Enchanting Istanbul

St. Sophia is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, and deserves much of your attention, both for the architectural wonder that has stodd for 1,500 years, and for the atmosphere inside it. The nearby Blue Mosque is fascinating both in itself, and in the religious contrast.

A trip across the Bosphorus is also a great thing to do, as it gives you the opportunity to see the city from a different perspective, and to enjoy the cooler breeze in the summer! Istanbul is a great place to shop, for carpets, spices, and silk. You do have to be careful, though, as there are a lot of people willing to try and part you from your cash.

Quick Tips:

If you are a woman travelling alone, or two women together, you may very well attract a lot of (male) attention. Dressing modestly is therefore a good idea, and means you can go into mosques as well.

Be careful of your bag or wallet - non-violent pickpocketing can be quite a problem in some areas, particularly those with lots of tourists. The city gets very hot in summer, so a good hat and drinking lots of water are both important if you are going to get the most out of your stay.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are good, not too expensive, and plentiful - most turn on the meter, but do check. There is a very good modern tram system running from the sea past St Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and on to the main hostel / hotel area that is very useful. The boats across the Bosphorus fall into two catagories - the main ferries plough backwards and forwards, taking people who just want to get somewhere. The tourist boats meander along, stopping at a few places, and are for people who want to see the city rather than get from A to B in the shortest time.

The second time I came to Istanbul, on a 5 day break with my boyfriend following exams last summer, we booked a package that included a room at this 4 star hotel with the flights. It is a modern building, centrally located, and very relaxing to stay in.

The hotel operates a free transfer from the airport to the building, which is great if, like we did, you arrive late at night. The reception staff speak impeccable English, and the service is smooth and efficient.

Our room was well decorated and equipped, with all the lovely, if not necessary, things you get in posh hotels, such as shoe polishing kits, sewing needles, writing paper, and a trouser press. The air-con (very useful in Turkey in high summer!) was very quiet, which is good as one often has a choice with air-con between being kept awake by the heat, or being kept awake by the noise the machine makes!

Breakfast was a buffet affair near the top of the hotel, with great views over the sea and the other side of the Bosphorus. There was a good selection of bread, cheese, fish, yoghurt, and fresh fruit, as well as breakfast cereals. Tea, coffee, mineral water, and fruit juice were all offered.

The hotel has, on the top floor, a small indoor swimming pool and an outdoor terrace to sunbathe on, with amazing views. There is also a bar on this floor, and waiter service to your sun-lounger. The pool is pretty small – it’s circular and about 10 feet across, so you aren’t going to do much serious swimming, but it’s a great way to relax and cool down after a long day’s sightseeing in town, or after some sun-worship out on the balcony.

I liked this place – it was a refreshing, easy place to stay.

The Blue Mosque is close by Aya Sophia, and provides an interesting contrast. Also built from a series of domes, their structure is smaller, more supported, and therefore less impressive – although it was built over a thousand years later. To get there from the church, you walk through a pretty garden, bedevilled with postcard sellers and would-be guides. Some of these guides seem to be psychic – as my boyfriend and I walked up the stairs, talking in our native-accented English, and wearing English clothes, we were chased by a couple of sellers, trying to persuade us. They got close, and then said "He Israeli, no point." We are still at a loss to explain how he knew!

As you get to the mosque, you climb the steps to the tourist entrance. You must leave your shoes in bags at the entrance, and if they consider you immodestly dressed, they give you a long length of blue material to wrap around the offending flesh. Then you walk into the main carpeted room of the mosque, under the big dome, supported by carved pillars.

While interesting – and the mosaic walls with their geometric patterns are fascinating to look at, and you get a different impression close up and from a distance – it’s not an ideal place to visit in the height of summer. The dome here seems to have the opposite effect from that in Aya Sophia – it makes the place hotter than outside, and there is a very strong smell of sweaty feet!

Once you’ve had a look outside, it’s a good idea to wander round the back and have a look at the architecture from the outside. There are some interesting carved stone food and hand washing baths, and some relaxing gardens to cool down and relax in.

The church of Holy Wisdom, built in the 6th century AD, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It raises the spirit, satisfies the senses, and opens the soul.

As you walk into the church, the first feeling is one of dark coolness – the interior seems to be many welcome degrees cooler than the fierce heat of a Turkish summer. The entrance area is a columned hall, the width of the church, with several doors into it. Walk through one of these – with the stone step bowed in the middle from 1,500 years’ worth of people using it – and enter the main part of the church. The dome rises above your head, and even large number of tourists seem to make no impression on the majestic silence the vast dome engenders. There is little seating – the floor area of the church is a large open paved stone space, lit dimly with candles burning in stands, and the dome then rises, getting lighter and more golden as it goes up. You can climb stairs to the balcony that runs around the church, giving you a better view of the structure and the overall impression. Details strike you from remote parts of the building – behind a pillar at the west end of the balcony is, for example, is a carving of fruit on a vine – its in a place where it would hardly ever be seen, but endless care has still been lavished on it, visible still so many centuries later.

The church has not survived unscathed – since it was built it was used as a church until the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century, and thereafter as a mosque and then a museum. Now it is just itself, not used for religious services at all. Look closely, and you can see the cracks caused by earthquakes, the crumbling of some under-maintained stones, etc, but this does not detract from the wonderful atmosphere of this ancient church.

