Must all good things come to an end?

Two nights at the Four Seasons Bosporous, incredible splurge... and worth every dime.  On our last full day in Istanbul we walked.  Walking a lot burns a few of the calories consumed during the trip; walking around with a vague idea of where you're going opens up a world of opportunities to be amazed.  We like to walk.

Leaving the hotel after a great breakfast watching the boats go by, we head for the Dolmabahce Palace.  I only include pictures of the outside since no photo taking is allowed inside.  The place is beautiful, built around 1850, it was home to six Sultans and, at the end of the Caliphate in 1924 it became the home of Ataturk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey.

An extravagant display of European rococo style infused with Oriental touches, baccarat crystal balusters line the central staircase and the biggest Bohemian crystal chandelier in the world (weighing 4.5 tonnes), hangs from a soaring ceiling in the Ceremonial Hall.  It's magnificence is hard to describe.

We then wander off in search of the Galata Tower.  We walk to an underground funicular station and take the car up the hill to Galata.  The main street, a wide pedestrian-only (with the exception of a cable car and emergency vehicles) street is gracious and vibrant and it offers many an opportunity to shop, eat and simply admire the architecture.  After a while a taste of the local ice cream, Dondurma, is in order. It is a weird concoction but it does taste good; think of mixing ice cream with chewing gum.  We finally make it to the famous tower and that marks the end of our adventure.  We decide to walk all the way back to our hotel; we orient ourselves by taking a downward route in the general direction of the Bosporous and make a short stop at a tiny food store to buy a light dinner of cheese, fruit, chocolate and crackers which we will enjoy in our room after a nice relaxing swim.  Tomorrow morning we say good bye to Istanbul, we hope to be back one day.

The Spice of Life

Istanbul Day 2 - Part 2

From the Byzantine splendour of Hagia Sophia to the delicate beauty of the Blue Mosque, Selcuk leads the way. The mosque's six tall, slim minarets gracefully adorn an already impossibly beautiful structure. Built in the 1600s its real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque but it is much more commonly known as the Blue Mosque due to the tiles that adorn its interior which are predominantly (but not entirely) blue, and the soft, diffused light, which filters in through the many stained glass windows.

There are lots of people constantly streaming in but it doesn't feel crowded and, as I look around, I see a girl wearing a head scarf looking straight at me. We look at each other across the vast expanse, her expression impassive, impossible to read. After a while she turns around and the connection is lost; I think about how different our worlds are.

Blue Mosque in the background

Small feast for 4

After a nice lunch we make our way to the Basilica Cistern (or Yerebatan Sarayi). This is another WOW moment; one of those things that you've probably seen pictures of, but that hasn't really registered as the grandiose structure it is.  Built in the 6th century by 7,000 slaves, it is the largest of hundreds of underground cisterns in Turkey and it featured in the James Bond movie "From Russia With Love".  Its ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns, the majority of which were recycled from other buildings and monuments. At the base of two columns is the head of Medusa, one upside-down, the other sideways; was that on purpose? 

The cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water, but it is virtually empty today with only a few feet of water lining the bottom and a few catfish swimming around.

After that we make our way to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.

The Grand Bazaar (don't venture on your own, you're likely to get lost!) is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, extending through 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops which attract over a quarter of a million visitors every day.  There is no end to the type of fares you can find and Selkuc guides us expertly through it taking us to a few chosen stalls where we may want to do some shopping. 

After picking up a couple of souvenirs we exit the Bazaar and head for the Spice Market.  Much smaller than the Bazaar, but still second in size, this is where we really enjoy the shooping. The smells and sounds are fantastic, the crowds are tight.  We venture into another one of Selkuc's relations' stalls and, a couple of hundred dollars lighter but laden with bags containing several kilos of tea and Turkish Delight, we finally leave the market and call it a day.

Grand Bazaar

Spice Market

Turkish Delight paradise

A little belly-dancing anyone?

Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul, which one is it?

As we exit the Black Sea early this morning and make our way through the Bosporus we marvel at this great divide (or bridge?) between the East and the West. 

