Touring Turkey (Part 4): Second day in Istanbul

Hello from Sabia Gokcen International Airport, where I am sitting, waiting to board a plane to Cappadocia! You’ll know, if you’ve been keeping up with my ‘Touring Turkey’ series, that I’ve been based in the Istanbul for the past few days, and have been doing everything from sightseeing, to eating, to stroking cats. Yesterday, I told you about my first glimpse of the city (check out that article here, if you haven’t already), so it seems only appropriate that I now pick up where I left off, and tell you about my second day there. As usual, I’ve got plenty to update you on, so grab yourself a snack and a comfy seat, and let’s get started!

Day 8 (4th September)

If you’ve read my most recent article, you’ll know that I spent my first day in Istanbul exploring the city’s Karaköy and Nişantaşı neighbourhoods. The next morning, then, I decided that I’d devote a few hours to seeing the Sultanahmet district: conveniently the location of my hostel. After yet another full Turkish breakfast, I set off round the corner to visit the renowned Topkapi Palace. This magnificent structure – which, at one point, was the home or workplace of over ten thousand people – dates back to the fifteenth century, but is now significantly larger than it was on day one. It’s so big, in fact, that you’ll have to set aside at least a couple of hours to see all of its various wings.

The Topkapi Palace

After buying my tickets – this, in itself, took about half an hour! – I headed through the grand gate, and turned right into the Palace Kitchens. Here, I learned all there was to know about food in the palace through the ages: everything from the Ottoman sultans’ daily diets, to the dishes brought out on special occasions, to the ingredients used to prepare them (variety, of course, greatly increased following the discovery of the Americas). Also here, I saw many different items of crockery – dishes, plates, coffee pots, etc. – as well as the various implements that were used to pick up food from them (forks, spoons, etc.).

I won’t bore you by describing every room I saw, but as I moved from one to the next, I couldn’t help hoping that I’d one day marry rich (or be crazily successful, myself!), and be able to decorate my own home like this. Indeed, the various bedchambers, libraries, and prayer rooms were packed with stunning tiles, colourful stained glass windows, and intricate wall paintings. I must have stopped about a hundred times to take photos, but I’m not sure any quite did the place justice.

After quickly looking round the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle and Holy Relics – the queue was long, but went down quickly enough – and an armour exhibition – swords and shields don’t really interest me, but I have to say that these ones were pretty spectacular – I moved on to the most impressive section of all: the Harem.

You’ll have to pay an extra fee to see the private living quarters of the sultans, but I promise that they’re worth every penny (or should I say ‘kuruş’?)! Not only will you be surrounded by extraordinary wall and ceiling decorations, but also here, more than anywhere else, you’ll really get a sense of the former leaders’ luxurious lifestyles.  As with the terraced houses in Ephesus, this is where to head if you want to see how the other half used to live!

The Blue Mosque

One quick postcard purchase later, and I was back out in the open, heading towards another of Istanbul’s most visited attractions: the Blue Mosque. I considered popping into the Hagia Sophia on the way over, but the hefty entry fee would have tipped me over my strict daily budget, so I decided to save it for another day.

Luckily, entry to the former sight was totally free. No long queues, then: all I had to do was put on a jumper and headscarf, and remove my shoes. There was, unfortunately, a bit of restoration work being done inside the house of worship, so not all the ceilings were visible (although, rather amusingly, photos had been attached to the scaffolding to give us an idea of what we were missing!). Those that we could see, however, certainly lived up to my high expectations, and I spent a good twenty minutes gazing up at them.

Arasta Bazaar

By this time, my stomach had begun to rumble, so after a quick trip back to the hostel to charge my phone, I set out in search of a bite to eat. On my way, I stumbled across the Arasta Bazaar, an enchanting pedestrian lane lined with stalls of every kind. Each country has that one souvenir that you’ll see time and again, in every shape and size imaginable: in Turkey, it’s coloured glass lanterns (and rugs, and Turkish delight). I am actually quite tempted to buy a small one to hang in my room back home, so perhaps I’ll go back at some point. (Here’s hoping my purchase doesn’t smash on the plane home!)

Anyway, on this particular occasion, I walked out of the place no poorer than when I had entered it, and after turning down photo shoot offer number fifty – there are stands all over the city where you can pose in traditional costume for about 50TL – I walked round the corner to a restaurant called Doy Doy.

Doy Doy

Lunch in this hidden gem of a dining spot was sublime: up on the blustery roof terrace, I munched on all sorts of delicious delicacies, all the while gazing down at the glistening blue sea. That’s all I’m going to say on this place for now though: as with the eateries I mentioned yesterday, you’ll have to wait to hear my full review!

The Hippodrome

From here, it was just a two minute walk to the Hippodrome, or ‘Horse Square’ as it’s known today. This large quad, which was once the site of an ancient Roman horse race stadium, would nowadays be fairly unremarkable, were it not for the various monuments and columns dotted around the place. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Serpentine Column, a twisted pillar made up of three intertwining (now headless) snakes. Transported to Constantinople all the way from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, it’s one of the city’s most prized possessions.

Other interesting sights here include: the German Fountain (or Fountain of Kaiser Wilhelm II), the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Column of Constantine. Be sure to check them all out if you visit!

