The trip to Istanbul served a couple of purposes - take Justin there to get his flights to San Diego and pick Sam Sockwell (our next house guest) up from his flight from France, and to introduce both to this city spanning two continents. Istanbul is one of the world's largest cities and sprawls for countless miles with apartment blocks and office buildings. The traffic is horrendous and the air quality questionable. But, it is also home to an incredible historic legacy which is seen its historic buildings and monuments, and one of the most breathtaking waterways in a city - the famed Bosphorus.
As usual, we stayed at the relaxing and pampering Cinar Hotel in Yesilkoy. It is also close to the airport which was handy for Justin going and Sam coming. We splurged and chose a sea (of Marmara) front room with small balcony. We thought (correctly) that the four of us would enjoy this perch on the water after a long day of sightseeing.
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| The pool and original building of the 1950's vintage Cinar Hotel |
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| Our balcony in the "annex" building of the Cinar, close to the Marmara Sea |
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| View to the left from our balcony |
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| View to the right from our balcony |
The first evening (Monday, April 29) we (Randy, Justin and Alice) met up with Basar Basaran. Basar had lived with us for a month about three years ago while he was a student of industrial engineering at Bogazici University. He is now a consultant for McKinsey. We met not far from his office at one of two brewpubs in Istanbul, Bosphorus Brewing which is a partnership between a Brit and a Turk. Alexander, our older son, is an avid home brewer and wanted us to check these places out. We took our assignment seriously. Basar looked fantastic in his suit and we settled in with a big crowd to an assortment of beers and some pub style food. Poor Basar had to go back to work after dinner (it seems a consultant's job is never done) while we headed to the Cinar in a taxi (we park the car in the Cinar's lot when we arrive in Istanbul and don't use it again until we leave - we are not that crazy to drive in Istanbul traffic or to try to deal with Istanbul parking).
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| One of two brewpubs in Istanbul |
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| The sign says it all |
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| Some of the taps at the bar |
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| The brewing equipment |
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| Justin and Alic shared a sampler before deciding on their full glass type of beer |
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| Junior executive Basar Basaran and Alice |
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| Basar, Alice and Randy enjoy the reunion |
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| Justin and Basar get to know each other |
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| Randy's hearty pub dinner of bangers and mash |
The next day was Justin's day and he choose to have a chill morning consisting of the breakfast buffet overlooking the Marmara Sea and then he ran while Randy and Alice did a long walk along the boardwalk type area fronting the sea. This is a delightful area with people strolling, biking, running and occasional parks and exercise places with some nice street dogs and cats. On the weekend or holidays there are also some vendors of food and entertainment.
We cabbed to Taksim, the central modern area of Turkey with a vast array of shops, restaurants, cafes, and nightlife. We strolled the pedestrian only main street of Istiklal. Justin found a restaurant called the 360 in a not so wonderful looking office building. After a short elevator ride we found ourselves at a very upscale place with an incredible view across to Sultan Ahmed (the primary historic area of Istanbul), the Golden Horn (or Halic) and the Asian Side, not to mention the Bosphorus itself. We dined lightly on soup and salad and a bottle of very nice Turkish white wine and enjoyed the view.
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| Justin (on left) and Randy on Istiklal Street |
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| The heart of Taksim |
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| Justin at the 360 restaurant on Istiklal Street |
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| Randy and Justin had the elegant soup |
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| Alice's and Justin's salads were works of art |
Next, we walked where we could get a taxi and went to the second brewpub, Taps in Bebek. This is a very exclusive area along the Bosphorus north of the main part of town. Taps has a fantastic location on the waterfront and some very good beers, of which we tried a sampler. The sun was shining and we walked for some distance back towards town along the waterfront admiring the boats before taking a taxi to the Cinar. Sam arrived that evening and joined us on the small balcony for some libations. Randy, Alice and he then ate at the North Shield next door, our favorite Istanbul and Ankara pub before retiring.
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| Taps brewpub in Bebek |
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| Alice and Randy at the sidewalk area in front of the brewery which faces the seafront |
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| Their beers were numerous and all made on site |
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| The guys behind the bar |
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| The sampler was nicely presented and quite reasonably priced |
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| Justin and Randy enjoy the weather, the view and the beer |
May 1 was our scheduled big day of seeing the top Istanbul sights and we managed to achieve this despite May 1 also being a very, very strange day for Istanbul. The city authorities, fearing outbreaks of demonstrations and more, decided to severely limit mobility especially towards the central gathering place of Taksim. None of the ferries to and from Asia were running, the Galata Bridge and the bridge next to it across the Halic were closed, and buses and other public transport that went near Taksim were suspended. In effect, the city was almost in lock down mode. Fortunately, our hotel was located on the same side as Sultan Ahmed so we didn't have to cross the Halic. We took a cab to the center of the historic center without incident. There, we found tremendous tourist crowds. We waited in line to see the Blue Mosque but decided the lines at Aya Sofia and Topkapi were too long, and we would try later in the day.
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| The burnt column in the Hippodrome area of Sultan Ahmet in Istanbul |
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| The Egyptian obelisk, the oldest thing possibly in Istanbul. Also at the Hippodrome |
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| Detail of base (added by the Romans?) |
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| Detail of lovely Egyptian hieroglyph |
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| The famed Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet |
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| Minaret detail |
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| The tiled inside of the Blue Mosque |
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| Justin and Sam enjoy the central historic district of Istanbul |
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| Take photos in tandem of the Blue Mosque |
We walked to the ferry area of Eminonu and got on a 90 minute sightseeing boat for 10 lira. Tip to tourists in Istanbul - do not buy tickets for these from street vendors. They double the price. You get the same thing and can leave whenever you want by just walking up to the boat and paying 10 lira and getting on. The boat took us up the Bosphorus to the second bridge. It was a very nice ride as we had only done it before during evening hours. Going north the boat hugged the European side while returning it went close to the Asian side, also a first for us. It was a great value and rested us for the rest of the day to come.
