Goodbye to Turkey – Day 16

Today is the day – I am extremely sad to leave this beautiful country but will be happy to get home again. I checked out and then headed for the airport van with my Aussie friends. We all got to Ataturk Airport around 8:30 am and said our goodbyes. Interestingly, the airport has everyone go through a metal detector and luggage screener as soon as you walk in. Then, after you’ve checked your luggage, you have to go through another one before you reach your gate. At that time, they not only electronically screen everything, they also manually go through everyone’s luggage (women inspect women’s luggage and men inspect the men’s). After that, everyone is given a pat-down search.

The flight was crowded, which surprised me. Two weeks ago, my flight to Istanbul was only half full. One of the flight attendants told me, however, that this is the beginning of “cruise ship season” and every port city in Europe will be like this until October. I think if I ever come back, I’ll push my dates back to April – I could definitely do without the crowds. And I couldn’t believe how much luggage these cruise ship passengers brought – some couples had up to 6 large bags! Ye gods!

Soon my Delta flight was winging its way back to the states and I was on my way home. I will never forget my time here, though, and the wonderful memories I have of this incredible country!

Shopping in Istanbul – Day 15 at the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market

At breakfast on Friday morning, I ran into Katrina and her family, back from their trip around the country. It was good to see them and we spent awhile catching up. They recommended that I visit the Sulemaniye Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii) since I was going to be in that area. While we were talking, a couple eating breakfast overheard us and started asking questions about Turkey and public transport. They had just arrived that morning from Capetown, South Africa. We explained the workings of the buses and how to get around to them, then went our separate ways. Katrina and her husband had already arranged for an airport transfer from the travel agency across the street, so after breakfast, I hurried over there and got a ticket for 8 lira.

You can tell when you’re getting close to the Egyptian Spice Market in Istanbul – the smell of cloves and cumin and cardamom just about knocks you over. Once you enter, the visual effects add to the aromas. Everywhere you look are heaping piles of spices in all colors – golds, browns, reds and greens. Some of the vendors sold teas as well and their lemon and orange fragrances added to the intoxicating scents. You could also buy teapots and glasses, cheeses – even henna for dying your hair or decorating your body. I wandered through the small aisles, drinking in the heady aromas and finally settled down at a stall that seemed to be selling mostly to locals. I picked up some spices and teas to take back with me.

The Sulemaniye Mosque was nearby so I headed there next. The mosque is in a larger walled complex with lots of grass and trees. I stopped off first to visit Sulemaniye’s tomb, which is in a separate room. The tomb is nothing ornate as you can see – all of the tombs I have seen like this have a similar “roof” on top.

Once at the mosque, I had to borrow one of the scarves left there for visitors to cover my head. Leaving my shoes also outside, I headed on it, right behind a German guy wearing a skirt. Since both men and women must have their knees and shoulders covered, you must wrap a long skirt around you if you’re wearing shorts. The mosque was beautiful and much less crowded than the Blue Mosque. Visitors had to stay behind the barricades that separate the praying area, but we could still see the large expanse.

After visiting the mosque, I walked down the hill to the Emininou harbor area and caught the tram back to Sultanachmet. I grabbed a quick lunch at an outside cafe (today was “kofta” – meatballs made of minced lamb). As I walked across the park towards the hotel, I noticed a group of men congregating by a small camii. Just then, the call to prayer came across the loudspeaker. The call to prayer is heard at dawn, at midday, about the middle of the afternoon, just after sunset, and at night fall about two hours after sunset. However, on Friday, the obligatory congregational call to prayer around midday means that Muslims come together to pray. Dozens of men hurried over, removed their shoes and then laid out their prayer rugs to kneel on. While the prayer continued, the men knelt or sat and listened. One family walked over together but the husband left to pray and his wife had to sit on the side with their son. It seemed ironic that this woman who is so overtly religious in her attire is not allowed to pray with the men.

I had to go back to the hotel to change my room – actually, to change my hotel. As I mentioned earlier, I had mixed up my dates and the Hanedan did not have a room for me the last night. However, they were nice enough to find me a room at the Hotel Emre, which was about 20 feet down the street. They even carried all my luggage over to the hotel. My new room was smaller but had a TV and 2 twin beds. I left my spice purchases behind and headed out again to the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar was fairly easy to get to – it’s right off the Beyazit exit if you take the tram. The bazaar was just as overwhelming today as it was yesterday – vendors were chanting about their “deals” and trying to draw tourists into their shops by asking questions. It’s easy to get lost in here – in fact, it’s part of its charm. I deliberately headed into the maze and didn’t emerge for several hours. By 6 pm, I had bought several charming items and was ready to sit in a cafe and watch the rest of the world shop. After resting over a glass of tea, I headed back to the hotel – I was meeting Robert and his family for dinner.

