ISTANBUL, TURKEY ON OUR OWN (PART 3, including Dolmabahce Palace)—May 17-28, 2013

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY ON OUR OWN (PART 3, including Dolmabahce Palace)—May 17-28, 2013

We took a taxi to the DolmabahcePalace as looking at the map of Istanbul we mistakenly thought it was too many blocks for us to walk from the end of the tram line to the palace gates. We first waited in line to go through a security check and then waited in line to get separate tickets to both the main administrative building (the Selamlik) and the harem.

Although the literature said you could purchase a photograph "use ticket," it didn't seem to be available and the tickets had to be paid for in cash, which we didn't expect. Thankfully, we had enough cash and were within the 3000 per day quota of visitors; unfortunately, you were not allowed to take pictures inside. For a few pictures inside, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolmabah%!C(MISSING)3%!A(MISSING)7e_Palace#Images; for a virtual tour, see: http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/dolmabahce-palace.html.

Once we had the tickets, we walked through a rose garden and around a very nice fountain to the front of the Palace and waited there in line for an English speaking guide to show us around inside. You are not allowed to wander inside the buildings on your own here.

After a group gathered, we covered our shoes with plastic booties to protect the floors before we could enter. We were then conducted into the various rooms used for receptions, audiences, and offices, etc. used to run the government.

This Palace, finished in 1856, is much more modern and European in style and has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world. One of the great staircases we climbed up even has balusters of Baccarat crystal instead of the typical wooden spindles holding up the staircase railing.

The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier is in the Ceremonial Hall that is a huge room that spans the width of the whole building. This chandelier was a gift from Queen Victoria and has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tons. After looking through all the rooms/offices that were used for all kinds of government functions we exited through a doorway facing the Bosporus on which this Palace sits.

In the garden along the waterside, there was a small stand selling cold drinks that we purchased and then sat on the fence railing to cool off and rest a bit (no benches!). We then walked completely around the buildings to the entrance of the harem where we again waited a long time for a English speaking guide/group. Since they conducted the tours only in English or Turkish, those speaking another language might as well go with whichever group that was leaving next.

We wandered with the guide and looked into room after room after room--some small, some larger, some open for getting the family together, baths, lavatories, and everything to house the number of people living here and their guests. Many bedrooms had very pretty hand painted iron stoves for heating the room. One thing that was mentioned by the guide was that the Queen Mother's apartments were always between the Sultan's apartments and the Women's quarters.

The ownership of the palace was turned over to the TurkishRepublic in 1923 and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first President, used some of the rooms in the Palace as a residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here. He spent the last days of his life in this palace and died in his room on November 10, 1938. The clocks in the Palace were all set to the time he died until a few years ago and now only the one in his bedroom is set to 9:05.

Valerie and I were not as impressed with this Palace as we expected to be. Yes, it is huge with 285 rooms and 43 large solons and filled with tons (literally) of crystal, but we can't put words like sumptuous, opulent, or breath-taking to the furnishing, decorations, art, wall and ceiling treatments, etc. Maybe because the place was somewhat dark with mostly bare walls and the chandeliers seemed to need cleaning, or the little art that hung on the walls were not lit to highlight them. Maybe it is because we have visited Versailles in France, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Schönbrunn Palace in Austria, Blenheim Palace and others in England, and many more castles and palaces including some estate "cottages" and homes like The Biltmore in the USA, and are just jaded. Maybe, but we really don't think so. Valerie thought it was possibly because they didn’t have enough money to restore it and put a “shine” on it like the other places did.

One of the rooms that we saw in both palaces was used for the circumcision of the princes. Apparently, according to Aykut our Turkish guide, this is a major event in a Turkish boy's life (first step to manhood) and is filled with much ceremony. The boys are usually 4-8 years old and a huge party is thrown that lasts for several days. The boys wear special clothes and are given presents after the event which is usually done at home by a man whose occupation it is. As we were leaving the Palace and walking along in front of a variety of ferries and boats, we saw a young boy dressed in a silvery outfit on a party boat that I believe was being used for that special occasion.

Beyond the boat docks, we caught a taxi to the Kumkapi area that has fresh fish markets and a good number of adjacent restaurants. The ride there showed us how busy the city can be on a lovely weekend with tourists and residents everywhere. The description of the evening's food outing was in the previous blog (Istanbul-Part 2). I have also included a few shots from around Istanbul that didn't really seem to fit elsewhere. One could take thousands of pictures and never capture all that makes up this thriving city of Europe and Asia, ancient and modern, and young and old.

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