Istanbul Part 3

 After coming back from Cappadocia, we headed back into the craziness that is Istanbul. And we still had plenty of touristing to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. The friendliest worker at Erten Konak was happy to see us. He reminds me of my father in law. He was always smiling a genuine smile, didn't speak English but was quick to let me know that he prefers Real over to Barca. 

We only had a short time to shower and drop off our things at the hotel after the late-morning arrival. Luckily, they hadn't moved us out of our upgraded room like they said they probably would. Lucky for us but it probably means they had a no-show.

The first part of Istanbul had been about seeing as many of the greatest hits as possible. We still had some star attractions to get to. 

First off was the spot of the ancient hippodrome. Only a few hundred meters from our hotel, it hadn't been on our way to anywhere else and we hadn't seen it yet. The hippodrome is also known as the Sultanahmet square. (If you remember, the whole area is called Sultanahmet) What you can see today is actually built upon the old hippodrome. The chariot races were incredibly important in the early days after the fall of Rome. The greens and blues eventually rose to prominence, leading to the dissolution of the reds and whites. I guess they weren't big on mascots back then. What's different when you compare them to sports of today is that they were sponsored by political parties. Imagine the Yankees wearing a Republican elephant logo and the Red Sox having a Democrat donkey. Believe it or not, this led to some very contentious horse racing. Ian Pierson tells about the craziest example of this when a riot at the races turned into a full blown revolt against the Emperor Justinian. In fact, the Hagia Sophia was built after the previous church was burnt down. His other, less Christian response, was to execute 30,000 rioters in the location where it all started. The hippodrome could hold 100,000 spectators at its peak and it was used as a political showpiece and local gathering place as well as a place for the most important sport at the time.

The Egyptian or Theodosian Obelisk. Theodosius had this taken from Alexandria after Constantius had it taken from Karnak. It was erected originally sometime in the the 15th century BC, making it roughly 3,500 years old. The "new" inscriptions acclaim Theodosius for moving it from Alexandria to Constantinople. When I say "new," I mean 4th century AD.

This public water fountain is called the German fountain as it was a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II to commemorate his 1898 visit

The hippodrome area also includes the Serpent tower, which I'll get into in my Delphi post sometime in the future. The old surface is under 6 feet of dirt discarded by the Ottoman builders as they excavated to build the Blue Mosque. They also used the rock from the hippodrome seats in the construction of the mosque. 

My Galatasaray polo was getting a lot of attention from salespeople and grifters, so we hurried on to the next stop. We had to hurry a bit to get to Topkapi Palace but, umm, oops. We got to the complex and walked within the old walls. After a fairly short walk, we stopped at the first line we saw. With the name in Turkish, I wasn't exactly sure we were at the entrance to the Palace, but it looked about right. After the 15ish minute wait watching people play with stray cats, we walked in. The complex was nice looking, but didn't have a very palace-y feel to it. We walked into the grandest building and saw that it was a museum. OK... cool, let's check out what's here.

 I honestly can't remember where/when that gate was built but the detail is amazing. And this sarcophagus... not sure whose it was. That's the problem with writing this 3+ weeks after I was there.  Should've taken an extra week off of work just to write these. Anyway, the museum was full of ancient statues, pottery, and coins from all over Greece, Troy, and Asia Minor. It was pretty neat, but I was trying to see the rest of the palace.

We walked back into the courtyard, saw a few other closed buildings and realized... we weren't at the palace.  We were at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. It was now 3:30 or so and Topkapi Palace closed at 5 so we really needed to hurry. You can imagine how annoyed I was with myself as I hurried along like Joe Pesci in Home Alone.

Luckily we were at least on the right road, we just hadn't gone far enough. 

The palace was built by Mehmed II after the Conquest as the seat of government and home, but also as a fortress. Mehmed had many enemies, including Vlad Dracula, and wanted to secure his position in his newly-won city. This is one of the inner gates, the Salutation Gate. Only the sultan could enter on horseback so we made sure to not break that rule.

I was looking up at this gate, impressed at how similar it looked like any European medieval castle you've ever seen depicted. I was talking to Mila about this but... she was distracted by birds.  We each have our own priorities.

didn't stop her from getting a picture

We found the ticket booth and realized that we weren't going to have time to see everything, including the harem that we had been told was a "must see." We'd have to make the best of it.

