There are three segments to Istanbul in my experience. Sultanahmet, where I stayed, with most of the historic stuff, The Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque etc, that includes the Bazaar district as well. Then, over the bridge there is the more modern area. Apparently that's were all the decent night-life is. The final segment is over the other side of the Bosporus and can only be reached by ferry. Or a really long walk, ducking through Russia for a while. I may well go to that side, but it will be part of an excursion I am thinking of.

I wandered out of the hotel and ambled around Sultanamkek. it’s very picturesque, and has some amazing scenery. The place looks like a medieval fairy tale city told with an Arabic accent. Imagine if 1001 Nights had been set in an old German town. Walked down to the coast and had a bit of a walk along the ocean until I decided I was hungry.

Having had lunch, I decided rather than going to a particular site, I would continue my wander and get a feel for the place. It’s something I like to do in a strange city. It’s probably a really bad idea to wander aimlessly with expensive camera equipment and an iPod through a city you don’t know, but I have faith.

Sights & Culture

Spice Bazaar

First stop on the Bosporus tour was been the spice bazaar. An interesting place, I picked up a few bits and pieces for people and spent quite a bit quite quickly. Despite the name, the Bazaar sells quite a lot more than just spices.

Dolmabahçe Palace

After that, having discovered the bus was leaking, we went to the palace. Very impressive, reminiscent of the Russian palaces i have been to.

You can only go inside in groups and our guide had written a book on it and so was was very knowledgeable.

Hagia Sophia

In any other city, the Hagia Sophia would be the jewel of its architecture and history. In Istanbul it is battling other magnificent buildings like the Blue Mosque.

The interior is stunning, with gold leave highlights everywhere.

The remains of the second Hagia Sofia scatter the grounds around the new building. (new being relative as construction started in 532 BCE).

Kamondo Stairs

I couldn’t find the Jewish art gallery, which is supposed to be on the corner of the Kimono stairs. I found the stairs easily enough but not the gallery. The stairs are a nice diversion and quite different from everything around them.

Wandered across to the kiosk nearby. Picked a bottle of water and handed it to the kid on the register making the nothing else gesture. He was totally confused.

I gave him a lira and said “enough??" widening my hands.... nothing.... So I took the bottle out of his hands and raised it questioningly, pointing at the money.... nothing... so I walked off with the water...

New Town

As I had a free afternoon, I headed to New Town to the cinema. It is seriously subterranean! The entrance is on street level, but then you go down about five flights of stairs to get to the screens. It’s a seven screen cinema and screens one and two are at the very bottom, and the top is street level. Would be a scary place to see a horror film!

I took the tram here, 1.40lira, and its simple, direct and quick. Straight across the bridge and past Sultanahmet.

Galata Tower

I sat at the top of it with a Turkish tea, having wandered round the outside and got some fantastic photos. It was at this point I decided I needed to buy myself an dSLR of my own, having borrowed the one I was using for this trip from a friend. Galata tower is also a nightclub after 8pm.

Grand Bazzar

A lot of venues were closed on Mondays, which was a shame. After a coffee I wandered in the direction of the Grand Bazaar. I found it, had a quick wander through and will go back without the obvious camera and bag and do some shopping.

Basilica Cistern

The Hagia Sophia is closed on a Monday. Instead I went to the Basilica Cistern, a huge underground cistern supported by 12 rows of 18 columns with two mysterious Medusa heads, one on its side, one upside-down.

Blue Mosque

Headed straight to the Blue Mosque, its really impressive, and I think if I knew more about architecture it would be more so, for example the courtyard is exactly the same size as the internal space.

Galata Bridge

After the Archeology museum I headed off to the Bridge to the North Side. The bridge is very cool, all I did was walk across(under) one side have a look at the fish market and come back, as it was relatively late by that point and stuff was closing.

On the way back, I stopped at one of the Underbridge Cafes, called the "No 10" which had beanbag chairs and watched the sun over the Bosporus. They were a bit keen and demanded by order before i even looked at the menu, so I ordered the old standby of a large beer. They took me very seriously. It was 70cl, so about a pint and a half in one big glass. Having looked at the menu, I’m really tempted to go back for dinner at some point, looked really good!

Later in my trip I followed the road and hit the Topkapi Palace so turned around and got to the coast road. I followed it around Sultankemet and finally saw the lights clearly. they were across the bay, near the start of the second bridge. the second bridge is light by LEDs with various patterns that chase themselves. it looks amazing at night. At this point I realised I was not going to get to the lights, it was a couple of hours walk away and I was far enough along that it seemed quicker to continue to the general bridge rather than double back. I got to the bridge intersection and wondered if I should stop for a drink. The crossing turned green, which I took as a sign. I crossed over and had a pint looking out into the Bosporus. The water was black as oil and reflected the lights from the city in a mesmeric way. The moon was 3/4 full and bright. It was lovely.

