Shopping in Istanbul

A slightly later start to the day had us on the tram to Çembelitas for a walk through the Bazaars.  We started at the Çemberlitas Column, erected by order of Emperor Constantine to celebrate Constantinople's dedication as the capital of the Roman Empire in 330.

As we headed down to the Grand Bazaar, a gentleman pointed out a short cut to the Bazaar and explained to us that when he was a child, Çembelitas was a place for families, however it had now become an area of commerce.  As luck would have it, his family were carpet merchants!  He invited us to view his carpets, which we politely declined, however asked about the Hammami, and he took us back up the street to its entrance.  His friend (and masseuse) was just turning up for work, so when we told him we would be back later, he gave us the name of the masseuse and we agreed that 3pm would be a good time for a Turkish Bath.

We headed down into the Grand Bazaar - one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.  Reputed to have between 3,000 and 4,000 shops, our friend from earlier in the day told us that due to the downturn in tourism about 1,000 of these had closed.  It was certainly very quiet with the traders trying to gain our attention.

After purchasing some Turkish Delight, we wandered, eventually succumbing to a shop selling hand embroidered table cloths, runners etc.  The young man invited us in and so started the theatre that surrounded our purchase!  Firstly, we needed to indicate what size we wanted - table runner - and then we were shown every design that was in the shop in that size.  We were offered, and accepted, tea which was brought from a neighbouring stall by a young boy.  During this process, the second chap kept Michael occupied and chatting (not sure who was the chattiest!)  Next we narrowed our choices down to about half a dozen. At this stage, we started to talk price and eventually agreed though not before the young man advised that if he could marry Caitlin then we could have the whole shop!

We continued to wander around the bazaar, eventually exiting and working our way down to the Spice Market - sometimes known as the Egyptian Market because it is said to have been built with the proceeds from the eyalet (administrative area) of Egypt in the 1660s.  Initially the centre of the spice trade in Istanbul, it now houses shops of all kinds and is said to be the main market for the locals.  When visiting in 2005, I had preferred this market to the Grand Bazaar, however this visit, I felt it had become run down and the traders a lot more aggressive.  Many of the displays had signs indicating that they would not 'haggle' but the price indicated was the 'best' price.

Despite this, the traders tried to use some clever lines - 'please enter, the only thing I don't have in my shop is customers'...... 'can I sell you something that you don't need?'......  etc.  Again we wandered through the area, finally exiting near the tram stop on the Bosphorus.  From here we took a ride out into the suburban areas and back into the old city where we left our purchases and headed off for our Turkish Bath.

The Çemberlitas Hamami was established by the wife of Sultan Selim II, Nurbanu, in about 1584, to bring in revenue to support the Valide-i-Atik Charity Complex in Toptasi, Üsküder.  Planned and built as a double bath, it still has separate women's and men's sections.  Though there have been many changes over the years, the women's section still has the original lantern - a dome-shaped cupola resting on decorated arches and columns.  We felt our sightseeing from the last couple of days had earned us the bath and massage which we really enjoyed.  Again, I was struck by how quiet it was ... during my visits in 2005, I sometimes had to wait for a space on the hot stone.  This time, Caitlin and I joined two other women as the sole users of the facility.

Our dinner choice tonight was a small stall where they served kebabs of lamb, skewered from the main rotating meat piece and then thinly sliced off.  Served with freshly made flat bread and salad, we voted it one of our best meals.  We then visited the local Haci Bekir store - part of the chain of shops around Istanbul, originating in 1777 and winning the sultan's seal of approval!  Over some very rich cakes and puddings, we solved the world's problems and watched as a parade of local Turks also enjoyed the many treats on offer.

Valide-i Atik Charity Complex in

Sightseeing in Istanbul

We met up with Caitlin early and caught the tram to Taksim Square - it was really three trams - one across the Galata Bridge, then the 'Tunel' an underground funicular that started operating in 1875 and climbs about 60 metres over 550 metres, and finally the old tram up to the Square.  Trams stopped running in Istanbul in 1966, however this nostalgic tramway was revived in 1990 using the old rolling stock.

We left Caitlin in Taksim Square and walked up to the Military Museum.  The route, along a main street was barricaded off with police 'manning' openings at each block.  If you wanted to buy a coffee from any of the shops, you needed to go through the police barricade!  The reason for this became obvious as we passed the Hilton Hotel.  Istanbul was hosting a World Energy Conference and Vladimir Putin was one of the main speakers!  We continued on to the Museum, which when we arrived was quite empty.  It was particularly well curated and we liked the early chambers which outlined the history of the Turkish people and their migrations across Europe and Asia.  We visited Ataturk's chamber, but were surprised that it provided little information about his life and career but a lot about his clothes and living style!

