Lazy Days

Today we had a day at the bazaar, wandering around, seeing what we might be interested in getting when we come back at the end of the month, and getting harassed (as everyone does) by shop owners trying to entice passers by to stop at their shop. Some will even yell "You dropped your money!" to get you to stop so they can get up in your face with a hard sell. Very cheeky.

And again, lots of walking, so not very lazy after all. The photo was taken on our crossing from the Galata Bridge, and shows one of the seven hills on which Istanbul is built.  Our place is at the top of that hill. Luckily there are trams that take us up as it gets quite steep in places. Not a walk for every day.

We have 2 more days in Istanbul, but are not too fussed that we didn't see everything.  Must save something for next time!

Tiny Tiles

On Sunday we awoke to another stunning day of Turkish sunshine. Warm and breezy, it was a perfect day for exploring one of the Western districts of the city which holds the Chora Church Museum.  We took a long, complicated, tram, metro and walking combo to get close and when I said to Helena, "Well, this is an adventure...", she said "Don't say that! You remember the last time you said that!" Oh yeah, after my adventure proclamation in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, a scorpion promptly bit her.

The Chora Church was built in the 11th century by King Theodosious II, but the remaining decoration dates from the 14th century.  It was originally a Christian church, but was later converted to a mosque under the Ottomans before being turned into a museum in the 20th century. The draw now is the stunning mosaics inside, which more than make up for the (now) humble exterior.

After the museum we stopped for lunch at a somewhat fancy Ottoman restaurant next door, which boasted recipes dating to the 16th century.  Vine leaves stuffed with rice, walnuts and currants, almond soup, and grilled cheese with oyster mushrooms were just some of the specialties we sampled.

We then made the courageous decision to walk back to our flat, when it had taken us nearly 2 hours using public transportation to get there. Walking was more direct and it only took us an hour or so, but it was rough going and by the end we were beat.  Helena took photos during our trek, so maybe she'll guest blog and share those.

We thought we'd perk up with a little Turkish Delight (called lokum in Turkish). We hit the sweet shop then hightailed it home for some tea and relaxation. For those of you who don't know, Turkish delight is a kind of gummy/jel/nougat confection that comes in various flavours, some with nuts.

The Istiklal

Yesterday Helena and I took a break from sight seeing and just did some grocery shopping and explored the area around our flat. We are close to The Istiklal - the main pedestrian boulevard in Istanbul, considered by many to the be the "heart" of Istanbul. It is the in the Beyoglu district, across the Galata Bridge from the old town and main historic sights, so it's mostly Turks, not tourists.

But thankfully we are not too close, as it is very noisy.  Every Friday and Saturday evening half the city turns out to "promenade" and eat ice cream from the hundred ice cream shops that line the street.  The winding back alleys of The Istiklal contain countless little restaurants and bars, vegetable and antique shops, fish merchants, pastry shops, and "kuafors" - the Turkish interpretation of the French "coiffure" for  hair salon. We both got our hair cut in a busy little salon that served us glass after glass of strong Turkish tea.

Topkapi

I find myself at a loss for words in writing about Turkey. The last 3 posts have been a struggle and I still feel like I haven't conveyed what we are experiencing here in the near-east. Yesterday we went to Topkapi, palace of the Ottoman sultans for over 5 1/2 centuries, which is remarkably well-preserved. It contains many treasures of the empire, including an 86 carat diamond - 5th largest in the world. Constructed of marble and decorated with Iznik (blue patterned) tiles, the palace has retained its serenity through the centuries and makes a pleasant place to while away the hours. (see photos)

After the palace, we went to a 300 year old hamam - a Turkish bath - for my first Turkish bath experience. Constructed entirely of marble, the bath has separate entrances and facilities for men and women. Inside, we were issued a towel and a relaxation cubicle to prepare for or steam and rub-down. After stripping down, we made our way slowly (in wooden platform slippers to avoid the slippery floor) to a large, dome crowned marble steam room with faucets and marble sinks all around, and smaller steam rooms to the sides. On an octagonal platform in the middle, women were getting scrubbed and pummeled by black leotard-clad older Turkish women. Lots of water flowing across marble floors to carved troughs and drains, very steamy and no-nonsense. Apparently, there are other hamams in the city operating since the 15th century!

