Having seen most of the high profile sights in Istanbul, we start the day with just one last target on our list, Topkapi Palace, which is back in the Sultanahmet area (near the Blue Mosque). It’s only about 3 or 4 kilometers away, so we figure we’ll skip the hassle of the metro (which we have mastered I must say) and jump in a cab for the short ride over. At least that’s the plan, until we find that despite all of the advancement in Turkey over the past decade, the cab drivers haven’t lost that adorable third world penchant for ripping off tourists. After an offer from the first driver for 20 Euros (about $30), and a second driver for 20 Turkish Lira (a still extravagant but not outrageous $14) we admit defeat and head for the train.

The second bad omen of the day appears in the form a giant cruise ship docked near the bridge where we stopped for the tasty fish fin sandwich. It quickly hits home that somewhere in Istanbul there are 3,000, mostly blue haired tourists that weren’t here yesterday. We know the palace will be one of the stops on their itinerary, so now its just playing the odds to see if we can get in and out first.

Games of chance are not my strong suit, a fact reinforced as we near the ticket booth for the palace and soon realize it is packed with people. Not only tour groups (many from the cruise ship no doubt), but the cherry on top is that today seems to be elementary school field trip day. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of kids moving around like locusts, denuding the landscape of all silence and serenity. Nevertheless, we’re here on a mission, so we get in the long line (the first of many) for tickets and soon enter the gates.

The palace itself was the home of the sultan’s for about 400 years before they moved to Dolmabache. The entire complex is quite a bit larger and it was common for people to live their entire lives without ever stepping outside the walls. The architecture doesn’t seem as interesting though, so after going through a few of the buildings, we focus instead on more of the artifacts that are kept here (like the Topkapi dagger, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond (the world’s fourth largest cut diamond), some bones purported to be from prophets, the Staff of Moses, and a hair from the beard of the prophet Muhammad. Each of these requires getting in a line of sheeple and moving slow and steady past the glass cases (which is the kind of thing I live for).

After a few hours, and about half of the complex, we decide we are palaced out and head for the exit. With nothing else on the agenda, this leaves Angela free to resume her quest for the elusive carpet, and we spend the rest of the afternoon dealing with rug merchants. Now in some quarters, it has come to be a bit of an insult to be called a rug merchant, but I can say firsthand that the reputation is not entirely unearned. I’ve met more people salespeople in Istanbul over the past few days that have “very good friends in Vancouver” (we still fudge a bit and say we’re from Canada) than I think I’ve met in Seattle in the last ten years.

The good news is we finally find a carpet that Angela falls in love with. The bad news is it costs more than a year of college. But, because we did not come on a tour bus, they will give us a discount, and that’s good. However, the new price is still more than a new car, which is bad. But, the carpet comes with a free frogurt, and that’s good. However, the frogurt is also cursed (ok, that last part’s not true, but it is one of my favorite Simpson’s episodes so I couldn’t resist).

Suffice to say, we remain rugless, and soon will officially have spent more time searching for one than has been spent looking for El Dorado. With one last full day Istanbul, we’ll see what tomorrow brings, but I think even the great rug hunter herself is running on fumes.

It seems when I travel to a different time zone, it is always the second night that I have trouble with. The pattern repeats itself here, as by 2:30 in the morning I am wide awake, and by 3:30, I throw in the towel, figuring its a better use of time to roll out of bed and catch up on some work than to simply stare at the ceiling. I don’t recall Angela’s exact words, but in my head they went something like “I just love the rhythmic tapping of the keyboard in the middle of the night. It lulls me to sleep, so thank you for sacrificing your rest for my benefit.” That may no be an exact rendition, but pretty close I think.

Not surprisingly, by the time 8 am rolls around and it is time to start getting ready to head out, we are both a little lethargic. We had planned on going back to Sultanahmet to see Topkapi Palace and return to the Grand Bazaar, but that suddenly seems like a huge undertaking, particularly given the Seattlesque skies overhead. After some discussion (which makes us feel like we are doing something, even though its a transparent attempt to not have to move), we decide to start with Dolmabahce Palace, which is just down the hill from us, and then figure out where to go from there.

The palace was built in the 1800s as the new home for the sultan (previous sultan’s lived at Topkapi Palace), who at the time was moving the country in a more westernized direction (hence the location on the European side of the Bosphorus and the European style of architecture). It also helped solve the problem of what to do with the 35 tonnes of gold (14 of those used to cover the ceilings) that were piling up in the corners of the old place, which, I guess, is a fairly good problem to have. The complex (all 485,000 square feet of it), is split into two sections, one used for the administrative functions of the empire, and the other for the living quarters for the sultan and his many lizadies (wives plus the 500 female slaves required to take care of them).

By the time we finish, the overcast skies have turned into a fairly constant drizzle, so we decide to walk back up the hill to the hotel (which looks MUCH closer than it actually turns out to be) and come up with a plan for the rest of the day. En route, we see a falafel restaurant and decide to give it a try, and while it good, Yum-Yum’s still reigns supreme.

