Istanbul

Cruising The Bosphorus

May 022026

May 2, 2026

When in Istanbul, you are surrounded by water and history. I had taken a cruise down the Bosphorus many years ago in summer, when you could do it by ferry. But the ferry schedule changes later in the year, so we were forced to take a tour. It isn’t ideal, but it works. It was so cold today that staying inside the boat was the most logical, but it was still a lovely day.

You begin in the Golden Horn on the east side of the Galata Bridge and very soon cross under it. Then, when you head up the Bosphorus, you are navigating between the Asian and European sides of the city.

The Galata Tower

One of the first sites you see upon entering the Bosphorus is the Galata Tower.

During the Byzantine period, the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in the area now known as Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.

In 1267, a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls, and the Galata Tower was first built at its highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ), in Romanesque style, in 1348, during an expansion of the colony. At the time, the Galata Tower was the tallest building in the city.

Anadoluhisarı

Anadoluhisarı was built between 1393 and 1394 on the commission of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, as part of his preparations for a siege of the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople.

The fort, built primarily as a watch fort, is nearly 2 acres in size and stands at the narrowest part of the Bosphorus.

After the Ottoman conquest of the city, Anadoluhisarı served as a customs house and military prison, and after several centuries, it fell into disrepair. It was restored between 1991 and 1993.

Rumelihisarı

Rumelihisari sits directly across the Bosphorus from Andoluhisari. Conceived and built between 1451 and 1452 CE on the orders of Sultan Mehmed II. It was built in preparation for a planned Ottoman siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople, with the goal of cutting off maritime military and logistical relief that could potentially come to the Byzantines’ aid.

After the Ottoman conquest of the city, Rumelihisarı served as a customs checkpoint and occasional prison. After suffering extensive damage in the Great Earthquake of 1509, the structure was repaired and was used continuously until the late 19th century.

Restoration work began in May 1955 and lasted until May 1958. Since 1960, Rumelihisarı has been a museum.

Beylerbeyi Palace

There are many grand palaces on the Bosphorus, but this one caught my eye. Commissioned by Sultan Abdulaziz, the palace was completed between 1861 and 1865. It served as a summer residence and a venue for hosting foreign dignitaries. Its design combines European architectural influences, particularly Neo-Baroque, with traditional Ottoman interior decoration. Today, it functions as a museum.

Maiden’s Tower

In 1110, Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus built a wooden tower protected by a stone wall. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower held a Byzantine garrison commanded by the Venetian Gabriele Trevisano. Later, the structure was used as a watchtower by the Ottomans during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

The tower was destroyed during the 1509 earthquake, rebuilt, and then burned down in 1721. Reconstruction was ordered by the grand vizier Damad Ibrahim Pasha, and the new building was used as a lighthouse; the surrounding walls were repaired in 1731 and 1734. From 1829, it was used as a quarantine station before being restored again by Sultan Mahmud II. In 1998, it was restored and then appeared in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. How it got its name is a mystery.

Luxury Apartments

Istanbul’s 2026 population is now estimated at 16,419,100. In 1950, the population of Istanbul was 967,497. The number of tall apartment complexes going up is astonishing.

I have always loved the old wooden homes of Turkey. This small, well-kept home caught my eye. While there are many large mansions, this quaint little spot was a visual gem.

Kuleli Military High School

There are a number of schools that sit right on the Bosphorus. Kuleli Military High School was the oldest military high school in Turkey. Established in September 1845, it is now used by the Istanbul Technical University.

Kuleli Mosque

The Kuleli Mosque was built in 1720 by Kaymak Mustafa Pasha, son-in-law of Ahmed III’s powerful grand vizier, Nevşehirli İbrahim Pasha.

A look back before once again entering the Golden Horn

Despite the chilling temperatures, it was a really lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Saying Goodbye

Since our flight is at 7:00 in the morning and the airport is a solid hour from downtown Istanbul, we decided to stay in a hotel near the airport. We chose Villa Business in the small town of Karaburun. As the cab driver worked his way here, we were seriously questioning our choice. And yet, the hotel is absolutely fabulous. And the drive in the morning to the airport a mere 24 minutes.

The wind is blowing hard enough to knock you down, but the view from my room and a hot cup of tea are all I need at this point in the trip.

The view from my bed:

Looking out at the Black Sea

On to Uzbekistan in the morning.

Istanbul the Asian Side – Kadikoy and Moda

Istanbul, Turkey

May 022026

May 1, 2026

I am traveling with my friend Susan, who loves to go on market and food tours. Because of this, my palette has expanded greatly, and I have been able to try foods I might not otherwise have. Today, we headed to the Asian side of Istanbul for a wonderful food tour.

Getting there, however, was easier said than done. First, it was raining, and then it was May 1st, or Labor Day in Turkey. Our adventure began with a tram ride from the hotel to the ferry station. There we boarded a ferry to Kadikoy. Upon alighting at Uskudar, we were told the ferry would not continue on to Kadikoy due to the observances. So we found bus 12 to take us there. 3/4 of the way there, the bus said it doesn’t go any further due to the observances. So we hailed a cab. He said he couldn’t take us there because of the observances. After fumbling trying to find Google Translate, I typed in, Can you get us close? He started the car, and off we went. He did a great job, and we arrived but a mere 5 minutes late, only to find out that we were on one side of the fences and our guide was on the other. So, after lots of phone calls, map-swapping via text to show our locations, and hiking, we met and started our tour.

