Now we are 24 + 1
Three oʼclock. All twenty-four of us are on time and seated in rows in the breakfast room. Our guide is a cute young guy named Taylan (like Thailand.) He asked who has done a RS tour, and at least half the room has, some as many as five or six. He explained how things work for the rest of us. Greatest emphasis is on one’s freedom to opt out of anything, and heʼs quite funny about it. (This is a huge relief for me. Donʼt know of anything I donʼt want to do, but grateful for an escape hatch.)
Next we went around the room making brief introductions, explaining why Turkey. The overwhelming idea seemed same as mine: itʼs complicated to do on oneʼs own. Relieved. Everyone seemed very nice. A little older than I expected, but Iʼm right in this age group. Four couples, one younger single guy, and the rest women, traveling solo or with a friend. This may work fine.
[As the tour moved forward and we became friends, I learned more about my traveling companions. Three doctors, lots of teachers and other professionals. At least a quarter of us have lived outside the US. We come from all four quadrants of the country, plus Alaska. Everyone has travelled, many extensively. A very friendly, adventurous group!]
Taylan gave each of us a Museum Card which saves time and takes us to the front of lines, a transit pass for Istanbul, and a Whisper headset. Taylan’s background is archeology and art history, so unlike most tours, he won’t be handing us off to local guides for art and history tours. He will do it all.
Hagia Sophia
Soon we’re outside walking to the nearby Hagia Sophia, 6th century Christian church, converted to a mosque in the 16th century when the Ottomans captured Constantinople, now a museum since the 1930s. The morning crowds were long gone when we entered the darkened, vaulted narthex. Walking into the massive domed nave, we stood in the the world’s grandest Byzantine structure. Up the ramp to the upper galleries to a great view of the apse and close-ups of the intricate mosaics, some as old as the 11th century.This was the first Istanbul museum where I had anyone to explain any Turkish history or Muslim symbolism, and it made the experience so much better.
Taylan also introduced us to Gli, the Hagia Sophia's resident cross-eyed cat, who has his own Instagram following!
hagiasophiaturkey.com/gli-cat-hagia-sophia/ hagiasophiacat@gmail.com
The view from the upper gallery of the Hagia Sophia
Tour day 2: Istanbul
Last night was a fun group dinner, and today was an early start, because we have much to see. We started our walk through some attractive, newer commercial areas on our way to the Spice Market. Liked this one much better than the Grand Bazaar. Similar architecture, but more space, more upscale.
Taylan took us in a shop where the owner explained the nuances of different spices, teas, and local nuts, and gave us many samples. I left with some vacuum packed nuts and spices, and a tiny 5 gram bottle of top shelf saffron, the kind thatʼs handpicked three stamens at a time. Should stay fresh for five years, if it lasts that long. I'm not yet very good at the 1 lira divided by 6 conversions, so not sure what any of it cost, but I know the saffron was much less than in the US.
He also sold a huge selection of colorful, high quality Turkish Delight. Now I know how it should taste, dense and gooey but not overly sweet, nothing like the sugary stuff I've bought in London.
Spice Market
Cruising the Bosphorus
Outside the back door of the Spice Market, we crossed the street to catch our boat for our Bosphorus cruise. A gorgeous sunny day, and I think Taylan swapped our schedule around a bit to take advantage of this weather.
An hour plus ride up the Asian edge and back down the European side was just right. We had contemplated an all day trip on one of our pretour days, which might have been too much of the same. There are occasional historic structures mixed in with the commercial buildings, and the landscape varies little. Our private boat trip was perfect.
The Metro and Istiklal Street
And now for a complete change of pace, we're on Istanbul's modern underground Metro, changing trains, heading to busy Istiklal Street for lunch. Amazingly, all 25 of us got off together at Taksim Square.
Istiklal iis Istanbul's main commercial pedestrian street, and it's lined with stores, restaurants, and galleries and thronged with visitors and locals. You can find everything from Starbucks to the old Fish Market. Taylan realistically thought we would have our best luck ordering lunch at one of the typical "point and choose" eateries. He pointed out several as we walked, then set us free. We all found lunch, and had a good time doing it.
Süleymaniye Mosque
We regrouped at Taksim Square, reboarded the Metro, and headed for the Süleymaniye Mosque. The Mosque itself is enormous, and it's only a part of a complex of buildings. The view outside across ancient rooftops stretches all the way to the Bosphorus.
We removed our shoes and covered our hair before going in to sit on the carpeted floor. Taylan explained some of the basics of Islam and the interior of a mosque. We had dozens of questions. He promised to answer all questions later when we have long bus rides.
Cats and Dogs, Everywhere!
Istanbul has a huge population of street cats and dogs. Itʼs not customary to own pets here, since private yards are rare, but neighborhoods claim dogs and cats and take care of them. The animals all look healthy, and the dogs have ear tags so their vaccine status can be kept up with. Watched a man with a generous sack of meat scraps feeding half a dozen polite cats and dogs in the park.
With cats everywhere, Istanbul has no rodent problem!
Tour Day 3: Topkapi Palace...then Hit the Road!
A different side of the Hagia Sofia
Luggage was on the bus by eight so we could walk to nearby Topkapi Palace before the herds arrived. The Ottomans built Topkapi, starting in the 1400s, after they conquered Constantinople. They kept building on it for the next 400 years. It's huge. We walked around the side of the Hagia Sophia, through the main Imperial Gate, and into the First Courtyard, a big park like area. Passed through a second gated courtyard before entering the famous Harem, pronounced hah-RAHM.
Turkish artists in this period excelled at calligraphy and decorative arts, and Topkapi has some of the best on its walls. The first we saw were the intricate walls in the Harem, and the passageway floors of small egg stones, in timeless designs, like something you might see on Pinterest today.
The sultan had 100+ concubines at any time, but westerners probably have quite the Hollywood enhanced picture of what concubines actually did. (The RS Istanbul takes several pages explaining this.) They were educated in the arts, and were primarily the sultan's entertainers and companions rather than his sex partners. The sultanʼs mother held the power to choose the favorites for her son. And African eunuchs guarded them, so any descendants were guaranteed to have a pure bloodline.
Taylan took us through the Harem and and several of the main rooms of the sultan's apartment as a group, then set us loose to see the rest on our own. There are multiple buildings. The RS Istanbul devotes a long chapter to Topkapi. It will make more sense if you read about it ahead.
Topkapi's Harem
The Sultan's Apartment
In the museum are the portraits of a succession of dead eyed, unsmiling sultans. And Mosesʼs staff...and Abrahamʼs almost pristine white turban.
There's also a great view over the Bosphorus from the garden, and a flock of parrots living in the tower by the courtyard.
Topkapi is big, and the history can be confusing for westerners who lack background. Take your book if you really want to know what you're looking at.
Before we left Topkapi, Taylan told us we could stop by the outdoor coffeeshop to meet Lale Surmen Aran, the Rick Steves guide who appears on the videos and co-authored the Istanbul guidebook, and owns the company that Taylan works for. She was very gracious as we peppered her with questions about Turkish culture and politics and how women fit in here. [Taylan will get eleven more days of this!] She boarded our bus with us and rode to the Asian side where she lives. We dropped her off as we headed for Ankara.