Tag: Istanbul

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: LET’S GO SHOPPING

Talking about things I didn’t have the time to see properly in Istanbul, the Grand Bazaar would be at the top of the list. It’s the sort of thing you need plenty of leisure time to explore. We barely stuck our toe in the water before it was time to go, but come and see what we did discover.

A Quick Change of Scenery

From the elegant Blue Mosque, we jumped on our bus and were delivered to Nuru Osmaniye Street, which leads to the Nurusmaniye Gate of the Grand Bazaar. I didn’t know that when I was there. I came home, studied my photos and used the map below, which I found on the internet, to figure out where I had been. (Map from https://www.istanbultrails.com/2008/10/the-grand-bazaar-maze-or-oriental-feast/)

I have used a red line to show you where we walked, which shows what a paltry amount of the Bazaar we actually saw. We turned off that street and within a few steps we knew we were getting in trouble. It all looked the same. At that moment, we could turn around and walk back to the street we knew would deliver us to the meeting point. If we kept exploring, we would have been lost.

As long as one had some time and access to a map, I actually think getting lost in the bazaar would be a blast, but we were still smarting from the episode at the mosque and the last thing we wanted to do was get lost! We also did not have a map. So we played it smart,

Gold, Gold and More Gold

Another thing we didn’t know when we entered the Bazaar was that our guide had dropped us off right in the middle of the part of the bazaar focused on gold. He did tell us that while most Istanbulers did not shop regularly in the bazaar, it was where they would shop for gold. I can guess why! Fort Knox couldn’t possibly have more gold than these guys and we only visited one street of their section!

Our guide had walked down Nuru Osmaniye Street with us and introduced us to a shop where he recommended we buy souvenirs like baklava, Turkish Delight, teas, spices and such. He pointed us towards the Bazaar and told us when to be back.

It was exciting joining the horde of people entering the same gate we were. We were stunned at all the gold we saw. There were other shops from t-shirts to candles squeezed in between the gold shops, but it was mostly gold and lots of it.

We walked the length of the Bazaar, but I didn’t know that. When I saw the gate at the other end, I was afraid we’d end up in a new maze and we wouldn’t know one from the other, but now I know we’d have landed outside the Bazaar on a regular Istanbul street. I didn’t know that, so we just turned around and went back the way we came.

As we ogled all the gold shops, I kept my eye open for a shop I’d seen shortly after we entered. It had a wide variety of souvenirs and a sign which said, “No haggling!” I knew that was the shop I was looking for to buy the last few things I wanted to take home with me. When we found it, I went inside, picked out a couple of handfuls of bracelets and paid the man with a credit card. I was happy as a clam. I might have gotten them for half that price around a corner with a little haggling, but I liked it just the way I’d done it.

It was after that Bill suggested we head down a side lane, which as I explained above, didn’t last very long. By then, it wasn’t long before we needed to be back at the meeting point. We entered the shop our guide had recommended and they were busy as a one armed berry picker during cranberry season. I have no idea what that actually means. It’s just something my mother used to say, but their business was hopping. Live demonstrations, Turkish Delight tasting, all kinds of stuff. I had my bracelets in my bag and I was happy.

It had been almost five hours since we left the ship, so we were happy to pile back on the bus and go back across town to the harbor. Come back next week and you can tag along on our return to DFW.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Memory Keeping, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: THIS COULD BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING ON EARTH

Our second attraction in Istanbul is one of the most beautiful man-made places I have ever been on earth. Since I’ve been home people have said, “Oh you should have gone to Hagia Sophia,” or “Why didn’t you see the Suleiman Mosque?” Well, the short answer is this mosque is the one on the tour I thought would allow me to get the best taste of Istanbul in one day. Another answer is that I can’t imagine anywhere on earth being any more beautiful. Come along with me!

The Transition from Palace to Mosque

Like Lot’s wife being led from Sodom, I looked back over my shoulder wishing to linger longer at Topkapi Palace. Thankfully, there was no chance of becoming a Pillar of Salt, but if I’d have known where I was headed, I wouldn’t have been reluctant at all.

Istanbul’s Old Town holds many remarkable sights and there are only a few steps apart. Hagia Sophia was right outside Topkapi, but it is hidden by all the scaffolding. I would like to go someday, but I was glad we had another destination.

