August 22, Sunday
Roseanne and I felt a little sad to have to say good-bye to our cousins. We had many incredible experiences and wonderful memories and a ton of photographs of our Anatolia journey. Today was a beautiful sunny morning with a cool breeze blowing so we decided to go out for a walk. It was Sunday morning and there was very little traffic, few people on the street, and the shops were closed.
View of Istanbul from the Hotel on the Corner
Jeff was expected to arrive in a couple of hours so we had some time to explore. We walked to the corner and wanted to see the roof-top restaurant at that hotel. The view was excellent!! We were the only ones there and we took lots of photographs!
You can see how close our hotel was to the Hagia Sophia in the background. As we were starting down in the elevator, I received a text message from Jeff. He arrived at the White House Hotel and was waiting for me! Roseanne and I walked back up the hill to the hotel. Jeff had checked in and was comfortably sitting in the lobby with his welcome-glass of fresh orange juice and Turkish Delight “lochoom”. He dropped off his luggage in the room and was ready to explore the exciting city of Istanbul.
We all walked down the hill toward Haghia Sophia and stopped at the ancient Roman Cistern. Roseanne had missed seeing it during her first week in Istanbul and Jeff was curious, so we went in. It’s dark and damp and musty. The huge underground space does not have the most ideal lighting to take photographs, but it is worth seeing. It is amazing to realize that this place was the main source of fresh water for the people of Istanbul about 2000 years ago.
Entrance to Topkapi Palace
Then we walked further down toward Topkapi Palace. The last time I visited the royal palace, it was a hot sticky drizzling day. Today the sun was bright and a cool breeze blew the humidity away. We bought our tickets and entered the beautiful park-like inner courtyard. Jeff and Roseanne wanted to see the harem so we went there first.
Interior Courtyard of the Sultan’s Harem
I suppose most people are curious about harems because they are not part of our culture. It was interesting to learn about harem culture and the hierarchy among the women and the prominent role of the Sultan’s mother.
Sultan’s Reception Room
The walls were richly decorated with beautiful blue and white Iznik tiles. Gold trim glowed warmly in the sunlight in every room. We walked through the lovely grounds of the palace and visited the buildings and museums along the way. We stopped again at the restaurant at the end of the peninsula where Topkapi is located.
View of the Asian Side of Istanbul
The palace has a fabulous view of the intersection of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus Straight, and the Golden Horn.
Imam Reading the Koran on Stage Before Sunset
We walked back to the White House Hotel to rest a little while before venturing out for dinner. The park between the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia were crowded with people. A large stage was set up with musicians quietly waiting and listening to an Imam recited from the Koran. It was still the month-long celebration of Ramazan in the Islamic world.
Families Waiting for Sunset
People were seated on the ground in multi-generational families around picnic blankets. Bottles of water, covered bowls of food, and wrapped sandwiches were placed in the middle of the blankets. There was a festive air and the people were talking and laughing with each other. Children ran around happily.
A Carnival Atmosphere at Night During Ramazan
Then the “Call to Prayer” was loudly broadcast from the mosques. A collective cheer was heard from the crowd and water bottles were opened and food containers were handed around. The noisy crowd was hushed as hundreds of people broke their fast and ate dinner.
A Side Street Filled With Restaurants
We walked through the crowd of people as the sun set. Vendors were selling everything from roasted corn-on-the-cob to hand-painted plates to balloons. We went to the Adonin Restaurant, which became our stand-by for consistently good food and ate a tasty Turkish dinner. It was a good end to a good day.