Trip Log: Top 5 things to do in Istanbul (according to me)

The view of the Istanbul skyline from Gulhane Park

After ten days and countless excursions in the amazing city of Istanbul, I have compiled an Istanbul top 5 list of attractions no one visiting the city should miss.

1.  The Hagia Sophia.  I posted about this magnificent structure earlier and I cannot emphasize the power of this building to inspire.  Do not let the lines at the entrance or the fee to enter deter you.  The experience of drinking in the majesty of this building is more than worth everything!

2.  The Yerebatan Cistern: Built under the city as a source of drinking water during the Byzantine era, this subterranean palace is not to be missed.  Go early (we went right when they opened at 9am) to avoid lines and crowds.  This experience is every bit as awe inspiring as the grandest cathedral if you can see it when it is quiet. As a side note, there is another cistern open to the public (the Cistern of Philoxenos) but it is not as large or as awe inspiring as the Yerebatan Cistern.

3.  Istiklal street - if you are walking the length of Istiklal anyways, you might as well take a side trip to Galata tower and a ride on the Tunel Funicular (2nd oldest underground in the world) as neither of those take much time.  Istiklal on its own is worth visiting because it has so many hidden wonders - from a chocolate cafe which serves possibly the best hot chocolate in the world (I loved their hot pepper flavored chocolate) to magical book shops with fantastical staircases.  This street is definitely something that must be experienced.

Hot Chocolate from J'adore Chocolatier in a short alley off Istiklal

4.  A wander through the maze of old streets:  Many guide books recommend walking in Istanbul, and I cannot agree more.  The part of the city (on both sides of the Golden Horn) of interest to most visitors is small enough for an avid walker to get everywhere by foot.  If you don't have a lot of time to walk - simply walk down the hill from the Grand Bazaar to the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar.  You can't go too far wrong and you will see plenty of tiny and fun old alleyways.  With that route you will get to visit both of the famous bazaars and as an added bonus it takes less time than any other form of transportation!

another extraordinary Istanbul street

5.  As my final choice on the top 5 things to see/experience in Istanbul I have to choose enjoying the grounds and exhibits at Topkapi palace.  This was a tough choice as there are so many other amazing things to do: eat fish at the Galata bridge, wonder at the beauty of the Blue Mosque or the extravagance of the Dolmabahce palace, haggle with a carpet salesman in the Grand Bazaar while sipping apple tea, catch a whirling Dervish Sema, take a tour through history at the Archaeological Museum, or enjoy a lazy day on a Bosphorus Ferry.  While Topkapi, like many of the other sights in the old part of Istanbul can get very crowded, the grounds are large enough that you can find a quiet place away from the crowds to sit and enjoy the same beauty that was created for the Sultans.  There is no tour guide and no prescribed path (unlike Dolmabahce) so you can enjoy the experience at your own pace and according to your own tastes.

For anyone visiting the city during the winter months, have no fear this city is worth it even if it is cold and snowing.  Happy travels!

Trip Log: The quest for Daffy Duck

Our quest, like so many quests, began innocently enough on an ordinary Tuesday morning as we walked briskly down the hill to catch the Bosphorus Ferry.   As we neared the bottom of the hill we saw a pair of boxer shorts in a shop window that had daffy duck on them.  They were the perfect gift for one of my brothers but since we had no time  to stop then, we decided to try to find Daffy Duck on our way back to the hotel later that night - after all, how hard could it be to retrace our steps?

One of the narrow alleys behind the spice bazaar

Later that evening we began back up the hill from the ferry, doing our very best to follow the exact same path through the narrow maze of streets that we had taken that morning.  By the time we reached the top of the hill, we knew something wasn't right - we were nowhere near where we started that morning.  We started back down the hill and then went up the hill a different way.  This time we had more success eventually finding ourselves in the familiar "underwear alley" where store after store of both men's and women's unmentionables line the narrow cobbled street. You might think that this would be the perfect place to find Daffy Duck plastered on a pair of boxers, but you would be wrong.  Lots of kinky Santa Clauses (don't ask) but no Daffy Duck.

rows of jeans on display

'That's OK' we thought.  'We still have a few more more days here, we can look again tomorrow'.  So we made our way back up the hill to our hotel.  The next day, after meeting some friends up on Istiklal street on the other side of the golden horn, we once again decided to look for the shop on our way up the hill from the Galata Bridge.  This time I was determined to find it.  We wound our way making sure to cover each and every street until we reached the main clothing avenue leading up the hill to underway alley.  We found thread, material, socks, jeans, skirts, scarves, tools, guns, belts, shoes, and lots of other stuff - but no Daffy Duck. 

