Istanbul Part II: So Much to See and So Much to Do

It's hard to talk about everything we did in Istanbul simply because we did a lot. The city is massive and there is so much to see. But I'll do my best to try to shorten and relay everything about our trip.

The city is divided into two by the beautiful blue waters of the Bosphorus; Europe on one side and Asia on the other. We stayed on the Europe side, and there are two main parts to that side, again divided by a section of the Bosphorus: Old Town and the more modern Beyoğlu area. My conference was in the modern part of the city. This is where the nightlife is with fancy restaurants, posh shops and trendy bars/clubs. Once Aaron arrived, we moved to the Old Town which has more of the history, culture and character. The skyline is made up of the mosques dotted throughout the city and during the day, prayers would echo off the narrow, winding cobblestone streets.

Now that you have a glimpse into the city, here is a snapshot of what our itinerary was like over the three days:

Wednesday - Aaron arrived late in the evening, so we had dinner at a restaurant nearby. Then we walked around for a bit and found a hookah bar.

Blue Mosque, Tulip Festival outside of it, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern

Thursday - It was an early start to the day and a lot of exploring:

• Blue Mosque - Built in 1609, it is called the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the domes. We waited in line for 30 minutes before removing our shoes and covering my hair (a requirement to enter) and then explored inside. It was beautiful, but actually much smaller than I imagined it would be. There were a few people praying, but mostly lots of visitors like us.


• Hagia Sophia - A former Greek Orthodox Church, mosque and now a museum, the Hagia Sophia is across the square from the Blue Mosque. There were two levels and beautiful lighting inside from the chandeliers and the windows. The place is massive and it looked more like a mosque to me, but there were some Christian mosaics still on the wall from Constantine (which is pretty rare for Christian pieces to be left inside). Here, we also had an unexpected surprise when we ran into Run (from Run-DMC) and his family filming inside. Aaron and I tried to walk behind them while the camera was rolling a few times so hopefully we will be on TV!


• Basilica Cistern - Several hundred cisterns (used for holding rain water) lie beneath Istanbul, and this is one that you can actually go underground and visit. There are pathways above the water that you can walk through. It was built in the 6th century and is 105,000 square feet with 336 marble columns. Two of the columns have unique Medusa sculptures carved into their bases.


• Grand Bazaar - A huge marketplace which began in 1455. Today there are over 3,000 shops inside the covered market place and you can purchase or haggle your way into buying Turkish tea sets, beautiful lamps, guitars, jewelry, Turkish delights and more.


• Galata Bridge - We ended up walking across Galata Bridge which connects the Old Town to the modern part of the city. There are two levels to the bridge and lots of fisherman hang their lines across the upper level of the bridge to try and pull fish out of the Bosphorus to sell to one of the many restaurants lining the lower level. In the modern area, just after the bridge ends is Galata Tower which dominates the skyline in this part of the city.



Galata Bridge & Tower, our Turkish bathhouse & Spice Bazaar



• Views of the City - After our walk, we were thirsty so we headed to a bar called 360 that has 360 views of Istanbul. It was a beautiful but cold day, so we sipped our mojitos and took in the views. Next we headed for dinner at an amazing, hidden restaurant (thank you Trip Advisor) before grabbing a night cap at another bar, Mikla, where we had breath-taking nighttime views of the city.

Friday - A much more relaxed day, but still, pretty packed!

• Spice Bazaar - Similar to the Grand Bazaar nearby, the spice one is smaller (only 85 shops) that mostly sell, you guessed it, spices. The aroma and colors are what I remember most from wandering through. Shops had huge mounds of Cardomon, Cloves, Turmeric, Chili Powder, etc all vibrant and aromatic.


• Turkish Bath - We decided this was a must do because when would we ever have another chance to visit a Turkish Bath in Turkey? After getting a recommendation from a friend, we went to the only co-ed one in the city. I wore my bathing suit, Aaron wore shorts that were provided and we both were given wooden clog-type shoes (so you don't slip on the marble). We headed into the room and lay on a marble stone in the center of the dome. It was hot. Imagine the hottest sauna you've ever been in times that by 20 and that's what it was like. It was kind of sick how much you sweat. We lay on the stone for about 30 minutes and then were moved to a smaller chamber where we both lay on separate marble shelves. Two male masseurs came in and rubbed us down with a cloth (they take off your first layer of skin) and then massage you with soap. It was the best bubble bath ever - so many suds everywhere! I was worried that I was going to slip right off the marble stone... but I didn't : ) Afterwards, we were rinsed with luke warm and cold water, then wrapped in a towel and put in a relaxation room. Aaron thought the whole experience was pretty neat, but honestly, I strongly disliked the heat. I don't do very well in saunas because you have to breath the hot air. The entire time we were on the marble stone I was thinking, "you're okay. Breath normally. Don't have a panic attack." I felt miserable and I'm pretty sure you're supposed to feel relaxed. So while I am really glad that we did it, I would not want to do it again!





