Where East Meets West

After a few days in the mountains of Switzerland, Katie and I decided to go somewhere completely different – Istanbul. When I mentioned our plans to Dan, he opted to join us. This was a place that opened up new vistas for all three of us. We spent four nights in this historic city and were sorry to leave; we could easily have spent four more.

The view towards the Blue Mosque through the upper window of the Hagia Sofia.

Since we saw so very much over our time there, I have decided not to tell the story of our visit in one blog entry. Here is part one.

One of the many shops on the Ordu Cadesi open in the evening  

From the beginning, we had very good luck on this trip. The hotel I found through Trip Advisor, the Hotel Niles, was ideal in many ways: the staff arranged pick up and drop off at the airport; we were greeted warmly with my new favourite drink, apple tea, and Turkish Delights – of course; a delicious breakfast was included as part of our very reasonable cost; we were a few minutes walk from the tram line; and we were also well within walking distance of major attractions. All of this made us feel quite comfortable in the city from the beginning. In fact, as soon as we settled in, after getting a map and a recommendation for dinner from the man at the desk, we went out to explore the city in the evening.

The Hagia Sofia at night

Ordu Cadesi, the main street near our hotel, was busy even on a Wednesday evening in the off-season. We window shopped as we made our way to the park area where we could see two famous landmarks at night: the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia. Dinner was at Amadros where we were given the red carpet treatment. We enjoyed the food and ambiance so much, we returned to this place on our final night.

We ate inside at Amedros, as it was raining lightly and a little too cold to be outdoors.

The view from the Hotel Niles to the sea

The next morning, after breakfast on the upper story of the Hotel Niles where we had a view of the Sea of Marmora, we returned to two of the great churches of Istanbul.

The German fountain in front of the Hagia Sofia

By putting my thumb into this cavity in a copper column in the Hagia Sofia (St. Gregory's Thumb Hole), I have been cured of all my ailments.

The Hagia Sofia, once the greatest basilica of the Byzantine Empire, later an imperial mosque, is now a museum. Although part of it was under scaffolding, it was still breathtaking. I loved the interplay of Orthodox Christian and Islamic symbols in the place. Its long history is apparent in its many special features.

Part of the Hagia Sofia.

This mosaic from 1261 is very impressive.

Nearby, we visited the Basilica Cistern, an underground water supply for the city built in the 6th Century. Among the wonders in this rather eerie place were two columns with the image of Medusa carved into it, one of them upside down.

Red lighting adds to the eerie quality of the Basilica Cistern.

Between the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque is the Hippodrome of Constantinople, a former Roman circus area on which are erected several important monuments. These are reminders of the former empires that have held sway in Istanbul.

The Obelisk of Thutmose III (1490 B.C.) on the Hippodrome

The Blue Mosque is probably Istanbul's most famous sight; it certainly was very crowded on this day. Before entering, all visitors must remove their shoes and place them in a plastic bag (provided). Katie and I had purchased pashminas so that our heads would be covered too, but had we not, scarves would have been given out as well.

Even in the courtyard, women should cover their heads.

Inside, the space is very grand. Most of it is out of bounds to non-believers, however, as only Muslim men can enter beyond the barrier that separates us from them. Unlike the Hagia Sofia, this is a living place of worship; several times over our stay in the city, we heard the haunting call to prayer inviting believers to enter the mosque closest to them. I came to love hearing those voices.

The beautiful ceiling of the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque.

Our next stop was the famous Grand Bazaar. What a place!! There are some 4000 shops there, so it is understandable that merchants can become quite aggressive. I must say I heard a lot of good sales pitches during my visits to this market. Our main goal was to look for a carpet for Katie. She was very cautious in her pursuit; Dan and I tried to help where we could. On our first visit to the Grand Bazaar, though, we came away empty-handed, with the full knowledge that we would return before we left.

Lamps everywhere at the Grand Bazaar.

Dan and Katie explore the Grand Bazaar.

Carpet selling can be very physical work.

As a Christmas gift to me, Katie had made a reservation at the Hareki Hurram Sultan Haman, for an authentic turkish bath - an absolutely heavenly experience! We were pampered for 90 minutes, in a place where turkish royalty used to go. I have never felt cleaner, really. The bubbles were my favourite part, by the way.

Our turkish bath was in this building.

The reception area of the Haman. 

For dinner that evening, we headed in the direction of the Marmora Sea, where many fish restaurants vied for our patronage. We chose Fener Restaurant - very good.