The Snowlady Chronicles: Topkapi and Crowds

Thursday May 2, 2013

Istanbul, Turkey

Another Glorious Day

Today, we decided to sleep in as we were on our own schedule and after all we are on vacation. Internet access has been sporadic since yesterday and I wonder if its due to the May Day Riots and parades.

We only had a few things on our agenda today. First on the agenda was to visit the TopKapi Palace, one of the grandest palaces during the Ottoman Empire. One can see and feel how rich Turkey (or at least the Sultans and their families) was by just looking at the palaces all over Istanbul.

Our first stop was the archaeological museum which was pretty fascinating. The highlights of the visit were the remnant of the Temple of Artemis as we visited the original site where only one lone pillar stood and has been taken over by a stork to lay her nest. It must also have been “school” day as we met hundreds of children visiting the museum.

The next stop was the palace. We almost gave up from the gecko as the lines were ridiculously long. But fortunately, we found a kiosk that sold the tickets with a very short line so we were lucky. HOWEVER, getting into the palace was a nightmare!! Just way too many people (it seems a couple of cruise ships arrived). Not enjoyable at all. So we just enjoyed what we could which was the library and then also paid the extra fee to see the Harem.

The palace is opulent and a subject of scandalous stories, like one of the Sultans drowning after drinking too much champagne, other Sultan’s going mad, and a concubine who becomes one of the most powerful woman ever to rule albeit behind the scenes.

Legend has it that the harem was where the sultan could engage in debauchery but in reality it is the family quarters of the Sultan. It is quite cozy and beautiful. I especially loved the tiles and the fireplaces. It was also interesting to learn about the black eunichs who protected the harem. Thank God though that the practice of eunichs no longer exist.

After we visited the harem, we exited the grounds and took a walk to Galata bridge in search of the infamous fish sandwich. We found a charming restaurant underneath the bridge where Sandra and I had the 5 TL fish sandwich while Mary who is allergic to seafood had grilled chicken. I’m glad I had the fish sandwich which is basically a mackerel stuffed in bread but would I have it again? NO.

Then it was time for us to go to the luxurious Four Seasons Bosphorus for our Turkish bath. We experienced a bit of a challenge as we could not find a taxi. We first went to the “tourist information desk” who blew us off but met a nice policeman who tried to help but told us the best thing to do is to flag down a cab. Sandra was able to flag one down that belonged to the Intercontinental so we knew it would be safe.

We made it to the grounds of the Four Season with about 10 minutes to spare. Sandra decided to skip the bath so she wandered the grounds while Mary and I enjoyed the Turkish bath ritual for the second time. We both agreed the Four Seasons approach is decadent and so relaxing.

After the bath, we inquired about the gorgeous Turkish towels and found out that they sold them and were half the price of the towel place we went to yesterday. So,,,,, I ended up buying some. We also learned that we have to soak it in water for awhile, hand dry and then use them. I can’t wait to try them out when back in Tokyo. Also, we were told NOT to use fabric softener. Interesting.

After our bath, we had a cocktail on the deck overlooking the Bosphorus River. It was just so lovely.

Then it was time to go to our special dinner that Mary treated us to. We had dinner at the Panoramic Restaurant in the old town overlooking the Blue Mosque, the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. It was lovely albeit a bit cold. But our waiter provided us with warm shawls that made the night enjoyable. We were also treated to the soothing melody of the calling for prayers at sundown which made the experience that much more special. The dinner was fabulous and Mary was so generous to treat us to a wonderful dinner.

We then walked back to the hotel and called it a night as the next day was our power shopping day.

Archaelogical Museum