Dec 2, 2013 Istanbul, Turkey

Dec 2, 2013    Day 1 in Istanbul, Turkey

 Istanbul is the only city in the world that's spread over two continents, with the Bosphorus strait forming the dividing line between Europe and Asia.  It has 9 islands called the Prince Islands that used to be jails, but in 1960 became summer retreats.  The largest of these islands is 2.4 sq miles. The only transport being horse and cart

We slept late and had a late morning, had breakfast 

and docked in Istanbul around noon.  Population 13.9 million people.

A drizzly day with a high of 11c.  The excursion started at 1:15.

Jellyfish galore by the shore.  Pic taken from our balcony. 

Greeted by a Turkish band.

Our tour guide - Gulay, pronounced July.  

On the bus to our first stop.  Obelisk of Theodosius.  We walked most of the day.

The Obelisk of Theodosius  is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III 

re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople (known today as Istanbul, Turkey) by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.

Detail of the pedestal: Theodosius I offers laurels of victory; we can see the water 

organ of Ctesibius, in the lower right-hand corner.

Blue Mosque

It is at the European part of the city

Entrance to the mosque.

Muslim prayers are set rituals. Before praying, he/she must wash hands, arms, feet, ankles, head & neck in running water. As pictured, outside the mosques, one can usually find places for the Muslims to clean themselves with running water. If no water is available, one can clean with sand instead. If no sand, motions will suffice.

 

 Sun rays stealing through these windows at different angles at different times of the day add color to this beautiful monument.

Visitors must remove their shoes at the entrance. Modest dress is required for both women and men; women should cover their heads. In mosques the areas of prayer for men and women are separate; while men pray at the front and center, women sit at the back and the sides.

Interior part of it is decorated with beautiful hand painted ceramic blue tiles that give the building its unofficial name and 260 stained glass windows. None of the exterior is blue but inside, the high ceiling is lined with the 20,000 blue tiles. The floor is covered by beautiful carpets, as in all mosques.

Head coverings were handed out at the entrance, plus a bag to put our shoes in.  

We no sooner came out of the mosque, and the call to prayer started.  I found the actual noise of the call to prayer really ear-splittingly painful.

Old-fashioned candy called "macun" is sticky, thick and sweet. With a texture almost like wax, it can pull dental fillings from teeth. Plentiful in the past, it’s very rare nowadays.  That was the only one we saw in our travels.  Sorry now, that I didn't taste one. 

Hagia Sophia Museum.  It was closed today, so instead went to the Topkapi Palice.

Walking to the Palace.  So many vendors are seen everywhere.  

We paid our entrance fee, but Immy's ticket was already used.  

This guard is making sure she pays. 

We may have to leave her behind!!

Smiling at the experience....they let Immy through.

Topkapi Palace Entrance, Istanbul  

The first court (the largest) is entered through the Imperial Gate for defensive reasons it is a rather narrow opening in the walls. The marble frame with the two niches is a late XIXth century addition when the palace was no longer the residence of the sultans. 

The 'Gate of Salutation'  entrance to the Second courtyard of Topkapı Palace

It is a large palace in Istanbul Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.

As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammed's cloak and sword.

Plane Tree - Second courtyard.

The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people, and covered a large area with a long shoreline. It contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint.

Hagia Eirene, a Byzantine church built in the 4th century CE

The trees in the Topkapı Palace complex are remarkable, as many have fallen victim to a fungus that has completely hollowed out their trunks over the course of centuries. The trees nonetheless survive and remain standing. In other cases, two trees of a different kind have grown and fused together, such as a fig tree that grew in the hollow of another tree and effectively fused with it. This phenomenon can be seen in the second courtyard.

Plane Tree or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to 30 m (98 ft) or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown.  It usually has flaking bark. Flowers and fruit are round and burr-like, borne in clusters of between 2 and 6 on a stem. 

Kubbealti  "under the dome", in reference to the dome in the council main 

The Imperial Council  building is the chamber in which the ministers of state, council ministers, the Imperial Council,  held meetings. 

forgot what this was used for!  anyone know?

The Conqueror's Pavillon  houses the Imperial Treasury.  No pictures allowed.

The objects exhibited in the Imperial Treasury today are a representative selection of its contents, which mainly consist of jeweled objects made of gold and other precious materials. 
The second room houses the Topkapı Dagger. a golden pendant with a large emerald.  the flash and ornamental outfits of sultans and their horses, studded with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. 

Old Divan (Imperial Council

Porch outside the Imperial Divan

The Conqueror's Pavillon - Third courtyard

Church of Hagia Eirene in the First Courtyard

Jennie having a problem with the change from a vendor!  
Gulay coming to her rescue pretty fast after I motioned for her.

Sahlep vender on the left  :brass sahlep samovar mounted to a rickety pushcart - 

Eating street food is very much part of the Istanbul way of life. You can’t walk for over a kilometer without coming across one or more street vendors.  A wide variety of food.
Some more appealing than others! 

Kokoreç – grilled sheep intestines with lots of spices, roasted on a skewer.
Midye dolma – stuffed mussels
Simit – a crisp, ring-shaped, savory roll covered with sesame. Sold by street sellers with glass-fronted push-cars  
Açma – a ring-shaped savory bun — a Turkish-style doughnut if you will. 
Poğaça – a flaky, savory pastry

 Due to the lack of corn (Mısır) in winter, the street vendors  shift to 
roasted chestnuts (Kestane) in winter time.

Jennie drinking sweet sahlep.  A hot drink from a vendor (dried wild orchid root), which is pulverized into powder that’s mixed with heated milk and turned into a wintertime delicacy drink. 

Sultan Ahmet III Cesmesi (1728) The building has a tall ceiling crowned with a shallow pyramidal vault. It has four small turrets at the corners and a large turret at the center, all domed and coated with lead. The roof projects outward, forming large eaves that shade the walls. In summer the attendants at the sebils (Sebil is a Turkish public drinking fountain) offered passers-by not only glasses of water, but also sherbets (a drink of sweet diluted fruit juices). 

Walk in the drizzle back to the bus. 

Gate 1 entrance to the Grand Bazaar.   

 

My first mistake was the bathroom I used. 

 The green container under a faucet is used for flushing.   

The yellow broom!!

The Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 5,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.

 In the whole Bazaar there is no proper toilet facility. 

 Emphasizing on the word proper.  Hokey-Hey!!

I don't enjoy crowds.  It was busy, busy like nothing I have seen before. Zealous vendors pitching products..there is pressure to buy. My sisters plan to return on their own tomorrow for some shopping, they are the true shopaholics while I hope never to go there again!

 It is nice place to walk around and to say, "I have been there".

Definitely coming back here. 

Different Teas
We were offered the real Turkish delight made with honey at this shop.  Delicious.

The oldest indoor shopping center in the world, you will face an overwhelming number of shops that range from carpets to clothing to furniture -- so be prepared to bargain. 

 The masses are an immense assortment of human lifeforms!

We were back at the ship at around 6 pm. 

Another cute animal on our bed. 
Even though it was nasty out today, we had a great time.
We all went for supper in one of the restaurants, and then the show:
Illusions with Cripton & Renata which was a magic show.