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!