After a good night's sleep, however, we were ready to tackle the quest one last time. We were so serious about it that it was, in fact, the only thing on our agenda for Thursday.  So, after petting a cat for good luck and getting a cup of coffee to set a good mood, we set out down the hill once more.  We stopped at every corner to decide which way we had turned on Tuesday morning, until at last we reached a corner where we really couldn't remember which way we had turned.  We chose the alley to the left.  It quickly became clear that this alley, lined with shops selling thread, buttons, and ribbon, was one we had not seed yet, and was unlikely to yield Daffy.  

Giant shoe in the shop next door to the one with our boxers.

We did the only thing to be done:  we turned around and retraced our steps to that last corner and turned right.  There it was.  About halfway down the alley in a window display were the ever elusive Daffy Duck Boxers.  Between the wild boxers, the shop across the street carrying umbrellas with fuzzy fringes, and the shop next door with a bag shaped like a giant shoe, the street carried the distinct aroma of absurd and bizarre.  No wonder it was so hard to find.

Trip Log: Christmas in Istanbul

While Christmas (on December 25th) isn't really a holiday here, there are plenty of ways to celebrate it if you find yourself in Istanbul.  You can take a tour of the alleys behind the Egyptian (spice) bazaar looking at holiday decorations and dancing Santas.  You can go gift shopping on Istiklal and while you are at it check the times for Christmas day services at one of the Catholic churches.  Or, you can do what we did: take a ferry ride up the Bosphorus.

A view of the Galata Bridge from the ferry

There are a number of boats that do "tours" of the Bosphorus, but the one most frequently recommended is the public ferry.  This boat leaves from a dock on the Bosphorus side of the Galata Bridge and currently costs 25 TL for a round trip ticket to the Black Sea and back.

Rumeli fortress built by the Ottomans in 1452

The trip is definitely worth doing on a day when the weather is nice as you get great panoramic views of the city as well as of the colorful houses and the Ottoman and Byzantine ruins that climb the steep hillsides on either side of the strait.  For us, the weather was perfect.  It was warm enough to go without a coat, even out on the edck and the skies were blue (if a little hazy).

Anadolu Kavagi

The ferry's last stop is the town of Anadolu Kavagi, within view of the Black sea.  The remains of a Byzantine fortress "Yuros Castle" lie on a hill high above the town.  The streets are lined with fish restaraunts and souvenir shops for visitors as they wait for the Ferry to make the return trip to the Golden Horn. 

Yuros Castle

the sun setting beyond Istanbul.

There really isn't a more relaxing way to spend a day in Istanbul than this!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Trip Log: From old to new to old again

  

From old...

The weather in Istanbul has been gradually improving, and we have been slowly moving our activities outside.  Sunday was still overcast but not cold, so we used that day to visit the Topkapi Palace on top of the hill behind the Hagia Sophia. Construction on the Topkapi Palace began in 1459 and it was the primary residence for the Sultans until nearly 1856 when the court moved over to the Dolmabahce Palace.  

The palace grounds today hold the Hagia Irine Church (not usually open to visitors) with its legendary acoustics, the Archaeology Museum, along with the exquisite palace and grounds and the relics and Ottoman treasures (including the arm and scull of John the Baptist and the sword of Mohammed). We spent most of the day wandering the grounds and admiring the beauty of the building and the view from the hill.  This sight is one of the top attractions listed in most tour books and it is certainly not one to miss.

  

To new...(er)

On Monday the sun came out, the temperature rose and we ventured out doors to do a modified version of this National Geographic Walking Tour.  We skipped the attractions that we had already visited and instead used the tour to see the French Quarter and the more modern part of Istanbul on the other side of the Golden Horn.  

Our tour took us from the Galata bridge, up the steep, narrow street to the Galata Tower, then up the colorful Galip Dede Caddesi - a cobbled lane lined with musical instrument shops, and then along the famous İstiklal Caddesi - a shop-lined pedestrian avenue.

We returned to the Galata bridge for a fish-wich lunch from one of the fishing boats by the bridge before heading back to the old town for the afternoon.

To old again

Later in the evening we returned to Istiklal to celebrate Christmas eve at the Duch Reformed church and to dine.  The highlight of our evening trip was a trip in the first subterranean urban rail line in continental Europe (the second oldest in the world).  The Tunel funicular, has only two stops and it takes you from the Galata Bridge to the bottom of Istiklal.

Trip Log: from the outside in and from the inside out

From the Outside In - the Dolmabahce Palace

The exterior of the Domabahce Palace with Thursday's snow still on the ground

For the last couple of days we have spent more time exploring cultural extremes of the ancient city of Istanbul.  Yesterday, in an attempt to escape the near 0 temperatures, we went to sample the extreme extravagance of the Dolmabahce Palace - a Sultan's palace built in the European style during the 19th century.


