We're in Istanbul (not Constantinople)!

Serefe (Cheers) from Turkey! The first beer is always the sweetest.

Turkish pride (not pide) - their flags are everywhere!

We touched down in Istanbul, got our visas and passed through customs and were absolutely thrilled to see something we hadn't seen in a long time – a clean, civilised Metro line from the airport into town! Although this meant having to carry our bags, it also meant that there was no haggling with taxicab drivers or getting dropped off in the wrong place, the price was cheap and fixed and to top it all off, no extra fees for the AC in the train! It's the little things, yeah?

We got on the Metro line, transferred to the light rail (tramvay) and got to our hostel, the “Sydney Hostel” in Sultanhamet, the area which also includes the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and the Topkapi Palace. The particular street in Sultanhamet, Akbiyik Caddesi, is chok a block full of backpacker's places and pubs and it's a popular travellers scene.

Akbiyik Caddesi - chock full of hostels, restaurants and pubs

We checked-in to our hostel and in no time we did another thing that we hadn't done in ages – strolled down to a pub and had a beer at one of the al fresco tables on the street! Already we could see the differences between Turkey and its other, more conservative, Middle Eastern Islamic neighbours.

Our travels in Turkey kicked off with 5 days in Istanbul and, looking at the diversity of places to see and things to do, we weren't going to be sitting around!

Istanbul is a huge city of 16 million people, straddling Europe and Asia with an amazingly long, colourful history. It's location on the Bosphorous, linking the Black Sea and the Mediterranean has always been strategically important and the city thrived under Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Istanbul - a beautiful waterfront city

When the Turkish republic was formed after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire post-World War I (and a Turkish War of Independence), the capital was relocated to Ankara, however Istanbul continues to be the largest and most prosperous city in Turkey.

Our first night was spent quietly in a local Turkish restaurant just outside the touristy area, where we ate our kebabs and drank our Efes beer, surrounded by the sounds of locals playing backgammon or clicking Rummikub tiles (very popular game here) while sipping chay (tea) out of tulip shaped glasses. Fantastic!

The view from the rooftop bar of our hostel - sunset over the Bosphorous

We woke up the next day with the idea of getting our Indian visas sorted out – we had run out of time to do it in Jordan, but weren't too concerned as there was an Indian consulate in Istanbul – very convenient!

Or so we thought...

The Indian consulate in Istanbul requests that foreigners acquire letters of recommendation from their own consulates before they will process applications for visas. Not usually an issue except for US citizens (of course).

The US consular service has a policy where they do not issue letters of recommendation – the only thing that they will give you is a letter that states they do not issue letters of recommendation – which is about as useful as an ice box in Greenland. The Indian consul was very helpful in informing us about this and apologised to us for the fact we would be unable to visit India (leaving a 7 week hole in our travel itinerary).

Steph was once again fuming about the uselessness of her own country's foreign service, when we decided to give them a call and see if something could be worked. After spending 5 minutes getting through the computerised answering service – we finally got on to a human being where we were promptly told that if it wasn't an emergency, we'd have to call back later. Bloody hell!

We found out later that there had been a shoot out at the US consulate that morning, where 6 people had been killed – lucky that we didn't decide to head down there in person!

Newspaper article - detailing the shootout

As a last ditch effort, we gave the Indian embassy a call in Ankara, where we were told that we could apply for a visa there without a letter of recommendation, however we would have to come through Ankara in person in order to do it. Oh well – a little diversion would be required, however it did mean that we could still get to India! Problem sorted - it only took half a day and much ranting and raving, however all's well that ends well.

We spent the remainder of the morning heading down Istiklal Caddesi – basically a big pedestrian mall with lots of shops and places to eat.

Istiklal Caddesi

Sampling the delights of Turkey...

We stopped at a place where we could see a Turkish lady making fresh gozleme in the window – a Turkish pancake that is stuffed with cheese, spinach and meat which is absolutely delicious. Unusually, you can also get these in Australia, outside the rugby or at small surburban markets.

We've always loved gozleme - but this is REALLY authentic!

In the afternoon, we headed back over to Sultanhamet and headed in to get our first view inside the Aya Sofia. The Aya Sofia was originally a huge Byzantine church, built between 532 and 537 AD and at the time was the biggest church in the world (a title it held for almost a millenia).

