Live from the City of Mosques
Trip Start
Mar 28, 2010
1
28
140
Trip End
May 31, 2011
Where I stayed
Istanbul, Turkey
Monday, June 28, 2010
Up to this point in our trip our blog entries have been co-written by the two of us, with both of us experiencing our destinations for the first time. Turkey has been a bit different as Shane was here a few years ago and has been familiar with much of what the country has to offer. My senses on the other hand have been fresh to the sights, sounds and smells, especially when it comes to the city once called Constantinople (that one's for you, Mom!). For this reason (and to conserve cash), Shane decided to opt out of a second round through some of the big sights and as such we decided to write this entry primarily from my perspective – Lyndsey.
We arrived in Istanbul after over twelve hours on the road from Pamukkale. We were concerned given the late hour of our arrival we would lose our pre-booked room however lucky for us the easy-as-pie transit system got us to Sultanahmet (our area of the city) quickly and the night watchman at the hotel was ready and waiting for us. Once again we were quick to drop our bags then off to grab a late dinner – this seems to be becoming a pattern for us! Thankfully, Istanbul is fully functional at 11pm (most restaurants are open until 2am!) so we were not without choice. Our first night was a quiet one, somehow sitting on a bus all day is tiring!
The following day, our first full day in Istanbul, took us on a general exploration of the city. Our first stop was the Grand Bazaar, the massive covered market which began as a small masonry market in the 15th century and ballooned to the colossal collection of businesses it is today. The Bazaar is overwhelming yet exhilarating, with over 4000 shops and restaurants all vying for the attention – and money – of those daring to meander the alley-like streets. Our main purpose in visiting the Bazaar, aside from the fact its considered a 'must-see’ when visiting Istanbul, was to find Shane new sandals and a few new clothes for me. Needless to say, our mission was frequently distracted by our surroundings and neither of us came out of the Bazaar with what we were looking for! We were, however, able to pick up a couple souvenir T-shirts so all was not lost. From the Grand Bazaar we made our way to the Spice Bazaar, an area identical to the Grand Bazaar with the simple exception its vendors are in the culinary business. Another welcome assault to the senses here as we wandered past bins of powdered spices, wreaths of dried foods and piles of Turkish delight... mmm! From the Spice Market we lost ourselves on the backstreets of Sultanahmet for a few hours before eventually wandering back to our street for dinner and the nightly football match. Oh, and yes, Shane eventually found new sandals.
Our second day in the city had me visiting Topkapi Palace on my own while Shane ran errands and chilled by himself. Topkapi Palace was originally built in the 15th century and has served as home to every Turkish sultan for close to four hundred years. The site is magnificent, boasting four large courtyards, various galleries, dormitories, and the infamous Harem (the private quarters of the imperial family). The architecture and detailing, especially in the Harem, is stunning in its extravagance yet somehow remains elegant and modest. Sadly, my visit was marred by two massive thunder storms which inhibited a full exploration of the palace grounds, though being forced to spend more time inside the great walls of Topkapi was a suitable consolation. I rejoined Shane by late afternoon to scope out bus tickets to Bulgaria before dinner, an excursion that was more of a walking tour of ‘non-tourist’ Istanbul than anything. Following dinner we had hoped to catch one of the many Dervish shows put on around the city however sadly the insane cost of these shows combined with the fact they are primarily tourist shows rather than actual spiritual ceremonies, made us think twice (authentic semas, or ceremonies, are only held once a week – had one been planned during our four days in Istanbul we may have overlooked the cost). For those who don’t know, Dervishes are Mevlevi Sufis, members of the mystical sect of Islam, who are famously known for their ‘whirling’ dance (whirling dervishes) which they believe connects them with the devine. We opted instead to wander the grounds around and between the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque, both of which are smartly illuminated at night. As we made our way back to our hotel for the night we stumbled across a cafe playing some mesmerizing music – and discovered a dervish spinning on stage next to the musicians. His dance, though short, was spell-binding... it’s no wonder Sufis feel this to be a spiritual experience.
Day three in Istanbul was to be the day we both visited the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque however once at the ticket booth to the former we discovered the entrance fee had more than doubled. Shane opted to take one for our little team and sit this one out as he had already been inside a few years earlier... sadly, it’s simply not the best use of our limited budget. As I entered the Aya solo, it quickly became evident this was no ordinary church. Built in the 6th century by the great emporer Justinian, the church reigned supreme in Christendom until 1453 when Mehmet the Conquorer converted it to a mosque. The site was again converted, this time to a museum, in 1935 by Turkey’s infamous icon, Ataturk. There are no words to describe the monstrous size of the Aya Sofya (the central dome sits 55.6m above the ground), nor is it possible to explain the conflict one feels seeing the overlapping of faiths on the walls of the monument. I can say the first view of the glorious dome leaves one speechless and somehow, despite the masses of people crawling over every square inch of the place, one can still feel an immense sense of calm and peace wandering beneath the famous mosaics. Two hours was not enough for my visit with Sofya.