The Bosphorus is the narrow stretch of water that separates one side of Istanbul from the other, and Europe from Asia. It’s narrow indeed – between ¼ mile and 2 miles wide, as it varies along the length. Taking a ferry across is a great way to see the Asian side of the city, and also to see both sides from a distant perspective. I must admit too, however, that I just love boats anyway!

We went on an excursion type ferry, rather than one of the regular ones, as it was just about the leave when we wandered down to the quay – called Besitkas. It then crossed the straits a couple of times, giving us a chance to see the shore from different angles, before stopping for an hour on the Asian side, next to a café / restaurant. We decided to make the most of our time, so went for a wander, stopping to see a small, beautiful white marble mosque, and went inside. The interior was carpeted, and the white, cream and blue mosaic was beautiful. The photo attached to this journal entry is of the minarets of the mosque.

In the remaining time, we wandered through small streets, dodging small children and the odd chicken which seemed to have escaped from its home. The Asian side of the city does seem different in character from the European side, and the contrast is fascinating to observe. Buying soft drinks, and getting back to the boat to bag seats on the outside, shaded area, we settled down to enjoy the sea breezes and view on the way back to Europe. It was an altogether lovely way to spend an afternoon, and I heartily recommend it. The other photo shown here was taken on the way back, into the evening sun, when the contrast between the setting sun and the blues waves just catching the silvery light of it was beautiful.

The boats leave about 6 times a day, and cost about £2. You can also take a normal scheduled ferry (which costs about a quarter of the price) to an Asian port, but they go much more directly, being for transport not tourists, and I think you would miss out.

The Grand Bazaar is grand indeed. It started life as a network of streets in which the city’s main trading was done, and grew into a small commercial town by itself, with gates and locks at the entrances. It isn’t all shops inside – there are also numerous cafes, snack bars, mosques, etc. There are, however, something like 3,500 shops or stalls within! It’ll take you a long time to see the whole thing, and if you see something you like it would be a good idea to buy it then and there, as the chances of you managing to find one shop again in the maze of streets is slim.

Many things you can think of are for sale within the bazaar - leatherwork is common, for example, with lots of places selling jackets, shoes, slippers, bags, etc. We looked at a couple of jackets, but found the quality was a bit variable – some were very well made, others less so. If you intend buying one, I’d check the stitching and cut carefully before you part with your money. Should you find one you like, that is well made, it’ll be a bargain.

One street we looked at with interest was entirely given over to jewellery, much of it gold. Turkish jewellery is quite exuberant, and elaborate. There was also some Lapis for sale, which I like very much, but feel awkward about buying given its Afghanistan, Taliban-funding origins.

Of course, the biggest category of things for sale appears to be carpets, that renowned Turkish product. Carpet salesmen are the pushiest of the lot, and tails of scams abound among travellers and guidebooks. If you are careful, look around, and buy something you like at a price you are happy with, then a Turkish carpet can be a great purchase. I’d personally be very careful of spending a lot of money on one, other than at a very reputable shop. I looked at several shops on my first trip to Istanbul in 1997, before buying a small Kelim, a type of wool rug. It’s approximately 2 foot by 4 foot in size, with geometric patterns in red, light blue, navy blue, and cream. It has been on the floor of my room for the last 4 years, and has proved hard-wearing and attractive. It cost me about 8 pounds, and I regard it as money very well spent.

The bazaar is open Monday to Saturday, from 8:30am to 6pm.

This market amazes the senses of smell and sight. As you walk towards it, you can already catch the scent of spice on the air - a scent that becomes overwhelming as you enter. The market is set out along several intersecting passageways, and consists of small shops and stalls set into the sides of those corridors. Most are small, perhaps only 6 feet by 8 feet in area, but crammed full of goodies.

There are different kinds of shops. Many sell only spices – sold from huge canvas sacks, open at the top so you can see and smell what you are buying. Spices in England are sold in small pots, or other containers, so seeing a sack full of cardamoms, dried basil, oregano, paprika, or ground ginger is therefore amazing. Other more expensive spices may be kept in drawers, or smaller boxes, such as root ginger, ginseng, or saffron. We bought several things to bring back to England with us, but the biggest advantage of buying spices here is the price of saffron. There is a choice here of Persian (Iranian), Spanish, or possibly the best, that from Kashmir, all at about a fifth of the price you would find in England, and better quality to boot.

There are also a number of shops selling dried fruit, and nuts, and some fresh local produce. One such shop we visited sold dried apricots, plums, figs, apples, and bananas, again out of huge sacks. It also offered all kinds of nuts, including pistachio, brazil, and peanuts, and locally-grown olives. The dried fruit is wonderful, full of flavour and sweetness. The shop also sold Turkish delight, which I’d not liked before I came to Istanbul. What is called Turkish Delight in England is sweet, sticky, and not very nice, but the real stuff is wonderful – cubes of honey, rose, pistachio, and vanilla flavour that taste very good indeed. We brought a few boxes home and converted our families to the taste!

Many of the spice shops take credit cards, but not all of the smaller ones. It’s a good idea here to make sure your credit card is swiped in your sight, to make sure there are no extra copies made.