The plaza connecting all of these wonderful sights is pretty marvelous on its own. It truly is a melting pot of tourists and natives. You see everything! Youngsters with e-cigs and senior citizens gathered around a hookah. Some people look down checking their phone for updates, while others gaze into the blue sky as if no updates are needed. Some heads are covered in the traditional hajibs, others let their hair blow in the wind. I was still trying to stuff all the things I’d just seen into my memory, but couldn’t help notice the lives being lived around me.

Awe and Wonder

Then we had to go get in a line to enter the mosque. Ever since I first booked this shore excursion I had known I needed to have an appropriate head covering to go into the mosque and if I didn’t have it, they’d give me one of theirs to wear. Well, I packed several options, but did I bring them with me? Of course not, but in my tote bag was a wind breaker I brought along, just in case the weather got to wet or windy for my cape. Even as I was panicking over forgetting a head scarf, some reasonable part of me was saying, your windbreaker has a hood that can be unzipped. I dug around in my tote bag, unzipped the hood from my windbreaker, stuffed all my hair up under it and tied it under my chin.

I think I must have looked pretty ridiculous, but I passed the inspection. That’s part of the reason there are no photos of me inside the mosque.

After the head covering inspection, our guide trotted off and we followed him like ducklings. He gave us the run down of what we were going to see, how to behave in the mosque and also a set of instructions for when and where to meet after we’d seen the mosque, but Bill and I heard two different things, both of which turned out to be wrong – but we wouldn’t know that until later.

I’ve been to beautiful places in my life, all around the world, some designed by the Creator and others designed by his Creation and I honestly believe this was the most beautiful one I’d ever seen created by Man. I’m not going to try to describe it. The photos were took are quite good, but nothing compares to standing there inside the mosque.

The huge dome is divided into two parts. About a third of the domed area is reserved for infidels, like us, to gawk at the majesty of the building’s interior. I’m one infidel who is very grateful they let us in, at all. The faithful are invited to the other two thirds for prayer and worship.

Panic and Relief

So, the time was drawing nigh for us to meet our group and go to the Grand Bazaar. I went to the far edge of the tourist section which was opposite where we came in. I thought I had arrived. Bill was sure we were supposed to meet on the other side of the security area, where you put back on your shoes. Neither one of us knew anything about a courtyard.

No one from our group was gathering where I thought they should be, so Bill dragged me through security, but we didn’t see anyone there either. We stepped out on a large porch area and still saw no one. We were close to the courtyard, but no one that we saw was holding up a Viking sign. I convinced Bill to re-enter the mosque which was a big no-no. Thankfully, he speaks Arabic and made a big fuss about his spouse waiting for him inside the mosque.

While he was fighting that battle, I saw our guide heading towards me, obviously afraid he’d lost his some of his tourists. He wanted me to go join the others and I freaked out about leaving the last place I’d seen Bill. The guide said it was impossible to go back into the mosque from where we were, so Bill must have gone somewhere else, but obviously, he didn’t know Bill. Impossible doesn’t exist in his world. About that time Bill came back through and the problem was resolved, but both Bill and I were a little rattled. Between the two of us, one or the other usually gets it right. The fact that we had both missed it completely and were almost lost in Istanbul on the last day of the cruise, well that was not good.

From the mosque, we had to board the bus again to get to the Grand Bazaar. Come join me for our last adventure next week.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Fashion, Gardens, International, Libraries, Memory Keeping, Museums, Photography, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace

Jane Sadek

Making Memories: Istanbul – A Crowning Glory for a Marvelous Cruise

Confession, the photo book pages above took me entirely too long to create. I did it all free hand without a template and it took me hours. It didn’t bother me though, because I wanted to do something spectacular for my favorite city of the cruise. We saw three amazing sights on our tour. Come along to the first (and the best in my opinion!)

A Morning with a Slow Start

This being our last day on the cruise, I knew the crew would want to come by and pick up our luggage around 10 PM. In my head, we were going for a quick sit-down breakfast and then I’d get most everything packed up. Well, that’s not what happened. At breakfast we sat next to a delightful British couple. He was an attorney and she was a hoot. She’d say just about anything and he’d try to dial her back, but instead she’d top it with something even more outrageous. I was in stitches and if we knew more about British politics and current fads, I am sure it would have been even funnier.

