. Out guide had given us some recommendations and the place I liked the sound of was close to the market. It was a good job that I saw the guide again in the market as he pointed me in the right direction of the restaurant. I would have spent ages looking for it by myself. The restaurant was called ‘Mardin
Kebap’ and specialised in a certain type of kebab, but at the same time offered all different kinds of kebaps. Since it was still lunchtime the place was pretty busy, but I was shown to a table quick enough. The restaurant seemed to be a real mix of tourists and locals. I was going to order the kebap that they specialised in, I think it was from a certain part of Turkey, but after conferring with the waiter that it wasn’t spicy, I went for a spicy kebap (I think maybe Adana, I thought I’d written it down, but hadn’t) that he recommended. I needed the spice to warm me up. I also ordered some hummus. My hummus and flat bread quickly arrived along with my sprite. The hummus was nice, While it wasn’t an amazing taste sensation, it was nice to get some proper hummus after living in the back of beyond in China and having a distinct lack of fresh hummus in my life. I could have happily ate another dish or two of it. The flat breads were really tasty, too. The kebap didn’t take too much longer to arrive and I got stuck in. It was
really nice. I’d had the kebap meal for dinner on Turkish Airlines and while I know airline food isn’t the best, it had been pretty decent. Obviously this one was a million times better. The meat was juicy and flavourful, and the chargrilled peppers accompanying it were lovely too. They added a nice kick without being overpoweringly hot. There was also a bulgur pilaf, which was quite nice, but I would have preferred more flat breads. My first meal in Istanbul was a success.
It was time to be a tourist again, so I headed out of the restaurant and made my way to Basilica Cistern. I had read a bit about the cisterns in the city and had wanted to visit one. I think I’d read about another, not so touristy one, but since the guide had pointed this one,the main one, out and it was slightly on the way back to my accommodation, I decided it would be the easiest to visit. It was only about a ten minute walk from the restaurant. I actually ended up at the exit first as you come out at a different place to where you enter, but found the entrance
on the main street. There was no queue to enter and I paid my 20 odd euros entrance fee. Tourist attractions seem to be pretty expensive in Istanbul. I made my way down into the cistern. There were some information boards so I read those first. The cistern was built in the 6
th century during the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I as despite being surrounded by water the city was known as a ‘waterless’ city due to the inadequacy of the water supply. So this and other cisterns were built to store incoming water from Thace to be used for drinking and utilities for the Great Palace and the surrounding buildings. However during the Ottoman Empire alternatives were found and the cisterns fell into disuse and disrepair. I really enjoyed my walk through the cistern. It was really atmospheric. I loved the darkness and the mix of lights. There were some normal coloured lights and also red and green ones that kept changing. It sounds a bit tacky, but it was really well done. There were some random statues that added to my enjoyment of the cistern. At the back of the cistern were two Medusa heads. These are a big
attraction and there were some security guards to make sure people didn’t get too close to them. I really liked the Medusa heads They were unusual and a little bit creepy with their blank eyes. While I would love to know the story behind them, I do like the fact it is unknown as it adds to the mystery of the place.
Back on the street, I was starting to flag so made my way to the nearest tram stop and back to my accommodation to rest. I had a nice nap. My room was warm and cosy and it took me a while to drag myself from my bed. Since it was dark now, I decided to head along to Taksim Square and Istiklal Street, which weren’t too far from where I was staying. It was still a little drizzly when I set off. The walk didn’t take too long and before I knew it I was at Taksim Square. The square was a water distribution site established by Mahmud I in 1732. However now it is a bustling area of the city with hotels and shops nearby. The layout of the square dates back to the 1940s
and was controversial at the time (and still now) as the Taksim Military Barracks, Taksim Stadium and the Pangalti Armenian Cemetery had to be destroyed. I saw the Republic Monument in the centre. This was unveiled in 1928 to commemorate the foundation of the Turkish Republic. There was also a modern Istanbul 100 light monument to commemorate the 100
th anniversary of the republic, which was the previous year, 2023. There was also a rather alrge looking mosque behind the square. It looked great all lit up. I think it was Taksim Mosque. I had to be careful when taking photos as there was a tram line right by the square. There were also lots of flash cars on display. The guide had explained the story behind this, this morning when we saw some fancy cars at Sultanahmet Square. The cars had been seized by the police from criminals, I think drug dealers, and the police decided to stick their livery on them and use them. I think it’s great and they seem to like the public coming over and taking selfies with the cars.
A few steps further on and I came to the start of Istiklal Street, which
Hummus
Madin Kebapis one of the main pedestrianised shopping streets in the city. The end of the street was crowded with small donor kebab restaurants, some of which were busier than others with big queues. I walked past those and onto the street proper. Istiklal street is quite long and I spent a while walking along the main street. It was a mix of shops and restaurants. Nice enough, but not amazing. I could see the Galata Tower up ahead, so made my way along the smaller streets to reach it. These streets were cuter and I would have liked to have spent longer wandering along them, but the rain was annoying me. It was also really hard for me to get any decent pictures of the Galata Tower. Maybe returning in the daytime would be better. Sick of the rain, I headed home via the shop for a sandwich and some chocolate for tea. Sandwich was nothing special but the chocolate was nice, like a Cadbury’s Caramel bar. Yum yum! Also, I had received an email to say that my food tour for the next day had been rescheduled for the day after so I needed to make a new plan
Kebap
Mardin Kebap for the next day.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Taksim Square
What a fantastic photo, Nanene!!! The rain ensuring the pavements are wet has highlighted reflections of the lightshow on the Mosque and people in the Square magnificently. Truly a memorable pic.