Museums & Galleries

Modern Art Musuem

The modern art gallery is housed in an old shipping warehouse. No photos are allowed, so i have had to check the camera in to a locker. But i did get a student ticket and an audio guide for 6lira, about £2.50.

The gallery is good, large and airy and the audio guide just covers certain paintings and not in too much depth, unlike the British museum which rambles on like a crazy person. The top floor is the permanent exhibition, with the temporary shows downstairs.

One interesting area is the "Turkish primitives" it was a school of artists who produced all their art by copying photographs, giving very flat, unusual looking pieces. It was done because at the time there was a huge market for western style art in the Ottoman Empire. To own some was to appear worldly and sophisticated. The irony being, the mass produced work was looked down on by western artists of the time as it was clearly a copy of a photograph rather than something created.

Hamit Gorele has painted some fascinating neo-modern pictures, they are almost comic book. But so very expressive. One of the most prolific Turkish painters, who lived for 90 years, 1901-1991 was Fahrelnissa Zeid who produced a range of impressionist pieces, some awesome like Lost horizons, some not so much like third class passengers.

Gungor Taner's enigma, 1996 is stunning, full of live. Vibrant massive acrylic green canvass with red slashes!

Utku Varlik - Je m'avance Masque - 1996, haunting, images of faces, sleeping woman, cracked statue, golden child, fetus. They images stayed with me.

Irfan Onurmen 2002, a mixed media piece, man and a women in a bedroom, made of 5 layers of cut gauze. Its like seeing their silhouette at night, very, very cool! This is where art is interesting though, i loved it and felt it was one of the best pieces here. But i watched a range of people glance at it and walk by....

The pictures are arranged thematically rather than by artist, and when you get to the self portraits towards the end it is interesting how often you know who the artist is, from exposure to their style through the museum. Zeid seem herself almost vampiric, with striking green eyes, and two other artists leapt from the canvass as their style was so distinctive, and impossible for me to describe (hence no mention of them from me. Come here and look around and you will know)

The stairs down are metal plates supported by bolts and chains with a broken glass box about them. It is seriously industrial and urban decay... It is called stairway to hell, and is a form of radical feminist vandalism challenging the dehumanising identification of women with sleek modernist objects

The downstairs is "design cities" an exploration of how cities have driven forward change over the last 150 years... Not really my thing, but too much interior design, lots of old knickknacks... But they do have mint condition Ford Thunderbird and a 2CV! (Thunderbird is cooler...) generally though its chairs and glasses that were displayed at world’s fairs. Not terribly cool... It’s too much design too little passion.

they also have an exhibit where a group of young students were given Camera Obscura and told to photograph monumental structures with them. Some are very good!

Sultan II. Mahmut Tomb

I found the tomb of one of the Sultans, which as impressive and right on the main road. Which was a little strange. I wandered through some of the more Turkish less touristy areas and stopped for an Ayran, a yogurt drink.

Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam

After that, i decided to try the museum I saw the other day, the brand new Istanbul museum of the history of science is amazing. It is a beautiful opulent modern setting in a shaded park. The displays are lit elegantly and the items are remarkable.

One name keeps coming up, Taqiyaddin. He was an astronomer/engineer and an absolute genius. The convicted the emperor to build the largest observatory in the world using the latest astronomical tools, some of which he designed himself. Two years after completion however, the building was torn down due to pressure from religious extremists who claimed it fostered astrology. Taqiyaddin was probably the first astronomer to introduce time as a distinct parameter in is observations and designed an astronomical clock for his observatory.

it is interesting to note how much genius and development came from the middle at until about 800 years ago when it started to dry up. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions on the significance of that date.

You can feel the "Greek-envy" in the writings. ‘This Islamic mathematicians were at least the equal of Archimedes’, this ‘treaties on plants was a more refined work than the Greek herbology’ etc.

Istanbul Archeology Museum

The museum was excellent, only 5 Lira to get in and loads of stuff. One of the really strange things about doing archeology museums in lots of countries is you really see the interplay of cultures. Lots of Egyptian stuff here for example. They had some really cool touches, in a display of gravestones they had a body displayed, basically in a grave in the floor.

When I finished up, I sat in the courtyard café having a drink. It was a cool place, tables built out of old stones, scattered statues and shaded by a series of trees. As I walked in to find a seat there was an adorable kitten, so I got the camera out and took a photo, which caused a blond American girl called Sam to start chatting to me. she had been playing with the cats for half an hour as she waited for her boyfriend (who was Lebanese) to finish in the museum. Apparently he won’t leave until he has looked at every item and read every sign. Chatted to her for three quarters of an hour or so, she teaches English in Dubai at the moment, having lived in Moscow, Korea and Berlin.

