Blanca & Ian's Travels

Turkey

Trip Report - 2011

Ottoman Odyssey
 
aka “It’s just a Jumble of Rocks”

Istanbul, Ҫirali, Selçuk, Göreme, Istanbul - Reprise

Istanbul

Empress Zoe – Sultanamet - Istanbul

Room 401 – the Penthouse 220€ (discounted to 198€ for cash)

Extremely well located at the end of a restaurant & hotel filled street – minutes from central Sultanamet.  Everything is nearby.  The hotel is actually 3 houses so room sizes & prices vary.  Lots of stairs to upper levels so choose accordingly.  Friendly staff.  Nice breakfast room & outdoor courtyard with several resident cats. 

Recommended

http://www.emzoe.com/
 

Day 1

We departed Toronto just before midnight for the direct flight to Istanbul.  First Class was very good with great meals, good service & wonderful lay-flat seats.  The only way to travel – if you can get it free.  We arrived at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport (note that there are two airports servicing Istanbul - more later) just before 5PM on Sunday & paid our Visa fees, got our luggage & found our private shuttle driver waiting without incident.  Well, actually he was a Backpacker’s Travel rep with a bunch of names on a big card.  Amidst the hubbub, he efficiently directed us to someone else who called our driver - who arrived shortly outside.  A simple 10 minute process.  44TL  We drove to Sultanamet via the coast road which was jammed with locals barbequing in the park along the Mamara shore.  Cars were parked literally everywhere with the late afternoon sun shining down on this delightful scene.  An abundance of boats & ships of every size bobbed in the sea off shore while the smoke & wonderful smells welcomed us to Istanbul.

Our chosen hotel – Empress Zoe http://www.emzoe.com/  – is located in Sultanamet down the hill in the southern lee of Ayasofya – at the eastern end of the restaurant row on Akbiyik Cd.  This hotel is extremely convenient to tourism central in Sultanamet.  The staff proved to be very friendly.  We had Room 401 – the Penthouse due to our vices as noted on the title page.  Funky is the best description of the Zoe.  With four flights of circular stairs to negotiate – one dinky metal spiral & three flights of marble - the penthouse was not for the unhealthy.  A large room with dual smushed together single day beds, a small fridge, a table & chairs with a separate master double bed alcove & a marble bath with a mini-hamam style shower.  Dark woods & Turkish carpets gave it a well-used cottage feel.  A private balcony looks west towards the Blue Mosque with a larger balcony for common use, a few steps up - with great Mamara & Ayasofya views as an added bonus.  An absolutely incredible wisteria - which was in wonderful bloom for the tail end of our stay – encircled all of the balconies – in fact most of the exterior of the hotel.  Birds & cats liked to use the balconies as well, which made it really homey.

After mild unpacking, we descended to Akbiyik Cad to find some eats.  The first block had numerous options with each restaurant posting their menu on the street & restaurant hawkers out front to entice you in.  We chose one that had comfortable seats & propane heaters since the evening chill was setting in.  I don’t remember the name - it was one of the Best Westerns - but it was OK.  I should mention that this street is very busy with traffic as it is a major path for taxis, hotel shuttles & tour buses that use it as a route to Ayasofya.  It could never be described as calm & relaxing with pedestrians jostling with all of the aforementioned.  A light rain started as our main course – anonymous kebaps – arrived, but the awning protected us well.  I even slipped on a resto-supplied shawl over my shoulders to ward off the cold.  Although this was a mild threat to my Man Card status, I wasn’t proud – just tired.  A cat wandered by for a snack & he left happy.  We went back to the Zoe & climbed up those four long stair flights to our room & after a nightcap on our patio, we collapsed.

