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Published: April 26th 2015
Sultanahmet
Blue MosqueFriday morning we walked back to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya in order to get pictures of both with a clear blue sky as the backdrop. We wandered around admiring the mosaics on the fountain between the two, we took more pictures of the carpet of tulips, and were amazed at the multitude of people milling around. Unfortunately for many of them, the Blue Mosque was closed..
Fun Fact: There are 16 million people living in Istanbul!! 7 million live on the Europe side while 9 million reside on the Asian side.
We knew this city was big, I even compared it to Toronto but you do not get a true appreciation or understanding of its vast size until you have seen it from the highest point and then while cruising down the Bosphorus.
Fun Fact: You would have to be certifiably insane to drive in Istanbul!
We caught our shuttle bus to head off on our excursion, The Best of Bosphorus Tour. We were then driven through tiny, congested. cobblestone streets of the Sultanahmet picking up other tourists at their hotels. The driver must have nerves of steel because we were in some interesting situations
Istanbul
View from Calmica Hill and contortions on the narrow streets. At one point we were only inches away from the bus beside us. Horns were blasting at all times, drivers were inching there way into the tiniest of spots, it was wild!! After everyone was on board we then went to our first destination, Calmica Hill. This hill is 237 metres above sea level and gives sweeping panoramic views of this monstrous city. Calmica Hill is a public park and was full of school groups who were sprawled on the grass, running around, and greeting foreigners with cheerful "Hellos!". We sat and enjoyed Turkish Tea and Simit, a Turkish circle treat, much like a bagel.
We made our way down to the port where we then caught our boat for our tour along the Bosphorus. It was a gloriously sunny day with a cool wind so it was nice to be able to enjoy the scenery from inside if desired. We cruised up one side and down the other taking in sights such as Dolmabahce Palace, Cirigan Palace, Ortakoy Mosque and the Rumeli Fortress on the Europe side of the Bosphorus. We were amazed at the size and number of houses that tiered
up the hills of Istanbul. As we passed under the Fatih Sultanahmet Bridge we then traveled down the Asian side of Istanbul. From this vantage point we were able to see the Anatolia Fortress, the Kuleli Military High School and Beylerbeyi Palace.
Fun Fact: University tuition fees are completely covered for all students except for books (public only, private universities are very expensive).
Fun Fact: It is compulsory for all boys in Turkey to serve 6-12 months in the military.
After docking we boarded our shuttle once again where we drove to the Patriarchal Church of St. George. This Greek Orthodox church boasts a beautiful golden interior with magnificent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Inside there were several important icons and relics, in particular is a remnant of the column where Christ was bound and whipped by Roman soldiers during the Passion. While there, a religious ritual began which was truly moving as three priests began singing.
Fun Fact: There are 2000 mosques, 123 churches, and 26 synogogues in Istanbul.
Our final destination of the tour, the Spice Bazaar. This vibrant mecca of scents, sounds, and smells was overwhelming fabulous!! We were taken to one
Macky Sall
President of Senegal shop where we were treated to different kinds of Turkish Delight, pomengranate tea, nuts, and baklava!! Needless to say we ended up buying some vacuum sealed packages of tea and spices to bring home as well as a small jar of saffron (not sure where we are carrying them!). We wandered around this busy place marvelling at the Turkish tea and coffee sets, the silk scarves, hookahs, ceramics, dried fruits and spices. We soon started to find our way back along the busy streets where Curtis was offered the option of buying hashish from one guy while another wanted to sell him a carpet!
After a quick dinner we retired up to the rooftop terrace where we enjoyed the evening as darkness settled around us. We have a great view of both the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. A lovely, peaceful place to write a blog for sure.
After breakfast we went to the Topkapi Palace which are home to the secrets of the Ottoman royalty. This palace was home to a series of sultans, their wives and children, concubines, eunachs, and courtiers between 1465 and 1830. Over 4000 people would live there at a time in
Ortakoy Mosque
Bosphorus Bridge in Background this 6 floor, 300 room palace. As we wandered through the opulent rooms and marble terraces I felt like we were in an Ali Baba movie!! The lavish tilework on the walls and mother of pearl inset on the doors was beautiful. Apparently the royal family would rarely leave the palace grounds. Closing my eyes, it was fun to imagine how it must have looked at one time, with water trinkling into a huge stone pool, vibrant gardens and the sultan being attended by his harem. We visited the Treasury where we saw medals of war, brooches, and belts that were encrusted with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and jade. The most breathtaking was a diamond that was 86 carats!
Fun Fact: Pushy old women and dignitaries always get to see the sights first.
While there, we joined the line to go into the Privy Chamber. We were waiting behind the barrier as they only let so many people enter at a time. We were the next group to go in when from down the path came a number of Secret Service-like men, carefully scanning the crowd, their earpieces visible and weapons under their black jackets. Apparently the President of
Senegal, Macky Sall, his wife, and his entourage were being given a tour of the Topkapi Palace!
Leaving the palace we then headed down to the Grand Bazaar where we wandered through this sprawling labryinthe of shops that sold a multitude of items. The perfect spot to purchase your Turkish souvenirs (but we've decided to wait until Selcuk before buying anything else!!).
Later we went to the Basilica Cistern, a magificent historical structure which is a massive underground cistern built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It is nicknamed "The Sunken Palace" and is 140m in length, 70m wide and is a giant rectangular structure. Going down 55 steps you enter this underground wonder that has 336 columns which are 9m in height. The columns are set in 12 rows with 28 columns in each. This amazing structure has the capacity to hold 100 000 tons of water. Two of the columns have Medusa heads on their bases. This cistern was awash in an orange glow and in the shallow water below there swam huge fish and some smaller goldfish. We made our wish at the wishing point before gazing at the snakes coming out of the head of the
two Medusas. This cistern was well worth a visit!
Fun Fact: Dogs with large plastic tags in their ears are deemed harmless by the city and have received their shots. They actually just lay around, mostly within enclosed garden areas.
Fun Fact: Stray cats in Istanbul are giving birth, on average, every four days!!! People just give them food to help them survive.
Off to Cappodoccia tomorrow!!
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