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| A very rare sight -the Galata Bridge across the Halic (Golden Horn) raised and closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. May 1, 2013 |
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| The European side fortress near Bogazici University along the Bosphorus |
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| The second bridge spanning two continents in Istanbul |
We then walked up hill towards the Suleyman Mosque. We stopped to pay homage to Sinan, the great Ottoman architect, at his tomb next to the Suleyman Mosque complex. This mosque, we think, is better than the more visited Blue Mosque. It was not deluged with tourists and offered a splendid experience. We then walked through the main campus of Istanbul University to the Grand Bazaar or Kapali Carsisi. This is an awesome experience with literally thousands of shops to choose from. Justin and Alice bought some gifts and we all enjoyed an hour or so of wandering in this historic arcade.
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| The master architecture of the Ottoman Empire |
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| His self-designed tomb near the Suleyman Mosque |
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| The terrific Suleyman Mosque |
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| Sam enjoys the garden after the hike up from the Halic |
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| The glorious dome of the Suleyman Mosque - better than the more visited Blue Mosque |
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| Justin enjoys the historic and breathtaking interior |
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| Alice was asked to show some modesty while inside! |
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| One of the stained glass windows |
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| Another one |
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| Minaret detail |
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| Impressive entrance to the main campus of Istanbul University, which is next to the Suleyman Mosque |
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| Sam and Justin wonder at the some 6000 shops of the Grand Bazaar |
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| Inside (yes, inside) the Grand Bazaar |
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| One of the entrances - it is hard to find your way out from this interior labyrinth |
We then walked to Aya Sofia and found the lines very short and entered. This is the most amazing building - built some 1500 years ago and remaining the largest building in the world for most of that time. It is now a museum, having been both a church and a mosque previously. It was crowded but the space is so vast, we were able to enjoy it.
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| The majestic Aya Sofia - the building that still sets all of the standards |
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| One of the interior mosaics from the Byzantine era |
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| Ceiling detail in the outer hall |
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| The dome that later inspired Sinan and his dome designs |
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| Alice's self portrait on the ground floor |
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| Another mosaic |
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| Justin likes this interior also |
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| One of the interior columns has a small hole where you are supposed to turn your thumb around for good luck |
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| Randy gives it a try |
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| Sam is a contortionist |
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| Justin on the stone ramp leading to the second story |
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| From the central balcony |
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| The best mosaic |
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| Detail |
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| Alice in a self portrait near the other mosaics on the second floor |
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| Detail of this one |
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| The last mosaic on the second floor |
Then, we walked to Topkapi, the Ottoman palace complex that is now a museum. Most people were leaving so entry was easy. Alice opted to stay in the park outside and relax on the grass since she had seen Topkapi in February. Sam, Justin and Randy enjoyed the artifacts and architecture. Alice also busied herself with seeing the tombs at the Aya Sofia. These have free admittance and are little visited and are quite splendid. Afterwards, Justin and Alice visited the Basilica Cistern (a civil engineer's dream) while Randy and Sam rested in the park outside. Justin and Alice really enjoyed the underground warren of columns, a slightly spooky atmosphere.
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| The interesting but often overlooked Basilica Cistern |
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| Justin in the creepy light of this underground wonder |
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| This place is one of Alice's favorites for atmosphere and admiring historic civil engineering |
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| The bricked vaulted roof |
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| Some of the almost countless columns |
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| The fish within - lucky carp like those of Urfa |
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| The builders reused more ancient columns including this spooky eye design one |
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| Justin likes caves so he really warmed up to the cistern |
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| Alice and Justin by the spooky eye column |
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| The upside down Medusa |
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| It is unclear where she was deliberately placed upside down or they just happened to reuse her that way |
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| Nearby is another Medusa, this time sideways |
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| Detail of this ancient face now staring into blackness and dripping water |
We then all cabbed back to the Cinar and enjoyed a medicinal wine on our balcony. The evening was a gala dinner at Beyti, our favorite Istanbul restaurant. This temple to meat and fine dining is also near the airport and has been around since the 1940's. It is still presided over by its 84 or 85 year old owner Beyti Guler. This venerable gentleman is in the restaurant every evening to greet customers and make sure all is well. His sons and grandsons are also on hand. This family enterprise was begun by Beyti Bey's father and the restaurant includes memorabilia stretching back over 60 years. Justin graciously picked up the tab for our feast and it was a fitting end to our visit to the legendary city of Istanbul, and to the end of Justin's first, but hopefully not last, trip to Turkey!
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| On our balcony at the Cinar Hotel after a long day of sightseeing |
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| Sam reads about what he has just seen |
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| Justin plans his next trip to Istanbul |
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| Beyti is a Mecca for meat lovers. We start with doner kebab |
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| Sam and Justin try to brace themselves for the many meat courses to come |
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| Alice and Randy, having done this before, know what to expect |
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| Next is kofte |
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| Chicken and lamb roast |
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| A desert made with chicken (an acquired taste) |
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| The icon, Beyti Bey (Beyti Guler) with Sam and Justin |
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| Beyti Bey with our table |
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| He signs a book about the historic restaurant for Justin |
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| Beyti Bey and Sam share a moment |
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| The restaurant is full of tributes and gifts from famous guests going back more than 50 years |
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| Justin bonded briefly with this piece of living history in one of the world's great cities |
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