Day 2

We had a slow start (well, one of us anyway).  I was up to hear the call to prayer.  It occurred before 5AM.  The first to start was the Blue Mosque & the haunting voice sang out melodically.  Then I heard another mosque kick in a bit further away.  Wonderful.  And then a really loud – and somewhat less melodic one – started in the mosque a block in front of the Zoe.  From our room – let alone from our balcony – it was less than pleasant.  Ah, the joys of travel to exotic lands.  We had breakfast in Zoe’s second level which houses the breakfast room with doors to a largish outdoor courtyard.  It is nicely treed & is fronted by a 15th century crumbling bath which sits beside the Zoe’s main building.  Quite atmospheric actually.  Breakfast was hard boiled eggs, misc fruits, yogurt, tomatoes, bread/ toast, misc spreads for same, olives & granola.  Basic but typical of what we had for the whole trip in all of the hotels.

We hit the streets & walked up the hill (make special note of this ‘up’ trend btw) to the Topkapi Palace for about 10AM.  This hill road was one of the many parking areas for tour buses & it was busy at this relatively early hour (another trend to note).  We entered the grounds & walked up to the ticket kiosk.  A 10 minute wait for tickets ensued.  As the person in front of me was finishing, a Turkish man jumped in & gave the cashier a credit card.  I wanted to tell him off but with only 1 ½ words of Turkish available in my vocabulary, it would have been difficult.  She handed it back distastefully with some remark about cash only & she pointedly proceeded with me as he fumbled for cash.  Line jumpers were not an uncommon thing I am afraid to say & they weren’t obvious tourists, so accept aggression in lineups.  The Topkapi was 20TL per person.  Cash.  Time for an update to the guide, Fodors.

Inside the next gate we bee lined for the Harem lineup off to the left & bought more tickets.  Another 15TL per person.   We viewed the great mosaics of the Harem with minimal crowds, but of course, they were all waiting for us outside.  Tours & groups were everywhere in the large open area.  Every bench.  Every walkway.  Every photo opp.  The kitchen area was closed for some reason & people were even standing in front of the closed door.  We lined up for 20 minutes to see the jewelry & listened to a private guide try to fill the time intelligently to the American couple he had snagged at the gate.  His ‘facts’ were skimpy to say the least.  I knew more than he did from my Kinross Ottoman book.  Inside the jewelry rooms, pandemonium ensued & the line system broke down completely as people jumped ahead to see the good stuff.
 

Topkapi Palace
(Home of the Sultans 1459 - 1853)

We had seen pretty well all the palace had to offer after two hours & we went to get some food on the street.  And speaking of the street, the smell was wonderful.  Frying kebaps to the right of us, frying kebaps to the left . . .  charred corn on the cob, roasted walnuts . . . it sure beats the sewer smells of Rome . . . or NYC . . .

We passed hoards of massed groups – school groups & the usual tour group flag followers - making their way to the palace as we left.  Go early or go late would be my suggestion for this site.  You have been warned.  Since it was a little cool (high 60s temps) we opted for inside seating at the Fodor’s recommended Tarihi Selim Usta Sultanahmet Koftecisi on Divan Yolu Cad (the tram street).  Fast food quality but yummy & cheap with fast service.

Next stop:  the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Cami).  The area of the Hippodrome was all under construction with orange plastic fencing & piles of paving stones everywhere.  This made the area between Ayasofya & the Blue Mosque difficult to navigate but we eventually found our way to the mosque entrance.  Our route skipped the lovely courtyard but we saw that on our return on the backside of the trip.

Now folks, if you are only going to visit one mosque, this is the one to see (Ayasofya excepted because it is a historical must).  Entrance is free but as always you must observe the Muslim customs - ladies need headscarves & shoulder covering & no shorts for anybody.  You must also remove your shoes but they have plastic bags available.  A stunning space.  Light & airy & very peaceful with few tourists on this Monday afternoon.  By few tourists, I mean that you could actually move around & enjoy it.  Truly magnificent. 

The sun was finally out as we exited & I realized that I had forgotten my clip-on sunglasses which are considered essential daywear since the world is awfully fuzzy without my specs & I didn't want to have to squint for two weeks.  And I was going to be piloting vehicles later in our trip so a shopping necessity had reared its ugly head.  But that could wait until tomorrow, since we were tired & had a dinner engagement to prepare for.  Naptime, anyone?

