Pinoy in Turkey - My unforgettable travels to Istanbul

Our trip to Istanbul may have only been a side trip with our travel to Greece, but it was absolutely awesome.

Mijo and I enjoyed the intoxicating exoticism Istanbul showed us. Definitely, it is one of our most memorable short trips.

         It was already in the early fall when Mijo and I visited Istanbul as  a side trip from our Greece vacation. We were going to connect flights to Istanbul from Athens back to the States anyway, so why not stay for a couple of days, we thought.

Since our stay in the city would be pretty short, we crammed our checklist with sites we needed to see in such a short time. In my experience, this is never a good idea but we didn't have a choice in this case.  We were in Istanbul for three full days but even if we had an entire week it would still not have been long enough.


 We landed into Istanbul early in the morning. With the exception of an occasional cat crossing the street or a random delivery truck passing by, the city streets are empty in the early morning hours. The city is pretty quiet in the morning considering it is one of the major and probably the biggest city in Turkey.

Like a flower slowly opening its petals, Istanbul bloomed in front of my eyes with sights, sounds, and aroma that I've never seen, heard and smelled before. It may be different from what I am accustomed to but I loved what I saw. 

A few moments later, the city slowly emerged from its slumber. Suddenly, locals started filling up the streets and shops and restaurants opened one after another. There were a lot of things that I witnessed that I do not usually see where I live in the States.

The scent of food is the first thing I noticed. Turkish food is everywhere. It was a little intimidating at first because the signs are in Turkish characters. Thank God that the city where I live in has a good selection of Turkish restaurants so I am kind of familiar with some dishes without the need of a menu. I can't imagine what the experience is like for others who were deciphering the menu and sampling the local food for the first time?

   

Another thing I noticed is the proliferation of fountains and faucets. Some are next to restaurants. Some are next to mosques. Some are decorated lavishly, some are modest in style.

   

Some are on street corners. Some are big, some are small. Some have waters continuously trickling, some don't.

   

I don't know how clean the water that comes out of the fountains but I did see people drinking from it a couple of times. I haven't done much research about the importance of fountains in the Turkish culture but judging by their number, it is probably a big deal.

   

Here are wudu taps lined up next to a mosque.

   

There are fountains inside the bazaars, as well.

 

  Speaking of bazaars, our first destination that day was the Grand Bazaar. This was another one of those larger-than-life I-can't-believe-I'm-here moments for this small town Filipino guy. In fact, I had several of those moments in Istanbul.

Getting there was easy and was a short walk from the hotel. Aside from Indonesia and Malaysia, I've never been to a Muslim country outside of Southeast Asia so I didn't know what is the decorum when it comes to taking pictures especially with the crowd in it.

   

I blurred the faces of the people in the pictures. It was a challenge to take pictures in such crowded places. I wanted to take a picture of the length of the bazaar with as few people as possible. However, the longer I waited the thicker the crowd got.

   

Lots of things sold at the bazaar. If you can think of it, it is probably sold there. Shoes? Check. Clothes? Definitely. Jewelry? They have it. Housewares? Absolutely. The one thing that caught my eye was the intricate designs in the dishes and pottery. In my elementary school art days, we called this tessellation. The more I looked closely on the design the more I got drawn into it. I ran my fingers through the design and there is texture as well.

 

The Blue Mosque during our early morning stroll. 

We went to the area several times during our trip because our hotel was only steps away from this park. The night shot is equally stunning.


The mosque is closed to the visitors during prayer hours. There are signs outside the gate regarding the opening and closing hours. The interior is huge and the mosaics were absolutely remarkable. We had to take our shoes off when we went inside. There is a dress code. Shorts are not allowed. Tank tops are not allowed either. 


People congregate by the park outside during late in the afternoon till the sun goes down.

We almost missed the Basilica Cistern because it was not in our list. We only noticed it thanks to the long lines outside the entrance to the cistern. This is another structure built during the Byzantine era. We were told the cistern used to provide filtered water to the palaces nearby. If you have seen the latest installment of Da Vinci code movie, you will probably remember the cistern from the last scenes.

   

It was sunny outside and pretty dark inside. The transition from very bright to dark was stark. My eyes did get used to the low light so see the structures. Since there are water everywhere, the steps were a little slippery so please be very careful when going inside.


This is the Medusa column. We didn't go on a guided tour so we didn't get the scoop about this column, where it came from or why is it upside down.


I also wondered where were all the water? I could only assume that since we went there during the fall season, the water is almost gone and might be replenished during the winter season?

The majestic Hagia Sofia or Ayasofya. I must admit that before I went to Istanbul, I had thought the Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque were one and the same building. It must be the minarets or the park surrounding it? Nevertheless, the building is as majestic as the Blue Mosque. Both buildings are located across from each other with the Sultanahmet Park in between.

   

This was another one of those larger-than-life I-can't-believe-I'm-here moments for this small town Filipino guy! I used to read about it in my history books as a child, see it on tv and just recently in Facebook.


The Ayasofya was constructed in the late 500 AD. Since its construction, it was used as an Orthodox church, a Roman Catholic church, an Ottoman mosque, and starting in 1935, a secular museum.