Istanbul Day 1

We arrive in Istanbul this morning and will spend another night on board before disembarking the Serenity for an extra two days in this city of wonders.

The sound of the muezzin call to prayer resonates and bounces from minaret to minaret; one does not need to be religious to feel the effect of this age-old practice.

Today we're on our own and early in the morning we take the Crystal shuttle to the Old Town. We spend a wondrous morning at the Topkapi Palace and are so glad to have all the time in the world to see it all; from the Harem to the royal treasure; through each room in the palace to the graceful courtyards. I love Turkish tiles, the colours, the patterns, the brilliance; I make a mental note to buy at least one beautiful tile to take home.

After Topkapi we wander around the Old Town, a street vendor cooking some mussels looks not too happy when I snap his picture as we go by. We pace ourselves as we have a full day of touring planned for tomorrow. Today is the day to take it all in, get the sights, the sounds, the feel for Istanbul.


Istanbul Day 2 - Part 1

Today we get off the ship early and with our luggage as we have a private tour lined up; Tere is joining us and our tour guide, Selcuk is waiting.  There is a slight rain falling but it fails to dampen our spirits. We drive to the Old Town and Selcuk gives us our first glimpse of the cultural, political and religious depths and differences we're about to experience.

Our schedule is flexible and we are able to navigate through the variuos sites with the determined Selcuk at the helm avoiding any lineups and able to zero in on the highlights.  First stop is the Hagia Sophia. Eternal, imposing, a dizzying blend of Islam and Christianity symbols, icons and architectural features crazily coexisting in marvellous splendour.

It's so beautiful, ancient and somehow very different from what I had imagined. First an Orthodox cathedral, then a Roman Catholic cathedra, later a Mosque and now a museum, Hagia Sophia was first dedicated in 360. You can breathe the centuries as you walk through it. It represents the quintessential Byzantine architecture and it was the largest cathedral for almost a thousand years and served as a model for many Ottoman mosques.

A Sea Day, en route to Istanbul

We left Odessa on the reverse course that had taken us there.  Today at sea we must make some choices; there is so much to do.  Three enrichment series lectures, all of them pique our interest:  first, "Treasures of Historic Istanbul" focusing on masterpieces of architecture and art that tell the tale of the great city, from Byzantium to modern Istanbul.  Next, "Demographic Trends and Migration Patterns and their impact on Contemporary European Society" and, finally, "The Titanic Forces of Nature - What in the World is Going On?". We end up attending all three and still manage to have lots of time for a workout, awesome meals and time by the pool reading, writing and eating ice-cream.

The weather throughout this cruise has been flawless and any time spent on deck is wonderful. The Lido guys know our preferences and are always around bringing us a drink, setting up a casual dining space on a pool deck lounger for a quick pizza snack, there is no better crew at sea than Crystal's.

Some people believe that to really get your money's worth out of a cruise you must have as many port days as possible.  To us, the beauty is in the right balance, particularly on Crystal where the luxury and pampering are best appreciated and enjoyed on lazy sea days.

Odessa - Gracious and delightful

It pains me to admit that almost three months have gone by since our Black Sea adventure came to an end. 

Being a few days behind on my blog did not seem too much of an issue as we landed back at home but, before we knew it, life had taken us for a wild ride and as the days, and then weeks went by without an opportunity to finish this tale, I began to feel bad for abandoning not just this blog but those of you who had followed it and given me an opportunity to share the wonderful places and people we had seen and met during this wonderful trip.

So here I am again, enjoying a few days off during the Christmas holidays, and for the first time since our return with the time and energy to complete the story.

Odessa

This was our last port before ending the cruise in Istanbul.  As an overnight stay, it was a welcome opportunity to enjoy all this city has to offer. Our plans for the day were simple.  An early morning run on the Promenade Deck, a late risers breakfast and a shuttle ride to the city centre for a self-guided tour.

I honestly didn't know what to expect of this city. If pressed, I would have said that Odessa brought to mind images of cold-war spy movies and of a grey industrialized city.  Nothing could have been further from it. Odessa exudes old-world charm and culture, its wide tree-lined streets offer a mix of magnificent structures in varying degrees of restoration and a multitude of restaurants and cafes.