Always time for flowers

There was actually quite a few building renovations going on, so we couldn't visit a large portion of the compound's buildings. You know, the price you pay for going "off season." We didn't have the book with us so we were also wandering semi-aimlessly. There are successive courtyards that lead down towards the coastline. The further you go, the more private the area seemed to be. I was surprised at how squat the buildings were. None were over 2 stories high. As with any old palace, successive sultans added on to the palace. However, they either made improvements, modernizations, or expanded outward instead of upward. 

The audience chamber where the sultan would lounge on a couch (bed?) while foreign envoys would be forced to stand and wait on his permission to come bow and give him gifts

 

A view of the Golden Horn fit for a sultan

A private mosque for the sultans

The line for the bathroom. No really, the area where the holy relics are kept is being renovated so they are displayed in the old privy. They didn't allow pictures in there. I didn't get a lot of the significance of the Muslim relics, but there were some of Mohammed's belongings. Other things I recognized were bones of John the Baptist, Moses's staff from when he parted the Red Sea, and David's sword. I don't truly know how many of these were real, of course. You can find enough pieces of the "true cross of Jesus" around the world to build a house probably. Byzantine emperors were known to fake relics to win political points with the public. If the artifact didn't originate in Turkey (spoiler alert, none that on display did) then they were likely taken in conquest. Any ruler be they president, sultan, king, emperor, or dictator, wants their victory be more impressive and will often emphasize the cool stuff they got for fighting in some far off land.

We really did not have enough time to appreciate Topkapi Palace. Looking through the book, I'm seeing buildings that were closed, including the building that housed the famous jewels and the armory. However, it was all the time we had before closing. We had an appointment to make as it was. 

An appointment with Galatasaray.

I am not a huge fan of Turkish Super Lig, but they are a pretty highly-regarded league. They may not often beat top teams like Manchester City, PSG, or Bayern Munich, but I would put their best against MLS' best for sure. There are three main teams, Galatasaray, Besiktas, and Fenerbahce. Turkish Super Lig is known for a great atmosphere and we didn't get to see any game while in Europe a few years prior. I'd watched a little vignette on Besiktas a few months ago so I was hoping to catch their game. However, the only game that worked with our schedule was Galatasaray. While on Istiklal street earlier in the week, we stopped at the official Galatasaray store and got some gear. That night, I bought some tickets on viagogo, a site I've used multiple times here in the States. The confirmation e-mail said that we needed to create an account.  Unfortunately it required sms confirmation and I wasn't getting texts with regularity while there. However, down further, the confirmation e-mail said if we'd applied then we could show up to the ticket center and they'd help out. You already know.

We got on the train that had its terminus practically under the stadium. Nearly everyone on the train was wearing yellow and red. The team song was being sung. At the train stop, everyone poured out and we were caught up in the current of excited fans. 

The place was electric. Vendors selling water, sandwiches, or simit. People yelling, singing, chanting. Flares going off.

Mila paid 20 lira for the festive face paint

Could I possibly look any dorkier? I'm sure that's what black jacket is thinking too

We headed towards ticket sales. As soon as you get in the caged off area, you're accosted by scalpers. They follow you as you walk to the window and keep chattering in your ear as you're trying to talk to the employee behind the glass. They were by far the worst salespeople we dealt with. So, if you didn't guess, the ticket sales employees did NOT help. First we were told that viagogo is illegal and you have to use their application. When we told them that we can't download it because we don't have the internet they scoffed and asked "Well how did you show me that e-mail"... I downloaded it when I did have internet. When I told and showed him that the e-mail clearly states that they will help he replied that it's game day and there's no time. So we were out the money and the experience.  Maybe we could have bought new tickets from the scalpers but they were so pushy and annoying that I lost my cool. 

After seething outside the gate for a few minutes, we decided to head back toward the hotel and grab dinner at one of the spots close to the hotel that we hadn't gone to yet.

