I arrived in Istanbul early in the morning not so fresh from a night bus journey, and went looking for the hostel that had been recommended to me by the Aussie chick I met in Byblos/Aleppo.
I found the street of hostels and a local guy helped me find the right one. He said that after I had checked in I should come and see him at the hotel where he worked for breakfast.
So I did.
He said just go eat and told me what to say if I was challenged on being there. I wasn’t, and I helped myself to the buffet breakfast. Stolen brekkie does taste all the sweeter. Plus the free food was served up on the roof top terrace of the hotel and so I had a fabulous view of the Bosporus.
A good start to the day and food in Istanbul but I was disappointed at the lack of falafel in the city.
I first tried this food of the gods at a Turkish restaurant in NZ and my love of it made me want to visit Turkey. All the Turkish places in NZ have falafel on the menu and it set up some false expectations in me on its availability. Thus it was strange to me when I finally got here to find that they don’t actually have a lot of falafel in Turkey!
I remember way back when I was a university student in NZ at a gathering of a couple of my flatmates and their friends. An agreement had been made to meet at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul some years in what was then the future, I don’t think anyone made it to
that meeting.
But here I was now!
I didn’t think that it was that blue on the outside. But inside it is supported inside by four huge columns, has pretty windows and a beautifully patterned dome.
The mosque of Suleiman the magnificent was being renovated when I visited so I only saw a small area. But as I was sitting on the carpet inside head covered in a scarf and all, I realised I was wearing alcohol print socks. That’s got to be wrong right?
One night I was admiring the sign strung up between the minarets of a mosque
(it’s called Mahya and done during Ramadan) when I spotted a cat I thought could be a kitler. Yes that’s a cat that looks like Hitler.
I was looking forward to seeing the Grand Bazaar but it wasn’t as busy or dirty as I expected. Having seen a few around the Middle East I
wasn’t so easily impressed anymore. It was so big and clean it was like a mall.
Although I did see an interesting chess set for sale.
The Spice Bazaar was much more like I was expecting but it was smaller.
The Topkapi Palace is huge and had four courts. In the second I was disappointed that the kitchen wasn’t open as I had a sudden desire to see the huge pots and pans.
The third court had a treasury full of shiny things. But it was there were so many people that it was hard to study the treasures.
I really wanted to take a photo of a gorgeous model of The Dome of the Rock since I had really liked the real thing in Jerusalem. But photos weren’t allowed and there was a security guard watching me.
The fourth court had a great view of the water and some lovely tiled pavilions. One was designated for royal circumcisions!
The future sultan’s schlong meets the scalpel for sensitive skin separation in such a pretty summer pavilion.
I went back to the second court and paid the extra to see the harem, which is where the family lived and of course the place where the sultan kept his concubines.
It was big, rather maze like and elaborately tiled.
An Aussie chick I met in the restaurant she worked at in Goreme recommended that I go and say hi to a guy named Hussein in an Istanbul carpet shop. She even drew me a map of how to find the place.
I went to there but he was away.
The shop is the one from the book In Turkey I am Beautiful.
I hadn’t heard of the book before but an employee showed me the book and I read the bit about him.
He was Bull Ant and I can attest to the fact that he is just like he is described in the book!
As per his reputation he took me down to the shop’s basement. He was hoping to try his magic on the carpets down there.
Yeah I don’t think so buddy! I was not interested in his ‘Turkish delight’!
The only thing extending was my camera lens as I just took a photo of him holding the book.
The whole time I was in Istanbul I kept singing Istanbul (not Constantinople). I would even tell my friends that I was in Istanbul not Constantinople, so if you want to meet me in Constantinople I will be waiting in Istanbul.
When I was in the Aya Sofia I was very happy to hear that a guy who walked past me was singing the same song.
I thought to myself ‘yay I am not the only one with it stuck in my head’!
Good to see that you are still on the road. And still enjoying it. Loved Turkey when I was there.
Posted by: Lee | Sunday, 30 January 2011 at 11:34 PM