TOP TEN ISTANBUL EXPERIENCES

Two weeks in Istanbul & I may not have managed to do EVERYTHING, but I did have the luxury of revisiting a few of my very favourites before leaving.  So...what have my top ten experiences & sites been?

In no particular order...
-AYA SOPHIA (sometimes written as Hagia Sophia) she is stunning on the outside, with her past lives incorporated into her current existance, but inside...she is radiant!  Returning a second time, there were things we were able to notice that we hadnt on the first visit (being so overwhelmed!) which was a bonus pleasure.

-CHORA so worth making the effort to get out there & buying a guidebook to take every mosaic & fresco in & respect what it means! A Mind boggling little treasure.

 -RUSTEM PASHA MOSQUE;a garden of Paradise created by the architect, Sinan, & the most beloved of his masterpieces. Here the tiles are not up in the heavens, but close to where the viewer can see them. I returned here with the intention to draw, but decided to just be quiet & be, which was far more rewarding!

-THE NEW MOSQUE; the decoration in this is so very different & I love the story of it's 'birth', commissioned by two separate Mum's!The fact that it is supported by & so close to the Spice Bazaar, just adds to it's uniqueness.

-THE SPICE BAZAAR; not as big & rabbit-warren- like as the Grand Bazaar, this just feels more real, smells fantastic & even the touts wanting you to taste their wares & buy are more charming!  I loved it & was disappointed not to eat in one of the restaurants upstairs, looking down on all the action.

-COOKING LESSON with Cooking A La Turk was great fun & insightful as to what we were eating in the city, & where some of these ingredients had come from. I would encourage anyone visiting Istanbul to do this!

-THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM  was one of the places I visited twice & frankly, there is so much here, twice is not enough!

-THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC DECORATIVE ARTS tied in well with Mosque visits & highlighted such skill & beauty to take the breath away.  It is also home to some magnifucent turkish rugs, which was helpful, because the carpet museum was never open when I went looking!

-TOPKAPI PALACE would be even more interesting if it had some of the Palace set out as it would have been in the days when it was occupied by Sultans, rather than having items in museum cases. However, the star attraction is the Harem experience & I found it stunningly beautiful yet very sobering! 

-TURKISH BATH is something I would like to go to on a regular basis.

-A DAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GALATA BRIDGE including a tram ride, Dolmabahce Palace , the Funicular & a stroll around Taksim square & shopping area was a truly great dayout.

 -DINNER at HAMDIS KOFTE RESTAURANT booked for 8.30pm on a Saturday night, so that from the roof terrace we could watch the sun set & the lights come on, especially on all the Mosques.  Following dinner,we strolled half way across the Galata on top of the bridge, paused part way over the Golden Horn to admire the lights & changing colours, turned & looked back at a city that was transformed by magic! We then walked back below the bridge, passing all the fish restaurants & the fishing lines that were still hanging over the side before being reeled in! Walking then took us past the night market, wares laid out on the street, past restaurants as we followed the tramtracks back to Sultanahmet, catching snatches of gypsy music, to arrive at the Hippodrome, exactly in time for the call to prayer which rang out, unifying everyone within hearing range!.  What I have just described is the PERFECT way to end a trip to Istanbul!!!!

Okay...so my top ten, is more than ten!  One has to be flexible when there is so much choice!!! And there are so many things I missed off that list...including the pleasure of just wandering the narrow streets around the Bazaars!!  If I am lucky enough to come back, I hope that the Fine Arts Museum has finished being renovated, as I was very disappointed to miss out on it! I would also like to take a boat trip up the Golden Horn, which in hindsight, may have been more interesting than the Princes Island trip.

One thing is for certain...the city of Istanbul is much more than a stopover destination!!

            

BATHING...A LA TURK

I am not a dirty person, but with what I learnt about bathing in the Turkish Baths, there is definitely an art to cleanliness!