Dinner and a show. This dish, a kebab and vegetables cooked in a sealed pot, is a traditional dish served at pretty much every tourist restaurant. The restaurant was highly rated on Google but we found that was inflated. The waiter literally stood over our shoulder while pointing at every button I'd need to click to rate them and then waited for me to write them a 5-star review. I should have just written a 3 or 4 star but he got distracted and looked away so I just closed out. I've since gone back and rectified that though.  Reading through reviews, it's a common practice.

After the meal, we went to bed, prepared for our last day in Turkey.

Our flight to Greece wasn't until late afternoon but the hotel agreed to store our luggage while we did our last bit of sightseeing. This day was more about catching what we hadn't had time or room in the schedule for earlier in the week. The day before there had been a loooong line at the Blue Mosque, but at least we saw that it was open again. However, the first thing I did was run to one of the little tourist shops close to the hotel to buy a cheap carry-on. We'd been at max weight on the flight out between our two suitcases and 1 carry-on so we'd need extra for any souvenirs. Sitting at home now roughly a month later, we bought much better souvenirs in Turkey than Greece.  It's a bit of a shame but I like the stuff that we got. 

Mila lost an earring so we stopped at another little shop and got her some that change colors. The shop looked pretty nice and we didn't catch the price at first so I was relieved when I saw the bill.
The Blue Mosque was closed again.

However, the Suleymaniye is based on it, is larger, and better. That is, according to the tour guide from the yacht.

Before entering the mosque itself, we checked out the compound. As we walked through the cemetery towards a complex we heard loud yelling and cheering. I looked over at Mila, annoyed, and asked "why are people cheering in a cemetery? At least have some respect." Her reply was "They've gotta be my people, latinos." 

She was spot on. Some of the smaller buildings around the mosque included schools and this one: the mausoleum of Suleyman's wife and some of his grand children.

Suleyman's mausoleum was there too, but it was full of loud people. If you can't tell, I was getting grouchy the last two days of Turkey. Suleyman's reign took place 100 years after the conquest and is considered the golden age of the Ottoman Empire. After admiring the tile work in the mausoleum

we walked along the courtyard to admire the view.

and then entered the mosque.

Honestly didn't know she was taking a picture

this picture doesn't quite capture how amazing these windows are.  There has to be hundreds if not thousands of pieces of glass in each

front view from the inner courtyard

It was pretty quiet in the area. We walked down towards the water until we came across a rooftop restaurant with a decent view.

Golden Horn and Bosphorus on one side

Suleymaniye Mosque on the other

not pictured, the overly friendly cat on the rooftop.

A note on Turkish restaurants that I don't think I've made yet - even the ones that cater to westerners are a bit different. They work hard to get you in the door. Every waiter (no waitresses) we encountered at least made an attempt to be friendly. Most seemed naturally very friendly. The food was always good and came quickly. And then... they kind of disappear. Not like in the States where they check back every 5 minutes. It has its ups and downs. Honestly, I prefer it unless I'm trying to get out quickly. I'd say a bit over half of the places ended the meal with free tea (usually apple tea) and baklava. There was so much baklava that I wasn't even tempted to stop into the many sweets shops. You do have to hunt down a waiter to pay though. Not a bad experience, just different.

We walked and caught the metro for a bit on our way to Valens' Aqueduct.

We actually drove under there on our way to the airport a few hours later

The aqueduct was initially built by Hadrian nearly 1,900 years ago, it was expanded by Valens 200 years later. The aqueduct was in use for roughly 1,800 years roughly 650 meters of the original 900 still stand. 

From there we grabbed some coffee and sahlep.

and a couple bags for friends

and we headed back to Istiklal to see the Whirling Dervish museum. I'd heard the phrase before but never really knew what it meant. The dervishes were/are a sect of Sufi Islam that would meditate and spin in circles in order to commune with Allah. The museum is an old lodge of theirs. Situated in an incredibly busy area, it was surprisingly tranquil. There was even a tortoise scooting around. We took a few minutes to enjoy the peace and quiet before entering the museum. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, hence no pictures in this section. The exhibition described life in the dervish lodge, which seemed to be similar to a monastery. The men devoted their time to prayer, devotion, jamming out, and doing the tasks that kept the lodge going. They even had belts and hats that denoted their rank within the lodge. Ataturk banned Sufism, and by extension the Mevlevi whirling sect that we know, in 1925 for... reasons? Although not really supposed to be a show the sema, or whirling dance prayer, is now a cultural presentation for tourists. The lodge we visited did them on Sundays, right at the time our flight was to take off.