The Asian or Anatolian side got its real start when Ottoman Sultan Beyazıt built the Anatolian fortress as part of his preparations for a siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople between 1393 and 1394.

In 1455, shortly after the conquest of Constantinople, the district had three categories of inhabitants: Genoese, Venetian, and Catalan merchants; Genoese with Ottoman citizenship; and Greeks, Armenians, and Jews. According to a census of 1478, almost half of the local population was Muslim. From 1500 onward, Sephardic Jews arrived after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. A second wave of Christian arrivals occurred when British, French, and Italian Allied forces arrived in Istanbul to fight in the Crimean War (1854–1856). After 1917, thousands of White Russians fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution landed here and settled in the area.

We began with a walk through Moda, considered the up-and-coming hip section of Kadikoy. Moda is also a very diverse part of the area. It has Armenian, Greek, and Anglican church buildings, a Georgian art house, theaters, and the French Lycée Saint-Joseph (founded in 1870).

Süreyya Opera House

The Sureyya Opera House was designed by Ottoman Armenian architect Kegham Kavafyan. It was originally established in 1927 as the first musical theatre on the Anatolian part of Istanbul. However, due to the lack of appropriate facilities and equipment at the theatre, operettas weren’t staged until 2007. The venue was used as a movie theatre until the building underwent a functional restoration and reopened as an opera house on December 14, 2007.

Remains of Köçeoğlu Hamam Arch and Wall

Our first food stop was for “breakfast”. Our guide joined us with simit, something that I have loved since my first trip to Istanbul over 25 years ago.

Simit

If you are not familiar, Simit is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds. Simit is found across the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, especially in Armenia, Turkey, and the Balkans. The word simit comes from Arabic samīd, meaning “white bread” or “fine flour.”

Our next stop was for Menemen (on the right) and Kuymak. I found the Menemen absolutely delicious; the kuymak was not my thing.

Menemen is tomatoes, bell peppers, just 2 eggs, and cheese with a little spice. It is similar to shashuka, but I like it better.

Kuymak is melted cheese and either cornmeal or cornstarch. It is from Turkey’s Black Sea region, and what makes it special is the Trabzon cheese from the area. It is served hot, so it remains liquid, and you eat it by dipping bread in it.

Salça the Cat

I dined with Salça. Salça (a deep red paste made from peppers or tomato and salt) and parsley are nicknames for busy bodies in Turkey, as they are two ingredients found in everything.

Pide

Next was pide, or pita. Pide is a thin, boat-shaped flatbread with a filling inside, originally from the Aegean Region. The most popular fillings are: minced meat (kiymali pide), cheese (peynirli pide or kaşarlı pide), sausage (sucuklu pide), tahini (Tahinli pide), and cheese with eggs (kaşarlı-yumurtalı pide).

Traditionally cooked in wood-fired stone ovens, pide has a crisp, boat-shaped base on which the filling and toppings are placed.

Very filling and really, really good!

The boat is formed once you order your meal. That is butter in the foreground.

Giant cabbages in the market as we walk to the next stop

Lahmacun

Lahmacun is a flatbread topped with minced meat (most commonly beef or lamb), minced vegetables, and herbs such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and parsley, flavored with spices such as chili pepper and paprika, then baked. At the table, you can dress it up with lemon, sumac, or roasted peppers. Absolutely delicious!

Two other stops included a glass of red Turkish wine and Turkish coffee, and we finished off the day with baklava.

We were given the rules of baklava in Turkey. A minimum of 40 layers of dough and no honey, but a simple syrup. In fact, the syrup used varies greatly from country to country. In Algeria, the syrup is typically flavored with orange blossom water, whereas in Iran, rose water and cardamom are preferred. A honey and lemon syrup is the go-to in Greece. The Turks use pistachio nuts and only pistachio nuts. You will find different types of nuts, primarily walnuts, in other countries. Our guide was quick to point out that baklava originated in Syria, not Turkey.

The coffee tree was first cultivated commercially in Yemen, having been introduced there from Ethiopia’s rainforests, where it grew wild. For a long time, Yemenis had a world monopoly on coffee bean exports. For nearly a century (1538–1636), the Ottoman Empire controlled the southern coastal region of the Yemen, notably its famous coffee port Mocha.

It is said that the first coffeehouse in Istanbul was opened in 1554. The history of Turkish coffee is a bit cloudy. Some say the method originated in Yemen or Damascus (a plausible, if unsubstantiated, claim, since the Middle Eastern coffeehouse probably originated in Damascus) and was brought to Istanbul by Syrians.

One of my favorite forms of Turkish coffee is Sand Coffee.

Sand coffee involves placing the cezve filled with coffee in a pan filled with hot sand. The pan is heated over an open flame, allowing the sand to take full control of the heat. The heat from the sand lets the coffee foam rise to the top almost immediately. The heat can also be adjusted by the depth of the cezve in the sand. This process is usually repeated three to four times.