That first day we got off the shuttle bus in across the street from Transfiguration Church. We walked into this grand church, all white and gold. Understated and  beautiful, peaceful and bright.  We spent some time walking around admiring its simplicity and marveling at this sea of white marble and restraint.

Leaving the church we tried to make sense of the street map we'd been given.  The map looked great, showing a familiar grid-like format with clear landmarks. The problem was that the names of the streets on the map did not match the names on the street signs!  The anglized names on the map looked very different in cyrillic. After a while we gave up trying to figure out exactly where we were and just let our feet take us back across town in the general direction of the port.  We took our time, meandering the streets and looking up to admire the beautiful architectural detail that abounds.

We bought some hand-made chocolates at a "Chocolate Cafe" and sat on a park bench in the City Garden admiring the grace surrounding us and marveling at the number of wedding parties that seemed to be everywhere.  We walked and walked managing to find most places of interest without ever being exactly sure of where we were or where we were going.  Finally we recognized the statue of Catherine the Great and knew we were close to Primorsky Boulevard and the Potemkin steps. Catherine stands tall in the middle of a round-about, presiding regally over her beautiful city.  At the end of one of short streets leading off the round-about we reached Primorsky Boulevard and walked along under the canopy of locust trees.  The City Hall, the Opera House and the Archeological Museum flank one end of the boulevard, Voronstov Palace flanks the other side.

Eventually we made our way down the Potemkin Steps and back to our ship. The prospect of having another day in Odessa made it easier to enjoy a leisurely afternoon on board. It's been so long that the details are a blur. Our evenings on board followed a similar pattern of a drink or two at the Avenue Saloon listening to Marci at the piano followed by an always outstanding dinner with friends, followed by a show, followed by dancing in the Palm Court. Most nights we were the only ones there but that didn't stop us from having a lot of fun on the dance floor, the Crystal sextet receiving us with big smiles and our favourite songs.

Odessa, ruled by the Ottoman Turks for over two centuries and finally lost to the Russians in the late 1700's, prospered with the Russians in power and eventually became the leading city and capital of what was called New Russia. In the early 1800's the Duc de Richelieu, who had escaped the French revolution, took up residence and was appointed Mayor of Odessa. He set about to create commerce and industry, but also culture and comforts for the community. In time the city grew to be the second biggest port in Russia.

After years of Marxism during which widespread unemployment and years of poor harvest took their toll on the city, the workers of Odessa rose up to join the budding revolution. Harsh, extreme reprisals and prosecutions resulted in almost fifteen percent of the population leaving in a terrible exodus from what was then the centre of Ukrainian and Jewish culture.  During the civil war the city was occupied by a series of armies including the French, the Bolsheviks, the Germans and Austrians, the Ukrainian nationalists and the allied forces. The city finally fell to the Red Army in 1920.  Years of misery and famine followed and then a brief period of resurgence until WWII broke out. The city was mercilessly attacked by the Germans, over a quarter of a million people, mostly Jews, were massacred or deported.  Today Odessa is a major seaport and naval base with strong, massive industries which include shipbuilding and oil refining. It is also a very popular tourist destination.

Our second day in Odessa revealed the answer to a mystery, the mystery of what seemed like dozens of bridal parties.  We learned that the official wedding registrations must all take place in City Hall; the problem is that apparently City Hall is only open for wedding registrations on Friday and Saturday. We saw scores of brides negotiating the cobblestone streets on impossibly high stiletto shoes in bright colours, grooms being tossed up in the air, elaborate bridal photo shoots. I have never seen so many weddings in such a short time.

On this day we felt more assured in our expanded exploration of the city, relying less on maps and more on instinct. We discovered many treasures and made a few purchases, mostly brightly coloured souvenirs to take back home.  Odessa is not for everyone. It is charming in its decaying splendor, the language is a daunting barrier even tough English is widely spoken in stores and restaurants, and the locals are friendly but reserved.  We loved it.