Topkapi Palace

I wandered through the grounds of the Topkapi Palace and a Turkish gent started chatting to me; giving me advice on what to do. He said the Bosporus cruise was a must and made no effort to sell me one or recommend a place to go, so I believe him that it is a good idea.He also told me I looked like a Turk. I think there may be some truth to that, even if it’s just I don’t move like a tourist, never have, because I have been hassled very little by shop people and guides and guards have been telling me things in Turkish. Which really doesn’t help me at all, but is flattering.

Got to the top of the palace, where they sold the tickets and figured that I might as well go in, it was half three but it didn't close till 7, so seems like a good way to end the trip round the place. 10 Lira to enter, which is about 4 quid. It’s another 10 to get into the Haram, which IS supposed to be really good, but that closed at 5 and is a fair way away, so I decided not to do it. I got an audio guide, as that was 5 Lira, so for like 2 quid you get a decent guide around. It was very cool, it’s a series of smaller structures, rather than one big castle like you'd get in Europe. Actually, thinking about it, it was similar to a place I went to in Crete, but more opulent as it was a Sultan’s palace rather than a military outpost. The decorations, opulent and amazing, were very reminiscent of the Russian Tsars, doing Moscow & St Peters burg you can see the massive influence Russia had on the Ottoman. Interestingly, you can also see the influence of the Royal Kaftan on the military uniforms...

Rooms full of treasure, including the Spoonmaker's Diamond, and 86 Carat diamond that was found in a rubbish tip and sold to a trader for the princely sum of three wooden spoons. There was also a pair of gold candlesticks, each weighing about 50kilos!! so candlesticks worth more than my weight in gold.

One bit did strain my credulity, the sacred room. First thing you really see is something labeled “Sword of the Prophet David” now, I'm not a Muslim scholar nor am I a scholar of Muslim theology, but I know a few bits and bobs and David being a Hebrew name brought me up a little. The date was also 10BC, made me pause a second and realise this was supposed to be the sword of King David the Giantslayer, one of the few openly gay biblical characters (depending on your personal interpretation of the Aramaic of course) ok, so that one, not convinced. After that was the Rod of Moses. Seriously. It was a stick. I know, size doesn’t matter, but this was what parted the Red Sea, Heston had a mighty staff when he did it! My blasphemy aside, I imagine the providence on these items is less than complete. But, interesting none the less they do have some artefacts from Mohammed (p.b.u.h) which I can believe, it was only 1200 years ago and he was venerated from day one. Also, I can’t imagine many of the Jewish visitors to the area would necessarily agree with the telling of the tale of Abraham. It also skips the fact that his son Isaac was fathered on one of his daughters.

Anyway, finished up in the palace, which is worth a visit if anyone comes to Istanbul and wandered out, finding the archaeological museum and the Museum of Science & Tech. Which are both now on my list of things to do.

Parks & Gardens

Hippodrome

From there I wandered around the hippodrome, there are a series of columns and obelisks stood there now, but it used to be for chariot races. One of them is an Egyptian pillar which looks somewhat out of place, called the Obelisk of Theodosius.

Also part of the Hippodrome is the Serpent Column, which is fractured now, but would have reached much higher, a carving of snakes with three heads.

Additionally there is the Walled Obelisk, renovated in the tenth century by Constantine VII.

During my reading, I found a restaurant nearby called Mosaik, which had been around since about 1860, so I spend a little while finding it, pretty straight forward really. Sat there now, at an outdoor table on their wireless LAN. There is a lesson about Istanbul here I think, the marriage of old and new. It’s a very cosmopolitan place, the movies on the cinema are all new Hollywood films, the trams are better than any the UK has and wireless Internet is everywhere. But it’s also so old, seeped in thousands of years of history, ancient rickety buildings, several stories high, straining to see the ocean, used for cafes, hostels and homes….

Restaurants & Bars

Fish Restaraunt

I stopped in to a fish restaurant, that turned out to be pretty expensive! But I had a sea-bream with a green salad both incredibly fresh and a pint of local beer followed by thick sweet Turkish coffee. It was a really good meal and I think I'll have something small for dinner. Took my time over it, I was there for an hour or more, listening to my iPod and reading about the sights of the area in Istanbul that I’m exploring.

Dinner

Well, dinner was excellent and expensive. Had a half carafe of wine with a stuffed aubergine started and a cheese and chicken main. Desert was a Turkish crepe and I went a little crazy and ordered a Remy Martin XO brandy at 22lira! They came back to ask if I wanted ice, which I obviously said no to!! It turned up in a brandy glass but when I accepted it they came back to ask if that was the proper way to serve it! They obviously don’t sell a lot of brandy..... I got a free glass of Amaretto from them, but it was an 83 lira dinner, which is pretty damn expensive at 2.4lira to the pound!!

