So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Despite the song, during the last weekend of November, I certainly tried to go back to Constantinople. I'd wanted to visit since I saw a video about the city in Mr. Pringle's 8th grade history, a dream I finally realized when I headed to Istanbul and its warmer climes for a long weekend.
Rene, another advanced student at Churchill, and I arrived in Sabiha Gökçen airport in the late morning on 27 November. It was a beautiful day there, so after we found our way to the city we decided to get oriented (and placate our growling stomachs) by strolling down the busy İstiklâl Caddesi, a primarily pedestrian street that runs roughly between Taksim Square and the ancient Galata Tower, and stopping for kebap... then for dolmades... then for baklava... then for Turkish coffee... You get the idea.
There were two foods we did not stop, however: the chestnuts and oysters that seemed to be on sale on every corner (and multiple places in between). It seemed that no one was buying the relatively pricey chestnuts, and the oysters looked dodgy (especially when we saw the same people with full trays late Friday night again with full trays on Saturday morning).
Some of the delicousness from our stay in Istanbul, including Turkish red tea (top left), the anise-flavored local drink, raki (middle left), the ubiquitous yogurt drink, ayran (bottom left), and other beautiful food from the kebap restaurants we visited!
Our stroll ended up in a determined trot as we neared one of the two bridges that join the halves of Istanbul; the sky was turning beautiful colors through the buildings. We hit the bridge just in time to see the sky fade from pink to yellow to deep blue with a panorama of minarets, Roman aqueducts and the river Bosphorus.
Overlooking the city--and the cars--as we neared the bridge over the Bosphorus at sunset.
After the sun set, it was time for a bit more exploration of the local foods; Rene and I headed to a nearby area that our tour guides suggested as a good place to spend a few hours at night. The narrow street so full of people spilling out of pubs that we could barely squeeze by. We were glad when we found two seats (just after they were vacated by another group) at a local pub that claimed (in English) that the New York Times suggested that very location as the best place in all of Istanbul to try Raki, the local anise-flavored spirit. We were happy to find seats, watch the people around us, and take slow sips from our raki and water glasses.
Saturday started early with a determined stroll in the direction of the Bosphorus. My voice had disappeared overnight, so conversation was limited during our quick breakfast (tea and fresh rolls) and for the rest of the day. We were originally going to take a tram to Topkapi Palace, our first destination of the day, but with clear skies and no tram in sight, we decided to walk it.
In the three hours we spent at the palace, we just scratched the surface of their vast treasure collections and beautifully stylized buildings. This was one place where not doing our homework paid off; our jaws dropped when we saw an 86 karat diamond, bowls full of emeralds and a suit of armor decked out with pearls and rubies in the treasury and religious relics we didn’t know still existed (such as Mohammad's cloak and the proported rod of Moses) in the Chamber of Sacred Relics. The buildings, too, were nothing to sneeze at; the walls were covered in intricate tile work.
the sofa pavilion at Topkapi Palace
After leaving Topkapi Palace, we had a full day. We got lunch and tickets to see Whirling Dervishes, then went to see the Blue Mosque and arrived just in time to hear the call to prayer, which meant the mosque was closed to tourists for 30 minutes. We spent our time admiring the nearby Obelisk of Theodosius, already old when Theodosius had it moved to Istanbul from Egypt in 390 AD, and the scant remains of the Roman hippodrome that once surrounded it.
One minor disappointment of our trip was that the Grand Bazaar, where we headed next, was closed. The Grand Bazaar is a huge covered market where carpets, ceramics, spices and all sorts of goods have traded hands since 1461. We had bought our plane tickets over the summer and hadn’t realized that, in this instance, cheap flights corresponded to a national holiday in Turkey. Skipping ahead a few hours, we managed to partially satisfy Rene's desire to barter despite the holiday-related setback; we found out way back to the Blue Mosque--and the small turistic bazaar set up there--before heading towards the Whirling Dervishes.
