Istanbul: Where the East meets the West

I'm writing this back in Atlanta, a week after returning from Turkey so I'll do my best to jog my memory on our unforgettable trip.

Out of all the places we visited, Joe and I unanimously agreed that we should have spent more time in Turkey (impetus for a return trip, perhaps?).  Turkey is such a beautiful amalgam of cultures, resulting in a rich, blended history, people, and foods (ALL THE FOODS!).  Here's some very general historical context for those of you unfamiliar:

Evidence of early settlement by the Hittites, Assyrians, and and Akkadians in Anatolia (Asian side of Turkey) has been documented.  Eventually, Central Asians moved into the Anatolian region, which was then conquered by the Macedonians (good old Alex the Great spearheaded those efforts), the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire when Constantine was in power (who thus moved the capital to what is now Istanbul -- then, Constantinople <insert "They Might Be Giants" song, "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" here>), and finally, the Ottomans.  The Republic of Turkey was finally established after the fall of the Ottoman Empire post-World War I.  Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, considered the father of Turkey, has been credited for unifying the people during this time.  So, sorry -- even though that was a bit of a boring background, it at least gives you an idea of how this cultural melting pot even began.  

Anyhow, we only had four and a half days total in Turkey (including a side trip to the breathtaking region of Cappadocia) and had no plans of wasting any time!  We actually started our first day in Istanbul with an amazing lunch at a small, family-owned bufe (fast-casual food joint).  We just happened to stumble upon this place and it turned out to be one of our favorite restaurants in Istanbul (we loved it so much we went back later in our trip).  And, there was an older grandmotherly woman cooking all of our food in the small kitchen inside the restaurant.  What's not to love?

Our favorite bufe!

Mmmm...meat on a spit!

...and juicers!

We couldn't resist the kuru fasulye (white bean soup).

...or the rich menemen (similar to a runny omelet).

Freshly squeezed OJ was plentiful!

Ecstatic about drinking fresh pomegranate juice!

Chicken kebab freshly carved from a spit.

Combination lamb + beef kebab freshly carved from a spit.

By the way, all of these bufes had at least one doner kebab spit and at least one juicer.  Unlike in Greece, whose plentiful orange trees bear beautiful fruit that mostly litter the ground, Turkish restaurants/vendors really capitalized on the availability of oranges (and other fruits) by offering fresh juice to customers.  Most vendors sell orange, grapefruit, peach, and pomegranate (when in season!) juices.  Boy, did I take advantage of this.  Joe can attest to this, but one of our days in Istanbul I literally had 3 cups of orange juice and and a cup of pomegranate juice (they're not currently in season so it was imported fruit but I really wanted my juice, gosh darn it).  Oh, and speaking of fruit, the apricots are. so. fresh. and. juicy. and incredibly. delicious!!!  (That same morning, I had four apricots for breakfast.)  

After lunch, we toured what I think is one of the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul, New Mosque.

New Mosque had some blue tile but not as much as the Blue Mosque.

We decided to take it a bit easy on our first day.  We stopped for a cup of tea/coffee (unimpressive - see captions below) and window shopped as we meandered through the Spice Bazaar.  The best way I can describe Spice Bazaar: sensory overload.  Walking through this outdoor market tickled and heightened our senses.  We saw tons of bakeries and shops selling Turkish delight, baklava, and different varieties of teas and fresh spices.  It is similar to so many other outdoor markets that I've walked through in India so it also made me a bit nostalgic.

Turkish tea.  Sadly, Turks make their tea in
a way that I will never become accustomed to.
Sorry, Turkey!  I prefer a milder brew with a
splash of milk! (no tea/coffee shop served milk)

Joe was not a fan of his Turkish coffee, which was basically
like a shot of pure espresso (neither of us are big coffee drinkers).

At least the view of the New Mosque was enjoyable as we sipped on our less than impressive beverages!

We saw tons and tons of little shops selling Turkish delight!

...and baklava!

...and different teas and spices!