I had asked a forum (non-travel) on-line acquaintance to dinner.  My treat.  Of course, that is not what happened.  Since he had guests in town – his mother & some budget travelers from Michigan – he asked us to meet him at the Four Seasons in Sultanament.  I am sure glad that we brought some ‘going-out-on-the-town-clothes”.  We had an exemplary meal of Southeastern Turkish cuisine which the restaurant had as a special menu.  Many tasty mezes & a unique kebap in paper dish which were all very, very yummy.  And he wouldn’t let me pay.  Next time it’s on me, Evren & Ruki.  A very good night to close a great day of touristing.
 

Day 3

Our last full day in Istanbul until the backside of our trip.  I was up early with the screaming call to prayer.  I certainly mean no disrespect to Muslims but louder is not better & the Mosque close to the Zoe was getting on my nerves.  We breakfasted & set out for new adventures.  Our first stop was the Ayasofya (Haghia Sophia) which had been closed on Monday – the day before.  Well, with an early morning lineup of hundreds of people – no exaggeration here either - we decided that we would catch it later before we went home.  Honestly, if you know the area, the lineup was as far back as the restaurants to the south.  Speaking of this area - which is called Ayasofya Meydani  - there is a kiosk-style bank of 4 different ATMs at the back (south end) of this square/parking lot/street between Ayasofya & the parkette.  As some ATMs will inexplicably spit out your card & refuse use, having multiple options is not a bad thing.  A man near the restaurants there directed us to this one.  And guess what?  He was a carpet salesman who actually talked us into walking back with him to his shop as he bantered with us.  We didn’t buy but he gave it a good shot.

We wandered across the street & very briefly lined up for the Basilica Cistern.  10TL  It was warming up slightly but we certainly didn’t need the Cistern for heat relief.  This space was interesting, if not scintillating.  About 20 minutes & we had walked the whole place & taken the requisite pictures of the columns & the Medusa etc.
 

We had asked at the hotel about sunglasses & they had given us directions to the Hamidye Cad just off of Ankara Cad as the ‘glasses’ shopping area, so we headed down the tramway hill on Alemdar Cad – aiming in that direction.  Unbeknownst to us, this is also the easiest walking part of the hill to Sultanamet from the Golden Horn side - as you will find out later.  As we discovered during our walking through the maze of streets south of the Golden Horn, many goods are clustered in specific areas.  For optics (glasses, cameras & accessories) go to the aforementioned Hamidiye Cad.  For buttons, clothing rivets, presses etc with some kitchenware in the upper reaches – Fuat Pasa Cad.  Stationery, invitations – the upper area of Ankara Cad.  A myriad of baby & children’s cloths, general textiles – Sabunco Hani Sokaġi & Fincancilar Sokaġi – just up from the Spice Bazaar.  Draperies – Atatürk Bulvari.  But I am getting ahead of myself once more.

Along the way down the hill, we stumbled on the entrance to the Archeological Museum (that I had been looking for anyway) & we headed up (the ups were starting to get cruel) to see it.  10TL Just inside the lower gate, there was a man with a rooster & two bunny rabbits who will tell your fortune.  While we didn’t indulge, we did give him a TL for a picture. 

The museum is spread over three buildings & it was very lightly touristed on this Tuesday morning.  Topkapi is closed Tuesday, so that must reduce the tour groups as they head elsewhere - since they can’t blur the two together in one morning.  Some of the incredible Ishtar Gate tiles from Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar II 575 BC), the astonishingly old Kadesh Treaty between (2 copies of the world's 1st documented peace treaty - between Egypt & the Hittites 1269 BC - the 3rd copy is on the great temple in Luxor) & the vividly-carved so-called Alexander Sarcophagus (actually from Sidon - late 4th C. BC) are the highlights & if you are a fan of ancient history it was all good.  The Hellenistic statue of Alexander by Menas - mid-3rd C. BC - is one of the classic images of him.  Skip the upstairs unless you need more exercise, but I really doubt that this is ever an issue in Istanbul.  There is a further mishmash of weathered marble stuff in a small parkette in the courtyard, which is a very pleasant rest area.  Cats were everywhere.  One kind lady even brought a bag of food to feed them.  The last & probably the least impressive building for many here, is the Tile Pavilion - Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror 1472 - which was nice but the exterior trumped the displays inside.
 

