Easter Trip to Istanbul - April 2007

  

We chose Istanbul for our Easter long weekend trip because, being primarily a Muslim country, we knew that everything would be open.  If we had remained in Athens or gone west we would have found nearly everything closed for Easter weekend.  So on Good Friday we flew Olympic Airlines to Istanbul arriving at our nice, small Dersaadet Hotel, in the center of the Sultanahmet district, before our room was ready.  We went to their rooftop terrace, with great views overlooking the Blue Mosque and Sea of Marmara, and had a cup of coffee.  Our room was ready soon, so we unpacked our suitcases and headed out on foot.



If it weren’t for the signs in Turkish, we could have easily thought we had arrived in Holland.  From the airport to our hotel the roads were lined with beautiful tulips in mid-bloom.  Everywhere we went there was a profusion of flowers, mostly tulips, in every conceivable color.  At other times Istanbul reminded me of San Francisco in that it had a beautiful bridge linking Europe and Asia, was hilly and set on the water, had a sounding of ships horns when the water was covered with fog, and there were several men’s bath houses called hamams – I guess I better quit comparing now or I may offend the Turks.



We walked a short distant to the Hippodrome which was at one time a gigantic stadium when Constantinople was the Byzantine capital.   In the park where the Hippodrome once sat were several columns; the column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, what’s left of the Serpentine Column, and the Egyptian Obelisk which was built in Luxor in 1500 BC, brought to Istanbul, and set upon a base made in the 4^th century AD showing Theodosius I and his family. 



Next we walked to the Basilica Cistern, considered one of the highlights of today’s Istanbul.  We walked down into the huge cistern which was built during the reign of Emperor Justinianus in the 6^th century.  It was nicely lit up and had a few feet of water with several fish swimming in it.  There are 12 rows each consisting of 28 Ionic and Corinthian style columns for a total of 336 marble columns.  Two columns have a base of a head of the Medusa, one placed upside down.  The Ottomans did not know of the cistern’s existence and it was only re-discovered and repaired in the 1960s and opened to the public in 1987 so we did not know of it during our first visit to Turkey.



This was our second trip to Turkey.  Our first trip was in 1975 when we lived in Teheran, Iran.  Strangely enough, both our trips to Istanbul were over Easter weekends.  We noticed changes, of course, one being that the city has grown to 20 million people now.  In 1975 I distinctly remember many taxis were US Dodges, Plymouths, and De Sotos from the 1950s.  Prices have gone up a great deal in comparison to Western Europe since 1975.  The Grand Bazaar had a large fire shortly after we visited in 1975 but has been nicely rebuilt.  And we seemed to think that many more young women today are wearing the scarf covering their hair than we remembered in 1975.  Perhaps this is a fundamentalist backlash? 



We continued our walk to the Topkapi Palace which we had also toured extensively in 1975.  Much was closed for renovations but we entered through the Gate of Salutations to the Divan, second courtyard, and through the Gate of Felicity.  We saw the Throne Room, Pavilion of the Holy Mantle (parts closed), Circumcision Pavilion and the Iftariye Pavilion.  We had lunch at the Konyali restaurant with beautiful views over the Sea of Marmara.  We saw the precious objects in the Treasury, the kitchens, and the Library of Ahmet III then headed out without viewing the Harem – since we saw that in 1975 we decided we didn’t want to crowd in with the hundreds of school kids on their day’s outing. 



We walked out the Imperial Gate and viewed the beautiful Fountain of Ahmet III.  Then we walked into Haghia Sophia which we didn’t tour on our first trip.  This church was completed in 537 and for nearly 1000 years it was the largest church in the world until St. Peter’s in Rome was built.  When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453 they turned it into a mosque.  Kemal Ataturk turned it into a museum in 1936.  Today it more resembles a mosque because of the minarets, ablutions fountain, mihrab, and minbar but many fine Byzantine mosaics still exist from the days when it was a church.



