Final Day Touring Istanbul
Trip Start
May 17, 2006
1
5
16
Trip End
Jun 01, 2006
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Istanbul,
Turkey
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Our guide tells us a very funny story about George Bush, who attended a NATO meeting here a few years ago. The meeting was held in the Palace, but Mr. Bush insisted on having a private bathroom built for his sole use. Our guide attempts to show it to us, but it is locked and the guards do not have the keys to open it.
The gardens are stunning, the roses are in full bloom with their scent filling the air, and the weather is perfection
01 Guard at Entrance to Dolmabahce Palace
. The only thing that goes slightly amiss is having our group mixed in with a larger English speaking group (because that is just how they do it in the palace), and having to suffer through the explanations of a guide whose Turkish accent was thicker than the coffee! I do what I usually do in such situations-just wander along in my own little world of wonderment, enjoying the amazing décor.The guide tells us a million times that almost everything comes from Paris. There is enough weight of crystal in the hundreds of chandeliers to sink a ship. There is amazing trompe l'oeil on the ceilings, fabulous parquet floors and exquisite carpets. One room truly takes my breath away-the reception hall. The massive chandelier was made in England and is reputed to be the largest in the world. It is only lit for presidents and prime ministers-except, the guide takes great delight in telling us, when Sean Connery visited. The Turks are evidently great fans of James Bond, so they lit it in honor of James Bond (and also because the actor is "Sir" Sean Connery).
We continue in the "trendy" section of Istanbul, known as the Beyoglu area. We walk almost the length of the most famous shopping street, Istiklal, which is perhaps their equivalent to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago
02 Fountains and Gardens
. Not quite as fabulous in my estimation, but very fun. Pedestrians only allowed, and the ice cream vendors make a real show of selling their product (almost like magicians, making the very heavy-in-fat-content material rise out of the container in one huge lump, and slowly elongate like taffy).Lunch is a wonderment. We sit in a restaurant and talk amongst ourselves about eating a light meal, ordering small pizzas or kebabs. The management decides to pull out all the stops and brings fresh-baked bread with a gazpacho-type condiment, huge plates of salad, meat pizzas of many varieties, and on and on until it is a virtual food orgy before our own orders even arrive. Of course lunch costs us about twice what we had originally ordered, but everyone is happy to pay for the experience (plus the food is excellent).
After lunch we race back across the "Golden Horn" bridge to the old section of Istanbul and tour a museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, the Hippodrome Square with its Egyptian obelisk dating from 1,300 B.C., and finally the Blue Mosque. I hop off the bus at the hotel as many other continue on with the guide to a leather factory.
Plans this evening include dinner together in a lovely restaurant overlooking the "Golden Horn" and then a visit to one of the historic hamams, or Turkish Baths, near St. Sophia. Those of you who read my hamam horror story from Morocco will know what torture lies in store for my clients and me.
We're off to Gallipoli very early in the morning. Updates will continue whenever wireless is available!
Comments
torture?
what hamam horror story from morocco? did i miss that one? torture? you're not talking about when you peed in the ablutions sink, are you?