When Istanbul fell to the Ottomans, it was converted into a mosque. Then, with the establishment of a secular government by Ataturk, it was converted into a museum. It really is an amazing structure, and a mix of Christian and Islamic art is inside. Slowly being uncovered are some amazing Byznatine mosaics, depicting various rulers making offerings to Christ or the Virgin Mary or both.

The interior of the Aya Sofia




The amazing mosaics from the Byzantine era

It was fantastic to just walk around this amazing structure and feel the amount of history that this building has seen over the centuries – truly amazing.

Huge alabaster urns - a bit bigger than what was on sale in Egypt!

The Sultan's Private worshipping area

One of the mosaics depicting the Emperor Justinian "offering" Aya Sofia to Christ.

After visiting the Aya Sofia, we hopped across the park to the Blue Mosque, which faces the Aya Sofia and was built by one of the Ottoman sultans to reflect the magnificence and grandeur of the original structure.

The exterior of the Blue Mosque - facing the Aya Sofia across the park

Another refreshing change was being allowed into the Blue Mosque without too much ado – as long as you took off your shoes and covered your head (for women).

The interior of the mosque is amazingly intricate and beautiful, the predominant colour being blue, giving the name to the structure. We sat down and observed some locals finishing off their mid-afternoon prayers and marvelled at the wonders that are created with the pure motivation of religious faith.

The beautiful interior of the Blue Mosque

We had a very full day and were absolutely famished. Although the kebabs were good, we had a hankering for curry and grabbed some food at an Indian restaurant that overlooked the Aya Sofia and Blue Mosque – a magnificent view to accompany our mango pickle and chicken tikka masala!

The Aya Sofia by night

The next day we checked out and moved to a hostel up the street with slightly larger rooms, and had our usual Turkish breakfast, basically fresh tomato, cucumber, fetta cheese, olives and hard boiled eggs, served with fresh bread and lashings of butter, honey and jam. A great way to start the day!

We headed up the hill to the Topkapi Palace, the original home to the sultans of the Ottoman Empire and reflects that, at the time of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 1500s, the empire was one of the wealthiest and most powerful in the world – controlling the trade routes between East and West.

The sheer scale of the palace is amazing, comprising 4 parts, starting with the large area open to military and public, the second for ambassadors, administrators and governement, the thrid only most trusted advisers and viziers, and finally the most private for the sultan's harem and family.

Steph posing with one of the "guards" at the entrance to the third section of the palace

The Golden Awning - where sultans of the past mulled thoughts of the empire while taking in the view over the Bosphorous

Although the palace is amazing in its own right, the treasury and relics contained within the palace are equally impressive. Unfortunately, no photos allowed, however the treasury contains an assortment of jewel and pearl encrusted thrones, ceremonial weapons (including the famous Topkapi dagger) and jewels – emeralds as large as eggs and the Spoonmaker's diamond, the 5th largest diamond in the world at 86 carats (Steph was drooling).

Some of the relics we could photograph - full suits of armour from the period

The entrance to one of the sultans' waiting rooms

The hall of sacred relics has actual pieces of the Prophet Mohammed's beard, the arm bones of John the Baptist and reputedly the rod that Moses carried and used to part the Red Sea. It's an amazing and priceless collection of some of the most important relics of the three monotheist religions.

And on top of it all, the palace has an absolutely killer view over the Golden Horn. Sweet!

The Sultan's harem topped it all off and it was great to wander through here without the crowds, most of whom are put off by the additional ticket fee. It provides an amazing insight into how the sultan and his wives and concubines lived a life of opulence and luxury in the absolute privacy of the harem.

A scene of the sultan's wives and concubines taking tea in the harem...

...the "pimped out" bathrooms...


...and the intricate ceiling designs.

The next day, we braced ourselves for our visit to the Grand Bazaar – stories abound of the hassle and haggling that tourists can experience in the markets and we were prepared for an experience similar to the souqs in Morocco.

The Grand Bazaar was a hubbub of people, sights and sounds, however we were pleasantly surprised as, to be honest, these touts have nothing on the rudeness and persistence that we had experienced in Marrakesh.

The Grand Bazaar - everything you do and don't need!

Steph took her time, perusing the lamp stalls - for those of you who don't know, Steph has an unusual obsession with lamps and lighting devices, just ask her about the $10 lamp she bought in Spain that cost us more than $200 in customs fees and duty.

Steph's weakness - my wallet shrivels up when it sees lamp shops!

