Istanbul, Part 1

Istanbul,Part 1

We arrived in Istanbul at 12:30 in the afternoon. Sailing into the port is spectacular with the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, overlooking the Sea of Marmara. 6 of us took a tram to the old section. Dan was in heaven because the tram is modern and very user friendly. In order to get to our destination—tour boat—we had to go under 2 tunnels filled with street vendors selling everyday items and wall-to-wall people. We were on a 2-deck, large boat that took us on a 90 minute tour of the Bosphorus. What a gorgeous ride past mansions along the waterfront! The homes were spectacular mixed in with mosques, parks, playgrounds, and an old fort. I know it sounds odd to get off a ship just to get on a ship, but the cool breeze on a hot day with a beautiful view was perfect! Afterwards, we toured the spice bazzar, which has beautiful displays of colorful spice.Duh! The smells are delicious.

The next day we abandoned ship. I had chosen our hotel from Trip Advisor. While many on our cruise were going to the Intercontinental or Four Seasons or Hilton, we’re in a small, boutique hotel with 7 rooms and no elevator. Of course we’re on the top floor! The room is large with 3 windows, a comfy chair, a bureau, and a modern bathroom. The best part is the AC. One floor up with there is a terrace (where they serve breakfast) from which you can see the water. It’s a delightful place to sit and relax. We met a young couple from Sausalito doing just that. The staff at the hotel couldn’t have been nicer. The young man, Fati, 23, who manned the front desk brought a computer to my room when mine wouldn’t work. When we left, I told him how much I’d admired 2 small tiles in the room—he gave them to me.

We walked to the Grand Bazzar. It is a HUGE covered shopping mall dating to the 15^th century ( I think) with many permanent stores with windows, air conditioning, etc. in addition to permanent stalls. The main items for sale include gold and silvery jewelry—tons of it everywhere—leather jackets, boxes and perfume bottles made from camel bone, ceramics, fake pashminas, fake name brand purses, evil eyes, and carpets, carpets, carpets. The best shop for me was one selling antique Judaica from pre-revolutionary Russia. The pieces were made of enamel—somewhat like Faberge without the jewels. I could have bought a mezuzah ($1100) or a menorah ($1600). My favorite was a piece of jewelry—a Jewish star in a circle. The salesman started it at $650 and came “down” to $550. I resisted. all, but they were beautiful. The 2 Sephardic (Spanish) Jews we met have volunteered that their families have been in Turkey since 1492 (the inquisition).

I love the Turkish people. They bargain in a good natured way. I tried on leather jackets in 2 shops bantering with the salesman. We were both full of &*(^! Dan voluntarily let himself be dragged into a carpet shop. I think the salesman knew we weren’t interested, but he did his best and didn’t mind that we didn’t buy. The Turks are the friendliest people I have ever met. We had some wonderful encounters.

On the way back to our hotel, we were looking for a place to have a cool drink and found the ideal place. A man on the street was handing out ads for “happy hour” on a terrace. We took us up in a hotel elevator and then we walked up 2 flights to a beautiful terrace café overlooking the Blue Mosque. We sat under an umbrelled table, enjoyed a cool breeze, and a cool beer. Perfect. When we got back downstairs, the man asked if we liked it, we said, “yes,” and he kissed my hand!

A woman at our hotel asked to join us for dinner. Of course, we said yes.

On the way to dinner we walked through the Four Seasons Hotel, went to an art gallery opening, checked out small shops. We’re staying in the old town of Istanbul, which is obviously becoming gentrified-- Many restaurants and nice shops. We had dinner at the top of a building overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Many of the buildings here are narrow with 4-5 stories. They all seem to be topped with terraces with views.

The next day we went to a small but very interesting Jewish museum, went up a famous tower for an incredible view, and visited Topkapi Palace, which is huge made up of many different buildings. There are 3 treasure rooms , one of which contains the famous Topkapi dagger (a movie was made about a supposed theft of the dagger). Next to the dagger was a 68 carat diamond. One building had “Islamic” relics: the staff of the prophet Moses (right!), the sword of the prophet David, the sandle and footprint of Mohammed or maybe his son? While we were looking at these “relics, a man with a beautiful voice was in the room chanting the Koran over a loudspeaker.

The walls of many rooms are covered with exquisite tiles primarily in turquoise, red, royal blue, bright green, and white.

On the way to dinner, we ran into some people whom we knew from the ship. Along with Phil and Allie we had a fun evening and a delicious dinner.

The street behind our hotel is filled with outdoor restaurants and little shops. Each restaurant has a barker, each one competing for your business. It becomes a game and is very entertaining. After much discussion (I went to stand across the street until a decision was made) we chose one billed as a family restaurant. The business card says, “Mom does the cook.”