This beautiful warm day in Istanbul was our last day of thinking for ourselves. Tomorrow we join the tour group, and simply follow the direction of our tour leader. After two weeks on our own, we’re sort of looking forward to being taken care of, and not having to think too much for ourselves. But today we explored parts of Istanbul that are not on the tour itinerary.
We checked out of our B and B after a nice breakfast, and walked with our suitcases only about 200 yards down the street to the hotel where we will meet our tour group. Of course, our room was not yet ready so early in the morning, but we stored our suitcases in their baggage room for our return.
Our first goal was to walk to the Suleymaniye Mosque. This would ideally be about a 35 minute walk from the hotel. A couple of wrong turns, and some time to sit on a bench and contemplate maps, added a bit to the time. But we made it in a respectable time.
Along the way, we got to experience some “real” Istanbul, with shops opening and people shuffling to work. A particularly interesting area we passed through was a district of fabric shops and tailors. In this area the streets are narrow and winding, making it difficult for deliveries. “Porters” are hired to carry heavy loads on their backs to various stores. We saw a few of these — mostly very stooped older men — but modern carts and small electric vehicles are putting the porters out of business. We photographed a statue because it was less obtrusive than trying to snap a photo of the actual men.
The Suleymaniye Mosque was immense, and dates from about the same time as the Blue Mosque we will see (again) in coming days. In fact, the two buildings are very similar and had the same architect. We were somewhat surprised that there weren’t more tourists here.
Moving on, again through back streets, we got more local flavor of another neighborhood. But our navigation was not as exact, so we had to back-track a bit to the Galata Bridge. The oldest of three bridges spanning the Golden Horn to the northern part of the city, this one is notable because shops and restaurants line the pedestrian portion, beneath the roadway that cars and trucks use.
The southern end of Galata is Eminonu, one of Istanbul’s main transportation hubs. After a little confusion, and with the help of Rick Steves, we managed to get onto a bus westward to the remains of the 15th century city wall. These walls were thought to be impregnable until Constantinople fell in 1453.
Just inside the wall is the Chora Church, or in Turkish, Kariye Camii. It took us quite a bit of walking around and asking directions from people who spoke no English, but we finally arrived at this 12th century church, converted to a mosque, and now a museum. Beautiful Byzantine mosaics were covered over in plaster after the conquest, and have only recently been revealed.
Unfortunately, about half of the church is closed for a major restoration project. But the vivid mosaics we could see, ironically preserved by those who covered them over, were fabulous to see.
After a snack at a nearby cafe, we managed the bus back to Eminonu once again. Now later in the day, the area was teaming with far more people than previously, but transferring here to a tram, we found our way to Hagia Sofia. We’ll see that (again) later, but after resting awhile on a bench, and practicing English with some Turkish high school students, we went across the street to the entrance of the Basilica Cistern.
Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, this vast underground reservoir held cool water for the royal palace and surrounding area. The name comes from the fact that a Roman basilica (basically a meeting place — only later did the name become associated with churches). The cistern covers more than 100,000 square feet and is supported by 336 marble pillars, each almost 30 feet tall.
A couple of the pillars have carvings of the goddess Medusa at the base. Most experts believe this was simply recycling of old material, as many of the columns don’t match and were clearly used previously in some other structures. But local legends attach various meanings to these Medusas.
Having checked off all of our sightseeing goals by 2 p.m., we found a “terrace” restaurant. These are on the roof of a hotel or other building and allow a view of the sea. We weren’t hungry, but the beer certainly tasted good as the temperature was nearing 80F. From there we returned to hotel to check in and rest a bit before dinner.
At dinner we struck up a conversation with an Australian couple of roughly our vintage who were seated at the next table in the same restaurant. They moved over to join us, and we had a great conversation comparing travel stories. It was another great cultural experience in this cosmopolitan city that has been, for centuries, a place where cultures meet.
We checked out of our B and B after a nice breakfast, and walked with our suitcases only about 200 yards down the street to the hotel where we will meet our tour group. Of course, our room was not yet ready so early in the morning, but we stored our suitcases in their baggage room for our return.
Just inside the wall is the Chora Church, or in Turkish, Kariye Camii. It took us quite a bit of walking around and asking directions from people who spoke no English, but we finally arrived at this 12th century church, converted to a mosque, and now a museum. Beautiful Byzantine mosaics were covered over in plaster after the conquest, and have only recently been revealed.
Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, this vast underground reservoir held cool water for the royal palace and surrounding area. The name comes from the fact that a Roman basilica (basically a meeting place — only later did the name become associated with churches). The cistern covers more than 100,000 square feet and is supported by 336 marble pillars, each almost 30 feet tall.
A couple of the pillars have carvings of the goddess Medusa at the base. Most experts believe this was simply recycling of old material, as many of the columns don’t match and were clearly used previously in some other structures. But local legends attach various meanings to these Medusas.
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| Medusa, standing on her head. |
At dinner we struck up a conversation with an Australian couple of roughly our vintage who were seated at the next table in the same restaurant. They moved over to join us, and we had a great conversation comparing travel stories. It was another great cultural experience in this cosmopolitan city that has been, for centuries, a place where cultures meet.
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