Gallivanting Grandma

On Wednesday, August 4th, Chris and I wanted to see Haghia Sophia.  So in order to beat the crowds and get to the head of the tourist lines, we set our alarms and arrived at the gate before 9:00 AM.  The tour buses had not arrived yet, but there were about 50 people ahead of us. It was worth the effort.  Haghia Sophia is a definite WOW!

It was called the “church of the holy wisdom” and is one of the world’s greatest historical architectural achievements.  The vast building was built and inaugurated by the Emperor Justinian in 537 AD.  In the 15th century, the Ottomans converted it into a mosque and added the minarets, tombs, and fountains.  Recently, the splendid Byzantine mosaics and murals are in the process of being uncovered and restored.

We spent quite a while walking around the interior of Haghia Sophia and admired the architecture and enjoyed the morning light streaming through the windows into the vast space.  Both Chris and I took many photos.

Then for something entirely different, we travelled across the Galata Bridge on the tram to visit the Istanbul Modern Art Museum.  First we had to figure out how to take public transportation.  There are groups of Turkish college students on the busiest tourist corners wearing bright blue tee-shirts with large lettering that says, “Ask Me”.  So we asked one of them what the procedure was to take the tram.  We were directed to the ticket booth and we purchased four red plastic tokens at 1.50 TL each.  That’s worth about one U.S. dollar.

The traveller has to put the plastic token into the slot in the blue turnstiles, wait a second and, at the signal, push the bar and pass onto the platform.  The trams are fast, clean, efficient, and air conditioned!  We had a fun ride across the Golden Horn to the Beyoglu District.  We checked the map and got off at the “Tophane” stop.  From there, we walked down to the harbor to the Istanbul Modern.

There was no photography allowed in the museum so, unfortunately, I have no visuals.  However it has a decent contemporary Turkish art collection and other exhibits of international contemporary artists’ works.  The current photography exhibit was interesting and visually enjoyable.

After having some cold drinks at the museum’s restaurant, we walked back toward the Galata Bridge and stumbled upon a neighborhood of open-air market-type  hardware stalls.  Every conceivable hardware tool or appliance was for sale from nails to pliers to power tools to snow blowers.  The interconnecting narrow alleyways were full of hundreds of these sellers.  Home Depot, watch out!

There were no other tourists and the streets were filled with local people.  We continued toward the Galata Bridge and found a row of fish stalls along the water. These were clearly the stalls where the Istanbul people buy their fish.

We walked across the Galata Bridge back toward the Sultanahmet District.  There are two levels on the bridge.  The upper level is for cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians.  The lower level is full of restaurants all along both sides running from end to end.

On the other side of the bridge are the teaming masses of people, boats, trams, buses, trains, and cars.  When you step off the bridge, the first thing you see is the “New” Mosque.  Straight ahead are the small alleyways leading to the Spice Bazaar.  On the right, tables and chairs are set up all along the shore for Turkish people to sit and eat.  Small fancy gilded boats bob in the water along the seawall, with men grilling fresh fish.

We found the pedestrian tunnel to cross under the street and the tram-way.  The tunnel also was lined with busy bright stalls selling souvenirs and other “stuff”.  It was packed with people walking through.

We emerged on the other side of the street and out of the tunnel into the bright sunshine.  Chris said it was a short walk past the Spice Bazaar to our hotel, so up and into the alleyways we went.  I have no idea how he knew that because neither of us had been there before.  It was around five o’clock and many stalls were beginning to close.  We entered the famous Spice Bazaar to have a look around.

It is a covered area with narrow passageways lined with stalls and shops.  As the sign said, the building which houses the current Spice Bazaar was built between 1597 and 1664.  However, there was probably a spice bazaar located here for thousands of years, especially considering how important spices were throughout history.

The little streets around this bazaar are also full of stalls and shops and the area joins the Spice Bazaar with the Grand Bazaar, giving the impression of one huge shopping region.

We continued up the hill in the direction of the Grand Bazaar.  We passed Gate Number 1 of the bazaar and found a lovely pedestrian street.  Here were high-end Turkish shops selling jewelery, carpets, and antiques.  There is also a big Starbucks! On one corner, there were three sanitation workers dressed in bright orange overalls, sitting on the steps of a small neighborhood mosque and taking a break from their work.  When they spotted us, they said hello and asked us to take their photo and email it to them.  One of them gave us his email address!

Just a word about Turkish people.  I had read in all the guidebooks that they are very friendly.  It is true that everywhere we go, people talk to us!  Sometimes they are selling something (anything!) and that becomes obvious pretty soon.  The trick is to get away politely.  Sometimes they just talk and ask us where we are from or try to guess our home country.  Frequently, they ask if we need help or if we are lost.  Most of the people seem genuinely friendly, and curious about us.

We returned to the White House Hotel, took a break and then went out to dinner.  I wanted to try one of the restaurants I saw near the tram.  So we went to The Mosaik Restaurant and had a very good, peaceful dinner.

