Day 3 - 01/06 - Istanbul

After an excellent breakfast at the Golden Crown we went for a short walk to search for an ATM. This part of the old section of Istanbul is quite steep and had us puffing somewhat when we got to the top and a main road where there is a rail line for the city's light rail system - they call them trams.
We strolled along admiring in particular shoe stores selling Turkish made footwear. Very well made and very reasonably priced. Better than anything we have seen in Asia by far. Found a small jewellery store where Jean bought some silver replacement earrings and also found the ATM - there were several close by. At present there are almost exactly 2 Turkish Lira to 1 NZ dollar. So it's easy to mentally do the conversion calculations when shopping. Easier than the Malaysian Ringgit at just over 2.8 to 1 Kiwi dollar or 24 point something Thai Baht.
We had a great time ambling about and had a very friendly conversation with the jeweller. There are many small shops selling fresh fruit drinks and smoothies and Jean had a carrot/apple one while Jim had Pomegranate. Beautiful and no added sugar! We also spied one of many small shops selling mainly fresh herbs and spices. There was the usual Turkish Delight of course but the sheer variety amazed us. All sorts of fragrant flowers for teas and coffee galore. Even some Turkish Viagra (!) which caught Jim's eye. Bought a small bottle and apparently according to the very accomplished salesman, only 3 small teaspoons is enough! Enough for what you may ask - well, we're not telling! Among many other things they even sold Goji berries. Our acupuncturist friend in Langkawi would be most impressed! Google them and you will be impressed too.
Then it was back to the hotel to await our pickup for the cruise on the Bosphorus which we had booked. We probably would have preferred to get over our jetlag but with such a short time here we had to make every day count.
We were picked up in a medium sized bus which had enormous difficulty negotiating the tight turns and narrow steep streets in this area. Eventually after picking up others at various hotels we arrived at the waterfront on the Golden Horn. We boarded a large cruise boat which normally carries up to 400 but today we only had 70. Mainly due to bad economic conditions in Europe and Putin's ban on Russians travelling to Turkey after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet which has strayed into Turkish airspace. One crew member was killed and Putin was enraged. As a result of all this, average hotel occupancy is around 55% in Istanbul currently and times are tough.
Anyway, we were soon underway on the Golden Horn which is a short tributary of the Bosphorus. Had a very good lunch on board although a little bit too Turkish salady for Jim's taste but Jean said she was in heaven! Certainly the Turkish food has impressed us starting with the meals we had on Turkish Airlines. Everything is so fresh and TASTY - something that is rapidly being lost everywhere else it seems.
We cruised out of the Golden Horn where the Ottomans used to keep their Navy under the nose of the Sultan's who were resident in the Topkapi Palace on the hill above. Then we turned to the north towards the Black Sea up the Bosphorus. Found out something we've always wondered about - the colour black to the Turks means north - hence the North or Black Sea. And the Mediterranean to the south was known as the White Sea. We cruised up the Western (or European) side of the Bosphorus and passed many beautiful buildings all of which were in some way related to the Ottoman Sultans and the Ottoman Empire. Summer palaces and mosques galore. You tend to think that the Sultans and their entourages and Hareems lived a wonderful life, but behind the scenes not so. Each Sultan had 4 wives and countless concubines. The concubines lived as quite a separate community and there were always many children running around. Apparently the wives and concubines were "recruited" from Europe as most of the Sultans preferred blondes! Don't know how the women were recruited and it probably was not all a case of blondes having more fun!!! The were intrigues and plots going on all the time and apparently one Sultan killed his own son because he became aware that the son was plotting to overthrow his father. No doubt the son would not have shown any more mercy towards his father. For the most part it was a brutal ruthless business.
Anyway, we cruised past all these splendid buildings and past opulent seaside mansions. Apparently the highest price paid recently was USD100 million. Puts Auckland in the shade. Eventually we stopped at a small seaside village - very touristy with prices to match. The Black Sea was just a little way further north but we didn't go that far. We went ashore and wandered around and were soon back on board and cruising back down the Bosphorous. This time down the Asian (eastern) side. No Ottoman buildings but even more opulent mansions. There were many large cargo ships and tankers heading empty up into the Black Sea. It's a narrow waterway so it appeared that there were ships only going one way because the next day we saw loaded ships coming the other way. One way system. Very sensible because loaded tankers need to be treated with respect in those congested waters. We imagined sailing Tiare up there. We'd absolutely love to do that. The village where we went ashore was in a quiet bay out of the current which is fierce in some places but nonexistent in this small bay and others. Then there is the southern Black Sea coast of Turkey........!!
All in all the Bosphorous cruise was a great experience. We had heard about these famous places full of romance and history but it all seems to come down to earth when you see such mundane things as commuter ferries plying every day across the Golden Horn and from there across the Bosphorus!! While on the cruise we were persuaded to dress up in Ottoman clothes - probably as a Grand Vizier and his No. 1 wife!! Had our photo taken. Very impressive! Jim was holding a large curved scimitar! We have a hard copy but they are supposed to email it to us as well so when it comes we will put it on the blogsite!