When we finally make it back to our room, the lack of sleep hits me like a ton of bricks, and I close my eyes only to find 4 hours have passed when I open them. In the meantime, Angela has gone to check out the Turkish bath in the hotel, which earns a rating of two thumbs up.

With the day mostly over, we decide to walk over to Istiklal Street for dinner. We have passed a few places in our time here that serve kumpir, which is apparently a fairly popular fast food. Basically, the idea is to take a baked potato, whip up the insides with some butter and cheese (so far, so good) and then pile on a variety of available toppings. Going all in we load it up with mushrooms, corn, hot dog slices, pickled cabbage, a bit of what looked like macaroni salad, some grainy, brown stuff, hot sauce, and a dill, yogurt sauce. Not wanting to ruin a good thing, we pass on the ketchup and mayonnaise they offer to squeeze on top. We didn’t have our camera with us to take a picture of the actual masterpiece, but I did find a reasonable facsimile on Google.

Contrary to expectations, we find these ingredients don’t actually go that well together, particularly since most of them are cold. Nevertheless, we power through, but I do make sure to save a last bite of just potato to cleanse my palate as much as possible.

In the meantime, the weather has gone full on Seattle, so we head back to the hotel in the rain to plan for another day.

Our first significant issue with Turkey hit us bright and early this morning. As has been the case for many trips now, we use video chat to try and connect with the boys each day (which is essential to not missing them so much). Depending where we have been, things have generally worked out where we can talk to them in the morning before school, or between dinner and bedtime. Turkey, as it turns out, is in that dreaded zone where neither really works (they are asleep by the time we get up or are off to school by the time we get in for the night), leaving the rather unpleasant option of waking up at 6:30 am to be able to call them at 8:30 pm in Seattle. For the first few days, while we adjust to the time zone, I’ll probably be up anyway, softening the blow, but for the Mrs., who could teach Rip Van Winkle a few things about sleep, this is not a pleasant prospect.

Today however, things work out not too bad, and by the time we have checked in with Sam and Joey (Nick is off at camp) and prepared for the day, it is not even 9:00. Our destination today is the Sultanahmet area and a few of the sites there (it is too big to see in one day so will likely require a return trip tomorrow as well). This is the oldest part of Istanbul, and the location of most of the famous historical sights. According to our travel book, its only about a 15TL cab ride, but we are right next to a subway stop so figure we can grab a quick breakfast, save a few bucks, and avoid the omnipresent meter scam all in one fell swoop.

Part A of the plan goes off without a hitch, and after a simit sandwich (basically a sesame seed bagel more or less that is sold pretty much everywhere, and in this case stuffed with meat and cheese) and some borek, we head over to the metro station, where things quickly deteriorate. The metro itself is very clean, and now that we’ve done it once, makes a bit more sense, but this morning, after a few wrong turns that take us to places where we have to pay again to get back in, the tally quickly blows through anything we would have spent on a taxi, and we lose a little time in the process 🙁

Once on the actual train, we progress pretty quickly and soon find ourselves in Sultanahmet. Our first stop is the Blue Mosque (technically the Sultan Ahmed Mosque), which is one of the common images people association with Istanbul. The building itself is quite beautiful, and the tile work inside (from which the name Blue Mosque is derived) is amazing, but by design, mosques are devoid of any decoration, so after a few quick pictures, there isn’t a whole lot more to look at.

Right next to the Blue Mosque is our next stop, Hagia Sofia (or Aya Sophia), which was built as a church by Emperor Justinian in 360 A.D. Over the years, depending on who ruled Istanbul (then Constantinople), it has changed from church, to mosque, to finally a museum, but through all that, the building itself remained unchanged. By the time we arrive, the line up for the ticket window is a couple hundred yards long, so when a guide offers us the opportunity to join a group he has assembled and bypass the queue, the extra $10 is a no-brainer.

We spend a few minutes out front of the building, listening to the history from our guide – how it was built, who the architects were, what has changed over time, and so, and then head inside. Until about the 18th century, the Aya Sophia was the largest cathedral in the Christendom and the had the largest space unencumbered by columns of any building in the world. Walking though the door leads to one of those “wow” moments that happen when you know you are seeing something special. We take plenty of pictures, but none of them will do it justice, so fingers crossed that the video comes out well.

Our last stop before lunch is the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern, which is the largest of the underground reservoirs built to support the city of Constantinople. James Bond fans may recognize this as a setting in From Russia With Love (remember Sean Connery rowing his boat in room full of columns), and with lights set at the base of each pillar and the reflection off the water, it does make for a very impressive location. Elsewhere in the city, there are ruins of the aqueducts that fed these giant cisterns so I’m sure we’ll see some of those in our travels as well.