We also dropped by Sish Osmans – one of the oldest carpet stores in the bazaar, selling exclusively hand made carpets from traditional Turkish families in central and eastern Anatolia. We were sorely tempted by one carpet in particular, Steph's holding it below.

Being treated to Turkish apple tea, while perusing the stock.

No Steph, this will NOT fit into the backpack!

We managed to extricate ourselves from the carpet shop, however we didn't escape the bazaar completely unscathed – Steph ended up buying some pottery, however all in all, I felt like we had avoided the strongest temptations of the bazaar (I'm still thinking about that carpet!).

Following the bazaar, we had booked in to see a "whirling dervish" show at Siskesi train station (the monastary is under renovations, apparently). A lot of the cheesier restaurants around Sultanhamet have nightly shows, however this was supposed to be a more "authentic" experience - even though it's at a train station.

The cheesy (but still impressive) restaurant show!

The "band" getting ready...

...and the whirling dervishing begins!

It definitely lived up to it! It was amazing to see the dervishes whirl to the music. It's important to remember that the dance is a religious experience - the dervishes whirl to get closer to God... I just don't know how they did it without falling over or throwing up!

They whirl with eyes closed and head tilted - I don't know how they stay un-nauseaous!

That night, we headed across to Beyoglu, on the other side of the Golden Horn from Sultanhamet, to get a look into Istanbul's most "happening" spot. The strip was absolutely pumping and it was great to get a glimpse into the more cosmopolitan side of Istanbul.

The string of restaurants, pubs and clubs in Beyoglu!

The next day we caught the public boat up the Bosphorous - this is also one of the "must-do" things in Istanbul and it was great to be able to see Istanbul from the water.

The Bosphorous links the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea and inland Russia - a very critical trading route in Eastern Europe and again underlining the significance of Istanbul's geographic position.

We embarked and quickly met a couple of guys from the US - Saul and Michael - who were also heading up the Bosphorous for the day.

It was a fantastic day for it, clear with great views all around. It was great to see Istanbul from the water and it was amazing to see the amount of water traffic, plying the straits from the Sea of Marmara and beyond.

Rumeli Hisari - A fort that was built in a little more than a few months by Mehmed II when he conquered Constantinople in 1453 (and later renamed Istanbul). He used it to strangle supplies along the Bosphorous

One of the stops was famous for yoghurt, which we just had to try. It tasted like...um, yoghurt! I guess my discerning taste buds as to differing qualities of yoghurt were not yet developed.

Saul, Steph and Mike, sampling the famous yoghurt!

At the "end of the line" is where the Bosphorous opens up to the Black Sea. We got off the ferry here and quickly visited an old Byzantine castle that was built on the promontory.

The last stop on the line


The ruins of the Byzantine castle on the headland


Don't stray from the path - it's actually next to a commando training camp!

The view out the headland into the Black Sea was amazing, well worth the trip out on the ferry!

One of our famous self-portraits

We had just enough time for about half an hour, before we had to get back down the hill and get the next ferry back to town.

It was our last night in Istanbul, and we fortuitously were invited out by the other Aussie guys in our room back out on the town. We had a big night out in Beyoglu again, which seemed like it was still pumping from last night. After a great dinner out, we hit the bar scene and then headed back to out hostel around midnight... guess we're feeling our thirtieth years a bit more that night! It was a great night out, though, and the first big one that we'd had since we raided Marc's bar in Jordan!

At dinner with the Aussies from our dorm and friends.


Beyoglu was still pumping...


...and the bar-hopping was lots of fun!

The next day we woke up (a bit sore-headed) and took a cab out to the suburbs of Istanbul to visit a little known museum called the Kariye Museum, previously the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

The Kariye museum from the outside - actually an old Byzantine church

The mosaics here were amazing and, as it's less well known than the Aya Sofia, you are free to enjoy it in relative solitude with just small groups of people frequenting the location.

Inside Kariye Museum - note the amazing frescoes and mosaics on the ceilings and walls


One of the domes, showing Christ in the middle

Steph was over the moon about these mosaics - the detail and precision with which they were created were truly breathtaking.

The photos don't do justice to the fineness of the mosaic work - amazing!

After a couple of hours, we caught a cab back to our hostel and there really wasn't much else to do other than pick up our bags, have a beer and wait for our shuttle out to Istanbul's enormous "Otogar" or bus terminal. From there we were catching the bus to Eceabat, the nearest town situated to the Gallipoli battlefields and our ANZAC pilgramage!