Hotel Poem

Headed back to the hotel and decided to have a look at the view from the rooftop bar. There was loud music from somewhere and in the distance, towards the bridge there was two high intensity lights sweeping the sky.

Hotel Nomad

Well, I went out to firstly find a cash point, which took ages and then find a nice rooftop bar for Meze and a drink. I found one I recognised from Lonely Planet, the Hotel Nomand. I went up to the roof and found they don’t do food, only drink, so I started with a white wine and finished with a Mojito. The view was amazing.

Street Restaurant

After that I wandered around town until I found a restaurant that I liked the look of... really comfy chairs, so I sat by the street and ordered. The two guys, the waiter and the owner I guess were really nice, they both spoke Turkish, English Spanish French and Italian! They were joking around and the owner tried to get various people to eat there, mostly with success. He failed with two attractive girls who were walking by.... Once they were out of earshot he said, "Ah, my friend, I was going to sit those ladies next to you for the evening..." I laughed and said "Would have been nice" and he continued with "They don’t know what they are missing my friend" needless to say, well tipped at the end of the meal. The waiter then decided to ask me about the kind of girls I like and said he'd recommend me to his ex who was a fiery, good-kind-of-crazy Latina....

There were also lots of cute cats and kittens!

Outdoor Cafe by Blue Mosque

After dinner I sauntered back in the general direction of home and stopped at an outdoor café where they had a whirling dervish and live music, had Baklava and Turkish coffee and watched/listened. It was really cool.

Regent

I started with a meal at the Regent, very nice, excellent food and service. I had a bottle of wine, and read some of my book on the history of Istanbul. I had a Fig Dessert and coffee, which was superb caramel flavour, slightly chewy with fresh vanilla ice cream!

Four Seasons

After that, I wandered around to the Four Seasons and had a dry martini (Seriously Dry!) a Strawberry Mojito and a Blackberry Margarita. I was sat in an antique armchair and reading. it was lovely, relaxing, civilised and fun. I found that a Frenchman once snuck into the Hagia Sophia whilst it was still a mosque to make measurements and he took in wine and sausage because he figured if he was caught they would kill him anyway, so whats two more infractions!

Just Bar

After that, I stopped in a backpackers bar, called the Just Bar for a beer. got chatting to two other guys who were traveling alone and to a table full of Dutch blokes. Practiced by Dutch a bit on them, realised I'm pretty bad at it after all this time.

Sports & Activities

Çemberlitaş Hamamı

Afterwards, I went to the Çemberlitaş hamam, the oldest Turkish bath in Istanbul, it's been in use for about 500 years. I did the whole treatment. I got changed and then went through. You relax on a big marble table with everyone, the roof is a curved dome with holes so you get sunlight streaming down. It's basically a steam room. After you have been there a while, you are given a soap massage and washed off by having cold water thrown all over you. its very relaxing and cleansing. Following that I had a hot oil massage then a shower and changed.

Crossing to Asia Bus Ride

Finally, we crossed over to the Asian side, so i have now been to all three areas and went to the Panoramia Cafe. Got some OK shots of Istanbul, but it is still cloudy and misty so they are not as good as they could have been. Had a coffee at the café and we will be heading back to the main square and back to the hotel, via Starbucks.

Bit of a shambolic trip, but good. Saw a lot of the key things i had not done. The spice market, down the Bosporus, the Asian continent side and the palace. Worth the £40.

Bosphorus Cruise

The boat trip is good, but the weather is a problem. Rain forced me downstairs into the bar area rather than the top, and the photos won’t be as good as the light is poor. Amazing mix, and I'd be tempted to stay high up on the northern side in the fashionable areas with more nightlife and travel down in the morning by tram.

It was at this point that the boat broke down we were drifting aimlessly in the Bosporus, unable to turn.

It’s a slow tow back it seems, not sure how this will affect the tour, as the boat is broken! Hopefully they will provide a replacement and just continue.

We are going to a fashion shop for tea as a bonus for the boat breaking apparently. Models are for looking at, not touching we are told.

Raining a lot right now. Luckily the camera bag has a waterproof cover you can pull over, as I wouldn’t want to replace my loaner camera due to water damage! I will be buying one of my own though after this holiday!

We are also getting longer at the Dolmabahçe Palace. Probably worked out for the best considering the weather meant we couldn’t be on deck on the boat.

We were treated to a fashion show at a leather factory, but the prices were crazy. The jacket i liked, 3/4 length and soft, soft leather was €750!! It would be cheaper in the UK.... Don't think anyone bought anything!

After the fashion show, there was lunch, and we were taken through back alleys to get to the rear entrance of a restaurant. Food was OK and plentiful and i got a free beer, so its all good!

Istanbul