Finally, as dusk was setting in, we toured the Blue Mosque which gets its name from the blue Iznik tile work inside.  This huge mosque is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world.  It was built between 1609 and 1616 and upset many Muslims because it had six minarets which many considered a sacrilegious attempt to rival the great mosque in Mecca.  After touring this beautiful building we walked the few blocks to our hotel, through the Arasta Bazaar, which used to be the sultan’s horse stables,  and had our first, of several, Efes beers on the rooftop terrace.  We walked the short distance to Sultanahmet Koftecisi restaurant, an institution since 1920 serving very basic, yet good, fare.  Rita’s pedometer said we walked about 10 miles for the day and we retired exhausted.



Saturday we had our breakfast on the rooftop terrace overlooking a fairly foggy Sea of Marmara.  We walked to the Grand Bazaar and meandered (a word which comes from the Turkish river Meander) around until we came to the center or Ic Bedesten which used to be a large warehouse.  We found the 17^th century kiosk that was built as a coffee house but is a jewelers shop today.  We walked down Perdahcilar Sok and found a textile store that was recommended but Rita didn’t see anything she wanted to buy.  At another shop she bought a cotton ikat table cover – one of the few purchases we made.  Finally we walked out the Oruculer Gate and made our way to the Suleymaniye Mosque.



The Suleymaniye Mosque is one of Istanbul’s most important mosques and is where Suleyman the Magnificent is buried along with other sultans and family members.  It was more than a large, beautiful mosque.  It was known as a kulliye or charitable foundation and was surrounded by a hospital, kitchen (today a restaurant), schools, bath house, and a caravanserai which is a place that caravans could put up for the night – sort of a motel in its day.



Next we walked to the Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar as it is sometimes called.  This was our favorite market – hustling and bustling with lots of people and colorful displays.  It was lunchtime so we first tried to see if we could get into Pandeli’s restaurant even though our guide book said reservations were essential.  We were lucky and were given a table, one of the best because it had a small window overlooking the Spice Bazaar below.  Our meal was the best we had in Istanbul.  Rita ordered grilled sea bass while I had their specialty, sea bass in parchment paper.  Both were cooked to perfection and we ordered an assortment of fresh vegetables to go along with it.  We also had a nice white wine and really enjoyed the meal and setting. 



After lunch we walked more through the Spice Bazaar taking photos of the many signs about Turkish aphrodisiacs.  Many stalls had Iranian caviar, sweets, nuts, and spices.  We bought some coffee at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, Istanbul’s oldest and most popular coffee shop.  Next we bought dried tomatoes from a colorful character who called himself the “Spice Boy”.  From the Spice Bazaar we walked past the New Mosque (built in the 17^th century) and across the Galata Bridge which was completed after we last visited Istanbul.  There were hundreds of fishermen with rods hoping to catch that big fish in the Golden Horn.



We crossed the Golden Horn to the newer part of Istanbul known as the Beyoglu district.  Here the Galata Tower, built in 1348 by the Genoese, dominates the skyline on the top of a hill.  We found Istanbul’s only underground train called the Tunel.  The Tunel only runs a short distance uphill, 550 yards, but when it was completed in 1875 it was the third in the world according to our guide book.  A plaque at the entrance says it was second after the London underground so take your pick.  We took it uphill where the pedestrian walkway known as Istiklal Caddesi stretches a good distance to Taksim Square.  Istiklal Caddesi is lined with several Starbucks, Norma Jean’s coffee shops, McDonalds, and Burger King as well as several other restaurants and swank shops.  In the middle runs a restored tram like the ones that used to run all over the city before taken out of service in 1966.  From Taksim Square we walked back to the legendary Pera Palas Hotel which opened in 1892 and used to cater to travelers of the Orient Express.  Noted guests were Mata Hari, Greta Garbo, Jackie Onassis, Sarah Bernhardt, Josephine Baker, and Agatha Christie who wrote “Murder on the Orient Express” in room 411.  We had hoped to get a drink but unfortunately found out that the hotel is closed several months for renovation.  By now our feet were tired so we caught a taxi back to our hotel and relaxed on the rooftop terrace with another Efes beer.