Topkapi Palace and inside the Harem

• Bosphorus Boat Cruise - We hopped on a boat and took a cruise up the bosphorus! We listened to an audio guide as we saw the beautiful, historical houses that line the shore and took in the gorgeous scenery and blue waters.

Saturday - A late start after a late night out...

• Topkapı Palace - This was the primary residence of the sultans during the Ottoman Empire and also housed the library, mint and treasury. It now is a museum but was once the home to 4,000 people! We walked through the Harem (home to the Sultan's mother and wives), a few mosques within the palace, the grounds, and the treasury which houses the Spoonmaker's Diamond (86 carots, pear-shaped, the fourth largest diamond of it's kind in the world). The harem had beautiful tiling and extravagant furnishings inside.

Afterwards we headed to the airport which was an adventure in it's own... but more on that in the next post.

Blue Mosque, Raki and Baklava, beautiful views!

As far as Turkish cuisine goes, we had everything from Raki (a clear aniseed liquor that turns milky white when you pour water into it), kebabs (lamb, steak and chicken), meatballs (lots of them!), stuffed mussels (inside is a rice and spice mixture), Turkish coffee (like a way too strong instant coffee), Turkish Tea (a black tea always served in pear-shaped glasses), baklava (yummy pastry made of filo filled with chopped pistachios and nuts held together by syrup or honey), and ayran (a watery, salty yoghurt drink that did not taste very good to us but locals absolutely love it).

And just as we remembered from our last Turkey trip, there were tons and tons of cats everywhere!

Istanbul Part I: Two Countries in One Picture

On Saturday, I headed down to Istanbul for a EuroFinance conference. Setup was on Sunday and then the conference was Monday and Tuesday.

One of the things I love about my job, is seeing all that you've worked on for the past few months come to fruition. The planning process can be tough; especially when dealing with an unfamiliar country. You have a language barrier with vendors. different currencies to manage and are planning an event in a venue you've never seen. Then onsite, it's always really long and tough days, little sleep and usually some stress (as an event manager you put out a lot of unseen "fires"). But afterwards, it's an amazing feeling to see everything come together and all the hard work pay off.

Now I've reached the fun part: exploring a city I've never been to and experiencing new, exciting things. We usually have a staff dinner at the end of the conference to celebrate our hard work. So on Tuesday my colleagues and I went to a rooftop bar that has an amazing view of the city. The coolest part about it was that you can see Asia on the left and Europe on the right. And the beautiful Bosphorus in between!

Aaron just arrived this evening, so we will do more exploring tomorrow. Updates on Newlyweds Abroad will follow : ) 

A Day Out in Portsmouth Harbour

Sticking with our theme of day-trip exploring, on Sunday Aaron and I took a train out to Portsmouth, the UK's only island city. It doesn't feel like an island, but it's location near the water heavily influences the city feel. It's a significant naval port and is the oldest dry dock in the world.

We started out with a trip to the Charles Dickens museum, located inside his birth home. He didn't live there for very long, but the museum has now gathered memorabilia and information about the famous writer's life including, oddly enough, the couch he passed away on.

Next we headed to the docks, specifically the Royal Navy Museum, where we boarded and toured a few ships:

• HMS Warrior (1860) - Launched in relation to the arms race with France. It had a huge gun deck and we were just amazed at the armoury on board as well as the huge size and many levels.
  
• Mary Rose (1511) -  Constructed for King Henry VIII, this boat sank in battle in 1545. Roughly 400 people were onboard and it is estimated only 30 survived. It is thought to have sunk because the cannon hatches were open and potentially built too close to the sea level. As the boat was turning, water rushed into the cannon hatches causing that side to be even heavier and the boat to sink at an alarming rate. It sat on the bottom of the ocean floor until 1982 when a project was launched to raise the boat back up and try to dry out the timbers. The sediment that built up around the ship's side helped preserve items and the timbers from harmful seawater erosion. Today there is an exhibition which displays discovered artifacts, human skeletons, and what's left of the ship that's still intact (see photo with "castle deck", "orlop" and "upper" text). You feel a little bit like you are walking into the sunken Titanic when you walk through it. Plus, it's amazing what information they've gathered about the ship based on the things they've found- from personal items of the crew and through studying their bones, they are able to piece together where different offices were located in the ship and who the people were (ex. an archer was housed in this area because there were arrow rods found and his bones show damage on his shoulder and right arm from over strain).
  
• HMS Victory (1759) - The world's oldest naval ship still in commission. It is best known for it's use in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 where Lord Nelson died while onboard. We walked through the ship... or Aaron mainly crouched through the ship (see photo on the left, bottom left picture). I got to "fire" a cannon that was used in the Battle of Trafalgar (no gun powder or cannon was present) but still, it was pretty neat and much safer!

After touring around the ships and dockyard, we headed to Spinnaker Tower. It's hard to miss on the Portsmouth skyline - a bizarre shape that looks something like a boat sail. Once you take the elevator up, you are 344 feet above the ground. The coolest thing was that there is a glass panel on the floor inside the viewing area so you can go stand and look down... if you're not scared of heights!