After enjoying the peace and tranquility of the lodge, we hopped aboard the tram, cut across Sultanahmet park for the last time, and stopped in a very nice coffee shop, North Art. We said our goodbyes to the Erten Konak staff and made our way to the hotel.

Istanbul Airport was... wow. It was the largest airport  terminal I've ever been to. The signs pointed commuters to locations hundreds of meters away. There were no trains or motorized walkways to help you along. It seemed like 40% of the patrons were dressed in some sort of traditional/religious garb. Most were Muslims but there were also nuns and priests, Greek orthodox clergy, and Hassidic Jews. We had the only pork we had in Turkey at the Italian restaurant and marveled at the fact that we were actually in a high-end shopping mall. Think of a luxury brand. They have a storefront there. 

We had an 8 hour layover in Athens, so after spending an hour ensuring that our bags weren't lost (plenty of our fellow travelers had that problem), we got a ride to our crash pad hotel with the very grouchy hotel employee. And the rest of that part of the trip, will be in my next entry.

So, let's bring it back to Turkey. Some unique observations I made - Istanbul is clearly a hot spot for plastic surgery. We saw maybe a dozen men with healing scalps from hair transplants (no, I'm not doing that), a handful of people with taped up noses, and it felt like 100 women with lip filler, mostly Russian. While in Cappadocia, I was surprised at the number of groups of young Russian women. Half of our group for the Red Tour was made up of 3-4 groups of Russian women (I think there was 1 Russian man mixed in there too). At the coloring placemat restaurant a group of young Russian women made sure to cover up someone's Ukrainian flag in their picture. A funny story from our hotel there - Mila and I were walking up to the roof to take those pictures on the first night. Mila was quite a bit ahead of me and maybe even a set of stairs above me. All the sudden, a cute puppy runs up to me (I'm on a 3rd story terrace mind you, and its 35 degrees out). I pet it, of course, and look up to see whose dog it is. Directly in front of me a hotel room door opens wider and there are two young pretty Russian women wearing nothing but bath towels looking at me and their puppy. Not today, Putin! I'm not THAT easy to dupe.

Things that surprised me: The hospitality of pretty much everyone we met. They were the friendliest people, in general, I've met on any trip in any country. The food was good but we didn't try enough of a variety so it got repetitive. How international English is. There were a few times I was the only native speaker in a group communicating in English. English truly is the common language. I was a little surprised at how cold central Turkey was at the start of spring. I expected to notice a different in restaurants and bars between night and day due to Ramadan. I'm sure it was there, I just didn't pick up on it. Or, more traditionally, people may have been more likely to stay home and eat with their families.

Things that I missed out on: a Turkish bath! Mila was not having that. A haircut and shave at a traditinal barber are supposed to be singular also. Dolmabache would have been great to visit. visiting the Blue Mosque. We also didn't see much of modern Turkey. I didn't get time to see my cousin Laura in Ankara, the capital. the hot air balloons in Cappadocia, going to the Turkish Mediterranean, trying food that wasn't touristy.

Things I could have done without: having to throw used toilet paper in a tiny trash basket next to the toilet. it's the same in Greece and in a few places I've visited in the Panamanian countryside. It's due to the sewage system not being able to handle all that.  Don't get me started on that Galatasaray game again. The rain. It didn't ruin things, but I think the first couple of days could have been a bit better with better weather. Surprisingly, my Dramamine pills. I brought them assuming I'd need them on the cruise but no need. Falling on my butt in the spice bazaar. Coulda done without that.

Things I'd do again if we went (and I'd suggest to anyone that goes): Check out the Hagia Sophia, get a more in-depth tour of Topkapi, stay in a quirky one-off hotel, allow myself to be pulled into conversations with truly kind strangers, order foods without knowing what I'm ordering, take a relaxing bosphorus tour, use the public transport system, and drink all the elma cayi and eat all the baklava that they offer.