Trip to Turkey

TRIP TO TURKEY — September 6 – 12, 2011

The impetus for this trip was the wedding of my second cousin, Heather Howard, on September 9. 2011. I joined my aunt, Joan Anderson , and my cousin, Loralyn Willis, and her husband, Fred, in Istanbul at the Taksim Life Hotel, and we spent the five days we were there having fun together.

September 6-7 – Travel
I left Sarasota for Tampa at 9:15 am, my flight to JKF left at 12:05, arriving at 2:55, and then my Delta flight to Istanbul left at 4:50 pm, arriving in Istanbul at 10:15 am September 7 (3:15 am EST!) I took a cab with some of Heather’s friends and arrived at the hotel early afternoon. We were so impressed driving into the city with all the beautiful landscaping along the medians – lovely patterns of flowers, hanging baskets from poles, and much greenery. With all the domes, minarets, and spires of the skyline, we found it a beautiful city to enter.

I met Joan, and we showered and took a nap as I had not been able to sleep on the plane. Later we met Loralyn and Fred for a quick dinner in the hotel and then, we hoped, a good night’s sleep. Our room, however, was right on one of the busiest streets in the city, so all night long there was traffic. We did move from the 2nd floor to the 5th floor the next day, but I never did get a good night’s sleep. I guess I am too used to the quiet of my little place!

The hotel was clean and adequate, but we missed things like Kleenex and washcloths. Every morning breakfast was furnished – interesting to eat cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon for breakfast! We were located about a block from Taksim Square, the central meeting place of Istanbul. Whenever you see demonstrations on TV, they almost always take place here, so it is always full of people and activity.

September 8 –Tour of the City
One of the gifts Heather  received was a bus tour for all of us to the sights of the city. We boarded the bus about 10:00 am (a little late) and then began the sightseeing, all in the “Old Town”.

The tour guide shared that Istanbul, a city of 15 million people, is 3600 years old, and it was the last stop on the famous Orient Express. (Agatha Christie wrote about the Pera Palace Hotel at the end of the train trip.) It is a land between continents, Europe and Asia. Interestingly, the European side contains mostly businesses while the Asian side is mostly residential. The Bosphorus is the border between the two continents and is the only way out from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, so control of it controlled trade in the entire area. Istanbul is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, Greece, the Mediterranean Sea, Iraq, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia. Trade through the Golden Horn has been important through the ages.

History of the city:
16th Century BC – Ottoman Empire (Soleman the Great); 1455 city was the capitol of the Ottoman Empire
1000 BC – Byzantine Empire (Justinian)
500 BC – Persian Empire
400 BC—Alexander the Great
325 BC – City was known as “Constantinople,” the city of Constantine the Great, the “new Rome” because Constantine gave freedom to the Christians
200 BC – Roman Empire
1933 – Became the Republic of Turkey

Turkey is the melting pot of different civilizations and is more liberal in accepting different religions than most countries. The majority of the population is Muslim, and Friday is their holy day. However, the shops are all closed on Sunday in honor of the Christians, and over 60% of all Biblical sights are in Turkey.

Topkapi Palace – This was the Imperial residence of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to the 19th Century. The palace has a breathtaking position above the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn. It combines spectacular architecture with an unparalleled collection of Imperial Treasury, Imperial costumes and holy relics. We saw the second largest 87 carat diamond in the world and relics such as Moses’ staff, the holy kaaba of Abraham, and personal articles of Mohammed, who lived in the 7th century AD, in the Hall of Relics.
5000 people lived in the palace and 500 people worked in the kitchen. The sultan had a harem of 50- 60 concubines and from them he chose 4 special wives. Girls at the ages of 10 -11 were selected, often from other countries, and were taught to read and write and to play musical instruments. They became Muslims and were highly respected. There was also a Circumcision Room where the crown prince was initiated, and gorgeous tiles and woven carpets abounded throughout.

Haghia Sophia—This marvelous Byzantine basilica was built in the 6th century, and today it is sometimes called the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was built by Justinian and took seven years to complete. It had 52 gates and was a Christian church from the 6th to the 15th century, and then the Turks took over and converted it into a mosque. The name means “Divine Wisdom.” The pillars were brought from ruins in Ephesus so all of them are different. The dome is 57 meters high and amazingly, it has no support. It is the 4th largest church in Europe. Sadly, the beautiful Christian mosaics were covered with plaster when it was converted into a mosque. To enter, of course, we all had to take off our shoes and put them in a little bag, and the women had to cover their heads out of respect.

Basilica Cistern—This interesting underground structure was built by Justinian I in 532 AD to solve Constantinople’s water supply problem which persisted for centuries (there was lots of salt water but little fresh water available). The columns were all recycled from other ruins, and when the cistern was in use, the water filled it to the high ceiling. Sadly, the water in the cistern was ONLY for the nobility. The common people had to fend for themselves. The cistern has recently been converted into a museum, and the water, filled with fish, is changed every two months.
We had lunch at the famous pudding shop Lale Restaurant (www.puddinghop.com) where you could see all the dishes and pick out what you wanted which was delightful. Outside there was an ice cream vendor who did all kinds of tricks and simply enticed everyone to buy a cone just for “the show!” Reminded me of Benihana restaurant in the US.