Finishing at the museum, we caught up with Caitlin and walked through the Taksim Square shopping network back to the tram stop at the Bridge and on to the Blue Mosque.  Building began over the site of the ancient Roman hippodrome in 1609 and finished 7 years later.  The mosque is known for its six minarets - most have either 4, 2 or 1 - which caused some consternation as the Haram Mosque at Mecca - the holiest in the world - also had six minarets.  The sultan building the Blue Mosque, Sultan Ahmet I, solved this problem by sending his architect to Mecca to add a seventh minaret there!  

As this is a working mosque, we needed to ensure that we were dressed appropriately to enter.  The building is lit by 260 windows which were originally of 17th century stained glass, however this has long gone and been replaced.  It is the blue tiles of the mosaics covering the cascading domed ceiling  that give the mosque its 'blue' name.

From here we walked across the square to the Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum but has, since  537AD, been an Orthodox Cathedral; Catholic Cathedral; a Mosque and, since 1935, a museum.  Until the construction of the Blue Mosque, it was the main centre of worship in Istanbul.  Most famous for its huge dome, the Hagia Sophia is said to have changed the face of Byzantine architecture and served as the inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques.

In the same complex are five tombs housing the sarcophagi of Ottoman sultans and their family members.  We visited the tomb of Sultan Selim II and were enthralled by the mosaics as well as the inlaid mother of pearl designs.

Across the road, we entered the Basilica Cistern, the largest of several hundred cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul.  Ancient texts indicate that it was built by about 7000 slaves and provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople, the Topkapi Palace and into modern times.  Capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water, the ceiling is supported by 336 columns of mostly Ionic and Corinthian style.

After our day of wandering, we retired for a well-earned rest before having dinner at one of the many restaurants near our hotel.

A Cruise on the Bosphorus to the Black Sea

Our choice today was to cruise the Bosphorus Strait.  This is the world's narrowest strait to be used for international navigation.  It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia and connects the Black Sea with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas through the Dardanelles.  Perhaps not the best weather for a day on the water, however we persevered as the forecasts were not generally good for the next few days.  We decided to take the full day cruise up to the Black Sea rather than just around the Golden Horn.  It was an exercise to find the correct boat, then the ticket office, then the place to enter!  However there were many people willing to help us and we were soon on the boat.

While waiting to get on the boat, we met Pip, a midwife from the Gold Coast and spent the trip up the Strait talking with her and looking at the landmarks from the sea.  As Istanbul is a city of 16 million people (Pip tells us that an additional 5 million travel into the city from outside to work) it stretches up the Bosphorus for quite a way.  However, after some time, the buildings facing the sea became more spaced and more grand - it was certainly prime real estate for the Turks!

Our boat stopped at Andalou Kavagi on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, where we had a two hour turnaround.  We headed away from the touts at the dock and found a little kebab shop for lunch.  Just as we sat down, the heavens opened and we were grateful for the cover and lunch.  By the time we had finished, the dark storm clouds had moved on so we decided to head for the castle.  Originally built by the Byzantines, with 8 massive towers and heavily fortified walls, the castle was restored by the Genoese in the 1300s.  It was a steep climb, however we were rewarded with great views of the Sultan Selim (Third) Bridge - recently completed - and the Black Sea. 

We headed back down to the boat, passing a number of our fellow travellers on the way.  While waiting for the boat we bought ice-creams and chatted with an American couple from Wisconsin - the US elections featured strongly as they do whenever we speak with american travellers.  Most just shake their heads at the goings-on.

The skies cleared a little as we headed back to Istanbul, again stopping briefly at a couple of little villages along the way to pick up passengers.

One of the constants while we were on the water was the number of large shipping vessels plying the Strait.  The Bosphorus is controlled by the Turkish government and utilised by large number of commercial ships, ferries and fishing and recreational boats each day.  Because of the narrowness and a couple of blind turns along the route, it is quite dangerous for shipping, causing some headaches for the government.  They are currently debating the construction of a channel to partly alleviate these issues.

Istanbul - here we come!

An 8.30am pick-up this morning had us on the go early.  We had an hour's drive along the coast and through some very intensive market gardening areas before reaching Izmur - the third most populous city in Turkey.  From here we were flying to Istanbul.