Another wonderful day in Istanbul.
Day 4 - 02/06 Istanbul -
Had a quiet morning but walked up the hill again and found the Grand Bazaar market. All undercover under old eastern arches. Every type of shop you could imagine and heaps of them. Turkish carpets and jewellery abounded. Had a great conversation with the proprietor of one jewellery shop - his family originally comes from Kosovo which at one time was part of the Ottoman Empire. It is a very poor state between Serbia and Albania and is still slowly recovering from the devastating recent Balkan Wars. He still has family there and he very kindly gave us 1 decorative coffee spoon each.
We must mention the food again. We should leave soon before a forkhoist will be needed to put us on the plane!! Fresh cherries, strawberries and oranges to name just a few items. Sooo tasty and so different from the bland offerings generally available in NZ and many other countries. All bred for show but no substance, but Turkish produce is simply not like that. It's gorgeous and Jean was told that there are very strict restrictions on the use of pesticides. They also know how to feed their crops too and it's all so different from what we've been used to. Then there are dark chocolate covered orange Turkish Delight balls and chocolate cake and deserts to die for. Lentil soup, mushroom casserole, Turkish lamb Doner Kebabs - all absolutely wonderful. And NOT expensive. We could go on and on!
This afternoon we took another short tour to the Topkapi Palace (the principal residence of the Ottoman Sultans from the 1460's for 400 years). It is a fascinating place and was a completely self contained community with its own huge bakery (300 workers in the bakery), the hareem quarters and all situated on a commanding site overlooking the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. It provides an insight into how the Ottomans lived and indeed this way of life with its authoritarian lack of concern with the welfare of the ordinary subjects of the Empire. There are precious stones galore on display including the 2nd largest diamond in the world (86 carats) after the Koh-I-Noor. Ultimately this extravagant living together with the neglect of the Empire's subjects was the underlying reason for the decline of the Ottoman Empire, although the result of WW1 hastened the inevitable end. Probably a comparison could well be drawn with the French monarchy and their attitude towards their subjects which caused their demise in the French Revolution.
It is interesting to speculate as to what would have happened if the Ottoman Empire had not allied itself to Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire during WW1. For one thing, Gallipoli would not have occurred. If they had also reformed their relations with their subjects and had given their various colonies independence as appropriate (as the British did), they might have had a continuing constitutional monarchy today and most of the current troubles with Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine and in the Balkans would not have occurred. Borders would have been drawn with intimate knowledge of the populations living therein, instead of ignorantly by the ruling powers that took over and who were primarily only interested in oil extraction. We, and particularly those populations, continue to pay an awful price today.
The current downturn in tourism to Turkey is causing tensions on the street. We went out on foot to have dinner and discovered two restaurants opposite each other. We looked at the menu of one and the owner was pressuring us to patronise his establishment. We then went across the narrow street and perused the other menu. We decided on the 2nd. one and the first owner glared at us during our whole meal which was very good. We also had 2 free glasses of Turkish wine which is also very good. The warring across the street somewhat spoilt the experience though!
Day 5 - 03/06 Istanbul -
A quiet morning and then we caught the tram (train) to the end of that particular line on the Bosphorus where the Dolmabahce Palace is situated. The Palace is most impressive as it took over as the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans in 1856 and incorporated many more modern features than its predecessor - the Topkapi. It is also more magnificent and contains a crystal chandelier which weighs 4.5 tons and which has 10,000 crystal pieces. The decoration is sumptuous and much of it is gold plated. One thing that we noted with some amusement was that in the Hareem quarters was a large wonderfully furnished room called the Sultan's Resting Room. No doubt he needed plenty of rest with 4 wives and many concubines!
It is said that the building of the palace cost 35 tons of gold. Wonderful to see but very reminiscent of Versailles in France which led directly to the French revolution. As with Versailles bankrupting France, the extreme cost of the Dolmabahce also bankrupted what was left of the Ottoman Empire and was a main cause of its final extinction. With the decline of the Ottoman Empire after WW1 the title of Sultan had been reduced to that of Caliph and so the last of the Ottoman Dynasty to live in the Dolmabahce was only in office from 1922 to 1924 when the Ottoman rule was finally abolished and the Ottomans were banished abroad. The last Caliph died in Paris in 1944 coincidentally with the Liberation of Paris from Germany which was happening at that time.
The Republic of Turkey was then established in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who as an army general had been responsible for the Allied defeat at Gallipoli. Ataturk then ruled as President until his death in 1938. This occurred in the old Hareem quarters of the Dolmabahce where he had been living. The hour of his passing was 0905 and clocks in the Palace were stopped and the hands put to that time. He is revered in Turkey as a national hero still.
Well, that's enough potted history for one night. It is now after 2200 and we must get a reasonably early night as we leave here at 0830 tomorrow morning for our flight to Miami and Jean's grandsons! More to come in due course.
Lotsaluv from us as usual............
Jim and Jean

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