Hipppodrome—This was the sporting and entertainment center of the old Roman city and was where the chariot races took place. Blue was the color for the royals and green for the commoners. In the center of the rectangular field is an obelisk from the Karnak Temple in Luxor. It was brought in 390 from Luxor, Egypt. One column is still at Karnak, one is in the US in Washington, DC, one in Paris, and this one in Istanbul.

Blue Mosque—One of the best examples of classical Turkish architecture, thie 17th century Ottoman mosque is famed for being the only example in the world with six minarets and its iznik tiles. This mosque was built 1100 years after the Haghai Sophia, was the last Imperial mosque, and it is still operating today. It has 260 windows, and the interior is covered in 21.000 gorgeous blue tiles, giving it its name. The domes are so amazingly constructed that they have survived several earthquakes.

We then stopped at a carpet factory and were shown how they weave the carpets. It was fun to see the different fabric and kind of carpets they created, but none of us wanted to buy anything which was probably a disappointment to the tour guide. We saw tribal rugs made by families from wool in nature colors as well as imperial carpets woven from silk.

Grand Bazaar—This is the largest and most attractive covered bazaar in the world, and of course was one of our favorite places! It is known for Turkish jewelry, leather goods, and fine handmade carpets. We only had an hour here, but I made the best of it and found a number of treasures. Everyone bargains and although I am not very good at it, it was still fun. One of the things we saw throughout Istanbul and the shops were items with a blue “evil eye.” These are supposedly charms to keep any bad things or negative energy away from you, so I got a number of them in different forms for gifts. I bought myself a royal blue leather jacket and an evil eye charm for my Pandora bracelet.

I always have fun buying things for the grandchildren. I try to get them costumes from each country I visit, a doll for Kinsey, and a handmade musical instrument for Gavin. I got beaded hats and a kind of sheik’s headdress for the little boys, a native doll for Kinsey, and a leather bongo drum for Gavin. What impressed me the most at the bazaar was that twice I overpaid the vendors by a couple of lire, and each time they came running after me to return the money. That would NEVER have happened in the US!

Joan, who is 87, is one of the most amazing persons I know. She kept up with all of us all day long, and it was a LOT of walking! The rehearsal dinner was that night, and it was quite a walk, so Loralyn and I decided we would take a cab with Joan so that she would not be too tired to enjoy the dinner. The rest of the group had all met and walked together to the restaurant. What a mistake we made! The cab driver, who spoke almost no English, took us to the top of the hill and then told us he could not go into the area where the dinner was, so we would have to walk (which we found out later was completely untrue).

Well, walk we did! And all the way we kept showing the address to people, and no one in the huge crowds in the walkway off Taksim Square knew where it was. We had no idea what to do except to keep walking – none of us had cell phones that worked in Turkey, almost no one spoke English, and even when they did, they did not know where this restaurant was. We even asked a policeman! We were quite a sight – 3 ladies in cocktail dress and heels, two of them blonde, wandering down the middle of a crowded street holding hands so we would not get separated!

FINALLY, after about an hour of walking, the groom’s father found us and took us through a maze of little streets to the restaurant which we NEVER would have found. We found out that they had sent out several “search parties” for us all evening, but the crowds were so huge and the area so large that it was nearly impossible to find us.

From then on, the party was fantastic. Unlike America, we were eating at midnight, all the dinner served in courses with a whole sea bass as the big entrée with wine flowing and LOTS of Raki (like Uzo). (Loralyn can tell you all about the kind of hangover which can come from it although Joan had the best night’s sleep ever! I just drank wine, thank goodness.)

Next to us was a bachelorette party, and we found out later in the evening that the bride was a famous singer. They “took us in” and the two “brides-to-be” danced together and went through a number of Turkish traditions. Everyone was singing, dancing, and having lots of fun.

September 9 –“The Big Day!”
In the morning, Chris from NYC, who is Heather’s best friend and a well-known hair stylist, volunteered to do all our hair, so he came to our room and did his magic. After that Joan and I walked a bit around the little streets in the Taksim Square area where I found a doll for Kinsey. Then she returned home to rest while I got a bite to eat (had my first Shishkabobs in Turkey) and explored the high traffic shopping area behind our hotel. There was very little interesting in the shops – it was mostly coffee houses, bars, and outdoor cafes—but lots of fun people watching.

We all got dressed up in our long dresses and took a cab to the lovely venue of the wedding, quite early for family pictures. Feriye Lokantasi, where the wedding was held, was right on the shores of the Bosphorus just a short distance from the famous bridge connecting the two continents, Asia and Europe. The wedding was outside on the European side looking across the water toward the Asian side. The symbolism was extraordinary – Heather is an American who was marrying a Turkish gentleman, so the bridge joining the two continents represented the marriage joining the two cultures. She also carried that symbolism forward in the favors at the reception dinner – decorated Chinese carryout boxes filled with Turkish delight!

