Vibrant Istanbul

      

Suleymaniye Mosque
Istanbul

     As always, the time warp becomes real when heading East making the big leap across the Atlantic.  One basically loses a day.  As we approached Frankfurt, Germany, we saw the sun peak over the horizon announcing the new day.  Ah yes, the Frankfurt airport.  God forbid one isn’t nimble afoot as stairs await at every turn.  From the minute one exits the plane, until you take the stairs down to get on the packed bus that takes you to the tarmac.  It sounds as though I am complaining, and maybe I am.  

     We arrived at the gigantic Istanbul Airport at two in the afternoon.  They did stamp our passport, but entry was seamless.  We had sprung for a private shuttle from the airport to our hotel in the historical Sultanahmet area of Istanbul.  Smooth sailing until we got into the narrow streets of the old city that were never meant for cars.  We ended up bailing from the car and walking the last couple of blocks.  Our hotel is well appointed and the location is good.  The room is small, which is OK, other than Cynthia and I struggle to find a surface for our stuff, and we are traveling light.  The neighborhood is a bit of a hoot.  Or maybe I should say boot.  We are in the middle of the shoe district.  Literally hundreds of shoe stores.  Everything for the foot one could imagine.  Kind of catchy at first, but the shoes come in boxes and, once emptied, the boxes fill the sidewalks.  One does a criss-cross pattern to get down the street.  Frankly, it kind of ruins the wha of the neighborhood, as Istanbul is a very clean city.     

Shoes, shoes, shoes!
Istanbul

Our good friend from Guatemala, Pat Torpie, arrived in Istanbul the same day we did.  We are doing things together while in in the city, then will go our own way the rest of the trip.  The three of us hired a guide for the first afternoon in order to get familiar with the city’s geography.  Well, make that the Sultanahmet area.  The city is huge, and it would take weeks, if not months, to explore the variety it has to offer.  Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and he took us to several of the most famous places that Istanbul has to offer, but also locations we never would have found on our own.   To begin with we went to the sites the city is most famous for.  That would be the Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofya and the Grand Bazaar.  From the outside one can imagine the majesty of the Blue Mosque, but on the inside it is quite disappointing.  Not the Mosque’s fault.  It is undergoing restoration and the scaffolding and other construction paraphernalia make it impossible to really get a feeling for the interior.  Despite this, it is still packed with tourists.  Construction was supposed to be completed in three years, but they are now well into year four, and it is reported another year is needed.  Good for the Blue Mosque, too bad for those who want to experience it. 

The Blue Mosque
Istanbul

     The Aya Sofya had large crowds as well, but one could still embrace the grandeur of what is now a mosque.   Our first day guide told us no one takes anything historical serious unless it is at least a thousand years old.  Well, the Aya Sofya was completed in 537 AD, on the backs of 10,000 workers, so it definitely passes the test.  The Aya Sofya has a complicated past as it was first built as a Greek Orthodox Church, then with a regime change a mosque, then a museum, then in a controversial decision was converted back into a mosque in 2020.  As will be the pattern in these blogs, rather than try and describe what we are witnessing, I will let Cynthia’s photographs give a much more compelling and realistic vision into what we are seeing.

Aya Sofya (Hagia Sofia) - Interior
Istanbul

     A little aside.  We noticed several large well fed dogs on the main mall near The Blue Mosque.  They all had tags in their ears.  Trivia, but a curiosity nonetheless.  We asked around and found out that they are ownerless dogs, but the city has neutered them and given them their shots, and then tagged them so everyone knows.  They look very healthy as apparently the city feeds them as well.  From what we witnessed they do a lot of hanging.  Now there is a dog's life!  Again, in the animal department there are cats everywhere.  Cynthia, being a serious cat lover, is thrilled.

Tagged and Good to Go!

     Make no mistake, Istanbul is a thriving city.  Added to the 15,000,000 residents, it is a tourist Mecca.  The old city, Sultanahmet, is packed with tourists, but we have found that if one leaves that immediate area there is still an abundance of people, but they are definitely locals.  The women’s styles are all over the place.  From black head-to-toe burkas, to stylish clothing one would see in Europe.  Though the country is definitely Muslim, there seems to be a definite freedom of expression.  The people watching is fascinating as variety is in abundance.

Women's Bazaar
Istanbul

     The days are so full.  Yesterday we began the day visiting the Basilica Cistern.  Incredibly, it was built in 532 AD.  Originally it was the water source for the Grand Palace, but was abandoned and not rediscovered until 1535.  It’s a huge underground cavern originally capable of holding 21,000,000 gallons of water.   There are 336 columns that provide it structure and one walks around the entire place on an elevated platform with the water right below.  There is a bit of light show going on to add to the bizarre atmosphere.  We both loved it. 