We had a bit of time before the performance, so Rene and I decided to look for the university campus. We didn't make it to the university; instead, we ended up deep in conversation with one of the salesmen at a ceramics shop where we stopped to ask for directions. He couldn’t be much older than we are. He told us that his formal education ended after high school; however, he speaks four languages fluently (English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish) and is learning a fifth (Japanese) from a regular customer. Many of the languages he claims he learned ’on the job’, bartering with customers in the Grand Bazaar. We spent a good half hour at the store (and were served delicious tea) chatting with him about life, the universe and his sales.
We next headed to the Hodjapasha Cultural Center for an hour of 'Turkish Mystic Music & Dance'. While fascinating, I left the 'performance' feeling like I had seen something I shouldn't have seen because the religious ceremony came across as an intimate, personal journey for the five men participating. You can learn more about the ceremony we saw (with pictures--which the audience wasn't supposed to take) at the Culture Center's website. The event ticked two items off the 'must see' list in Istanbul; seeing the dervishes whirl and being inside a Turkish bathhouse (the building was a veritable Turkish bath from sometime in the 1470s until 1988).
When we returned to the hostel after the performance, we made a new friend of one of our roommates, a Brazilian dermatologist detouring through Istanbul on his return from a conference. With a conversation going as well as that one was, it certainly called for a trip to the pub...
the view from our balcony table over yet another crowded street where
Rene and I learned about exotic skin diseases from Wagner and enjoyed a delicious beer
It was pouring on Sunday morning, but Rene and I were determined to see one last sight before bidding goodbye to Istanbul. We headed to Hagia Sophia, a historical once cathedral, then mosque, now museum that has been a part of Istanbul's skyline for over 1,470 years. Despite rain gear, the longer-than-we-remembered-it walk had us drenched by the time we entered into the cavernous interior of the building.
Seeing Hagia Sophia from the inside was worth every bit of water that I subsequently wrung out of my clothing. I can't do justice with words to the awe and feeling of connection with the past that I got when I walked over the threshold of that ancient space.
the exterior of Hagia Sophia, taken on sunny Saturday
Our time exploring Hagia Sophia-and our brief, full stay in Istanbul-was over too fast. Soon we were back in an airplane, looking at thegorgeous orange interior of an easyJet plane, listening once again to We Might Be Giants singing Take me back to Constantinople.
Rene, another advanced student at Churchill, and I arrived in Sabiha Gökçen airport in the late morning on 27 November. It was a beautiful day there, so after we found our way to the city we decided to get oriented (and placate our growling stomachs) by strolling down the busy İstiklâl Caddesi, a primarily pedestrian street that runs roughly between Taksim Square and the ancient Galata Tower, and stopping for kebap... then for dolmades... then for baklava... then for Turkish coffee... You get the idea.
There were two foods we did not stop, however: the chestnuts and oysters that seemed to be on sale on every corner (and multiple places in between). It seemed that no one was buying the relatively pricey chestnuts, and the oysters looked dodgy (especially when we saw the same people with full trays late Friday night again with full trays on Saturday morning).
Some of the delicousness from our stay in Istanbul, including Turkish red tea (top left), the anise-flavored local drink, raki (middle left), the ubiquitous yogurt drink, ayran (bottom left), and other beautiful food from the kebap restaurants we visited!
Overlooking the city--and the cars--as we neared the bridge over the Bosphorus at sunset.After the sun set, it was time for a bit more exploration of the local foods; Rene and I headed to a nearby area that our tour guides suggested as a good place to spend a few hours at night. The narrow street so full of people spilling out of pubs that we could barely squeeze by. We were glad when we found two seats (just after they were vacated by another group) at a local pub that claimed (in English) that the New York Times suggested that very location as the best place in all of Istanbul to try Raki, the local anise-flavored spirit. We were happy to find seats, watch the people around us, and take slow sips from our raki and water glasses.
