A Day in Istanbul

Following my first night in the ship (Azamara Pursuit), once again I met my guide, Ata, at 8 am.  For the next 5 hours, we walked around the old town seeing some of the most famous sites.  We started at a large square that was formerly a hippodrome.  In it are two obelisks.  From there we walked to the famous Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) which he'd thought was closed but has been recently reopened.  To visit a mosque it is necessary to remove one's shoes and for women to cover their hair, shoulders and legs.  The building itself is quite beautiful.






From there, we walked to the nearby Haggia Sophia but we didn't visit it as Ata told me most of the mosque's mosaics have been covered.  We continued on to the Basilica Cistern which is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.  It was breathtaking to see and we were early enough that it wasn't that crowded.  The lighting in it changed from time to time giving it a very ethereal feelings.  As well, there were interesting art installations in different parts of it that were quite spectacular.










From there, we went to the terrace on the roof of a hotel so we could enjoy the views toward the Bosphorus.  


Next up was a walk through the spice market.  Ata explained that gradually through the pandemic many of the stalls become ones for souvenirs and products other than spices.  That being said, there were plenty of spice stalls.




We then visited another mosque, Rustempasa.  Ata told me it is one of his favourites and it certainly was beautiful inside.



From there, we walked across the bridge which leads to the Galata Tower.  We had done close to 15,000 steps and if we hadn't used the tram system it would have been a lot more!  We finished our time together having a lovely lunch overlooking the water where I finally tried raki, the Turkish licorice-flavoured liquor similar to pastis and ouzo.  



Then, we took the tram back to the port where I said good bye to him - he had been a wonderful guide and a fun person to be around - and then I started the next phase of my trip.  I can't say I had fallen in love with Istanbul - probably because it is such a big, busy and noisy city - but I can say I found Turkey interesting and unexpectedly so.  I am planning to return as soon as I can to see more of this intriguing country.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Syros - Not Mykonos but . . .

Image
Several days ago, Captain Michael announced our ship would not be visiting Mykonos as the strong winds there would make it impossible for tenders to ferry passengers from the ship to the shore.  So, that port was replaced with the island of Syros with its port of Ermoupoli (so named for the goddess, Hermes).  My initial reaction to the news was one of disappointment; however, as we docked there yesterday morning, I could see it was a very pretty place.   The view from my veranda Syros, also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is 78 nautical miles south-east of Athens. The area of the island is 83.6 km² and it has 21,507 inhabitants. The capital is Ermoupoli and other town are Ano Syros, and Vari.  It turned out Ermoupoli was an architectural gem with colourful mansions, neoclassical buildings, imposing churches (two of which were situated on the two hills in the town), pretty squares and a lovely seafront crowded with...
Read more

Volos and Mount Pelion

Image
After Thessaloniki, our next port of call was Volos.   This is a coastal port city at the foot of Mount Pelion in Thessaly.  It is situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 330 kilometres north of Athens and 220 kilometres south of Thessaloniki.  It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Knowing nothing about this area - I'd never actually heard of it before - I decided to book a shore excursion.  It was titled  Mountain Villages of Portaria and Makrynitsa.  Both villages are located on Mount Pelion.  The bus climbed up and up a typical mountain road with innumerable hairpin turns until the buildings in Volos looked like small dots.  Unfortunately, the weather was very cloudy so the views weren't clear.  Also, the cloud ceiling was quite lot so it was damp and cool.  The village of Makrynitsa turned out to be quite charming.  it is nicknamed "the balco...
Read more

My Affliction

A friend of mine recently told me of a newly identified condition called "destination addiction".  This need or drive some people have to always have plans to travel somewhere apparently really does have a name; my guess it was probably spawned from all the frustration of travel limitations during the pandemic!  I am more than willing to admit that it is definitely my affliction.  Having had a bit of a depressing start to 2023, it was amazing how, once I'd chatted to another friend about making travel plans for the fall, I started to feel so much better.  It was like a gray cloud had lifted off my psyche.  Apparently, my mental health really is dependent on having airline reservations and destinations planned!   However, it was clear to me that October was too far away so I started casting about for something to do in the spring.  And, while it is known I am not a big fan of cruises, I also am aware there are times when that form of travel is real...
Read more