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I did my homework well. There s a long to-do list for Istanbul.
After a light sleep in a dorm room next to the shared bathroom, I woke up reasonably early, had breakfast, packed and headed to Topkapi Palace. According to the guidebook, I should arrive early to avoid the crowd and get the ticket for the harem right away to join the guided tour. Of course I didn't get there till almost 11am, but fortunately it was no longer required to join a tour to the harem.
While touring the harem, I was surprised by a lot of similarities between Ottoman and early Chinese Empires: the huge number of concubines, the eunuch system, and the rivalry among the women to get the Ruler's attention. Of course, the architecture was over the top, but I was most fascinated by Arabic calligraphy seen on the wall, in the door way (Chinese had the similar thing: beautiful writing everywhere; the content ranging from when the building was built to religious scripture..)
The most interesting exhibition to me was the treasurer. All the jewelry, silverware, even furniture made of huge gems and precious metals that made my jaw drop. In early days luxury
probably meant using rare material in everyday items. Hmm, if I were the most rich and powerful, I probably wanted some thing unique no one else has. How about instead of gem-covered chair, I ask the artisans, eunuchs, and viziers to design and build an one-and-only furniture which looks like a lazyboy, and announce to the whole empire that only me, the empire(ss), can use it. That would be a more creative way to exploit the absolute power/fortune?
I had my first dose of the Ottoman culture, and I was humbled. The next task was to find a room for tonight, as I decided I was too old to feel comfortable with bunk beds in the basement and shared bathroom. After having this sorted out, I convinced myself that I was too tired and needed a turkish bath. It was an interesting experience. The hamam I went was 300 years old. The courtyard, and the bathing room was classy. The whole process was a bit rushed though. The bathing lady brought me back to my room right after the bath was done, waiting outside for the tip, before I felt relaxed enough. So I came out much earlier than
I expected. It was still bright outside, so I walked to the train station, and all the way to Eminonu. I went into New Mosque (yeni Camii), and it was my first visit to Mosque in Turkey. Itwas very peaceful inside. I felt calm.
The following day, I visited Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque. The first sight after entering Aya Sofia from Empire's Gate was the huge Arabic calligraphy the Ottoman added to the church after they conquered Constantinepole. A minrab was added to convert the structure to a Mosque. Now it is a museum. I especially admired the Byzantine mosaics upstairs; some existed since as early as 4, 5th century. After stepping out, I visited Blue Mosque across the street. The atmosphere inside the mosque was peaceful. The tourists were limited to the end section of the interior. Female prayers were behind the screen in the very end of the mosque. The Iznik tiles on the wall gave the whole structure a harmonious tone. I took a short break sitting on the floor here.
Next, a very important decision to make: Where should I go next? I did have a itinerary: Go to Safranbolu for a day,
then head to Cappadocia. Then I would head to Mediterranean coast for a few days before checking out Efes on the way back to Istanbul. I had a second thought. The weather forecast called for thunderstorm in Cappadocia during the days when I planned to be there. It would be a huge disappointment if I couldn’t go hiking and take hot balloon ride, which I had heard to be a very special experience. Well, the alternative was to do the same loop in opposite (counterclockwise) direction. The schedule (bus connection, travel time) was not as good. I was pondering the question the whole time on my way to Otogar (main bus terminal). Man, it is almost as far away from the city as an airport; it took me almost half an hour to get there by tram and subway. When I walked out of the subway station, I was at a total loss. All the offices of more than 100 bus companies occupied two huge arrays of row houses surrounding a plaza with a size of football field, where the subway exit was located. (OK, maybe slightly smaller, but I was shocked). I called a hotel to make reservation and
asked them which bus lines (among the 100+ here) could take me to Selcuk. Thanks to LP, I found the building number of the bus company and didn't have to walk around the football field to look for it.
Now, it should be easy, I just needed to buy a ticket. I told them the place, they told (wrote on paper actually) me the time and price. Things went well until I noticed I gave them the wrong credit card for payment. I handed them my ATM card instead. That's a no-no because every transaction with the ATM card would cost me $7.5 fee. I tried to explain to them that the transaction had to be canceled because I had to use a different card. Big communication break-down! They assured me everything was fine, the credit card went through etc. We were "talking" for a while before they finally called someone who spoke English over the phone and let him translate between us.
After this I had to agree that the people were pretty patient with me, and tried to find a resolution in the end.
OK, big job accomplished. I knew where I was going, I knew
which hotel I was staying and I knew which/when to take the bus there. All happened within an hour! Beauty of spontaneous/disorganized travel! On the way back to the city, I decided to walked to Istanbul University. Maybe I didn't find the right place, or the university is totally locked up. I couldn't get in. I wondered into the small streets which turned into narrow alleys, and I was pretty sure I was lost. After insisting on keeping going (no choices really), I ended up in Suleyman Mosque, one of the mosques built by the great architect Mimar Sinan for Suleyman the Magnificent. I waited for a long time for the prayers' hour to be over (reading half of the Istanbul tour guide and sipping a cup of apple tea) to get in, only to found it was in renovation, and only a quarter of the place was still open to public. It was still grant and impressive.
On my way back to the city, I passed Grand Bazaar. I was not ready for shopping yet, but I'd like to see how it looked. I also had to be really careful not to get lost in the maze, for
I still had a bus to catch later. I had a feeling that I wouldn't enjoy the shopping part of the trip too much. I was bad at bargaining, and I was afraid the merchants would talk me into buying something I didn't want.
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Istanbul hostels, hotels?
I loved your photos and blog on Istanbul. I am going in October. Recommend any hostels, hotels, restaurants, etc? Anything to avoid?