The final destination on today’s itinerary is the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It will come as no surprise to those who have followed our travels that we are in year three of a quest for rugs that has taken us through China, Hong Kong, Egypt, and now Turkey. Adamant to bring the search to an end once and for all, the 300 carpet shots in the bazaar draw us like moths to a flame. Three hours later we feel closer, but alas, still rugless, so will be back again tomorrow with only 298 shops left to go. And carpet or no carpet, the place is so massive that it clearly requires a more concerted effort to even scratch the surface of it. Its early in our trip, so we don’t want to get too burdened with trinkets and souvenirs, but I definitely don’t see Angela leaving here empty handed.

It turned out to be a great day in Istanbul (sunny and a bit over 60 degrees) so we decide to walk back to our hotel, stopping along the way to try some different street foods, including the style of doner (ask for durum) that will soon become the staple of our travels here. Our guide book also recommends the boats docked right next to the bridge we cross that grill and serve fish sandwiches to those waiting for the ferries. For 4 TL the price is right, but we soon find that for that price, not a whole lot of prep work goes in upfront. Fish fins it turns out are a little chewy.

Back at the hotel, we start to fill in some of the details of the coming days. Our current plan is to finish up our time in Istanbul and then fly to Cappadocia for a few days and then on to Izmir in search of a bit more heat. We’ll see how well that works tomorrow when we actually look up flights.

After a pretty pleasant flight (the Seattle to Chicago segment was a bit of a circus, but Chicago to Istanbul more than made up for it and the hassles were quickly forgotten), we arrived in Istanbul around 5:00 in the evening, cleared customs, and hopped in a car to the hotel. For no particularly good reason other than they both are in the same general region, I had visions of Cairo in my head, so was prepared for all kinds of traffic, noise, and dirt. Given that, it was a bit of a surprise to find things much more similar to cities in Europe. Although the airport was a very long way from the hotel, traffic moved quickly, and with very few exceptions, the neighborhoods we passed through were all clean and well-kept.

Our hotel is located a short walk from Taksim Square, close to the center of the city. I think some of the more uppity places are not that far away right next to the Bosphorus, but we are on a bit of a hill so have a good view. It turns out we are also right next to a Metro stop which should come in handy as we start to explore the city.

It is definitely on the cool side here, which we knew coming in, but nevertheless didn’t really hit home until we headed out for a stroll around the area and were quickly forced back to the hotel to get jackets. The forecast is for high 50s here all week, so I don’t think I’ll be busting out the Speedo and mesh tanktop until we get further south. However, given where we just came from, as long as it doesn’t rain we’ll consider that a win.

A short walk from where we are staying is Istiklal Avenue, which we stumbled upon while looking for some street food. It is the major pedestrian street in Istanbul, lined with shops and outdoor restaurants, and even on a Monday evening is crowded with people. We make a few stops along the way to sample some different foods with mixed success. The corn in a cup gets a thumbs up (brings back memories of Thailand), and the container served dual duty as a place to yack up the roasted chestnuts that were like eating sand. We also took our first stab at a doner which was so-so, but something we are going to keep working on to find the right way to order it.

I get the sense from all the different bars and tea shops that things can go pretty late in Istanbul, but that will have to wait for another day, as after the long flight, we’re getting pretty sluggish by 9:00. We have absolutely no idea what out plans are for tomorrow, but knowing what a morning person Angela is, I’m sure she’ll be up before sunrise making up a list of destinations.

It seems that either the years are getting shorter or I am going on more vacations, as here we are once again on the eve of departure for another of our annual adventures. Since there are a finite number of the former, I certainly pray its the latter.

This trip, we are on our way to Turkey, flying through Chicago and on to Istanbul. It has been a lot of years since we were in Greece and I tried unsuccessfully to convince my trusty travel companion to go and see the ruins at Ephesus, so its a testament to her evolution as a road warrior that she didn’t even flinch at the prospect of spending three weeks there. After getting sick from undercooked chicken in Malaysia, suffering through a dirty massage in Vietnam, and flying in rickety old airplanes in Indonesia I guess Turkey just doesn’t seem that daunting anymore.

As further validation of our growing comfort in far away lands (or our increasing apathy depending how you look at it), we go into this trip with the least defined plan we have ever had. Out itinerary so far consists literally of fly to Istanbul on the 24th, check into the one hotel we have reserved so far, and then by whatever route ultimately gets us there, be at the airport in Antalya at 6am on the 17th for our flight home. At some point we figure we need to get to Cappadocia, and we have talked about spending a few days on a gulet cruise around the southern coast. Of course we’ll also see the many Greek and Roman ruins throughout the country, but otherwise, we’ll take each day as it comes.

In the lead up to this trip, we’ve come across a surprising number of people that have either been to Turkey, or know someone who has, and for the most part, the feedback is quite encouraging. I am excited to be going as there are sights there I definitely want to see (and food I definitely want to eat), but when I talk about it, something seems just a little off compared to other places we have been. The only thing I can attribute it to is the name itself. Where places like Egypt and China conjure up images of the pyramids and the Great Wall, when I hear the word Turkey, I think of, well, turkeys.

Delicious? Yes. Daring? Mmmm, not so much.