Susan likes sugar in her coffee; I do not. In Turkish coffee, sugar must be added to the coffee before, not after, it’s prepared.

Kayseri Pastirma

In our pide we had kayseri pastirma, a very interesting-tasting meat with an almost dried-meat texture. Pastirma is prepared by salting the meat, then washing it with water and letting it dry for ten to 15 days. After that, the blood and salt are squeezed out of the meat, which is then covered with a cumin paste called çemen (“fenugreek”), prepared with crushed cumin, fenugreek, garlic, and hot paprika, and then thoroughly air-dried.

Kokorec

This is kokorec being made. We did not try this, although I believe I would have liked to. Kokorec is seasoned, skewered, charcoal-grilled lamb intestines — usually wrapped around sweetbreads (thymus gland), chopped up and served in a half or quarter-bread loaf.

More sights from the area.

Pikachu in tile as a stand for a trash can.

Something else we did not try is Boza, a fermented beverage originating from Central Asia and one of the oldest Turkic beverages. It is a malt drink made by fermenting various grains: millet, wheat (or bulgur), and maize (corn) in Turkey. It has a thick consistency, a low alcohol content (around 1%), and a slightly acidic, sweet flavor.

Today was an amazing adventure. Taking the metro home means we utilized five forms of transportation to complete our day. The food was delicious, the adventure fun, so overall a wonderful day.

A view out the window of the ferry while on the Bosphorus

Istanbul – The European Side

Istanbul, Turkey

May 022026

April 30, 2026

I am back in Istanbul for a very quick 5-day stop. Istanbul has always been one of my favorite cities in the world, and I have explored it many times over the years.

On my last visit, in 2023, I stayed at the Pera Palace in Tepebasi Beyoglu on the other side of the Golden Horn. In 2016, I spent some time here in Sirkeci at the Sirkeci Mansion Hotel as part of a month-long visit to Turkey. All of those I have had the privilege to write about. On this trip, I am on the European side, staying in a funky hotel in Fatih, and I had intended to return to some of the places I visited before I started this blog. However, I had no idea that tourism in Istanbul had grown so large and that the classic tourist sights had become so crowded as to be unbearable.

However, I got to a few new places and hit on some old ones as well.

The Grand Bazaar

The historical Grand Bazaar, with a total area of almost 10 acres, 3,125 stores, 97 different goods, 25,000 employees, 300,000-500,000 visitors a day in normal times, 64 streets, 5 mosques, 2 covered bazaars, 7 fountains, and 22 gates, is the biggest indoor shopping mall in the world, and it has gone through a complete restoration. While it is lovely to walk through, it has lost a lot of its charm.

The Spice Bazaar

Wooden Azan. Every day, the workers would gather here at this corner to pray.

The Spice Bazaar is one of Istanbul’s oldest covered markets. It was built in 1664. It has 6 historic gates, an L-shaped layout, and around 85 shops selling spices, Turkish delight, teas, nuts, dried fruits, and souvenirs. It too has undergone a major restoration.

The Cistern of Theodosius

This Cistern is not as well-known, having only been discovered in 2010. It was a joy to spend time in it with only a handful of people.

The modern building covering the Theodosius Cistern

The first conduit system to bring water to the area was 29 miles long and was created by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century CE, when the settlement had been known as Byzantium.

Constantine proclaimed the city to be the new capital of the Roman Empire in 330 CE, and the population grew rapidly. He started the construction of the longest water conveyance system in the Roman Empire. It was further extended in the second half of the 4th century by Emperor Valens. I visited the Valens Aqueduct in 2016.

In the city, cisterns formed a unique storage and distribution system, far more extensive and developed than in any other location of the Roman Empire. The exact number of cisterns that existed is not known. However, the two most popular today are the Basilica Cistern and the Theodosius. The name of the Theodosius Cistern comes from Emperor Theodosius II, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire in the first half of the 5th century.

The cistern has a roof with 45 sail vaults, supported by 32 marble columns about 29 feet high. All column capitals are of Corinthian order with bearing impost blocks above. The marble of the columns was brought from Marmara Island. The interior walls of the cistern are covered with waterproof plaster, and its corners are curved to withstand water pressure. The walls were also erected of bricks, separated by thick joints.

Columns of Istanbul

The Obelisk of Theodosius was originally an ancient Egyptian obelisk commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BCE. It features four sides covered with hieroglyphs praising the pharaoh’s victories. It originally stood in Heliopolis, Egypt, and was brought to Constantinople in AD 390 by Emperor Theodosius I, who erected it in the Hippodrome. Carved from pink granite, it has a base decorated with reliefs from the Theodosian period. Because the obelisk remained underground for more than a thousand years, the hieroglyphic figures have remained clear.

The Walled Obelisk (shown in the first photo to the right of the Obelisk of Theodosius) was built by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII in the 10th century. The column was built by stacking cut stones on top of each other and thus was named “Walled Obelisk”.

