Our next challenge is finding out whether Pauline will be allowed out of Hong Kong with her transposed name. The travel agent must have worked her magic, as we went through without a quibble. The overnight flight was a breeze, and it was nice being on a Turkish airline flying into their home town. The hostesses were lovely, though their outfits resembling school gym pinnies could do with improvement.
Clearing Customs was a breeze, and first stop is the Turkcell booth to pick up a 3G SIM card for Pauline's phone. We'll be in Turkey for nearly two weeks and I've no idea how prevalent wifi will be. No probs getting one, but it doesn't activate immediately. More on techo issues in a separate blog post so as to not bore technophobic readers. It does come right after a while.
We step out into a wintry Istanbul dawn and rug up as we find the metro to the Zeytinburnu interchange, then take a tram into Sultanahmet, the part of town where all the sights and our Mavi Guesthouse are strategically located. The notes say that Mavi is a short walk from the tram stop, but in which direction?! With the name and address preloaded into Tripit I show a passer-by and ask for directions. He shrugs his shoulders, then with a grin says "Google Maps"! Well that's a fat lot of use with the SIM card not activated yet, then I spot the Free City Wifi sign adjacent to the tram stop. If only every city could be as enlightened! We set off for Mavi in a flash. I'm loving Istanbul already.
Istanbul conjures up lots of images. East meets west, Europe meets Asia, bazaars, ancient civilisations, sultanates and the Ottoman empire, the Silk Road, progressive Islam, carpets and kilims, doner kebabs, Turkish delight... But nothing quite prepares me for the stunning scene that unfolds. To the left is the magnificent Aya Sofya mosque, with the Topkapi Palace behind it.
To the right is the similarly stunning Blue mosque, with its elegant minarets leaving you in do doubt that this is a very Islamic city.
After checking in to Mavi and befriending proprietor Ali, we head for Aya Sofya, initially built as a cathedral, then turned into a mosque, and now a museum. If it looked impressive from the outside, it was even more so inside. Built around 500AD, you gasp in awe at the huge central space unsupported by central columns, and the huge ornate dome soaring heavenward. This would be a challenge for today's engineers and architects - how on earth did they do it 1,500 years ago?
To get oriented, we set off an a walk taking in the Sea of Marmara at the entrance to the Bosphorus, and continuing up the Golden Horn past the Orient Express terminus to the Galata Bridge, the air full of smoke from chestnuts and corn cobs being roasted on mini street stalls. Istanbul has done well to integrate modern amenities amongst the ancient walls and cobbled lanes that make up the old part of town. No ugly modern highrises here.
Our return to Mavi is via the Spice Bazaar. You get a real sense of history here as you think of traders through the ages bargaining their exotic spices for gold and silver.
Pauline's intrigued, and in the spirit of the occasion we buy some figs, dates and Turkish Delight, which keep us going for a couple of days.
On Saturday we resume our travels after waking early - me to jet lag and Pauline by the call to prayer. Unfazed, we set off for our Bosphorous cruise, but not before checking out the Basilica Cistern, an ancient Byzantine water storage reservoir once fed by a 20km aqueduct.
Fascinating to see that two of its 336 columns are supported by blocks into which Medusa heads are carved - pillaged from some previous construction and reused without much reverence. Upside down or on their side!
The cruise takes us all the way up the Bosphorus to near the Black Sea entrance, passing bridges, mosques, forts and palaces along the way.
We stop for lunch at Anadolukavagi and hike up the hill to Fort Yoros (built in Roman times) for the view.
Lunch wasn't bad either.
It was here I spot a glass blower making jewelry and Turkey's famous evil eye protectors. My unique piece of Turkish memorabilia is acquired.
This time our Mavi return took us through the Grand Bazaar. This has been the trading hub of Istanbul from ancient times, and is the primary reason for the city's wealth and power. It now covers 60 streets and contains over 1,100 shops - mind-blowing Not really wanting anything, and feeling a bit tired, we dodged the showers back to home.
But it's not over yet, folks! Another day of sightseeing ahead of us, and this time it's the Topaki Palace, and for extra Turkish Lira, the Harem where the Sultan himself lived with his concubines and eunuchs. I could definitely use a summer pad like this.
The treasury housed some magnificent swords, daggers, and ornaments, all encrusted with huge emeralds, rubies and diamonds. As opulent as they were, I was more intrigued by the religious relics - Moses' rod, Abraham's drinking cup, and pieces of the beard and teeth of the Prophet. My thoughts turned briefly to a certain episode of Blackadder, of which no more will be said for fear of upsetting my hosts.
On our exit we passed by the fountain in which the Sultan's executioner washed his tools of trade after beheading anyone who displeased his Eminence. Sobering.
Lunchtime, and we find a little kebab restaurant, and being a bit nippy outside order the lentil soup. It would have to be the best dish we've had on our travels so far. Check out Med Cezir the next time you're in town.
Another rain shower sees us visiting the Sultan's tomb before heading to our final landmark - the Blue Mosque. Sultan Ahmet had decided to build a mosque to exceed the grandeur of Aya Sofya, and you can argue that from the outside he succeeded. But inside it doesn't quite have the airiness of it's rival, but we're probably splitting hairs on magnificence here.
For our slap-up "Goodbye Istanbul" dinner we headed back to Med Cezir for some more lentil soup, and weren't disappointed.
So, impressions of Istanbul.
In a word, stunning. It has to be classed as one of the world's great cities. It's fusion of history and modernity, and religion and secularism, has achieved just the right balance. Coupled with the amiable and helpful nature of it's inhabitants, we had a great time, and never felt threatened or unwelcome. It's not without its faults though, it can be a bit litter-strewn, dirty and graffitied in places, and Turks behind the wheel show no mercy to pedestrians who dain to get in their way. It seems cyclists were mostly eliminated long ago, and precious few venture out now. I did spot some cycle parking near the ferry terminal, but unsurprisingly it was empty.
Now to make plans for the west coast and a tour of Gallipoli. The odyssey must continue, as much as we'd like to stay longer.
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