A day full of visiting incredible landmarks of this magnificent city. The Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and the Hagia Sophia were all on the list to see, plus something else happened that we didn’t expect.
Day 12, Saturday, June 4: Istanbul
This was a memorable day in Istanbul. A very wet one!
The 4-hour long walking tour of the old city, with a local Turkish guide, started at 9 am.
Istanbul is one of the world’s greatest cities, a metropolis on the Bosporus River. For millennia, it has seen lots of history, and served as the capital of the Roman and Byzantine empires (under the name Constantinople) and the Ottoman empire. The impressive monuments of the city date back to these empires.
On our tour, first we got a glimpse of the garden of the Topkapi Palace, then continued to the famous Blue Mosque, a timeless symbol of Ottoman architecture.
I thought I came prepared having a scarf with me for my head and wearing a shirt covering my shoulders and a skirt covering my knees, but apparently the length of the skirt had to be longer, so they gave me a temporary long skirt that looked like a sack, which I wore over mine.
Entering the mosque, we had to take our shoes off and inside we had to either carry them in our hands or put them on one of the many shelves lining the walls.
The gorgeous mosque was built just in 7 years, between 1609 and 1616. Its official name is Sultan Ahmet Mosque but it’s known as the Blue Mosque because of the rich blue color from the 21,043 handmade blue ceramic tiles on its walls.
We were in awe by the mosque’s symmetry, the internal tile work, and its six graceful minarets (unique to this mosque) from where the call for prayer, echoing across rooftops, could be heard.
Walking though the historic Hippodrome – once a Roman chariot racetrack, now a square linking the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia – we went back to the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace.
First, while listening to our guide’s explanation, we were ignorant of the rain that came, thinking it would pass, but in the end, we had to take shelter under the arcade of one of the buildings.
The rain got heavier and heavier. The water was running on the brick road like a river. But at some point, when it seemed like it was lighter, our guide decided to continue with the tour. We followed, but the strength of the rain came back and we were getting wetter and wetter. Our rain jackets didn’t help. Those who had an umbrella or a rain poncho didn’t escape either the effects of the surprising rain. Even though I kept my shoulder bag under the rain jacket, I was afraid that our passports in it would get wet.
Soaked like wet birds, we entered the Grand Bazaar, the world’s oldest shopping mall, a true maze of more than 4000 shops. We were ready to experience how the merchants would try to sell us (in a pushy way) their stuff, but instead we witnessed covered merchandise and merchants trying to sweep the rainwater out from their shops.
Next came the busy Spice Bazaar. In this 350-year old market – built to promote the spice trade in Istanbul – just like old days, they still sell fragrant and colorful spices, dried fruits and roasted nuts, caviar, tea, and other goodies.
In the bazaar, in the shop HazerBaba, we sampled and bought some delicious Turkish Delight (or locus), which is considered the sweet icon of the country. We also tasted some delicious pomegranate tea.
Early afternoon, around 1 pm, we were back at our hotel to change into dry clothes. Everything we wore got totally soaked, even Steve’s wallet in his pants’ pocket. Our tennis shoes were not wearable, possibly not for a few days.
After resting for a few hours and recovering from the rain, Steve and I continued the exploration of Istanbul, visiting the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia.
The Basilica Cistern is a 6th century subterranean water reservoir. With its Roman columns, it seemed to me like a cathedral with mysterious light. When it was filled with fresh water in its old days, it served the daily needs of 100,000 Byzantines. Even though we had to stand in a line to get in, the wait was surprisingly short, only 8 minutes.
The magnificent Hagia Sophia, situated across from the Basilica Cistern, was for a thousand years one of the major cathedrals of the Byzantine Empire. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque. These days, one can only visit the upper galleries.
While inside the Hagia Sophia, a prayer service on its first floor could be heard.
We admired the architecture and the rare Christian mosaics. Part of the mosque is undergoing renovation, that’s why we in some of our pictures scaffolding can be seen.
During this late afternoon sightseeing, fortunately no rain came. We tasted some great street food – roasted corn, then later in the evening our group got together for a farewell dinner at the roof terrace of the Roof Mezze 360 restaurant. There was not only good food and good company, but also a beautiful sunset.
We said goodbye to our fellow travelers, our new friends. Flavia was an excellent tour guide and the group was a fun group to travel with.
Steve and I already previously arranged for two extra days in Istanbul, and it turned out that three of our new friends did the same for one extra day. We were looking forward to spending more time with them the next day, and also promised to stay in touch with one another in the future. I hope we will keep our word.
