Project Runaway

When you read about Istanbul you learn things such as it is the 5th largest city, has over 12 million people, covers 7 hills, bridges Europe and Asia, covers 1800 sq km. What you don’t read is that you will fall in love with it the minute you arrive. You could spend weeks here exploring all that this city has to offer, but we had only 9 days.

We had rented 2 apartments, dividing our time between the Beyoglu and Sultanahmet areas. Our first apartment was at the base of the Galata Tower in Beyoglu. It is a historic flat, circa 1825ish, and has a charming old world shabby elegance. It was how I imagined a Paris flat would look like. The Beyoglu area is a bohemian spot said to be where the heart of Istanbul beats. The main avenue there is called İstiklal Avenue and it is famous for its boutiques, restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. At night the side streets are filled with people eating, drinking, smoking, and listening to live music. There is a fish market called Balık pazarı off the main İstiklal Avenue, where we went and got some seafood and spices for a real home cooked meal.

Across the Galata Bridge, where you walk past dozens of men fishing off its railings, is Sultanahmet. This is the oldest part of the city and contains the Aya Sofya, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. Our apartment on this side was newly renovated and modern, but had the speaker for the call to prayer right outside our windows. Definitely wasn’t mentioned in the advertisement.

The first site we visited was a mosque that our cabbie had pointed at on the way in from the airport. We thought he said ‘Blue’. All mosques, other than the Aya Sofya, are active and visitors are limited to a certain area. We took off our shoes, us girls covered our head and shoulders, we walked in quietly and sat and gazed at the amazing blue tile work. We somehow thought though that it would be bigger. Hmm. 2 days later when I read the map properly, I realise we were in fact not at the Blue Mosque. The cabbie had said ‘New’. The New Mosque was completed in the 1600s, thus making it new compared to others. Oh well, it was still pretty cool.

The actual Blue Mosque, which we did get to, is large and impressive with columns and 20,000 handmade tiles. Due to Ramadan it was full of worshippers, and due to its touristic lure it was full of tourists who were taking photos and chatting and generally being insensitive. People can be such jerks. We didn’t stay as long at this mosque as it was hard to be still and contemplate with all that was going on.

The Grand Bazaar is a huge covered market with over 1000 shops and covers something like 58 streets. It is West Edmonton Mall on crack. There are sections for gold jewellery, silver jewellery, leather, rugs, and so on. It is packed with people, so if crowds are not your thing stay away. Everywhere you see the same thing over and over and there are shoppers haggling a price and shopkeepers looking oh so offended, how can they make a living if they sell it for that? It is a kaleidoscope of colour and sound and your head is spinning by the time you find a way out. I recommend going immediately for beer after a day at the Grand Bazaar. Just to take the edge off.

After the chaos of the bazaar, the Aya Sofya was sanctuary. Once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum, it is a bona fide ‘old’ site. Built in Roman times it is a wonder to see. The brilliance of the architect who hid the massive columns in the walls making the dome appear to float is fantastic. It is in desperate need of restoration, which they are in the process of, but still impressive in spite of the decay. I can’t help wonder what they are restoring it to? Church or Mosque? For under the Islamic designs are 1500 yr old Christian mosaics. With his Cheshire cat’s grin, we saw the infamous feline made celebrity after President Obama petted him, warming himself and stretching in the spotlight, literally. He seems to be nonchalant and slightly smug about his fame.

Next to the Aya Sofya is the Topkapi Palace. This was the Ottoman sultans digs for around 400 years. It covers several acres and consists of several buildings all flowing from one courtyard to another. Each courtyard allowed less and less people with the last one being just for the royal family. The sultan could have 4 wives and up to 300 concubines (if he could afford that). His mother (called Valide Sultan or Queen Mother) wielded immense power and helped rule the empire, if the sultan was incompetent or a child the Queen Mother basically ruled. As the firstborn son was not automatically the next sultan there was a lot of plotting, scheming, and murder amongst the wives, even the most famous Queen Mother was murdered. They all lived together in the Harem and no one but them, the sultan, and his eunuchs were allowed in the building. The palace is fasincating and the Treasury with all its wealth really shows that these guys had money and liked to show it. There is the famous Topkapi knife with it’s emeralds and the 86 carat Spoonmakers diamond. The sultan even had solid gold and jewel-encrusted water bottle which was carried around at all times by a servant. As the men read this and think that this guy had it made, just ponder this, at any given time how many of these women had PMS and/or were plotting to kill him. The latter often being brought on by the former.

One of the most best things I found in Istanbul was my girlfriend Gillian and her partner Jason. Gillian and Jason are on a journey of their own, traveling around the world and our dates miraculously linked up (www.one-giant-step.com). We met down at the ferry terminal and then went for the famous fish sandwiches that are cooked there. After that we wandered up to Beyoglu for beers and to show them the upgraded posh apartment we were in for our last 2 nights. Then we went up to the top of a hotel near the Galata Tower to watch the sunset and have some Raki. After that was a fun and noisy dinner. It was a great day and there is nothing like catching up with old friends and sharing adventures, especially while smoking apple smoked tobacco from a nargile.

This was the end of our time in Turkey. We had fallen down the rabbit hole and loved every minute of it.

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