Some fun shots. Riding the funicular to Taksim Square.

 

Riding the trolley in Taksim Square.

A restaurant street scene in Istanbul.

Building a new mosque in Taksim Square

Nov 1 Thursday – our last day in Istanbul. We explored the Dolmabahce Palace.  It was the palace of the Sultans in the 19^th and early 20^th century.  It contains 285 rooms, 44 halls, 6 Turkish baths and 68 toilets.  It sits on an 11 acre estate right on the Bosphorus. It was forbidden to take photos inside but I managed to sneak a few.

The gate for guests coming by ship.

The ceramic stoves were priceless.

The marble in the sultan’s bathing chamber was exquisite.

We also visited two Orthodox Churches. The Aya Irini is the only major church in the city that was not turned into a mosque. It was built in the late 1400s.

 

 

By contrast we also spent time in the Aya Triada which is also an Orthodox Church built in the late 1800s and is still in use today with a congregation of around 150 people.

 

I managed to get a throat infection so I have been slow at keeping up with our adventures. Back on track now. For $350 lira the equivalent of $70 Canadian I saw an ear, nose and throat specialist. I am now on 3 different types of antibiotics. Hooray.

Oct 31 we went to Topkapi Palace which is a museum now but served as the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th century on.

 

Later we went to the Suleymaniye Mosque. It was built by Suleyman the Magnificient. It is the largest Imperial Mosque in Istanbul.

 

 

 

Today,  I also had a Traditional Turkish Haman Ritual at the Kilic Ali Pasa Hamami established in 1580. OH MY if you ever get to Istanbul make sure you go there!

A hamam or traditional Turkish bath is quite a treat. First when I went in I was seated and received a  refreshing sherbet drink. With that I was given a locker key to a full sized locker that held  a beautiful Turkish towel and thongs for my feet. I did not have a bikini bottom so they gave me disposable underwear, well if you could call it that. I was directed to wrap the towel around myself under my arms then go through a door where an attendant would greet me. Once through the door the attendant took my towel and wrapped it around my waist then took me by the hand into a small room where two other women were seated. The room was completely made of beautiful marble, floor, walls, ceiling, benches and large sinks on the walls. I was seated on the marble bench beside a gorgeous marble sink with water running into it and over the sides. The attendant then took what looked like a copper basin filled it repeatedly from the sink and literally doused us all at least four times. Fortunately she started with the others as that gave me a chance to cover my face.  I hate water on my face.

From there I was led into an immense round room  with a domed ceiling. The floor and walls were made of marble as were all the sinks and  benches around the  periphery of the room. In the centre of the room was a huge round heated  marble dais,  I would estimate to be at least 25 feet across and 4 feet high. Lying on the marble were approximately 10 women. I was shown to my spot to lie down with my head facing the centre. The process allows your body to relax and your pores to open as you sweat. So nice!  after about 10 minutes I was tapped on the leg and given a drink of water.  Then I laid down for about 10 more minutes. A woman then woke me up by tapping my leg, I was sound asleep;  she took me by the hand to one of the washing areas  where I sat on the marble bench by a large marble sink and agin I was doused at least four times with warm water. There were 10 stations around the room so I could watch and see what was coming as the woman spoke no English. I leaned forward and she took a loofah glove and soap and scrubbed my back then chest arms and legs. Next I stood facing the wall beside me with my arms raised against the wall and she did the back of my legs and butt. Sitting down again she rinsed me then took bar soap and a softer loofah glove washed my face and my entire body again. And there was more.  She took a large net bag that expanded to about three feet in height and diameter full of bubbles and squeezed it over me four times.  The bubbles were rich with oil.  Once I was covered to my neck she used her hands to give my back, neck, shoulders and arms and a massage. More rinsing then my head and body were wrapped in towels and I was led to the reclining area where I laid back on pillows and drank tea chatting with the lady next to me about our new experience.

 

Today was a boat trip down the Bosphorus.

At the end of the day walking home,  we passed the fisherman and our little friends.

Today featured a visit to the Istanbul Archeological Museum,  one of the world’s largest with over 1,000,000 works. It houses a collection of Greek, Roman and Byzantine artifacts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spice market was another feast for the eyes and lovely because it was less frenetic than the grand bazar. 

 

 

 

 

The day ended with a wonderful Turkish meal with Nassib, 3 stories above the Galata Bridge over the Bosphorus and a stunning view of the Suleymaniye Mosque.

 

 

When we arrived in Istanbul the taxi dropped us off at the wrong address.  While trying to find the correct one we met Maha.  She kindly helped us locate our apartment. A day later we met Maha and her husband Nassib for coffee and walked around Karakoy together.  An interesting and vibrant neighbourhood. Maha and Nassib are such wonderfully interesting and generous people.  We throughly enjoyed our time with them.

 

 

 

 

Later that day we wet to the Aya Sofia, which is now a museum but use to be a Christian Orthodox Cathedral then a Mosque.

 

We also visited the famous Blue Mosque.

 

Saturday Oct 27 was our first day out and about in Istanbul. Our Airbnb is a sun filled spacious apartment above the Bosporus.

First we worked on getting our transportation cards for the funicular, tram. and metro. They are called Istanbulkart and are like the Oyster cards in London though more complicated to get when you don’t speak Turkish.

We took the tram to the Galata Bridge over the Bosporous and watched the fisherman as we walked across.

On the other side we sat watching the crowds of people.

We had a fun time at the grand bazaar trying not to get lost. There are over 5,000 shops under the covered roof. So much to look at!

 

Then we walked Istiklal Street, the equivalent to 5th Avenue in New York or Oxford Street in London. Fabulous city. Perfect day!