From the elaborate ornamentation on the massive gates outside of the palace to the gold plated ornamentation and giant crystal chandeliers inside the palace to the beautifully designed grounds, the complex is a tribute to the lavish riches controlled by the Ottoman empire in the 19th century.

The interior of the palace can only be seen on a guided tour that, even in the winter will be crowded and that takes around two hours to complete.  Even once inside the palace I was left with the distinct impression that a mere glimpse of half visible royal rooms through roped-off doors was the closest encounter with this lavish life-style I will ever taste.

From the Inside Out: the Narrow Streets of Old Istanbul

shop lined steps

Today, with the first part of a thaw on a gentle breeze, we decided to brave an aimless meander through the maze-like back streets of old Istanbul with the ultimate goal of the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Bazaar on the southern bank of the Golden Horn as our only compass point.  The only point on our agenda was "to enjoy and experience the city."  For me, this meant finding a good cup of coffee.

We began in the shoe district by our hotel where streets are lined with shops selling shoes, material, soles, and laces.  Then we walked through the streets just below the Grand Bazaar where shops carry a wide variety of men's and women's unmentionables.  Our ins and outs took us down shop-lined staircases and streets too narrow for cars until, at the bottom of the hill, we emerged from the maze and found ourselves next to the spice bazaar.  

All of the main shopping districts in Istanbul are hopelessly congested with tourists from all over the world and the Spice Bazaar is no exception.  The market is exactly as advertised: stalls containing beautiful stacks of Turkish delight, spices, teas, and other knick-knacks line the T-shaped structure. 

Inside the spice Bazaar

Finally satisfied as to the market's general content, we moved on from the Spice Bazaar by way of a crowded and colorful backstreet and found a little sweet and coffee shop in which to enjoy a quiet cup of Turkish coffee and some honey-saturated pastries - mission accomplished.

Trip Log: No Escape...

Snow in Istanbul

No escape from the snow anyways.  I have been only been in Istanbul for 36 hours and in that time the temperature has dropped from 12 to 0 degrees (c) and the snow has been falling all day.  The previously mild forecast changed abruptly last night as the arctic air that has already been coating Kazakhstan in a think layer of ice made its way south and west and joined me on my Istanbul holiday.

The six minarets of the Sultanahmet "blue" mosque just before the snow

The winter weather didn't stop us from getting a feel for the city.  Our hotel is one of the hundreds in the narrow, cobbled streets of Istanbul's old city (south of the Golden Horn) and is just a five minute walk from the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia.  We spent this afternoon seeking refuge from the storm among the lofty domes of the Hagia Sophia.


If ever a structure could be described as "awe inspiring" it is Istanbul's Hagia Sophia.  This building was inaugurated in 537 replacing earlier churches by the same name that had been destroyed.  Since that time the building has served both as a church and as a mosque and the imagery and symbolism of both Christianity of Islam are both still prominent in this place.


The beauty in this building is quite literally breathtaking.  Beauty in form is everywhere you look, from the size of the enormous center dome to what remains of the mosaics, to the marble adorned galleries.  I (of course) am posting pictures from our sojourn at the Hagia Sopia this afternoon, but I must add that these photos do not even begin to do the experience justice.

Tidbit Tuesday: Things you learn on a walk in Almaty

One of the fun things about Almaty is the seemingly random statues and memorials you come across on otherwise normal street corners.  Some monuments, like the statue of Lenin that was moved to an obscure back alley behind family park, are holdovers from the Soviet era, moved to less prominent spots in the city.  Others are new symbols of a new Kazakhstan.   Every once in a while, usually while I am on an aimless ramble around town, I will come across a monument that somehow seems unique in this place.

kids playing next to the Ghandi statue in Almaty, Kazakhstan

In October while I was walking down Gagarina Park collecting photos of the golden leaves,  I came upon the Ghandi Statue.  I had heard of this statue before (like the Beatles Statue on Kek Tobe, it is somewhat legendary among my friends), but to see Ghandi there in the middle of Almaty (looking rather cold in the brisk Autumn air, I might add) was a very different experience.

Monument to Chinese composer Xian Xinghai

Yesterday as I was walking to my Russian lesson in the positively frigid winter air, I came across monument to a Chinese Composer.  Yes, there is a monument to the early 20th century composer Xian Xinghai on the corner of ул. Си Синхай (Si Sinxai Street) and Gagarina.   It turns out that this Chinese composer (his most famous work is the Yellow River Cantata) spent a short time here in Almaty while on his way from Moscow back to China.  There is, of course, a lot more to the story than that and it makes for an interesting read that ends tragically (as do so many composers' lives) so hopefully I've convinced you to look him up.

At any rate, I'm off to Istanbul tomorrow so hold on to your horses for a flood of new pictures and posts.