Istanbul Day 2
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.