It was another full day in Istanbul……

Tuesday, August 3rd was our first full day in Istanbul.  I spent a very comfortable night sleeping in the hotel.  It was quiet all night, even though my room was on the street side of the hotel, and, of course, I was very tired.  The White House Hotel offers a free buffet breakfast from 7:00 to 10:00 AM.  Chris’s room is on the third floor so I called him and we went to the breakfast room downstairs, below the lobby.  The breakfast selection was better than average: good coffee & tea, cereal, yoghurt, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, dried figs & apricots, olives, cheese, slices of ham, condiments, and daily fresh baked almond cookies, two kinds of cakes, bread, and halvah!  There is also a large variety of fresh fruit (apricots, grapes, pears, peaches, watermelon) and a chafing dish with hot eggs.

Chris and I had planned to go to Haghia Sophia, but when we got there, the line was too long and we decided not to wait in the hot sun.  We walked around the area and took photos.  We crossed the lovely park which was full of families of Muslim tourists resting in the shade of the trees.  We walked in the direction of the famous Blue Mosque, named for the blue Iznik tiles which adorn the interior walls.  The Blue Mosque was built between 1609-1616 commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I.

The main entrance in the center courtyard is only for Muslims, who leave their shoes on the shelves by the door.  Tourists must enter from a side door, so we walked around and joined the short line.  Tourists have to take off their shoes and carry them inside the mosque.  There were plastic-bag dispensers near the door to make it easier for tourists to carry their shoes.  There were also shelves with pale blue and brown cotton squares of material for non-Muslim women to borrow to cover their shoulders, if they weren’t properly dressed.  There are also cotton elastic-banded “skirts” available for women to put on over their shorts.

The tiles inside the Blue Mosque are quite beautiful.  They are hand-painted in beautiful shades of cobalt blue, mostly flowers, with a white background.  The tiles were made in the village of Iznik at the height of pottery technology in the 1600s.  The interior of the mosque is a very large open space which is carpeted. High above is the main dome which is painted with “flowing arabesques”.  Windows around the edge of the dome illuminate the beautiful designs.

No one is allowed in the middle space during ‘tourist times’ without permission.  There were several men individually praying on the edges of the interior space when we were there.  All over Istanbul there are loud broadcasts of the “Call to Prayer”, five times a day, from the speakers on all the minarets on all the many mosques.  After which, tourists are prohibited from entering the mosques.  When Muslims are not praying, the mosques are open for viewing and photographs (without flash!).

The line at Hagia Sophia was still too long, so we decided to go up toward Topkapi Palace, which we discovered is closed on Tuesdays.  On the way up the hill, we stopped at the Archaeology Museum to see their collection.  Right outside the building is a small park with classical stone monuments and a tea house.  We paused to have some bottled water before entering the museum.

It is large museum with a rich collection of classical artifacts which spans over 5,000 years of civilization in Turkey and the neighboring communities.  There is a huge array of archaeological treasures, for example the glazed-brick panels from the Ishtar gate of ancient Babylon and other artifacts which exemplify Turkey or Anatolia through the ages.

We were getting hungry by then, so we went to the Sultanahmet Fish House for dinner.  The receptionist, Cafir, at the White House Hotel recommended it and we ate a really good lunch!  Neither Chris or I wanted fish, so we had dolma (rice-stuffed grape leaves) and hummus to start with vegetable casserole and grilled veggies.  Everything was very good and fresh!  Also the people were very nice.  The owner’s niece who lives near Ankara, is a college student studying to be an English teacher.  She is working in Istanbul for the summer as a waitress in her uncle’s restaurant.  She enjoyed talking to us so she could practice her English. :-)

After dinner, believe it or not, we walked past the Basilica Cistern, which is on one of the streets which leads back to the White House Hotel and we decided to go in!  We had passed it earlier during the day but the lines were too long.  Now there was hardly anyone and no line.  I agree with the guide book which said, this is “the most unusual tourist attraction in the city”.

It is a vast underground water cistern planned by Justinian in 532 AD to store water brought from the northern mountains via the aquaducts leading into the city of Byzantium.  The cistern’s roof is held up by 336 columns each over 26 feet high.

I could not do any more touring!  Istanbul is an amazing city!  It is the only city in the world which lies on the two continents of Europe and Asia.  As Istanbul bridges two continents, Istanbul also bridges the ancient world of history and culture, with the modern world of today.  It is an amazing city!!

We arrived at Ataturk Airport at 9:55 in the morning Istanbul time after a nine hour flight.  The weather was hot, hazy, and very humid. It took more than an hour to get out of the airport and drive to hotel.  After much research and many emails to my cousins last winter, we had decided to make reservations at The White House Hotel in the Sultanahmet District of Istanbul.  Of course, you never know what to expect when you make an online hotel reservation, sight unseen, in a strange city. I am very happy to report that the White House Hotel is a winner!! It deserves it’s top rating in Trip Advisor.  The young woman at the reception desk was professional and friendly and very helpful.  The young man who helped us with our bags was also kind and mannerly.