The afternoon of our third day was meant to first be spent visiting the Blue Mosque then touring an area of Istanbul called Taksim Square, the supposed heart of ‘Modern Istanbul’. Unfortunately, our timing was off and we arrived at the mosque just in time for prayer, the only part of the day that the building is closed to non-Muslim visitors. Weighing our options, we decided to return to the Blue Mosque the following day as we were concerned once prayer time was over the throng of waiting tourists would make our own visit less than pleasant. Off to Taksim to celebrate Canada Day! The actual ‘square’ of Taksim is pretty unimpressive however just to the southwest of the intersection is one of the busiest foot-traffic-only streets either of us have ever been on. The constant stream of people was fascinating and people-watching kept us well and occupied for a few hours. Shane was keen to show me Nevizade Sokak, a back-alley type lane popular with locals and littered with restaurants and pubs. After an incredible dinner of mezze (think tapas) we made our way back to our area, stopping for a period of time for a beer in a quiet little park with benches overlooking the Golden Horn with excellent views of Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. Once back in Sultanahmet we settled into a hole-in-the-wall backpackers lounge for a final Canada Day celebration. While I missed home immensely this day (it’s hard not being there for the nation’s birthday – guess I’m more patriotic than I thought), enjoying a bev and some nargile under the watchful eye of the Blue Mosque had an incredible ability to ease the sting!
After checking out of our hotel and storing our luggage until our evening bus departure, our fourth and final day in Istanbul brought us back to the Blue Mosque. Luckily the lines were short and we were quickly inside the famous structure. Unluckily, that was when disaster struck. In an effort to get around the initial stream of tourists who inevitably stop short the moment they are through the door, we attempted to skirt through a gap between people and pillars. Unable to differentiate the change in levels on the dimly lit carpeted floor, Shane drove his bare right foot (shoes are not allowed in a mosque)directly into the stone base of one of the pillars, falling hard to the ground and breaking his toe. He recovered to his feet quickly but the look on his face said it all – that f&%$ing hurt. We moved to the side of the mosque to inspect the toe and once settled on the ground, Shane insisted I continue inspecting the mosque while he stopped the bleeding. Reluctantly, I wandered off.
The Blue Mosque, whose actual name is Sultan Ahmet Camii, was built between 1606 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmet I, whose intention was to ‘out do’ the Aya Sofya. Its nickname is earned by the now-faded colour of some 20,000 handmade tiles lining the mosque’s interior (what once was green is now blue) though the slight accents of red on each tile give off more of a purple hue. The intricacy of this tiling most definitely adds to the mosque’s splendour, as does the massive chandelier which is suspended from the ceiling and mimics the circumference of the main dome . Unfortunately at the time we visited, over half the mosque was cordoned off in preparation of the Friday noon prayer so the full effect of the 43m-high domed ceiling was somewhat lost. Upon leaving the Blue Mosque I couldn’t help but feel a little let-down – while its exterior is magnificent and the complexity of the interior decoration impressive, for me the Blue Mosque ultimately paled in comparison to the Aya Sofya. Shane showed his own mild disappointment by slipping on the marble stairs descending from the mosque, a consequence of trying to protect his newly fractured toe... simply not his day. Luckily that was his last fall of the day.
The rest of our afternoon was spent sitting around the lobby of our old hotel waiting until it was time to catch our ride to Bulgaria. Both of us agree that one could easily spend a month or more in Istanbul and not see it all... we barely scraped the surface. It is one of the most intriguing cities we’ve visited, perhaps one of our favourites, and an excellent spot to finish our tour of the Middle East.
Trip by the numbers update:
9 – number of countries we’ve set foot in
90 – number of days we’ve been out of Canada
90 – number of days Shane has gone without wearing pants
13 – number of times its rained
3 – number of free visas we’ve obtained
7 – number of flights we’ve taken
5 – number of boats we’ve been on
4 – number of seas we’ve swam in
2 - number of Canada Days Shane has spent in Turkey
8 – number of times we’ve done laundry
1,800 – approx. average amount in Canadian dollars we have each lived on per month while away – including flights
2 – number of times we’ve been flat out lost
4,972 – number of photos we’ve take so far
50 – number of episodes of 30 Rock we’ve watched
12 – total number of hours we’ve been apart
4 – number of countries visited in a 24hr period while in transit from KTM to Cairo
4 – number of times Shane has taken a hard fall
1 – number of broken bones
9 – number of times we’ve spent more than $50CDN on accommodation
7 – number of times we’ve paid for internet access
1 – number of times we’ve eaten at McDonald’s
1 – number of times we’ve eaten at Pizza Hut
1 – number of times one of us has vomited
Comments
"4 - number of times Shane has taken a hard fall" - what's up stumbles?