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?