We finished the day off with some ice cream in the harbour and then boarded our train back to London. Not a bad way to spend a sunny day out by the English Channel!

Our Park Day and The Oxford Cambridge Boat Race

On Saturday, the sun was shining so we headed to a park nearby our house with some friends. We brought the corn hole boards (first time we've used them since we shipped them over), picnic food, footballs (aka soccer balls), and some refreshing beer and Pimms. After a few games of Aaron dominating the corn hole board (he's still got it), we headed down to the Thames River to watch The Boat Race.

Oxford and Cambridge have been meeting on the stretch of the Thames River in Putney since 1829. It was the second intercollegiate sporting event in the world, and is now an S shaped four mile stretch that runs right through Fulham (where we live).

We scoped out a spot on the river path and waited while the huge crowd's cheer grew louder and louder until finally the wave of noise hit us and then moved onward down the line with the boats. The park had food and drink vendors, and a huge TV screen so after the crews passed by where we were, we went to watch the remaining minutes of the race on the screen.

It's a huge event that draws massive crowds, so it was exciting to be a part of it. Aaron and I actually stumbled upon it last year and ended up watching it last year in the rain. And in case you were wondering, just like last year, Oxford took home the title again!

A Long Weekend in (Old) York

This past Friday and Monday were both Easter holidays in the UK. Aaron and I took advantage of the long weekend and took a two hour train ride up to York.

It may be less famous than it's 'New' counterpart, but York is a city with a lot of history. To give you a quick download: It was founded by the Romans in 71 AD. Constantine the Great was actually proclaimed Emperor in York during AD 306. Later, the Vikings raided and captured it. Some vikings settled there until eventually they were driven from the city by the King of England. It was a major trading hub seen as connecting Scotland to London, and also played a major influence in the Wars of the Roses which led to the Tudor Dynasty.

After arriving on a very packed train (standing room only), we visited the Jorvik Museum also known as the Viking museum. Jorvik was what the Vikings called York and is also where the name York comes from (the J sounds like a Y and the word was shortened). On display inside were viking house remnants and discovered artifacts, as well as a short "ride" that recreates what life was like for the Vikings. It shows you the town markets, houses, work life and even bathrooms. Along the way, it also recreates certain smells that are supposed to make you feel like you live in the Viking days, but the scents are actually pretty awkward and just linger with you for longer than you'd like.

That afternoon, we walked through a chocolate festival that was going on and then had a few beers. But the highlight of the evening was when we did a Ghost walking tour. The tour itself was entertaining but not informative, however the best part was that Aaron was called out the entire time for being tall. The tour guide picked on him A LOT and made him stand in certain places, sound a horn and listened to his heart. Luckily, I got to observe unnoticeably from the back : )

York is a huge college town, so at night it turns into a giant party. Think mini skirts even though it's freezing outside, giant heels on the cobblestone roads, drunk English accents slurring and even fights - we saw one guy get punched as we were walking down the street. Aaron and I felt really old...

The next day we met up for a free city walking tour. It ended up being a private tour because it was just us that showed up! Our guide was a history student at the college, so he took us around to the major sites and we learned about the history of York. We walked the Medieval city walls that surround the town and saw York castle, Shambles street (inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter) and St Mary's Abbey (or what's left of it from the dissolution of the monasteries in the UK).

After our walking tour, we visited York Minster, the second largest Gothic cathedral of Northern Europe. The stained glass is magnificent: there are two million individual pieces of stained glass in the cathedral that make up 128 windows. We toured through the various parts of the Minster and then climbed the 275 stairs up to the top of the tower to get a view over the entire city (...and yes, afterwards, we descended the 275 stairs back down).

Next we headed to York Brewery for a brewery tour. It's the only brewery inside the York city walls and produces cask ales; it was really interesting to learn how a cask ale is made and the beers were delicious! Aaron preferred the Minster Ale while I enjoyed the Guzzler and Centurion's Ghost Ale.

That night, we had a wonderful dinner at Oxo's restaurant and then headed to York's most well known pub, the King's Arms. It is right on the river and has actually flooded quite a few times - there are marks on the wall inside that show the various flood levels throughout the years.

Sunday we went to the National Railway Museum which displays 300 years of railway history. There are huge old carriages (even those from the Royal family), steam engines and even a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train).

Afterwards we headed to our favorite pub, The House of Trembling Madness. We had actually gone here Saturday but it was so packed we only grabbed a quick pint and then headed out. We went back Sunday because it was so eclectic and had such a cool atmosphere. Plus, the food looked delicious (and it definitely was). If you're ever in York, you should definitely check out this cool, quirky and cosy pub.

York was a really neat town with so much to learn about, do and see. We packed a lot in during our weekend away, but it was the perfect amount of time for a visit. After seeing this York, we've also decided that it's pretty much the exact opposite of the New York that we know!