Serpentine Column

The Serpent Column is one of the oldest monuments in Turkey. Originally dating to the 5th century BCE, this bronze column was erected in front of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi to commemorate the united victory of the Greek city-states over the Persians at the Battle of Plataea. The design, formed by three intertwined serpent heads, was inspired by the myth of Apollo defeating a dragon. When Emperor Constantine I declared Istanbul the capital of the empire, he ordered the monument brought to the city around AD 324 and placed it at the center of the Hippodrome. Once believed to have stood about 26 feet tall, only the lower 16-foot section survives today. A golden bowl that once crowned the column disappeared in antiquity.

The Çemberlitaş Column was erected in the early 4th century in honor of Emperor Constantine I. It is said to have been brought from the Temple of Apollo in Rome and set in the city’s central square, the Forum of Constantine, as a triumphal monument symbolizing the founding of Constantine’s New Rome. At its top once stood a bronze statue of the sun god Helios, later reinterpreted as an image of Constantine himself. Over the centuries, the column endured earthquakes and fires. The statue eventually fell during the late Byzantine period and was replaced by a cross, which was removed after the conquest of Istanbul. A major fire in 1515 caused serious damage, darkening the surface and creating cracks. Toward the end of the 17th century, Sultan Mustafa II reinforced the structure by adding a stone base and encircling the shaft with iron bands. From that point on, it became known among locals as “Çemberlitaş,” meaning “the ringed stone.”

A few sights on the walk today

A fun little stop for authentic Turkish Salt Coffee

A simit seller found outside the Grand Bazaar – 2016, by Mustafa Burnazoğlu and Ersin Alyakut

In and around the Theodosius Cistern are sculptures of this creature by various artists in various styles. The creature, Shahmaran, is a mythical being, half-snake and half-woman, portrayed as a dual-headed creature with a crown on each head, a human female head on one end and a snake’s head on the other, possibly representing a phallic figure. The human part is also decorated with a large necklace.

In Turkey, Shahmaran is believed to live in the Mediterranean town of Tarsus, and a similar legend is told in the eastern portion of the country, namely Mardin, a town with a large Kurdish and Arab population.

There were several things I did not see on this trip that were originally part of my plan. First, the Basilica Cistern. Due to some classic government machinations, the Basilica Cistern now costs only 1 Turkish Lira if you are a native. That is equal to .02 cents. So the lines were absolutely prohibitive. The second was Hagia Sophia. When I was here 25 years ago, Hagia Sophia was not a working mosque. It is now, so the floors have been covered with carpets. It is also under restoration, so you are only allowed on the second floor. If you have ever been there, the tile floors and the mosaic walls are why you go, something you can not appreciate from the second-floor balcony. The third is the Blue Mosque. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I have entered more than my fair share in my lifetime. I had seen the Blue Mosque, and while lovely, it was not worth standing in the long lines that are now part of Istanbul’s increased tourism.

The Blue Mosque at Night

Cemeteries

I am definitely a taphophile, so I had to get one cemetery in before I left. This is a small one dedicated to Sultan II Mahmud (1785-1839), Sultan Abdulaziz (1830-1876), and Sultan II Abdulhamid (1842-1919).

I wrote about Ottoman-era cemeteries when I visited Euyp in Istanbul.

As I began looking back on my trips to Istanbul, I realized how much the Lira-to-Dollar exchange rate has changed. The Turks are suffering horrible inflation and this is a good indicator as to why.

2016: 1 TRY = $0.3428

2023: 1 TRY = $0.0535

2026: 1 TRY = $0.0233

Turkey’s Inflation Rate for the same period.


2025	30.89	46.63	28.44
2024	44.38	41.35	25.58
2023	64.77	32.61	20.94
2022	64.27	25.39	16.68
2021	36.08	14.87	11.45
2020	14.60	12.50	10.16
2019	11.84	11.56	9.79
2018	20.30	10.31	8.91
2017	11.92	8.58	8.35
2016	8.53	8.14	8.11

Jan 192023

January 2023

This post is just a placeholder for my memory. I spent just a few days on this trip in Istanbul as my layover from Oman to home would have included ten hours in the Istanbul airport; I decided to drop in on one of my favorite cities in the world. A city I have visited many, many times and as often as I can.

I decided to stay at the Pera Palace, although I was unaware of how famous it is. Agatha Christie stayed in room 411 when writing Murder on the Orient Express. I only learned of the hotel while watching the Netflix show Midnight at the Pera Palace. It was built in 1892 and designed by Alexander Vallaury, a French-Ottoman architect, to host the passengers of the Orient Express. It holds the title of “the oldest European hotel of Turkey”.

The Interior of the Pera Palace from the 4th floor

The hotel was the first building in the Ottoman Empire to be powered by electricity, other than the Imperial Palace. It was also the only address in the city to provide hot running water for its guests and was home to the first electric elevator in Constantinople and only the second electric elevator in Europe.

The original Pera Palace elevator

Sedan chair used to transport the guests from the Orient Express to the Pera Palace Hotel

The house phone available in the hallway

Room 101 is where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder, and first president of the Republic of Turkey, stayed. The room is now a museum, marked with all the furniture and decorations from his 1917 stay. It also includes some of his personal possessions, including the clock that stopped at the time of his death. When I visited on a Wednesday, the museum was crowded. I saw one German couple, and the rest were Turkish students. The following morning, the museum was once again crowded with students. I consider this a very good sign. The history of Atatürk and Erdoğan being so divergent at this time.