Princes' Islands

Another beautiful day in Istanbul. Today we hopped a ferry to the largest of 5 islands just outside Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara (which is to the west, while the Black Sea is to the east, up the Bosphorous Strait).

The islands were first used to house expelled princes from the Ottoman Empire, and later wealthy Istanbullus constructed summer houses there. The crumbling Victorian-meets-the-East mansions are in various states of repair, but all have the blue glass "eye" that is ubiquitous in Turkey posted above the doorway. This symbol is believed to ward off evil and it is somewhat of a national symbol - you see it everywhere from key chains to bracelets to walls of office buildings.

One nice thing about the islands is that cars are not allowed, so the streets are remarkably traffic free. There is a steady business for the bicycle rental and horse buggy places, and after see the hundred meter long line for the horse buggies, we opted for some rusty, creaking bikes to carry through the leafy hills and to a rocky beach where we would relax a little. Helena, so deprived of air in Delhi, overdid it and got a sunburn. The water was a bit chilly and the beach a bit rocky for me to be enticed in - I am waiting for our time on the Mediterranean next week.

Mosques and Markets

Today Helena and I set off to see a few sights, including the "Blue" Mosque - so named because it is beautifully decorated with blue-patterned tiles all over the interior. Eighty percent of the Turkish population is Muslim but is very low-key outside of the mosques which dot the city. We see a range of women's coverings from just head scarf (with western clothes) to the full burkha, but probably 50% of Turkish women just dress in regular European fashion. Helena and I tend to blend in with our dark hair and light eyes, and this is a relief after being standouts in Sri Lanka (and for Helena, her last 6 months in India).

In addition to the Blue Mosque, we took in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, and a small portion of the famous grand bazaar, walking for nearly 7 hours in total. It was a relief to be back at flat, where we could have a cup of tea. Having eaten a late lunch at a grill restaurant in the bazaar, Helena just whipped up a lovely salad of our finds from the vegetable market, topped with exquisite Turkish extra virgin olive oil.

The Sultan's Table

Our day starts with a trip to the bakery for the still warm, crusty on-the-outside, white and fluffy on-the-inside Turkish bread, and maybe some lighter-than-air croissants. We prepare a typical Turkish breakfast with the bread: sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, wrinkly and salty black olives (which are incredibly cheap here), tangy feta (which tastes 100x better than any I have had in the U.S.), and repeated drizzles of the super olivey EVOO. We might also have a little butter and honey with our bread or some fruit and yogurt to top it off.

The options for a Turkish lunch are many, and on Monday we ducked into a busy Circassian restaurant and were pleasantly surprised with a range of mezes (starters) and lamb dumplings/raviolis in a yogurt and chili sauce. They vary by region, but the mezes range from a bowl of big yellow beans to fresh grilled mackerel fillets, to eggplant puree (like the Greek baba ganoush), to chopped spinach salad, or my favorite: a spread made of grilled red peppers, toasted walnuts and pomegranate syrup.

The Turkish are big meat eaters and the national fast food dish is probably the kebap, which city dwellers in the U.S. know so well for late night gnoshing. There are also kofte restaurants which specialize in meatballs, borek shops which carry all kinds of savory pastry wrapped, delicately spiced meats, cheeses and vegetables, shops specializing in baklava (which is a whole different creation over here), pide restaurants (Turkish version of pizza), and of course, fish restaurants as Istanbul is a seaside city. We have also been enjoying fresh pomegranate juice from the tiny juice shops - 5 whole pomegranates in a small glass. Hello anti-oxidants!


I will try to take more photos of our food. We are just so excited, we lay into it right away and ruin the aesthetic!