The White House is a small “boutique hotel” and is very clean, comfortable, and well run.  My single room (probably also a double) is on the small side, but immaculate, pleasant, and well decorated.  It has a very efficient air conditioner (of which I immediately lowered the temperature), and it has free WiFi in all the rooms.  The White House was completely rebuilt less than a year ago, so everything is new and clean.  The hotel is situated on a small and quiet street off the main tourist routes.  It seems to be a commercial neighborhood of print and photocopy shops and book stores. There are many good restaurants surrounding the hotel. Best of all the people who work in the White House are all wonderful, helpful, and friendly staff of young, eager, hardworking, pleasant people.  Any time during the day or night, we were greeted with friendly welcomes.

The location of the hotel is also perfect.  The Sultanahmet district is called the “old city” because it is in the heart of historic Byzantium/Constantinople where most of the tourist sights are located.  The Hagia Sophia is a short ‘blocks’ away.  The Blue Mosque is across a beautiful little park, and the Hippodrome, the Basilica Cistern, and many many restaurants are close by.  The modern “tram”, runs along the street past Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, carries locals and tourists across the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge.  Topkapi Palace, the Archeological Museum, and Gulhane Park are a short walk from The White House in several directions.  Up the hill, toward the north, is the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, and enough shopping stalls in the narrow little streets to satisfy any compulsive shopaholic.

After we checked in and were shown to our rooms, we decided to walk around the neighborhood to see what was there.  We also wanted to buy  bottled water and to find a bank with an ATM to obtain Turkish Liras.  We had asked for directions at the reception desk but missed a turn and ended up walking through a neighborhood of small clothing stores. The stores lined the narrow streets and resembled stalls in a market place.  They seemed to be selling every type of clothing imaginable and reminded me of the garment district in down town Manhattan.

It would be easy to get lost and lose one’s direction in the small narrow interconnecting ancient streets and alleyways.  We walked through the cobblestone maze surrounded by workers carrying and hauling boxes and bags of clothes. Men pushed hand-trucks overloaded with boxes up and down the hilly stone streets. Some other men were hunched over carrying huge loads on their backs on hand-made twine and wood “back-packs”.

Chris quickly learned the interconnecting alleyways and side streets.  He was immediately able to find our way back to the hotel.  Amazing!!  After we found a bank, we walked down the hill toward the Hagia Sophia Museum.  The area was crowded with tourists.  We walked around to get our bearings and looked at the Blue Mosque and the pretty park connecting it to Hagia Sophia.  The tourists seemed to be mostly Muslims with the women sporting a wide variety of feminine head coverings.

We both were hot and very tired from not sleeping on the plane to Istanbul, so we returned to the White House Hotel and took short naps in our own cool rooms.  My room is on the first floor and Chris’s room is on the third floor.  In the early evening, it felt a bit cooler and we returned to Divan Yolu Caddesi (the big “tram street” we called it).  We found a restaurant on a small side street overlooking the Blue Mosque and had a good veggie dinner.  Then Chris and I strolled leisurely back to the White House. On the way, we purchased a few postcards and bought two small pieces of baklava to eat later.  It had been more than a full day and 5,123 miles travelled from New York City to Istanbul.  We earned a rest!

I don’t know what I expected Istanbul to be like before I arrived, but the city is like nothing I have ever experienced before!  It is a huge, bustling, noisy city full of people from every part of the world.  Parts of Istanbul are as cosmopolitan and modern as New York or Paris and other parts of the city are as backward as any third world country.  Istanbul is a city that is full of surprises with something new to experience on every corner!

I will start at the beginning of the trip.  My son, Chris, and I arrived at Ataturk Airport on Monday morning, August 1st.  The night flights across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe are just awful.  It is pure torture to sit upright on a small, hard seat for nine hours, be fed disgusting “food”, and then be catapulted into the bright sunshine of a new city.  Ataturk Airport looked like it was still under construction and smelled of hardening cement and wet paint.

It was a long walk following “baggage claim” signs to an area which looked like JFK Airport’s Immigration windows where a long line winded its way to several caged inspectors.  As we joined our fellow travellers at the end of the line, I noticed three windows to the left with a big sign that read, “VISA”.  I had read that a Visa was necessary for Americans to enter Turkey, so we moved over to that line.  After the agent stuck a small sticker in our passports and collected $20.00 from each person, we rejoined the entry line.  We received a quick stamp in our passports from the inspector and went on to the baggage claim conveyor belts and finally out to the waiting drivers.  Chris immediately spotted my name on a piece of paper and we introduced ourselves to our driver.

We followed him to the garage to a waiting VW bus and got our first glimpse of Istanbul.  The first thing we learned was: “do not drive in Istanbul”!  Not only are the signs in Turkish, but it’s every driver to himself!  There are very few stop signs or traffic lights and no “yield” signs.  It was like an amusement park ride with the car moving at a fast speed, cutting off other drivers, and taking over the road. We had finally made it to Istanbul!  What a ride!  What a welcome!