I must admit I fell in love with the history of the Pera Palace Hotel. The location, while once lovely, is now in a rather hectic part of town, and I am not sure it makes sense anymore to stay here, but I could feel the past with every step I took inside the hotel.

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These few days are not so much about sightseeing as unwinding, eating too much lokma, dining on Balik Ekmek under the bridge, and wandering the market.

I snuck in a few other things along the way, however.

Camondo Stairs

The stairs connect Bankalar Caddesi, the street where all the banks and the Bourse used to be in the late Ottoman period, with Bereketzade Medresesi Sokak, one of the streets that leads straight to Galata Tower.

This staircase was built around 1870-1880 and was financed by Abraham Camondo, a banker and Sephardic Jew (important because they were run out of Spain, and Constantinople was one of the few places they could find safety). The stairs were supposedly built to facilitate the transport of Camondo’s children to their school and as a shortcut for Camondo to reach Bankalar Caddesi quickly. The hexagonal shape of the staircase was supposedly designed in this way so that if one of the children were to slip, the curved banister would prevent them from falling further.

Flora Hani

I first visited Istanbul with my late husband in the 1990s. We walked İstiklal Avenue, historically known as the Grand Avenue of Pera, and took oodles of pictures of the lovely art deco and art nouveau buildings. Buildings that were loaded with quality crafts from Istanbul. In walking Istiklal today, it is filled with nothing but international name-brand stores and “stuff”.

On the other side of the Golden Horn lies this sad creature. Flora Han was built at the beginning of the 20th century to house offices. Its architecture highlights the western influences that crept into the city at a time when the Ottoman court was enthralled with the Art Nouveau styles spreading throughout European cultures. Many of the buildings of this era are the work of Italian architect Raimondo D’Aronco.

Museum of Innocence

Six years ago, when I was here, I didn’t find the need to visit the Museum of Innocence. I had read Orhan Pamuk’s book of the same name and, like all of his books I have read, I was mystified by it and why he would create a museum at the same time as writing the book. This time it was only a few blocks away from my hotel, so I went, and I am glad I did. I was rather intrigued that the museum was very busy, and I am sure I was the only non-Turk visiting. Here are a few pictures that absolutely brought the book back to me.

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The rest of my wanderings.

A poem under the Golden Horn Metro Bridge

A new communications tower installed in 2021 is now the tallest building in Istanbul.

Designed by the Turkish firm Melike Altinisik Architects. The new communications tower features restaurants, exhibition spaces, meeting areas, a panoramic elevator, and a two-story observation deck looking out over the Bosphorus Strait.

So much of my heart resides in this city, but its overwhelming growth is sucking it dry. The streets are so crowded with cars that they do not move, incessant honking being the music of the city. You will never get me to say anything bad about Istanbul, but its growing pains hurt me to watch.

High Above Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

Oct 162016

October 15, 2016

A boat ride up the Golden Horn is worth the trip if you have the time. I have already written about the Eyüp Sultan Mosque and the fascinating gravestones that surround the mosque. A trip to the Pierre Loti Café can be incorporated into the same visit if you plan ahead, if not, a trip to the Pierre Loti Café just for the view is also worth the trip.

If you are staying in the Sultanahmet you can catch a ferry from Eminönü to Eyüp but if this is your plan, ask someone for very, very specific directions to the Eminönü Ferry landing, it is hidden in an out of the way spot near the bus station.

You can see the remnants of the industry that once lined the area.

The Golden Horn, or Haliç in Turkish, is a horn-shaped fiord fed by two small streams. It is a natural harbor where the Byzantine and Ottoman fleets once anchored.

During the Byzantine period, the entrance was blocked by a huge chain to stop unwanted ships from entering.

At the beginning of 16th century Leonardo da Vinci designed a bridge to be built over the Golden Horn for the sultan, alas it was never built.

In the first half of 18th century the Golden Horn was famous for its tulip gardens where the upper crust came to enjoy the flowers, row their boats, and watch the sunset.

Parks have sprung up along the Golden Horn underneath the sprawling neighborhoods of Istanbul

With the population explosion in the 1950s, it became an industrial area with industrial waste and serious sewage problems. The 1980s brought clean-up programs and, as one can see, the area is a delightful place to enjoy a boat ride or hop off and enjoy the neighborhoods.

Phanar Greek College

A structure that you will pass high on the hill is the Phanar Greek Orthodox College the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, Turkey. The school, like all minority schools in Turkey at present, is a secular school.

Established in 1454 by Thessalonian Matthaios Kamariotis, the locals call it The Red Castle or The Red School.

Designed by the Ottoman Greek architect Konstantinos Dimadis, the building was erected between 1881 and 1883 with an eclectic mix of different styles. The large dome at the top of the building is used as an observatory for astronomy classes and has a large antique telescope inside.

Another area you pass is the Rahmi M. Koç Industrial Museum. A typical industry museum showcasing items such as a submarine, classic cars, railway carriages, an out-of-service Bosphorus ferry, and a Douglas DC-3 aircraft as well as a re-creation of an old Ottoman cityscape.

