Istanbul Day 12

Saturday, June 9, 2012
We have a new tour guide today.  Carl has been to Istanbul 4 times before this and certainly more qualified than us new timers to lead an expedition.  We are headed for Taxim Square which is across the Bosphorus.  We spoke to one of the men at the front desk who said it should be a maximum of 20TL for cab fare.

We went to the Hippodrome to try and get 2 taxis at the same time.  The first 2 taxis we saw wanted too much money (35TL) and would not come down in price.  Leslie waved down a taxi and then Carl.  We took a 10-15 minute ride and both taxis arrived around the same time.

We walked down a very nice pedestrian street with all sorts of shops, consulates, restaurants, and churches.  We wandered through many of the side streets as well taking in the interesting sights.

Opps, animal remains from a butcher.  That is why we like the side streets best.

The place where Carl had rice pudding just like Mom's.

Many dining areas within this large domed building.

We were entertained by one of the Turkish ice cream vendors.  The ice cream is very thick and they use a large metal stick to gather the ice cream to put on a cone.  They play all sorts of tricks with the customers which was very funny.

We went into an Armenian Christian church that was preparing for a wedding, an Orthodox church, and Catholic church.  

St. Anthony of Padua.

We came upon a street festival where young people were playing drums and dancing to a Disney song.

We went into a bookstore that had some English books. Upon Margrets request,Ca rl bought a Turkey guide on great eating places.  This led us to a very nice restaurant that took a little time to find but was well worth it.  http://istanbuleats.com/2010/03/sahin-lokantasi-edible-complex/

Margaret did a great job of ordering mezes from the chef.  She sure is a gem.  Carl and Leslie should be very proud.  We then ordered some meatballs, which were delicious.  We finished the meal with a few rice puddings to share.

Margaret and Tom checking out the dishes.

Margaret ordering.

Paul cleaning his plate. The food was so good.

I tried to find an Istanbul City cup at each Starbucks we encountered but no no avail.  So far Bodrum was the only place I have found one.

We went to the Galata Whirling Dervish (Mevlevi) Hall which is now a small museum as the religion was outlawed in 1925.  We saw the Hall, cemetery, fountains, etc.

We went down a narrower street through an area that had many, many music instruments for sale.  Margaret bought a cool finger harp.  The girls found a nice leather slipper/shoe shop and purchased a couple of items.  Margaret also bought a couple of clothing items.

The Retro clothes shop in the basement.  Chock full of 70's and 80's era clothes.

Refreshing juice just waiting for you to order.

The music shop. Only he could sort through the stuff in the back.

Tom, Carl, and Paul resting outside the slipper shop.

After a bit wee stopped for tea and beer near the Galata Tower.  We the got in line for the elevator to get to the top of the tower.  What great views of Istanbul we experienced.  The tower was built as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. 

From below.

The Golden Horn.

The Bosphorus.

Carl and Margaret.

Belinda and Tom

We then continued our walk down towards the Bosphorus through an industrial supply area.  Crossing the street was quite a challenge but we made it down to an area where large and small boats were ferrying across.  We stopped at a small dock and Carl and Leslie negotiated with the captain of a small craft to get across the water.  It was an interesting but choppy ride. What a treat Carl.  No, you are not crazy, just a good tour guide.

There is Margaret out there letting the sailor know we are interested in a ride.

We watched Carl and Margaret negotiate for the fee. It went from 25 to 30 for all of us.

The cabin of the boat; life vests above.

Self photo. Lucky the camera didn't fly from our hands, it was bumpy. Wheee.

Carl, Leslie, Margaret, Paul, and Tom.

When we crossed the water we then had to cross the busy street which was no small feat.  We headed over to the spice market which was loaded with everything you could imagine to buy for the house, especially the kitchen.  Paul was able to buy some nice jewelry he was very happy with.  Margaret bought some nice warmed pistachios and sesame coated nuts.  We munched on these while Paul, Leslie and Belinda shopped.  We also stopped at an Arab chocolate almond shop (yes, Belinda bought some).

Leslie checking out the housewares.

Paul eyeing the grills.

Lots of pied choices.

We walked all the way home from Taxim Square. Carl never had a doubt about which way to go.

We were walking by a very large mosque and right on time the call to prayer began, beautiful.

Carl then took us to his favorite Turkish Delight store.

A headscarf shot.  Such a variety.

We still had a 15-20 minute walk uphill to our hotel.  We went to the rooftop for cocktails before going out to dinner.  The Istanbul Eats book did not really provide to many suggestions in our area so we decided to go back to the local restaurant that Mehmet had taken us previously.  The waiters and owner recognized us and were grateful for us coming to dinner.  We were successful in convincing some other westerners to dine at the restaurant.

Finally, the bread that Margaret had been waiting for, the big fluffy stuff. Yum.

The day was really nice but I must say I was ready for bed at the end.  It was a wonderful long walking day with so many great experiences.