With hunger pangs knawing at us we headed over to Hamidiye Cad, where we had immediate success with the clip-on sunglass quest.  In one storefront, we found five eyeglass shops that offered several options.  Not particularly cheap, but we bargained & struck a deal.  Success.  For lunch, we flopped in the first café in the café zone between the Spice Bazaar (Misir Ҫarşişi) & the Yeni Cami (closest to the Yeni).  The food was OK but we had a bit of a dispute about an ordered menu item that came in at higher TL than expected due to a smudged menu price.  Smudged on both menus btw, but we paid the extra 8 TL asked & walked away.  A few things to note here.  All restaurant waiters in Turkey appear to be men.  We only saw one exception during our whole trip.  On menus, you will see our term ‘shish kebob’ separated as two distinct items.  Şiş is like ours & kebap is typically ground meat in various patty forms.  One restaurant hawker accosted us & asked:  “Who do I look like?"  "George Clooney”, he answered himself.  And he did somewhat.  At least it was a unique come on.

We wandered the mobbed Spice Bazaar & bought some premium saffron & some trinkets.  I had promised a full day of shopping on this trip & today was not it, so I dragged my wife away for the trek up to the Süleymaniye Mosque.  Did I mention it was up?  The streets were an absolute zoo of people.  Merchants, hawkers, tourists & customers with their whole extended families clogged the Sabunco Hani Sokaġi.  We finally escaped down a side street & wound our way west & up (the ups were really getting tough now) until we reached the mosque, in exhaustion but with the sure knowledge that our hearts were still good at blood pumping.  Our legs however, were failing.  The mosque was closed for prayer so we had a coffee in the small shopping area beside it to wait.  It used to attract hashish smokers fwiw.  The mosque was pretty incredible of course, but undisputedly, Ahmed I did outshine him with the Blue Mosque - as was his intention.

We trudged up the long hill beside the university to the transit hub in front of the Grand Bazaar on Veniçeriler Cad & tried to decipher the tram ticket machines.  A woman behind us insisted that it was an easy walk & we would be foolish to buy tram tickets “for just one stop”.  Despite our screaming leg muscles we listened to her & walked back to our hotel.  She was wrong.  The hotel stairs were starting to be really painful . . .
 

And now we were time pressured.

You see, I had previously communicated with Fodor’s very own otherchelebi & invited him to dinner.  He sent a cryptic email arranging a ‘chance’ rendezvous aboard a commuter ferry, but when all was said & done, he invited us to his place for dinner.  We arranged for him to pick us up at a corner of Taksim Square at 6PM.   We left our hotel in Sultanamet with a little over an hour to spare.  The trams were packed with commuters.  And I mean packed as in pressed to the glass packed.  So we skipped that option & walked to the Galata Bridge & across it with a bevy of fisherman trying their luck as we hurried past.

With great intuition (or maybe just dumb luck), I easily found the Tünel, which saved our legs from at least one hill.  After a quick stop for a refreshing ice cream, we briskly walked the very busy rush hour version of the pedestrian mall of Istiklal Cad, stopping to buy a gift for our host & to flatten ourselves against the wall as demonstrators noisily marched by – twice - with a squad of riot police in tow on their uphill march to Taksim.  We had no idea what inspired the demonstration but the presence of the riot police was a little unnerving.  As we finally arrived at the square – late – a light spit of rain started from the darkened sky as we waited at the wrong corner for otherchelebi.  After several cell phone communications, we finally got the right corner & we gratefully piled into OC’s car.

The evening was a perfect joy as Ahmet & his wife Eser treated us to a delightful home cooked meal & wonderful conversation.  To say that their view of the Bosporus is spectacular is a huge understatement.  Their youngest daughter breezed in for a quick hello as well.  A great way to cap the first leg of our stay in Istanbul!  Thank you Ahmet & Eser!