The white between the trees are tombstones from the extremely large cemetery of Eyüp Sultan Mosque

When you get off at Eyüp walk just a little way to the bottom of the tram that takes you up to the Pierre Loti Café, for the cost of one transit token.

The ride up is not all that spectacular as the glass in the tram bubbles is not real clear, but once you are at the top, you get a wonderful view of the Golden Horn running through the immense city of Istanbul.

You can either ride the tram back down, or you can walk down to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque past many of the newer gravestones.

View from the Tea House

Water taxis abound in Istanbul, for some reasons the ones at Eyup look like Venitian Gondolas

Water taxis abound in Istanbul, for some reasons the ones at Eyüp look like Venetian Gondolas

Make sure you take the time to have tea at the café, it fits importantly into one of the great myths of Istanbul.

The teahouse is dedicated to French naval officer and novelist Pierre Loti. According to legend during Loti’s stay in Istanbul in 1876, he gazed from this exact location in search of inspiration for his first masterpiece, Aziyadé.

Aziyadé and Le Mariage de Loti were both published anonymously, but their huge success in France propelled Pierre Loti into fame.

Aziyadé is semi-autobiographical, based on a diary Loti kept during a 3-month period as a French Naval officer in Greece and İstanbul in the fall and winter of 1876. It tells the story of the 27-year-old Loti’s illicit love affair with an 18-year-old “Circassian” harem girl named Aziyadé. Although Aziyadé was one of many conquests in the exotic romantic’s life, she was his greatest love, he would wear a gold ring with her name on it for the rest of his life. Forming a love triangle, the book also describes Loti’s “friendship” with a Spanish man servant named Samuel, for which most critics believe, based on Loti’s diary entries, was some sort of homosexual affair. Importantly it also describes Loti’s love affair with Turkish culture which became a central part of his “exotica” persona.

This visit to the mosque was on a Saturday, and the area was very crowded. It makes for a fun and interesting scene for people watching.

Walking the plaza in front of the mosque

You can buy anything from prayer beads to ice cream

After taking the ferry back, strolling the busy streets of Istanbul on Saturday can be a thrill unto itself.

Walking along the waterfront

Finding trinkets wherever you go

Off the Beaten Path in Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

Oct 152016

October 14, 2016

There are so many places to explore in a city that covers almost 600 square miles with a population of over 14 million people.

One that is worth venturing out for is the Sakip Sabanci Museum. The museum’s permanent collection of the Arts of Calligraphy is comprehensive and stunning. It is comparable and in my opinion slightly superior, to the Calligraphy Museum in Sultanhamet. Located about 30 minutes by public transportation from the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul, it can be a trek but is worth every moment.

In 1925, Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan of the Hidiv family of Egypt commissioned the Italian architect Edouard De Nari to build the villa, now the museum’s main building, as a family summer house.

The mansion was purchased in 1951 by industrialist Hacı Ömer Sabancı from the Hidiv family to also be used as a summer residence, at that time it came to be known as Atlı Köşk, “The Mansion with the Horse”, because of the statue of a horse that was installed in the garden; the statue is the 1864 work of the French sculptor Louis Doumas.

The gardens of the museum are scattered with old ruins.

Do not go to the museum without planning on dining. In the museum is Changa, an award-winning restaurant that is worth seeking out for the food, and then it is accompanied by a view of the Bosphorus to make your day perfect.

Squash flowers stuffed with a piquant Lado cheese

Squash flowers stuffed with a piquant Lor cheese pine nuts and basil, sitting on a spoonful of Hoisin Sauce

Lamb braised to perfection with home made noodles

Chili infused poach pears with mastic ice cream and Pişmaniye

The view from our table at Changa

A stroll along the water is a must after such a meal.

*You can view the yali that lines both sides of the Bosphorus. Yali literally means “seashore, beach” and is a house or mansion constructed at the immediate waterside, almost exclusively on the Bosphorus. These were usually built as second homes.

Most date from the 19th century and are finely worked wood construction. The Yali of today are some of the most expensive homes in Istanbul, and a few are listed as the most expensive homes in the world.

An unrestored Yali on the Asian side

Looking across the Bosphorus to the Yali on the Asian side

Stop in at one of the four most famous hotels along the Bosphorus for a waterfront cocktail. This fun cart is at the Four Seasons

Now an underpass at one time this was part of Çırağan, once an Imperial Ottoman Palace, now the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel

Now an underpass at one time this was part of an Imperial Ottoman Palace, The Çırağan, now the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel.

Peek through the gates at the Dolmabahçe Palace, or better yet, go visit.

People Watch

* *

Enjoy the sunset over the Bosphorus

Thoughts on Istanbul in September

Istanbul, Turkey

Sep 222016

September 22, 2016

I wanted to write about a few things to wrap up this part of my Istanbul trip. This is also a great place for me to post some pictures that have no rhyme nor reason.

One of the shop owners on my street, they are all suffering badly from the lack of tourism

Turkey is changing, for good or bad is not my place to say. I had an opportunity to talk to a few people about Erdoğan’s “New Turkey”. One gentleman that spoke no English uttered “crazy” I laughed and said yes, that emboldened him, and he finished the conversation with “hate”.

I visited cemeteries one day, this is what a non-muslim cemetery looks like in town.

