TURKIYE formerly Turkey

Istanbul

Three days before our Rick Steves tour began we flew Turkish Airlines from San Francisco directly to Istanbul a 13-hour flight. We arrived approximately the same time as sister Kris flying Turkish Airlines from Houston. This in spite of delays and chaos loading our plane. (What don’t people understand about “Wait until your section number is called before forming a line”?  Kris the queen of organization had a car hired to take us all to our hotel. I was amazed at the young drivers skill at navigating one lane streets crowded with people shopping at tiny stores & markets of Old Town Istanbul.

The hotel was much nicer than I expected. Marble everything, large bathroom and the wifi worked very well that night. Pretty soon we learned what we were in for. As soon as we stepped out the door of the hotel there was a friendly man offering to guide us around so we wouldn’t get lost. We were in the Old Town in a very touristy area. Every restaurant, there must have been about 3 on each block, had a friendly but aggressive male greeter offering dinner, just a drink, roof-top view…whatever you wanted. It was exhausting just saying “no,” We managed dinner and a walk to the Sea of Marmara. It was too dark for pictures but I took one the next day.

6-12-22 I was surprised at breakfast. I was expecting the continental bread, jam and coffee. There were various breads, cheeses and meats plus lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  There was an expresso machine that made 6 drinks including lattes, cappuccino and hot chocolate or you could just get a strong drip coffee.  Our guide Mert arrived at our breakfast table with his cute 10-year-old son. He asked what are plan for the day was and approved of our idea of visiting the archeological museum. We had studied Rick Steves list of sites NOT included in  our tour.  Mert suggested it would take us about 2 hours to see museum. We saw all the museum buildings on the grounds and it took us 4 hours, Mert also warned us it was going to rain the next two days. It did. We weren’t the only people who thought of going to the museum. 

We encountered our first line although most moved pretty quickly. Once our official Rick Steves tour started we got the Turkiye Museum Pass included in our tour and lines were no longer an problem.

never a problem. The museum is most memorable for it’s huge collection of elaborate sarcophagi. This was the first place we saw that there are so many ancient columns recovered that isn’t wasn’t enough room in the museum to store them so the less exciting finds decorate the grounds.  We wandered among them looking for a dry place to grab a snack. The grounds also included the Tiled Kiosk Museum and a Museum of the Ancient Orient. We saw as much as we could absorb.  After our hours in the museums the sun was shining, and we walked home through Gulhane Park and along the Sea of Marmara.  A variety of people: families, fisherman, down & out people, old men is small speedo swim suits, were relaxing on the very rocky boulder shore.

Mert suggested the Sea Front Lounge for dinner. Wonderful views and my first fresh mackerel was delicious and the view was great! Everyone was happy.

Day two guide Mert was at breakfast although our R.S. tour hadn’t officially started. We told Mert we were going to Dolmabahce Palace and Mert said it was a good plan as it was going to rain. He also advised as to which tram to take. He didn’t tell us the specifics of getting a ticket which was a bit of a hassle.  I’m not sure how you would describe the issues with getting the ticket dispensing machine to provide instructions in English and then understanding what the instructions meant.  After some struggle we had 3 tram tickets although some of them were one-way and one was a double ticket. Mert was right about the rain. It was a real downpour that soaked through anything not completely waterproof.  Long lines of tourists marched on the self-tour of the luxurious Palace and Harem. No pictures allowed inside but the gardens were beautiful in the afternoon when the rain stopped.

On the way to the Spice Market we stopped by Rustem Pasa Mosque. At this point I was kind of overwhelmed by the number of incredibly beautiful mosques in Istanbul. I think this was the mosque Mert told us to carry our shoes in and not leave them at the “shoe exchange.” Dennis & I didn’t hear the message but our shoes were waiting for us when we exited.

From the mosques we walked down a tangle of narrow streets to the Spice Market also called the Egyptian Bazaar because taxes from Egypt paid for the original 17thc. construction.

Our group attended a “Spice Tasting” and demonstration at Ucuzcular Spices we were shown that his saffron threads were longer and stronger than Penzey’s. Then we tasted the spices which is kind of weird. :-]

Dennis & Kris had enough and went off to see the rest of the market but I stayed and waited my turn to buy some saffron and 3 exotic Turkish spice combinations.

We splurged and ate lunch at the restaurant that was recommended because it was simply too hot to buy food from the outdoor vendors and sit in the sun. Every shady spot was taken. The group gathered and we were told to put on our masks as we took to trains to reach Taksim Square. After a quick walk around the modern square to identify Ataturk in the Republic Monument we began our crowded walk down Istiklal Street. The pedestrian street was more crowded than any street I traveled in Manhattan.

On the street we saw the Turkish “ice cream trick” where the vendors torture you by taking your scoop of ice cream, often several times before letting you have your treat. In hopes that might want to give them a tip for the trick. We marched down the street, stopping only for our guide to treat us to a delicious rich desert. We finished at Galata Tower where we took the trip up to see a beautiful view of the Golden Horn.

Our last night we ate dinner on a roof top. I insisted and Dennis & Kris indulged me. The restaurant we chose required that we (and our waiters) walk up at least 6 flights of stairs. Our waiter let us know in very broken English that he was Kurdish. He said something like: America good, Turkey bad for Kurds.
I felt very sorry for him, obviously struggling to make a living and facing discrimination in his own country.

I felt better about my choice of restaurant when the sun set as we were finishing our meal. We heard the call to prayer from 3 mosques and saw this banner.