Turkish delight in Istanbul

We were up early this morning because the sail in to Istanbul is spectacular – the sun glints off the minarets of the mosques and the palaces, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace  and Aya Sophia stand out on the hills of the old city. We have been to Turkey before, so we arranged a private tour with Kagan, the same guide that we had on our last visit.

After friendly hugs, we headed off to the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent in the heart of the Old Town of Istanbul. We drove down a street filled with ‘boys toy shops’, blocks of hardware stores which would give Bunnings a run for their money. Under the bridge was a collection of bike shops. Kagan explained that it was a ritual in Turkish families for the father to bring his son to this area to select a bike which would then be presented on the day of his circumcision ‘when he wasn’t able to ride it!!!’ One of the more unusual window displays which had us scratching our heads was a window filled with dolls and a sign which read ‘Viagra buy 2, get 3’ – can anyone explain the significance of the dolls in the display????

I had left my shawl on the bus, I was judged by the guard at the door to be unsuitably dressed, so I was given an ‘outfit’ to wear to cover up in the traditional style – accompanied by the giggles and comments of my friends. Kagan gathered us around and we sat on a corner of the floor while he explained the history and features of the Mosque, the largest in Istanbul.

Turkey straddles the European and Asian continents, so we crossed over the suspension bridge which divides the two continents on our way to Beylerbeyi Palace - the Sultan’s Summer Palace – one of 12 country palaces for the Sultan’s enjoyment, occupied by the last Sultan until the end of WW2. The power of the Sultan was very evident – gold and gilt everywhere – opulence overload - we had to put bootees over our shoes (similar to surgical bootees) before we could walk on the floors. Whenever the Sultan walked into the romm, the mere mortals were expected to drop to their knees, bow their heads and kiss his robes three times, while he then patted the top of their head.

Each room was more richly decorated than the first – although everything needs a good dust now!! The Sultan’s bedroom was a disappointment - where we had expected to see expensive fabrics and gold decorations, and maybe a huge four poster bed,  the bed was quite small and surrounded by a row of carved chairs – his doctor, lawyer, advisers, tailor, chef, dresser, shoe cleaner etc. were expected to sleep sitting up on the most uncomfortable looking chairs at his bedside, just in case their services were needed at the whim of the Sultan – whew!!

The Palace was situated on the banks of the Bosphorous in lavish grounds – unfortunately – in their wisdom, the Turkish Government has built a suspension bridge almost over the top, so the tranquillity of the palace competes with the constant hum of the traffic.

Our next stop was at the Grand Bazaar – a rabbit warren of stalls selling all sorts of things – after some hints from Kagan about how to bargain in the bazaar, we were let loose. Arnold bought a leather jacket and was very pleased with his negotiating skills – I bought a few gifts – but the constant crowds and hassling from the vendors is very wearing – everyone asks ‘do you want a carpet, my brother has a carpet shop’, and the opportunity to just browse was spoiled by the constant badgering. We sat down for a coffee and were actually pleased to leave with our purchases.

It started to rain, but we voted to take our chances and take a cruise along the Bosphorous. The traffic was crazy – the president of South Korea was here for trade talks and so there were police on most corners and Korean flags everywhere, holding things up.

By the time we arrived at the boat, the rain had stopped and we enjoyed a leisurely hour sitting on the deck with a glass of local white wine (very good) as Kagan pointed out the sights and differences between the European and Asian sides. Bill Gates has a house in the hills with views over Istanbul. The Kaminski Instanbul Hotel, on a stunning position on the waterfront has a suite which is an exact copy of the ballroom in the Summer Palace – only $35,000 per night – bargain!!

At the boat dock there were a lot of stall selling food – the main offerings were enormous baked potatoes with a variety of fillings and waffles – the best I have ever seen. We stopped at one where a young Turkish guy played up for Garry’s video camera and we had a lot of laughs as he piled our waffle with his ‘Masterchef Special’, white chocolate, nutella, pistachio sauce, bananas, strawberries, kiwifruit, apricots, nuts, choc bits and dried fruits. He told us that his name was Tom Cruise. The waffle was delicious and well worth the 12 turkish lira (about $5.50) for the entertainment value.

We returned to the ship and were once again caught up in a traffic jam – finally the driver said that we could wait in the traffic for another 20 minutes or walk back to the dock – about five minutes away – we chose to walk.

Our friends, Sharon and David were celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary today, so we joined then for champagne celebrations before having a quick dinner and heading to bed.

Captain, throw off the lines and let us head to Anzac Cove, a very special place in the hearts of Aussies and Kiwis……