Our First Full Day in Istanbul

After sleeping for 11 hours, thanks to Tylenol PM, we went up to our hotel's top-floor terrace for a bountiful Turkish breakfast spread from eggs and cold cuts to olives, yogurt with several kinds of honey and a bread board filled with several kinds of bread. We ate at a table with a panoramic view of the city and the Bosphorusl.  (The skies were cloudy and the temperature was fairly cool. It eventually warmed up a little during the day, but it was breezy and we never saw the sun).

We then set out to take an Old Town Back Street walk, Ann thought, until we passed by the Trolley stand to take the Golden Horn walk, Bob thought.  We settled on the former and wound our way past and through several market areas including the Grand Bazaar to the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. It was being renovated and most of the rooms in the mosque were closed but we were able to enter the main Mosque for a peak at the enormous interior. It was not very exciting, but we found Suleyman's Mausoleum in the Cemetery to be a small gem.

 

Suleyman's Mausoleum

Following the instructions for the walk we rushed past some of the attractions that are listed on our itinerary for the RS Tour later, but could not miss the deli where Bob ordered a kumru - a cholesterol packed sandwich with spicy sausages, salami, and smoked cow's tongue -  and Ann chose some Middle Eastern fare from the salad counter.  These were consumed on the open plaza facing the the Galata Bridge.  Our bench was shared with tourists and  amiable burka clad women.  So far our people experiences have been quite positive.  Even the rug merchant/hawkers are polite, despite their creative persistence.

The Deli

We took our own version the the Golden Horn walk, crossing the Galata Bridge from Europe to Asia and then back to Europe where we walked to the dilapidated Sirketci train station where the Orient Express originated.   Some of the stained glass windows survived and hinted at the glories of the 1880s building.

Inside the Train Station

We then strolled back to the hotel passing by more rug merchants and one shop where "auntie" was weaving a rug - a great come-on for tourists. After buying some bottled water (you shouldn't drink tap water here) we went to our room and rested our feet for awhile (lots of cobblestones paving the streets).

At 4:00, we met our tour group in the hotel's roof-top terrace for introductions and a tour briefing. Our guide, Sidar, explained how the tour will work and talked about the logistics. Then each person introduced him(her)self. Most of the group is from California. This is the first RS tour that we have been on where the Washington peopled have been outnumbered.

After the meeting was finished, we left the hotel and walked two blocks to the Blue Mosque. This huge building was built in the 17th century. The inside is decorated by predominately blue tiles and blue frescos. It is a Islam-practicing mosque, so we had to wait until prayers were over to take off our shoes and enter. Women were asked to cover their hair and bare skin, but they were not required to do so. Sidar gave us a good overview of the mosque and the Muslim traditions in Turkey.

Dinner was next. We ate at a restaurant called Yesil Ev -  Green House. We had two sets of appetizers. One was cheese and spinach rolls similar to egg rolls. The other was dolma. The appetizers were followed by sweets (dessert) - baklava, etc. We also tasted a licorice-flavored liquor called raku.

Back at the hotel we were asleep by 9:00.