Basilica Cistern

After being out in the blazing sun for a good few hours, my pale self needed a bit of shade, so next on my tour of Sultanahmet was the underground Basilica Cistern. This reservoir – which once supplied the Topkapi Palace, but fell into disuse in the late fifteenth century – is one of many dotted across the city, but of them all, it’s by far the best known, and, I believe, the best excavated. Entry costs just 20TL (£2.85), and allows one to explore a series of eerily lit chambers, each filled with Ionic and/or Corinthian-style columns.

My guidebook recommended that tourists set aside an hour or two for this sight. I, however, had seen all there was to see in about thirty minutes. Wander around the clammy cistern as quickly or as slowly as you like, making sure to look out in particular for the Crying Column (a pillar which is wet unlike its counterparts, and is thought to have been built in commemoration of the slaves who lost their lives during the erection of this facility), and the two startling Medusa heads, which lie – one on its side and one upside down – in the water. You’ll need a torch to see them properly, so make sure you’ve got one to hand!

Yerebatan Caddesi

Back at street level, I made a quick detour to see the vibrant houses of Yerebatan Caddesi (pictured below), before resolving to go and visit more coloured edifices in a different part of the city. The Balat neighbourhood was my destination, so off I wandered, through the serene, leafy Gülhane Park, and on towards the Galata Bridge. When I’d arrived at the latter landmark, I realised that I still had another forty-five minutes of walking to do, so I decided I’d abandon my plans for now, and venture further another day.

Egyptian Spice Bazaar

Determined not to make this stroll a total waste of time, however, I made a left turn into the buzzing seventeenth-century Egyptian Spice Bazaar. Here, herbs and aromatic substances of every colour were set up in neat rows, beckoning even me, the least adventurous of cooks. I was expecting to be badgered by every vendor I encountered, but luckily most let me walk past undisturbed. One man, nonetheless, tried to charge me for taking photos of his stand (fair enough, I suppose), but I played the ‘clueless tourist’ card, and he soon conceded defeat.

Kubbe Istanbul

If you’ve read some of my other articles, you’ll know that I love seeing cities from above, so it’ll be no surprise to you that Kubbe Istanbul – a rooftop viewpoint – was one of the highlights of my day. Hidden down an inconspicuous side street, it’s still a bit of a hidden secret, but one that’s well worth sussing out (for the best directions, check out this article). Up on this seagull-infested terrace, snack food is now served, and traditional cushions and mats are laid out for anyone wishing to take scenic photos.

I’d read that this place was free to enter, but upon arriving, I discovered that it had been taken over by some locals, who charged 100TL per visitor. I got a few sneaky snapshots in before I was told this, but I promised these people that I’d be back (and for once, I wasn’t just saying this to dodge a sticky situation!).

Grand Bazaar

After stopping in a café to charge my phone (only to discover, drink in hand, that I’d left my charger back in the hostel…), I proceeded a few blocks further to the Grand Bazaar. This famous shopping complex is one of those landmarks that will have a place on just about every tourist’s to-do list: after all, there’s nothing like a good bargain! That day, I just browsed (and turned down a couple of date offers from vendors – what’s new?!), but I don’t think my shopaholic self will be able to resist going back to make some purchases…

Yeniçeriler Caddesi

By now, my legs were aching, and my phone was dying, so (afraid that I’d be trapped without my trusty Maps app) I began to walk slowly back to the hostel, via Yeniçeriler Caddesi. Along the way, I stumbled across a couple of classic Ottoman style mosques – the Koch Sinan Pasha Kulliyesi and the Gazi Atik Ali Pasha Mosque – as well as the tomb and cemetery of Sultan Mahmud II.

The Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I

Along the same lines, I discovered, back in Sultanahmet Park, the magnificent Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I, where this sovereign, along with others, is buried. The sumptuous interior decoration of this tomb – with its patterned dome, and brilliant chandeliers – served to highlight the extreme importance of these figures in Turkish history.

The Pudding Shop

After a quick phone charge back at the hostel (I did buy a portable charger for this trip, but realised the evening before I left that it didn’t fit my phone!), I set out one last time to get some food. The hippie Pudding Shop was my dining spot for the evening, but again, you’ll have to wait and see what I thought of it. Full up after my main course, I ordered a chocolate pudding to take away, and enjoyed it on the terrace of my hotel, as I sat writing my last post!

Final thoughts

Istanbul is really growing on me, and I can’t wait to explore the place further when I fly back from Cappadocia in a few days’ time! What pearls of wisdom did I acquire after this day? Read on to find out:

1. Always pack a portable charger (dead phones are no fun, and will cause you all sorts of stress when travelling!)

2. If a market stall owner says they have ‘just one thing to ask you’, walk on (unless, of course, you want someone to feign interest in your life story, before begging you to buy something from them)

3. Playing the ‘confused tourist’ card usually works

4. Only use ‘average time spent at this place’ figures as a rough guideline when sightseeing (everyone sees different things at different paces)

5. If you want to motivate yourself to work harder, visit palaces (you’ll quickly see what you’re missing out on)

6. Research hidden spots whenever you’re exploring a new city (Kubbe Istanbul was one of the most extraordinary things I saw that day, and, since it’s relatively unknown, I had almost the whole place to myself)

End of part four

So there we have it: the fourth installation in my ‘Touring Turkey’ series! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading today’s article, and are excited for the ones I’m going to be bringing out soon about my time in Cappadocia. I haven’t quite worked out what I’ll be doing while I’m there, but one thing’s for sure: you’re going to be seeing a lot of hot air balloon photos!

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