Walking through the Spice Bazaar.

The Spice Bazaar dates back to Sultan Suleyman's time.

We also went on a relaxed tour of the Bosphorous Strait and Golden Horn that evening.  A small travel tip: don't book a boat tour through the hotel or online in advance -- most companies inflate their prices so you pay many times more than you actually should for a ticket.  Plus, there are lots of people selling boat tickets near the marina that can give you a much better price and you can take a tour pretty much on the spot -- no need to reserve in advance.

Istanbul always has these moving clouds so it never gets too hot.  Here's a beautiful view of the Bosphorous on our boat tour!

Along the Golden Horn!

The Maiden Tower is on a small island in the middle of the
 Bosphorous Strait.  According to legend, an emperor was once told
by an oracle that his young daughter would be bit and killed by
a venomous snake.  She was taken to the the Maiden Tower for
several years, only to be visited by her father on occasion.
Then, on her eighteenth birthday, she received a basket of
fruits from her father as a gift, which contained a venomous
snake that killed the fair maiden (unbeknownst to the father, of course).

Delicious roasted corn!

Roasted chestnuts!

There were tons of these snack stands (selling corn and chestnuts) around the marina.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a mackerel sandwich (balik ekmek) and pickle juice (less enjoyable than the sandwich) at the Golden Horn marina, corn and roasted chestnuts from a nearby snack stand, and some rotisserie chicken.

Mackerel sandwich (balik ekmek)!

Pickle juice!

The marina area was full of restaurants that served balik ekmek
sandwiches.  This one was right on the water!

Loooots of rotisserie chickens.

Rotisserie chicken.

Commonly served yogurt drink.

We hit the ground running the next morning after a HUGE breakfast.  Check out this view we had every morning at the hotel restaurant!

Our view at breakfast every morning -- you can see Hagia Sophia in the middle and Blue Mosque on the right.

We started out at the Hagia Sophia, a grandiose building that started out as an Eastern Orthodox Christian church in the 6th century AD and was later turned into a mosque (minarets were obviously added during this time).  It now serves as a museum for tourists around the world and features amazing art from the days the Hagia Sophia functioned as a church and as a mosque.  Seeing the contrast between the Christian and Muslim art inside was really fascinating.  Interestingly, all of the mosques in the historic part of Istanbul mirror the Hagia Sophia in basic architectural design -- the flat dome with the minarets surrounding it.  (Part of this has to do with the fact that the same architect, Sinan, designed many of the mosques built during the 1500s, most of which were inspired by the Hagia Sophia.)

The beautiful Hagia Sophia.

Careful excavation efforts revealed beautiful
Christian murals under intricate Islamic art.

Inside the Hagia Sophia!

The beautiful Hagia Sophia, with a mix of
Islamic and Christian murals and symbols.

Uncovered Christian mosaics.

More mosaics.

A giant marble door at the Hagia Sophia.

Afterwards, we walked to the Topkapi Palace, which served as a place of residence for Ottoman royals during their reign.  We had the opportunity to tour what appeared to have been an amazingly equipped kitchen and bakery (!!), meeting rooms and resting areas, and the harem, or private quarters for the women of the palace (carefully guarded by eunuchs).

Outside the main entrance gate to the Topkapi Palace.

Right outside the walls of the Topkapi Palace.

Beautiful gardens surrounded us.

This style of tile was commonly seen around the palace.

The quarters for one of the prominent women living in the harem.

Lovely stained glass in one of the rooms.

We couldn't make a trip without visiting the Blue Mosque, the only Islamic place of worship with six minarets in the city.  Also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (named appropriately after the sultan who built this place of worship), the Blue Mosque is huge -- it can accommodate ten thousand worshipers -- but it honestly wasn't as impressive to me as some of the other mosques we visited, in my opinion.  It is most well-known (and named after) the blue tiles inside.

The exterior of the Blue Mosque.

Interior of the Blue Mosque.

