Photo Essay: Three Days in Istanbul

The four of us planned this trip, the women wanted to see the Greek islands while the men wanted to see Istanbul. We found a trip that would do both.

For our stay in Istanbul we had been booked into the Conrad Istanbul. To describe this place as the best hotel we've ever been in would not do it justice. Located in Beşiktaş, Turkey, across the Golden Horn from Istanbul, its Summit Terrace commanded what many consider to be the best view of the lower Bosphorus. It was a short ride from there to the Asian part of Istanbul (via the Bosphorus Bridge) or to central Istanbul (via the Galata Bridge) and it's many sites.

We got to the Conrad in the late afternoon, took time to get ourselves squared away and then took a taksi down to the little village of Ortaköy for dinner at Çınaraltı Restaurant which provided a marlvelous view of the Bosphorus. As the sun sank somewhere in Asia the Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid lit up like a Christmas tree followed a bit later by the Bosphorus Bridge. What a gorgeous way to start a trip.

Day two had us up and ready to take on the sites of central Istanbul. I noticed the driver of our van had some beads wrapped around his stick shift and asked what they were. It turns out they are Good-luck eyes to ward off misfortune. I decided I could use a set of those in my car. As we crossed the Galata Bridge we could see our first destination, the Spice Bazaar.

The Spice Market is located next to the New Mosque, which isn’t all that new (1663). Then it was off to the Hippodrome. Actually the Hippodrome, a stadium for chariot racing that could hold 100,000 spectators, no longer exists, but the top 2/3 of a 1500 BC Egyptian obelisk Theodosius I stole in 390 AD is still there, along with the Serpentine Column (479 BC) he took from Delphi and the Column of Constantine that Turkish warriors used to climb as a demonstration of their courage is.

Next up, the Blue Mosque built by Sultan Ahmet I in 1616 when the empire was in decline. We wandered around the courtyard and then got in line, removed our shoes and entered the mosque. It was big, dark and covered in various designs of blue Iznik tiles. On the way out I made a donation and received a receipt. Across the park was the Haghia Sophia built by Justinian in 537 AD. It was next on our list of things to see but the lines to get in were too long. All the museums were free to Turks because it was a holiday, Youth and Sports Day, celebrating the 88th anniversary of the beginning of Turkey’s War of Independence.

our guide, Uğur, decided to take us off the beaten path instead and we soon arrived at the Caferağa Medresesi a Foundation for Serving Turkish Culture that organizes various workshops on handicrafts and music. We checked out Ebru paper marbling, porcelain decoration, and Tezhip (gilded) illuminating on paper. After some apple tea we headed for the next site on our list, the Topkapi palace.

We passed the guards at the Imperial Gate, walked through the first courtyard to the Gate of Salutations, through the second courtyard to the Throne Room, though the third courtyard to the Treasury. Inside the four treasury rooms where all sorts of jewel encrusted stuff including (according to the sign) one of the arms and a piece of the skull of John the Baptist. I kid you not.

After the Treasury we finished our tour of the Topkapi with lunch at Konyali Restaurant (serving since 1897) overlooking the Bosphorus.

It was time to check out the lines at the Haghia Sophia again. We were in luck for they had melted away. Compared to the Blue Mosque, it is bigger, just as dark, and still has some of its golden mosaics intact. It seems that when the Turks turned it into a Mosque they took exception to the depictions of humans and animals and whitewashed the place. It is now a museum under restoration.

Uğur then took us to Punto, a Turkish carpet store where Özden sold Sue and Al on one of Turkey’s finest. With Al still in sticker shock we headed for the Grande Bazaar for an hours shopping. Uğur told us not to be late because he was meeting his parents back at the Conrad where he would bid us a fond farewell, shower, change and take his parents to the big meeting with his fiancée’s parents. He appeared to be just a little bit nervous.

That night we took a taksi to Kumkapi where we ate and drank Raki at the Deníz Kizi while a Turkish quartet played.

Day three and the morning began with our last breakfast at the Conrad. It would seem strange not to have Uğur leading us around on our last morning in Istanbul, but his replacement, Arzu, was up to the challenge. Uğur had set us up with a ride across the Bosphorus Bridge into Asian Turkey then a “yacht” ride along the Bosphorus between the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges. We had a grand time sipping apple tea and looking at the yalis (“cottages”) lining the shore.

Once we had docked Arzu felt we had enough time to check out some Turkish Delights at Cho Delight. Down into the narrow roads on old Istanbul we drove. Arzu was having some trouble finding the place because it was Sunday and one of their two shops was closed. After some purchases we headed for the docks and our noon date with our Louis Cruise Lines ship.

We were surprised to see the M/S Perla (we were scheduled to be on the Orient Queen) and decided the company must have been doing some fast rescheduling since their Sea Diamond had sunk of Santoríni in early April. The Perla wouldn’t leave Istanbul until 5:30 PM, which left us wondering why we had to board so early. I was looking forward to the lifeboat drill only to be letdown when it was held in the Clipper Lounge instead of outside next to Boat 6. The girl in charge said she was from the land of Dracula and asked if anyone knew where that was. I chimed in, “Hungary!” which made her very angry. It seems the Rumanians don’t get along with the Hungarians so well. Oh well. She went on to assure us we were going to see some “beautiful bitches” on our cruise through the Greek Islands. It took us awhile to figure out she was saying “beautiful beaches.”

Later, we went up on deck and waved goodbye to Istanbul.