After a short rest we started out on foot once more and stopped to walk through the new Four Seasons Hotel that was once a prison.  We continued on to the Sirkeci Gari or train station which was built in 1890 as the terminus for the Orient Express train from Paris.  Here we watched a performance of the Whirling Dervishes doing their trance inspiring spinning dance in an exhibition hall.  We enjoyed the show, had front row seats, and captured some good photos and videos.  After the show we walked back to the restaurant section near our hotel and ate at Rumeli Café restaurant.  We started with a traditional mezze plate for two then Rita had an Anatolian dish called munti that consisted of meat filled pasta in a yogurt sauce.  I had an Ottoman dish of chicken rollups filled with raisins, pine nuts, and chicken livers in a red sauce.  Both were good but the service was awfully slow.  We walked back to our hotel via the Hippodrome where we watched the seagulls soaring continuously over the spotlighted minarets. 



By Sunday morning our feet were tired and our destination was quite a distance off in the suburbs.  We had considered taking a cruise up the Bosporus but we did that before and were afraid we might not see much due to fog so instead we caught a taxi to the Church of St. Saviour in Chora, which today is the Kariye Museum.  The present church dates from the 11^th century, was turned into a mosque by the Ottomans, but retained some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes anywhere.  After touring and viewing we caught another taxi to Tunel Square in Beyoglu district.  On the way we had a good, talkative taxi driver who pointed out the old, massive city walls at this westernmost part of the old Byzantine city of Constantinople, the small remaining Jewish section, the small remaining Greek section, and the cast iron Church of St. Stephen of the Bulgarians that was built in Vienna in 1871, shipped to the Golden Horn, and assembled on its shores.



Our first stop near Tunel Square was the Mevlevi Monastery where the mystical branch of Islam known as Sufism was centered.  Here we saw the 18^th century lodge with octagonal wooden dance floor where the Sufis, better known as Whirling Dervishes, performed their spinning dances.  Once more we walked up Istiklal Caddesi stopping at a beautiful arcade called Cicek Pasaji that was once a flower market but today houses several restaurants.  We sat down at one called Cinar for a lunch of artichoke hearts filled with peas, carrots, and potatoes, grilled eggplant, stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) and some cheese filled pastries.  After lunch we walked to Taksim Square once more and then downhill to Dolmabahce Palace.



For several hours we toured the Dolmabahce Palace getting an all encompassing ticket that covered the state apartments, known as Selamlik, and the Harem.  This is an impressive palace oddly built as the Ottoman Empire was in decline.  We saw the swan fountain, crystal staircase, the Sufera Salon, the Red Room, and the Ceremonial Hall with the heaviest chandelier in the world.  The Harem had impressive living quarters and we saw the bedroom where Ataturk died in 1938.  All clocks in the palace are stopped at the time that Ataturk died.  Finally we caught a taxi back to our hotel for another refreshing Efes on the rooftop terrace.



Later in the evening we walked to Sarnic restaurant that was recommended by my brother, David, who was in Istanbul just two weeks before us.  The setting for Sarnic is impressive as it is in an ancient Roman cistern, cavernous, and dimly lit.  We had a nice meal starting with a shrimp cocktail for Rita and warm dolmas with a paprika and yogurt sauce for me.  For mains Rita had grilled bream and I had the catch of the day, bonito.  We had a nice Turkish white wine with the meal and for dessert Rita chose fried bananas and pineapples with ice cream while I had marinated apricots and figs stuffed with walnuts. 



Monday we had no time for touring, just a quick breakfast on the rooftop terrace once more, a taxi to the airport and our flight home.  We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend trip to Istanbul and can highly recommend Turkey to the intrepid traveler.