A gentleman in his mid 20s told me, while he did not want to sound prejudiced, he was tired of seeing women draped in black with their faces covered. He was especially angry that his favorite bar in the airport, where he says goodbye to his overseas girlfriend, had been closed. He was sure it was because Erdoğan is trying to make Turkey a total Muslim country. I could not disagree, it is what I am seeing also.

A fisherman in the town of Camakkale

If you are unaware of Turkish history I suggest you read about the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Following WWI Atatürk embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern and secular nation-state. Under his leadership, many good things occurred, especially the fact that women were given equal civil and political rights. In 1924 Turkey outlawed the Mogul symbol, the Fez, veiling of women was discouraged, and western clothing for men and women were encouraged.

The headscarf was never officially banned by Atatürk, but with a constitutional principle of official secularism, the Turkish government has traditionally banned women who wear headscarves from working in the public sector. The ban applies to teachers, lawyers, parliamentarians and others working on state premises.

In 2007 Prime Minister Erdoğan campaigned with a promise of lifting the longstanding ban on headscarves in public institutions. This was not a very popular concept.

In June 2008, after much back and forth in parliament, Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that removing the ban was against the founding principles of the constitution. The highest court’s decision to uphold the headscarf ban cannot be appealed. Erdogan, however, has managed to circumvent the Constitutional Court by throwing everyone out and appointing his own people. The head scarf is not accepted in government offices and in the military. It will be interesting to see when it becomes mandatory, and how long until that is the only covering women will be wearing.

The Trojan horse, a sales gimmick, at the dig site of Troy.

I feel fortunate to be here at this time. The Turkish people are some of the most accommodating, and kind people. Their economy is suffering and it is not their fault. Tourism has dropped off remarkably. So many places I have visited I was told that, had I come last year I would be in a crowd of thousands, when I visited Troy, I was the only person in the entire park.

I stayed at the Sirkeci Mansion at Taya Hatun Sokak #5. The hotel is absolutely perfectly located, the rooms are just divine and the staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating, I cannot recommend them enough.

My dear friend Bing suggested I lunch at Nar Lokanta on the roof of the Armaggan building, a very, very chic store. I had intended to, but as is common in Istanbul, I got lost. I asked for directions and I got even more lost. Sadly I had a plane to catch. I did, however, make it in time to have the dessert that Bing had recommended, or maybe not, as he couldn’t remember the name. What I did have was Safranlı zerde, that with a cup of Turkish coffee, was absolutely worth the effort to find the place, next time I will leave enough time to do a full meal.

Since I did not get to eat lunch I asked if my driver would stop at the Galata bridge so I could run under the bridge and get a fish sandwiches. If you do not know what I am talking about, on the European side, under the bridge are restaurants, at the end are sidewalk stands selling nothing but grilled fish on a white bread roll with shredded cabbage. There is nothing else on the sandwich and it is such an Istanbul experience I would never leave without having had one. Thanks to my very accommodating driver, and I mean that, what he did was completely illegal, i.e. stopping on the bridge while I ran, I scored my sandwich.

Looking down onto the town from one of the seven hills

This is my second trip to Istanbul so I had the luxury of time, and therefore the chance to get farther than the Sultanahmet and Beyoğlu. This is when I realized how huge Istanbul is. It is a town of 14 million people, and with that it has traffic and humanity everywhere.

Istanbul has one of the finest, most inexpensive and most understandable transit systems in the world, but you still need to take a bus, driver or cab from the airports and this is where you get to see the traffic situation first hand.

It takes one hour to go from the Sultanahmet to the domestic airport, about the same time it takes to get to the International airport. I realized if I ever wanted to rent a car, I would find someplace outside of the town to do so, as once you leave the city the country is wide-open spaces.

One last comment, after the bombings and the “coup” many people were concerned about my being here. I feel as safe as ever. I walked everywhere as a single woman with a camera around my neck and never felt threatened. Yes the storeowners will follow you for blocks trying to get your business, but that is a completely different type of “hassle”.

Sitting in the evening, sipping on a beer and enjoying the atmosphere

It has been raining, but fortunately never enough to be a bother, the temperatures have been hovering in the mid to high 70s, perfect weather.

An abandoned art deco building in the center of town

The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

Sep 202016

September 20, 2016

The Grand Bazaar needs no words, photos will do all my talking. You might like a little history however, so here goes. The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed No.1 among world’s most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. the Grand Bazaar is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world.

The bazaar has been an important trading center since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two domed buildings, the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake.

The complex once housed two mosques, four fountains, two hamams, and several cafés and restaurants. In the center is the high domed hall of the Cevahir Bedesten.

Buy a scale to keep the merchants honest

Brooms

Chess boards of every color and size

The tea pot shop

Sieves of every size and shape

Skewers for Kabob

The paper stop

Bread and Pastries

Candy

Olives

Spices

Fish

Have your shoes shined

Hot roasted chestnuts

Even the men’s mannequins are unique

Jewelry

Lamps

The center hall

Potpourri

The juice stand

This is a unique form of kebab in a jar

Roasted corn dripping in butter

Hope you enjoyed!