My friends from Hawaii and the Philippines, Robert, his wife Natalia and her cousin Alicia, were back from Izmir and Cappadocia, so we had arranged to meet that evening. Mindy, Natalia’s sister, didn’t join us but the 4 of us headed for a nearby restaurant. My chicken dish was very good and the wine was the best I’ve had since I got to Turkey. We all discussed our forays into the country and promised to exchange emails and photos after we got back.

Tomorrow – goodbye to Turkey…

Back “home” again – Day 14 in Istanbul

The bus arrived in Istanbul around 6 am, shortly after serving everyone a quick breakfast of bread, honey and your choice of tea or coffee. Varan makes two stops in Istanbul so there were two options to choose from with regards to your destination. I had no idea where either of the places were, but luckily, a man sitting in front of me told me that the second destination was on the European side of Istanbul and therefore, closer to Sultanachmet Square (and my hotel).

There were taxis waiting at the bus stop and one was happy to take me to my hotel (although I had to direct him after we got to Sultanachmet, which made me feel pretty cool – like I was a native!). Since it was only 6:30 am, I had to wait to check in, but left my luggage there and was soon wandering through the early morning city. There’s nothing like watching a huge city like Istanbul wake up in the morning (if indeed it ever sleeps). The air was fresh and cool and there were no monstrous tour buses barreling down the street. I stopped for coffee and a pastry at a little cafe and sat and enjoyed the morning. Later, after a brief outing at my favorite internet cafe, the Otantik, which is the only one I’ve found that has an English keyboard, I headed back to the hotel to check in and take a shower.

The plan was to just wander and shop the last 2 days. The first place I headed was the Beyoglu district near Taksim Square. This is the heart of the city and the crowds are enormous, but some of the best shopping is around here. I took the tram to the Kabatas stop, then got out and switched to the funicular, which takes you up to Taksim Square (which sits at the top of a very high hill). The funicular was extremely interesting – a huge piece of machinery sits at the top and uses cables to pull the cars up to the top. After I reached the square, I headed down Istiklal Caddesi (Caddesi means “street”), which is the main drag in this area, and wandered into the shops and restaurants that line the street. The main street is a huge bustling affair but it’s easy to head off into the narrow little alleys and side streets that connect to it.

I was getting hungry so I stopped at a small place that was cutting off chunks of juicy lamb for doner kebabs. Two women were in front of me, and I simply pointed to what they were eating and say, “For me, too!” The cook laughed and made me an incredible sandwich with lamb, fresh tomatoes and peppers and a sprinkling of salt and spices tucked inside a dense mound of fresh Turkish pita bread – but like no pita bread I’ve ever had in the states! I was in heaven – and floating even higher when I stopped to get some ice cream for dessert. The blackberry and blueberry combination was the perfect ending. I even got to watch a large truck try to maneuver through a tiny alley and send some scaffolding flying. There were about 8 men on the street all directing this driver and telling him exactly what to do to get out of the mess he was in. It took about 20 minutes and pedestrian traffic was blocked during the whole time.

I finally made it to the bottom of the hill (by the way, I just found out today that Istanbul has 7 hills – just like Cincinnati and Rome) and grabbed a tram. Rather than heading back, I took the tram going in the opposite direction and got off at the Grand Bazaar. I didn’t want to buy anything today, but just get an idea of where things were. However, one step in the bazaar and I realized that it would take months, if not years, to learn where everything is. The streets are fairly well marked but the visual sensation is just plain overwhelming. Gold and silver and rugs and jewelry and ceramics and dishes and food – the saying is that if you can’t find it here, it doesn’t exist. I believe it!

Leaving the bazaar, I wound my way back to the area behind the Blue Mosque that houses the Arasta Bazaar. This is a smaller area but the salespeople are a little more low-key and the quality of goods a bit higher. One shop held beautiful Iznik tiles and ceramics. Around the 16th century, Iznik was the foremost place for mosaic tiles and ceramics in Turkey, including the most beautiful mosques and Topkapi Palace. The tiles here were reproductions but were still beautiful. I also found a shop that had some beautiful textiles, hundreds of years old. The clerk was extremely enthusiastic and let his dinner grow cold while he unveiled dozens of beautiful wall hangings and garments. He knew there was no hope of me buying them – some costs thousands of dollars – but did it for the sheer love of these pieces. I haven’t had this much fun with textiles since I was working as a costumer!

By this time, my feet were killing me – after the walking I did in Izmir and today, I couldn’t face going too far to eat so I picked a restaurant close to the hotel. I generally tried to avoid this area as the food is geared more towards tourists. While eating my dinner, I met a couple from Canada who were visiting Turkey on their way to Cyprus. The man’s brother had recently retired there from England. We spent about half an hour chatting over wine and dessert then I headed back to my oh-so-comfy bed…

Tomorrow – my last full day in Turkey.