The nearby Hippodrome was a large green space which once functioned as a grounds for chariot racing.  Nonetheless, it is now a beautiful square/garden area where people meet socially and where some festivals take place (we actually walked through a festival while there).  We also saw the German Fountain and a few ancient obelisks placed in the Hippodrome area.

The German Fountain.

The two main obelisks in the Hippodrome.
(The closer obelisk originally came from Egypt)

If you look closely, you can see remnants of
the serpant column, which used to be located
in Delphi but was relocated by Constantine
when he moved the capital of the Roman empire
to Istanbul (Constantinople).  

We also wandered through the Basilica Cistern, which once functioned as a basilica in the 3rd century AD, but then became a large storage area for water through the Middle Ages for the Ottomans.  

The cistern still contains water and
ancient columns, but no one's going
to drink that water now!

After taking a quick break for some fresh baklava, we wandered over to the Sirkeci Terminal (a major train station that was originally constructed to connect the east and the west through the Orient Express) to watch a performance of the whirling dervishes.   The whirling dervishes are part of the Mevlevi Order of the Sufis founded by the world-famous Persian poet, Rumi.  Dervishes perform ceremonies called "sama," in which individuals sing, dance, and pray.  Check it out!

Whirling dervishes.

Whirling dervishes.

By around dinner time, we noticed that the streets of Istanbul were pretty much deserted.  I mean, absolutely empty.  That's when palm-slapped our foreheads because we remembered it was the first day of Ramadan.  Of course people would go home in anticipation of a family meal at sunset!  We noticed that restaurant workers in the tourist areas stayed back (presumably because they wouldn't have time to make it home and go back to work later that night) and had meals with workers from other nearby restaurants.  People gathered in between restaurants outside, sat on stools, and shared a giant plate of food communally.  It was actually really beautiful.  

Pretty much everything opened back up a little after sunset and the entire city was hustling and bustling all hours of the night.  What a fun sight to see!  That night, we decided to grab a drink from a nearby rooftop bar, which had amazing views of the Blue Mosque!

The Blue Mosque was lit up at night, with a special message wishing all a
Happy Ramadan!

We walked through parts of the Grand Bazaar, another outdoor market full of individual vendors.  Afterwards, we walked to the Suleymaniye Mosque, the largest mosque in Istanbul (and by far, my favorite).  Sultan Suleyman ordered the construction of this regal place of worship.  The Suleymaniye is built on a hill and features a beautiful view of the Golden Horn.  There is an impressive garden surrounding the mosque, as well as a graveyard and a handful of mausoleums commemorating the lives of Suleyman and his closest family members.

Walking through Grand Bazaar!

Grand Bazaar has also been around for many
hundreds of years.

Entering the mausoleum of Emperor Suleyman.

Gorgeous garden right outside the mosque.

Nearby cemetery honoring Suleyman's
close family members.  The tombstones
were amazingly intricate.

I have to say, Suleyman Mosque was my favorite mosque that we visited.
It was beautiful, as you can see!

The lovely main dome.

The view from right outside Suleymaniye Mosque.

The beautiful exterior of Suleymaniye Mosque.  It may not have been as popular
with the tourists, but there was a lot to see.

We ended our whirlwind trip to Istanbul with a trip to the Galata Tower, which featured amazing 360 panoramic views of Istanbul (both the Thracian and Anatolian sides!).

View from outside the Galata Tower.

Beautiful view of Istanbul from the top of the Galata Tower.

If you look closely, you can see Asia towards the left! YAY!

A picture of us with Anatolia in the background.

Our very last meal in Turkey was phenomenal and absolutely deserves mention in this post.  Joe had a combination plate with chicken and beef kebabs and I had, by far, the most amazing lamb kebabs I have ever had (!!!!!!!!!!!).  We also shared a tomato-based soup that we both really enjoyed.  What a way to end our trip!

Smoky, lamb kebabs with rice, salad, and charred tomatoes and chilis.

Combination chicken and beef kebab plate with rice and charred chilis and tomatoes.

The aftermath. Just to prove to you how delicious this was.