The evening began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music on the patio overlooking the sea and watching all the many ships pass. By the time the short service had ended, the sun had gone down, and suddenly, a spectacular light show began on the bridge. The entire atmosphere was one of excitement, adventure and celebration.

We thoroughly enjoyed our new Turkish family. They are warm, loving people who welcomed us with open arms. Even though we did not speak the same language, we felt a strong connection with them. They had presented us with traditional gifts – dried fruit, Turkish delight, and a lovely serving dish typical of Turkey—when we arrived. We learned many Turkish wedding customs from them and their friends. One of the things they do is to give the bride gold coins in little bags as their gifts, and of course there is lots of dancing after the dinner. The menu was extraordinary as well, Heather looked gorgeous, and everyone had a wonderful time.

September 10—Final brunch and more shopping
(Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries at this point, so this is where my photos end.)

Everyone met Heather, her husband-to-be, and his family for a typical Turkish brunch late that morning. The bus drive to the restaurant on the shores of the Bosphorus again was spectacular. We saw all three of their famous bridges and many boats passing. We loved how it was all served family style on small plates with different courses arriving for about an hour. I especially enjoyed their version of scrambled eggs with tomato and herbs as well as the many cheeses and interesting spreads for their luscious bread.

When we got back to the hotel, we all changed and decided to go to the famous Spice Market which was started in 1641. Unfortunately, we could not find any cab drivers who spoke English and even when we thought we had found one who understood, he let us out at a huge MALL clear across the city from where we needed to be. Finally, we found some girls in Starbucks who spoke enough English to call a friend who spelled out the name of our destination (although even then, what he wrote was for the Grand Bazaar, so after the second cab dropped us off, we still had to walk several blocks through narrow, crowded streets of stalls to reach the Spice Market).

We all had several items we wanted to purchase –we all bought packages of spices to take to family and Loralyn was especially pleased to buy some special saffron. We bought Istanbul t-shirts for guys in the family, and I bought an “evil eye” bracelet, pendant, and earrings made of different colored sapphires. It was amazing to see all the people there – much more crowded than the Grand Bazaar. (We even had some fun with kidding about boyfriends. Joan got a proposal from an older man who sat down by her on a bench, and though he spoke no English, he made his intentions clear! Loralyn found a new “friend” for me, too. See the picture….;-))

Afterwards we took a cab back to the hotel and then went to dinner in the Taksim Square shopping area. One tradition that we loved there was that at the end of every meal, they all serve complementary Turkish coffee or tea. We were astounded again at the number of people there on a Saturday night – Fred estimated 20,000 to 40,000. Not a chair was empty in any of the cafes, and never had any of us seen that many people in one place all at once!

September 11 – Boat trip to the Princess Islands
We took a cab to the ferry and then took a two hour ride to the fourth of the Princess Islands, again teeming with people. Buyukada is a small island with tiny shops, MANY cafes and outdoor restaurants, and horse carriages that take you around the island. The lines to do this, however, were blocks long, so we did not want to spend the time waiting. The beaches were all rocks; however, many people were sunning and swimming.

On the way over a man who lives half and half in Istanbul and in Vancouver sat by us, and we were delighted that he spoke excellent English. His name was Jak, and he took us under his wing, helping us find the shops we were interested in, treating us to a lovely lunch of fresh, whole fish, taking us for coffee on a rooftop patio with a wonderful view, and even paying for our ferry ride back on his discount ticket.

We had fun shopping (as usual – Joan and Loralyn are the ultimate “bargainers!”), and we all were intrigued with their “evil eye” hangings. The tradition is that if you keep a blue evil eye symbol near you, it will ward off all the negative energy coming your way, so we all bought different ones for friends and family. I bought one with three butterflies which I love. I also found a lovely knit lavender sweater, so it was another good shopping day!

We took the ferry back again in the late afternoon and then did some packing and later went out for Turkish beer, EFES, and more shishkabobs to celebrate our last evening in Turkey. It was still crowded on the streets, but by now, we had become used to the sight of hundreds of people shoulder to shoulder crowding down a wide street, just like the penguins in Antarctica! We decided there is nothing wrong with the economy in Turkey!

September 12 – Travel Home
We had a rather frightening beginning to our trip home. We heard on the CNN News in Istanbul the night before (September 11) that the army had discovered three trucks and three missile launchers missing, so there was a 48 hour terrorist alert for all of the New York City area (where we were all flying, of course). We later discovered that that news was never announced in the USA, so no one here knew of our concern. Of course, this was all tied to the 9/11 anniversary. Thankfully, nothing happened, but NYC was a zoo. After 24 hours of travel again, I was VERY glad to land in Tampa a bit early and hop into the limo for the drive to Sarasota.

Impressions of Turkey
I must admit that I was a bit concerned to be a woman traveling in a muslim country during this time in the world. However, I could not have been more delighted with the trip—the history, the city, the food, and the people. I felt perfectly safe and cannot wait to go back to this fascinating country! Everyone should put it on their bucket list.