On entering the airport building, we went through a security check and for the first time I was asked to open my computer (I think they check that it is charged).  We then checked in and headed for our gate and another security check, again opening the computer.

Finally at our gate, we had about an hour before take-off so I decided to take out the computer and hook into the free wifi.  No sooner had I done this than our flight was called - 50 minutes before departure.  We headed onto the plane - a B-777ER - 53 rows of 7 seats each.  We were in seat 53 and as we walked through the aircraft it was mostly empty.  Over the next period of time, it slowly filled up however there was no congestion in the aisles as people tried to stow their goods and chattels.

During the 50 minute Turkish Air flight we were served a toasted sandwich and coffee, most efficiently.  On touchdown we then taxied for a considerable period of time to our 'parking' space and then had to wait as the ground crew worked out exactly where they would put us (we could see this unfolding on the aircraft-cam).  Eventually we stopped and everyone (maybe 300 passengers) disembarked through the aft doors to waiting buses and then to the terminal.  We then waited for our bags to appear.  It took longer from touchdown to bag collection than we were in the air!

We headed to the hotel and fortunately Michael was able to negotiate a bigger room than our last one at no extra cost!  We settled in and did some research on the sightseeing for the next few days.

Caitlin messaged to let us know that she had also arrived - her hostel is about 2 minutes walk from us - and we met up, heading out to the Galata Bridge for a drink and to watch the sunset.  It was really good to hear all about her travels.  The sun slowly sank and we watched the passing parade, as well as the fishermen from the deck above.  Some caught fish, however we were unsure whether we would eat them as the water is fairly dirty with oil slicks and rubbish.

The sun sank behind the Blue Mosque and the restauranteur provided us with a free fruit platter in the hope we would stay and drink more.  The lights started to come on across the city, making the whole scene quite magical as we left.  We visited Caitlin's hostel before heading off for an early night.

Kusadasi and Ephesus

Having done a bit of research, we decided to catch a taxi to Ephesus and guide ourselves around the site.  The information we could find indicated that it would take a couple of hours but advised visitors to be prepared for heat, crowds and no shade.  Fortunately this morning there were no cruise boats at the terminal!

We took the taxi, with the driver dropping us at the top gate, where there were a few traders who wanted to sell us books and trinkets.  Fortunately a large bus full of more likely looking prospects arrived and we were able to make a hasty getaway and enter the site.

Built in the 10th century BC, it really flourished in Roman times when, with a population of 33,000 to 56,000 it was the third largest city of Roman Asia Minor.  Initially built on the coast, Ephesus had a natural harbour and so became a thriving commercial centre.  However over time, the Kayster River silted up the harbour and now the ruins are a good 5 kilometres from the sea.  There were a number of settlements in the area, each ruined over time by wars and earthquakes and while some rebuilding took place, much remained in ruins.  The part we visited were the ruins from Roman times.

Some of the noted buildings of the Roman time were the Library of Celsus, - the third largest in the empire and home to 12,000 scrolls.  Built about 120AD, the interior was destroyed by earthquake (or possibly fire after a Goth invasion) in 262AD and the facade destroyed by earthquake in the 10th or 11th century.  The facade was rebuilt by archaeologists in the 1970s.

The open air theatre was first constructed in the 3rd century BC but enlarged to seat 25,000 in the Roman period.  Initially for theatrical performances, it was also used for political and philosophical debates and in later times for gladiatorial competitions.

Ephesus was also famed for its baths, having one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world.

The old Agora (market) is now a collecting place for ruins - it must be an absolute nightmare for the archaeologists who unearth these columns (or parts thereof) and pieces of friezes; blocks of marble etc as they try to decide to which building they belong and what will be done with them.

After about 2 hours we found ourselves at the lower gate where there are many more traders politely engaging visitors in conversation before inviting them to visit their stalls displaying anything from jewellery to clothes to souvenirs and trinkets!

We decided to walk out to the main road and catch the Dolmus back to Kusadasi.  Just as we reached the road, we heard the familiar 'beep' and sure enough a wave from Michael had the dolmus stopping and waiting for us to cross the road and alight!

We returned to Kusadasi - to a stop unfamiliar to us, however we headed to the sea and soon found ourselves in familiar territory again.

This evening we wandered the old caravanserai (bazaar) area while looking for a place for dinner.  The traders were again touting for business and we headed out of this area and through a local park - much better cared for than some we had seen - to a little shop where we decided to eat.  We could see the lady making our order in the kitchen as we waited.  It was one of our better meals in Turkey.