Istanbul

On the way back from Tajikistan I spent a day in Istanbul.  I hadn’t been there since I was 20 so I was interested to see how it had changed - and it certainly has changed.  The new modern airport is quite remarkable - it would put any of the US airports to shame. The city itself was overwhelmed with tourists and the traffic was ridiculously congested. In 1971 the streets were full of old American cars from the 1950's, not so anymore.

I landed around 8:00 am and caught a taxi into the city.  One thing about the new airport is that it is quite a long way out of the city and it took almost an hour to get into the city.  As we got into the city the traffic became quite bad and there was a lot of stop and go. I did eventually arrive at my hotel - the Seven Hills Hotel - in an area quite near to the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosques.

The Blue Mosque

The Hagia Sofia

I checked in and then went for a walk around the city.  After the relative quiet of Tajikistan I was not ready for the crush of tourists in Istanbul.  The lines to get into the Hagia Sofia were very long and the entire area around these two mosques was just thronged with people.

The Pudding Shop

When I was here before I remember going to a restaurant called the Pudding Shop.  This was the place in 1970 that was the gathering spot for all the hippy travelers.  I remember going there most nights that I was in Istanbul.  They were famous for their rice pudding - one of my favorites.  Well I found that the Pudding Shop is still there. Not full of hippies anymore but now popular with a more affluent and aged clientele. I stopped for lunch there - a doner kebab and, of course, some rice pudding.  Alas the rice pudding was not as good as I remember.

The entry to the Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar

Continuing my walk I ventured into the Grand Bazaar.  This maze of streets is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world and dates from 1455.  There were so many gold shops, leather shops, carpet shops that it was hard to imagine what distinguished one from the other but somehow they all seemed to survive.

Sunbathers on the Bosphorus

After my fill of shops in the bazaar I headed down towards the water and the Bosphorus.  I walked along the sea front towards the Golden Horn.  There were lots of sunbathers on the rocks.  Almost all of them men, all oiled up and lying on what looked like very uncomfortable rocks.  There was only one woman sunbather - a rather attractive lady - a rather brave lady I would say.

The busy water of the Bosphorus

I turned up the mouth of the Golden Horn towards the Galata Bridge where there was a ferry terminal - Eminonu I believe.  I was a little confused over how I should purchase a ticket to cross the Bosphorus but with a little help from a stranger I managed to get one for the trip to Uskudar on the Asian side. The ferries move a huge number of people back and forth and they provide a frequent service stopping only to offload and reload passengers before setting off again. The shipping traffic across the Bosphorus was congested too.  Not only are there multiple ferries going back and forth, there are a lot of larger ships heading through the Bosphorus in and out of the Black Sea.  Somehow they all seemed to avoid each other.

Uskudar - Asia

I didn't spend much time on the Asian side. I stopped to a nearby cafe and had a drink (and another rice pudding) and then went back to the dock and got a ferry back to Europe.

Back in Istanbul, I walked towards the hotel - it was hot and the streets were very busy.  I stopped in at the Blue Mosque as the line there wasn't as long as it was earlier.  The interior was being worked on so it was not the best time to visit and in reality it is much more impressive from the outside.

The Hagia Sofia

Back at the hotel I relaxed at the hotel with a beer on the rooftop restaurant.  There was a great view of the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque from the restaurant so the it is quite popular with guests and tourists.  It seems that people also like to feed the seagulls from the restaurant roof.  The birds know this happens and they congregate in the area.  People hold up forks of food and the seagulls swoop down and grab the food with their beaks.  Not something I found particularly entertaining.

In the evening I had arranged for a Hammam Bath in a spa at another hotel associated with my hotel.  It was a short walk down the hill to the spa. They gave me towels and disposable underwear and then sat me in a steam filled room for 15 or so minutes.  It was very hot and I was well done when they fished me out.  Then I went into another room where I was scrubbed and exfoliated, then soaped up and rinsed off.  The finishing touch was being doused with ice cold water - an invigorating shock that I wasn't expecting.  I then got to relax and cool down swaddled in luxurious towels. I must admit I felt quite relaxed after that.

I went back to the Hagia Sofia area and looked for a place to eat.  I chooses badly - the food was not good - it was too late in the day apparently.

Inside the Hagia Sofia

I walked back by the Hagia Sofia and found that it was still open (open 24 hours a day apparently).  There were no lines and not too many people inside.  Again I think it is more impressive from the outside and I also did not find it very reverential for a mosque.  Everyone was taking selfies and there were kids running around while the occasional person was trying to pray.  It seemed that there should be more respect in such a magnificent building.

Mosaic in the Hagia Sofia entry

I was up early the next morning and I again walked over towards the mosques.  I again went into the Hagia Sofia. It was even quieter at 7:30 in the morning than the previous night.  Hardly anyone was in but the few that were were still taking selfies.

I had breakfast on the rooftop of the hotel accompanied by the birds, the crows joined in this time.   Then it was a taxi for the long drive to the airport to check in for my flight.  I was pleasantly surprised when I asked about a seat upgrade and received a seat in Business Class - thank you Turkish Airlines.

Manchester airport was again a disappointment when compared to the new Istanbul airport.  It took a good hour to get bags off the plane.  Welcome to the UK.