Basilica Cistern
Istanbul

    Then it was off to the Bosphorus Strait.  Now this large body of water, which seems like a river, literally divides Europe from Asia.  The locals, in fact, refer to the Eastern part of the city as the Asian side.  It connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.  Just for those geography buffs, the Sea of Marmara connects to the Aegean Sea, which in turn connects to the Mediterranean.  Though perhaps not the highlight of the trip so far, it was still good to get out on the water, with the sea breeze blowing, and see the palaces and mansions that line the shore.  If one were rolling in dough, regardless of what century, this was obviously the place to be.  We did learn a lesson with this journey.  We were on the Hop on Hop Off ferry where one can get off, look around, and catch the next one as it comes along.  Well, we came to what we thought was our final stop, many were getting off, and we just followed.  I looked around and commented that nothing looked familiar.  Cynthia immediately said, “Oh  my God, we got caught in herd mentality.”  Wrong stop.  We had to cool our heals, in an area we knew nothing about, for an hour until the next boat came along.  Not a big deal, but we travel independently so as not to get caught in the follow-the-leader mentality. 

Dolmabahce Palace - 1843
Istanbul

     Not that you are concerned, but just to let you know Cynthia and I are eating well.  The few restaurants we have been to have incredible variety.  Every kind of kebob one can imagine.  Last night I had a sword fish kebob that was delicious.  Cynthia has become a fan of Adana kabap (Turkish name for kebob) which is a mixture of lamb and beef, with a touch of spice.  One can also satisfy their desire for pizza, though here it is called pide, and the crust is pita bread.  Actually different from the pizza we know both in look and taste.  And then we have become very familiar with Efus, the local go-to beer.  Frankly not a great beer, but it hits the spot nonetheless.

Sweets anyone?

     As most of you know I politically lean very far to the left.  The reason I mention this is that today we visited the Topkapi Palace.  It was the headquarters of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries.  Lonely Planet describes it as the domain of “Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful concubines and scheming eunuchs.”  If the majority could live like this, maybe, but the sultans lived in luxury unheard of by the masses.  Now I realize that is still the case, but somehow this seemed even more egregious.  Who the hell needs three hundred concubines?  Sounds exhausting.  The upside is that now these domains of the rulers are open for public inspection and they are, indeed, spectacular.  If hadn’t been for a super wealthy royal elite, we would never have these incredible works of art, which many of the palace rooms indeed are.  A couple of asides in regard to the Topkapi Palace.  The eunuchs were powerful within the palace in that they were the protectors, and also the money watchers.  They were almost exclusively black.  Most of the concubines were captured slaves who were then trained to be concubines.  Skills to be learned included Turkish culture and language, music, the art of make-up, music and writing.  It apparently took a lot to please the Sultan!  In fighting among the concubines was apparently not rare and there were even tales of murder.  

Iznik Tile, Harem, Topaki Palace
Istanbul

     Our final Istanbul destination, until our return at the end of the trip, was the Grand Bazaar.  Established in 1461, apparently by a sultan that loved shopping, it is truly the heart of Old Istanbul.  The entire Bazaar is covered, which given its size, is an accomplishment in itself.  There are lanes winding everywhere, big and small.  And today they were are all packed.  I can’t overemphasize how large this market place is.  Getting lost, as we definitely did, is just part of the experience.  At the end Cynthia and I were just going, "How the Hell does one get out of here!!   Even if one doesn’t want to shop, and we didn’t, there are teases everywhere.  I expected the shop owners to leap into our paths trying to entice us with their wares, but thankfully this was rare.  We did find shops that intrigued us, but we escaped with a pair of earrings for Cynthia and a thumb ring for me.  I want to emphasize that this is not predominantly a tourist thing.  Most of the hordes of people were Turkish.  They clearly love their Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar
Istanbul

     The tourist industry in Turkey seems to be alive and well, supplying some 11% of the GNP prior to the pandemic.  This has been apparent in almost all of the places we have visited.  The good news is that the city is vast, and therefore it is possible to find places that are away from the madding crowd.  Speaking of the pandemic, for those of us still concerned with getting covid, Istanbul would be a tough place to be.  Masks are not seen, crowds are everywhere, and I personally don’t know how prevalent covid is here.  Cynthia and I are hoping for the best.  The day before we left I got an omicron booster, and Cynthia is boosted as well.  I guess it is time to live life and trust in the covid Gods.  Whatever that means!                       

     Luckily the weather has been perfect, so the heat has not been oppressive.  If extreme heat had been added to the mix it would have been rough.  At the end of each day we are exhausted, though upbeat.  Tomorrow morning we pick up a rental car and leave the metropolis of Istanbul.  A fascinating city for sure, one that has more to offer than can be digested in the 4-1/2 days we have been here.  As always, thanks for reading and we will be back soon!!

Hookah Pipes