The details, the mosaics, the chandeliers are exquisite. What I noticed the most are the grand and massive domes. I don't know anything about architecture and structural engineering but I must say that the interior feels weightless despite of it being massive. I had to step all the way back to capture more of the interior in the picture.



Another new thing we enjoyed was the relaxing centuries old tradition of Ottoman Hamman or Turkish bath.

The Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamami is also located next to the Sultanahmet Park so after a grueling day of site seeing, Mijo and I went there to inquire. We were lucky because it was late and we didn't have a reservation but they accepted us as walk-ins.


We were told that they usually don't let guests take pictures inside  the hamami but they let me took a picture of the lobby since it was late and the hamami was practically empty after all the guests have left. It was very quiet inside. All I could hear were the echoes of the trickling waters. The smell of fresh soaps fills the lobby and allowed my mind to be in the mood for relaxation.


No more cameras inside the baths because of obvious reasons. We were there to relax. Here is the picture (from the advertisement outside of the facility) of the mable podiums where they scrub guests. White mable everywhere. My experience was relaxing and also quite embarrassing because another man in almost nude was giving me a bath. There was a point where I saw Mijo being inundated with huge amounts of suds and I have never seen anything like it. I wished I had a camera to have captured that.


After a series of kind of rough scrubbing and a little manhandling, my skin never felt so smooth and I felt so relaxed. We were offered cold juice drinks and water to keep us hydrated. Thanks to the staff at Ayasofya Hamami for giving us a wonderful and one of a kind experience. Mijo and I both enjoyed the relaxing time at the hamami.

The following day, Mijo and I spent half of the day marveling at the opulence of the Ottoman empire on display at Topkapi palace.
 

The Topkapi Palace is a museum but it used to be the residence and the offices of the Ottoman leaders and sultans. The entire complex grew over the centuries and only select areas are open to the public to see.


The complex is huge and it is made up of several courtyards and several buildings. I don't have a lot of pictures here because taking photographs were not allowed in most of the areas which is unfortunate because the place is interesting and very pretty.


  

I even forgot where this picture was taken. It may have been at the Gate of Felicity and it is really pretty.


The domes inside are equally beautiful.


 

We had time that day to squeeze in another site - the Spice Bazaar. It was going to be quite a walk to get to the Spice Bazaar from Topkapi Palace so we decided to get on the Istanbul streetcars. We got on at Gulhane station and got off at Eminönü station. The stations are gated platforms in the middle of the street and are clearly marked so it is easy to spot them.

We got to the Spice Bazaar in no time. The streetcar also runs frequently. I think we might have waited for 2 minutes max to catch the next one. That is a pretty good, in my opinion.

The Spice Bazaar only sells spices, dried fruits, tea leaves, nuts, and candies. It is small compared to the Grand Bazaar. There is a reason why the other one has a  Grand in its name and this one has Spice.


Lots of stores selling different kinds of spices. The labels are in Turkish. I was secretly impressed at myself for being able to name the spices  just by looking at them and without the aid of a translator. Cumin, cinnamon, cardamon, saffron, etc. But do I know how to use them for cooking? That is another story.


Lots of stores selling Turkish Delight. Before our trip to the Spice Bazaar, the only time I had Turkish Delight was at the hotel as part of their welcome treat and at the Ayasofya Hamami as part of the post spa treatment snack. 


Mijo and I loved it but we were told to either get Turkish Delight at the Spice Bazaar or a a local shop called Hafiz Mustafa.

Afterward, we walked to this small theatre called Hodjapasha to see a whirling Dervish performance. I've only seen these performances on TV and it made me curious the first time I saw it. Since we were in Istanbul, we might as well see one.


The venue is small and was dimly lit. We got there 30 minutes early because of miscalculations in our walking time from the Spice Bazaar. We were greeted by the ticket concierge and we were ushered to the gift shop downstairs where it was packed with lots of people drinking a complimentary tea. And then the doors were opened and we were ushered to our assigned seats. There was live music accompaniment consisting of four instruments playing soothing Dervish tunes. A few moments later, the whirling dervishes started their performances. They twirled and whirled for what seemed like a long time. There was a point I was getting dizzy just by looking at them whirl. All in all, it was a one of a kind experience.

  

Another thing we absolutely enjoyed in Istanbul was the very tasty Turkish cuisine. I can't tell what is common between Greek and Turkish cuisine but I can tell that they are different. Both are good.

The following day, we crossed the Galata Bridge and enjoyed the beautiful sceneries from that side of the Bay. We leisurely walked from the Old town side all the way to Taksim Square. If you want to see Istanbul locals in action and still be able to sight see, I recommend visiting this side of Istanbul.

The view of the bay from the Galata Tower.

   

Lovers enjoying the picturesque views of Istanbul from the Galata Tower.

   

To see Istanbul locals in action, we had to get out of the old town and cross the Galata bridge and strolled on Istiklal toward Taksim Square.

My favorite cafe during our stay in the city called Hafiz Mustafa.

 

My new favorite sweet snack Turkish delight.
 

I noticed that corn vendors dot the parks and streets. I love corn on the cob so I loved this setup. I could snack on corn anytime I felt hungry.

 

Here's my haul of different types of pistachio baklava.

All in all, we enjoyed our short stay in Istanbul. Maybe in the future, we'll be visiting the country again and see the other sites of Turkey.

~rl