So, we lingered over breakfast and there went my packing opportunity. We did go by the business center and tried to get our boarding passes printed out. Technology was NOT cooperating with me. I got the boarding passes digitally and checked our luggage, but that meant we had to trust our phones and quite frankly, I don’t.

Wonder Upon Wonder

I was prepared to love Topkapi Palace. I just had NO idea how much I would. Our guide was great – on par with the beloved Maria we had in Athens. He gave us just enough information on the bus to keep it interesting without droning on and on and on.

The bus ride took us from the port to the Old Town and then took a walk to the Palace. I’m not sure how much to share. I want to tell you everything, but I don’t want to wear you out. Topkapi Palace gorgeous, for one thing. Of course, I love Ottoman architecture and my eyes were feasting on some of the best. The outer courtyard, where the public once wandered was lovely, but inside, by the sea, the scenery was jaw dropping.

I was trying to soak in everything I saw, take photos and listen to our guide. When he said the palace contained several museums and libraries, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I immediately wanted to start going through them, but he asked us to stay with him until he gave us our free time.

The Treasury and The Museum of Clothing

As soon as our guide declared it was free time, I made a beeline for The Treasury. Who wouldn’t want to see one of the largest diamonds in the world, but that was just one of the gorgeous treats we were in for. I was torn, I wanted to linger in front of every case for a long time and line up the perfect shots with my good camera. Well, I didn’t have time to linger and about halfway through my camera reminded me I should have recharged it somewhere along the way, so I was stuck with my phone. Bill prefer to take pictures with his phone, but I want a real camera, so I felt pretty stupid when it just died on me.

So, my memories of these wonderful sites is me almost running through the museums snapping photos of anything that wasn’t moving. Some part of my brain registered what I was looking at, but I didn’t really get to appreciate it until I was home, putting together these pages.

I was gobsmacked by most of what I saw in the Treasury, but I had three more museums, so I moved as fast as I could on to the Clothing Museum. Oh the colors, the textures and the handiwork on each item. I longed to stop and meditate on each gown or uniform, but though I did have several moments in front of each case, none of the moments were long enough to satisfy me.

I was ready to move on to the kitchen museum, but Bill slowed me down and rightly so. There was a beautiful promenade along the waters of the Golden Horn. We could see Galata Tower in the distance and the port, where our ship was docked. Then we strolled over to the residences. He was right to slow me down and make me see all the gorgeous things around me, but I was on a mission!

The Imperial Council and The Kitchen Museum

Next we headed over to the Imperial Council Rooms. There wasn’t much in the way of artifacts in this area, but the rooms themselves were opulent and beautiful. They also weren’t very big, so I guess the Sultan chose not to include a lot of people in his decision-making.

The Kitchen Museum was of particular interest to me. My favorite part of any museum is Decorative Arts and of Decorative Arts, I love porcelain most of all. With the breakage that goes on in a kitchen, I’m not surprised there wasn’t very many examples of porcelain to see, but I was delighted by the huge cooking pots and storage vessels they had. Not much to look at, because they had virtually no ornamentation, something that surprised me in a Sultan’s palace, but the size suggested just how many people there were feeding.

Time to Go

Much too soon, as far as I was concerned, it was time to regroup and go to the next attraction. I hope I can go back some day and if I do, Topkapi Palace gets a whole day. I didn’t see any of the libraries and there was a special exhibition of watches that I merely passed on my way to the exit. It hurt like pulling teeth with out Novocain. And then there was my camera, which needed charging. I love to travel, but it’s always something!

I’ve talked about the cats, almost all the places we’ve visited. There weren’t as many at the palace as there had been other places, but one of them fell in love with me. While I have a cat I dearly love, I am not a cat person and cats are not drawn to me. Bill is the cat whisperer.

However, when I sat down on a curb to wait for our guide, this black and white cat made a beeline for me and crawled into my lap. He wanted to crawl all over me, but his bottom was wet from the grass and puddles so I definitely didn’t want him all over me. I was glad for my trusty old cape that protects me from the elements. It just so happened this element had fur! Bill was trying to get a little of his attention and the cat was having none of it. I was his new person and he was holding on for dear life.

I have no idea what drew him to me, but draw it did and we had a hard time untangling him so I could stand up and walk away! Our next stop is the famous Blue Mosque, considered by many to be the most beautiful of all. Come join us next week.