Not Your Normal Itinerary in Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

Sep 202016

September 20, 2016

This is not my first time in Istanbul, so if you are looking for a rundown on the highlights, such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, I am sorry.

The emblem of the town of Istanbul was designed by Metin Edremit, after winning a 1968 contest put on by the Municipal Administration.

The lower part of the emblem represents the Bosphorus, the river that separates Istanbul into two parts, Europe and Asia. The city walls of the historical town are shown on each side. The major draw for tourists is said to be the famous mosques and their minarets, those are shown as Istanbul’s skyline. These sit atop seven triangles representing the seven hills on which Istanbul was built.

You will find the symbol everywhere, including in this wrought iron fence along the metro

You are still able to see parts of the old city walls, or The Walls of Constantinople, built when Istanbul was Constantinople and the capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. They were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built.

The walls surrounded the city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both land and sea.

A double walled portion of the wall was built by Theodosius II in AD 412-22. The famous double line of the Theodosian Walls contained 11 fortified gates, 192 towers and four miles of wall. It was built of red tile alternating with limestone blocks.

Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, when well-manned, they were almost impregnable for any medieval besieger, saving the city, and the Byzantine Empire with it, during sieges from the Avars, Arabs, Rus’, and Bulgars, among others.

The walls were largely maintained intact during most of the Ottoman period until sections began to be dismantled in the 19th century, as the city outgrew its medieval boundaries. More of the wall was demolished in the 1950s to make way for a roadway. Despite the subsequent lack of maintenance, as you can see, many parts of the walls are still standing. A large-scale restoration program has been underway since the 1980s.

Eyup, Istanbul

Eyup Sultan Mosque

It is impossible to describe how many grave sights are in this area, they go on forever.

The Eyüp Sultan Cemetery is one of the oldest and largest Muslim cemeteries in Istanbul, it hosts graves of Ottoman sultans and court members, grand viziers, high-ranked religious authorities, civil servants and military commanders as well as intellectuals, scientists, artists, and poets.

The cemetery was very popular to the Ottoman people, who wanted to be buried next to the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (576–circa 672 or 674) a close companion of Prophet Muhammad. After the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, a tomb was constructed above his grave and the mosque, Eyüp Sultan Mosque, was built in his honor. From that time on, the area now known as Eyüp has become sacred, and many prominent people request burial in the proximity of Abu Ayyub.

I was told this was the grave of an executioner, I do not know if that is actually true.

Among the most interesting graves are of those of the Ottoman-era public executioners who were not allowed to be buried in public cemeteries. A separate burial ground, called the “Executioner Cemetery” existed on the Karyağdı Hill aside the Eyüp Cemetery. Their burial took place only in two cemeteries in Istanbul, and secretly during the night. The headstones were blank without any name and date in order to avoid retaliation by the relatives of the executed persons. Unfortunately, only a few executioner graves have survived up to date.

An what is a cemetery without a few thousand cats?

If you get to the mosque, make sure you take the time to visit the Pierre Loti Cafe, which I did on a separate day, and you can read all about here.

Fatih District of Istanbul

The Valens Aqueduct, a Roman aqueduct, was the major water-providing system of the then Eastern Capital of Rome, Constantinople. Completed by Roman Emperor Valens in the late 4th century AD, it was maintained and used by the Byzantines and later the Ottomans.

The construction of a water supply system for the city (then still called Byzantium) had already begun under the Roman emperor Hadrian. Under Constantine I, when the city was rebuilt and increased in size, the system was expanded.

The Valens Aqueduct was merely one of the terminal points of this system of aqueducts and canals – which eventually reached over 160 miles in total length.

The exact date that construction on the aqueduct began is uncertain, but it was completed in 368 AD.

The first row of arches is built with well-squared stone blocks; the upper row is built with four to seven courses of stones alternated with a bed of smaller material with iron clamps. The width of the aqueduct bridge is approximately 25 feet. The pillars are approximately 122 feet thick, and the arches of the lower order are around 13 feet wide. A survey performed in 2009 showed that the pillar’s foundations were about 20 feet below where they are today.

The Sehzade Mosque

The Sehzade Mosque sits next to the ancient aqueduct and has an impressive series of mausoleums as well. There are five in the funerary garden to the south of the mosque. The earliest and largest is that of Şehzade Mehmed. The interior walls are covered with multi-colored unglazed Iznik tiles, and the windows have stained glass. An unusual feature and something that made photographing difficult is the rectangular wooden throne over Mehmed’s sarcophagus, which symbolized his status as the heir apparent.

The tomb of Shezad Memed

A close up of the windows in the tomb of Shezad Mehmid

A close up of the windows in the tomb of Shezad Mehmed

The tomb of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha

Tomb of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, son-in-law of Murat III, who died in 1601

To the south of the Şehzade mausoleum is the tomb of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha. Rüstem Pasha was the son-in-law of Suleiman the Magnificent.

An example of gravestones scattered outside of the mausoleums.

This was an unusual day spent visiting sites that are well off of the beaten path. This day required an over 12-mile walk and at least 8 tram tokens.

Tram tokens are used every time you get on a tram, when you leave the tram, even to make a connection, you must buy another token. Tokens at this time are 4TL or $1.34.