Saturday started early with a determined stroll in the direction of the Bosphorus. My voice had disappeared overnight, so conversation was limited during our quick breakfast (tea and fresh rolls) and for the rest of the day. We were originally going to take a tram to Topkapi Palace, our first destination of the day, but with clear skies and no tram in sight, we decided to walk it.
In the three hours we spent at the palace, we just scratched the surface of their vast treasure collections and beautifully stylized buildings. This was one place where not doing our homework paid off; our jaws dropped when we saw an 86 karat diamond, bowls full of emeralds and a suit of armor decked out with pearls and rubies in the treasury and religious relics we didn’t know still existed (such as Mohammad's cloak and the proported rod of Moses) in the Chamber of Sacred Relics. The buildings, too, were nothing to sneeze at; the walls were covered in intricate tile work.
the sofa pavilion at Topkapi PalaceAfter leaving Topkapi Palace, we had a full day. We got lunch and tickets to see Whirling Dervishes, then went to see the Blue Mosque and arrived just in time to hear the call to prayer, which meant the mosque was closed to tourists for 30 minutes. We spent our time admiring the nearby Obelisk of Theodosius, already old when Theodosius had it moved to Istanbul from Egypt in 390 AD, and the scant remains of the Roman hippodrome that once surrounded it.
One minor disappointment of our trip was that the Grand Bazaar, where we headed next, was closed. The Grand Bazaar is a huge covered market where carpets, ceramics, spices and all sorts of goods have traded hands since 1461. We had bought our plane tickets over the summer and hadn’t realized that, in this instance, cheap flights corresponded to a national holiday in Turkey. Skipping ahead a few hours, we managed to partially satisfy Rene's desire to barter despite the holiday-related setback; we found out way back to the Blue Mosque--and the small turistic bazaar set up there--before heading towards the Whirling Dervishes.
We had a bit of time before the performance, so Rene and I decided to look for the university campus. We didn't make it to the university; instead, we ended up deep in conversation with one of the salesmen at a ceramics shop where we stopped to ask for directions. He couldn’t be much older than we are. He told us that his formal education ended after high school; however, he speaks four languages fluently (English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish) and is learning a fifth (Japanese) from a regular customer. Many of the languages he claims he learned ’on the job’, bartering with customers in the Grand Bazaar. We spent a good half hour at the store (and were served delicious tea) chatting with him about life, the universe and his sales.
We next headed to the Hodjapasha Cultural Center for an hour of 'Turkish Mystic Music & Dance'. While fascinating, I left the 'performance' feeling like I had seen something I shouldn't have seen because the religious ceremony came across as an intimate, personal journey for the five men participating. You can learn more about the ceremony we saw (with pictures--which the audience wasn't supposed to take) at the Culture Center's website. The event ticked two items off the 'must see' list in Istanbul; seeing the dervishes whirl and being inside a Turkish bathhouse (the building was a veritable Turkish bath from sometime in the 1470s until 1988).
When we returned to the hostel after the performance, we made a new friend of one of our roommates, a Brazilian dermatologist detouring through Istanbul on his return from a conference. With a conversation going as well as that one was, it certainly called for a trip to the pub...
the view from our balcony table over yet another crowded street whereRene and I learned about exotic skin diseases from Wagner and enjoyed a delicious beer
It was pouring on Sunday morning, but Rene and I were determined to see one last sight before bidding goodbye to Istanbul. We headed to Hagia Sophia, a historical once cathedral, then mosque, now museum that has been a part of Istanbul's skyline for over 1,470 years. Despite rain gear, the longer-than-we-remembered-it walk had us drenched by the time we entered into the cavernous interior of the building.
Seeing Hagia Sophia from the inside was worth every bit of water that I subsequently wrung out of my clothing. I can't do justice with words to the awe and feeling of connection with the past that I got when I walked over the threshold of that ancient space.
the exterior of Hagia Sophia, taken on sunny SaturdayOur time exploring Hagia Sophia-and our brief, full stay in Istanbul-was over too fast. Soon we were back in an airplane, looking at the
No comments:
Post a Comment