 REQUIREMENTS:
 1 - Pestemal, an over sized tea-towel which is wrapped sarong-like around the body. Made of cotton & very absorbant.
 2 - Kese, an abrasive mitt.  I chose a silk one, which was the cheapest & least scratchy!
 3 - Soap, the ideal here is olive oil soap which lathers up well & is good for the skin.  It comes in  various fragrances, and frequently has abrasive bits in it, like cinnamon bark to act as an exfoliant.
4 - Wooden clogs, these are supposed to prevent you from slipping on wet marble & are like an elevated flipflop/jandal with the strap across all the toes instead of between the first two!
5- Hamam bowl, usually made of silver or copper,  these are used to scoop up water to sluice or cool down.
6 - Turkish bath house, (ie; Hamam) a building with a domed roof with blister-like glass protrusions. (On close inspection they look more like pert breasts!) these let light into the Hamam & nothing else! Inside, the interior is
 largely made of marble. There are a few Hamams around, but for tourists, the two that are recommended (for cleanliness reasons) are Cagaloglu, where we went first & is mentioned in the book '1000 things to do before you die", & Ceberlitas which is where I went the second time.
7 - An attendant, masseuse & body washer.  They come in all shapes & sizes & wear a uniform which looks like black speedoes with matching shorts. They are MUCH stronger than they look!!!
 (The attendants, not the uniform!)

 It began with stripping off in one, of many cubicles set around a seating area, that was clearly designed for shorter women than I.  Aside from the ceiling being just above my head, the upper third of the door was clear glass.  This, in the past, would have ensured that the manager could check there was only one occupant & that she was female.  In my case, they got to see how a long legged foreign white woman undresses!

 Wrapping my nudity up in a pestemal, the next challenge was  to find wooden clogs long enough for my size 10 feet. This was not to be my Cinderella moment, so I made do with shuffling along with my heel hanging over the back of the biggest ones they had!

I was delighted to see that they had modern flush toilets. Although I have to acknowledge that this is one time I would have coped quite well if there had only been squatties!

 Steaming in an ancient marble hexagonal room, with light filtering in from star shape windows cut into the domed ceiling, whilst leaning against a beautifully carved marble basin, water continuously running into it, is dreamlike!  Not as intense in heat as a sauna, nor as hot as a jacuzzi, the steam was gentle but effective, and whenever the build up of heat was too much, I just dipped into that marble basin & splashed myself down with cool water!

It seemed a long wait before my 'turn' for soaping & massage came, but it was very relaxing just sitting there, letting the steam do its job, whilst observing those around me without being too obvious!!!! Unlike the men (I was to find out later) the women are totally naked during the cleanse & massage process. The women were all shapes & sizes & various styles of waxing, so I was relieved that my only peculiarity was going to be that I was long & white! They seemed to be mainly locals who knew what they were doing & were looking after themselves, or there  with friends making it a more social event. It was clearly the foreigners who were having the massages & treatment.

 The 'treatment' area was an enormous round raised marble SLAB on which I was to be gestured to lie, face down, on my now whipped off pestemal. The first thing I noticed was that it was heated, & then just as I am melting into it's warmth, a cold bowl of water was thrown over me.OOOOooo,... a buttock clenching moment!


The kese (silk abrasive mitt) was systmaticly wiped over me, as a scultor might use a sandpaper for that final smoothing of the surface. She covered every cm of my back to toes, more than once with frequent sluicings of warm water, before gesturing for me to roll over for the front to be scraped. Nothing was spared! When it came time for me to sit up, so that she could thoroughly do my arms, she showed me the rolls of oily gunk that was being scraped off my skin. It was GROSS! This process concluded with being led by the hand across the slippery marble to one of the basins, where I was thoroughly sluiced down.A wonderful sensation. (Although, unlike other people, I had to bend at the knees, so she could reach everywhere! My attendant was half my size, it would have been very amusing for anyone watching!!)

 The soaping down was a very pleasurable experience.  They really like lots of lather & it was a massage-like soapy wash, with warm rinsing.  She used some sort of cloth & then her hands. When it was time to roll over for the front to be washed, I tried to get a good look at the ceiling, until drips of condensation started dripping into my contact lenses! I had to close them again anyway  she was washing my face & even cleaned behind my ears!  I havent been so thoroughly cleaned by another person since I was a very little girl!!

A final rinse & then I was sat down beside the marble basin for my shampoo. This procedure led me to wonder whether any previous clients had suffocated from soap sud asphyxiation. It started innocently enough, my hair was shampooed with a coconut smelling shampoo, making LOTS of suds & again a wonderful massaging motion was used. It felt like heaven until...without warning she smothered my face in the suds as well. Soap was in my mouth & up my nose, I couldnt breathe & she just left it there!  I WAS GOING TO DIE!!!!!  The sluicing off didnt come soon enough, but even that was scarey, continuous sluicing, not giving me a chance to catch a breath & there was so much water I thought my contact lenses were going to wash away in the tide.

If I thought that was the worse I was going to experience...I was wrong!

The full body massage came next.  The back & shoulder massage was firm but terrific & I would loved her to keep working on those shoulders a bit longer, but no, she had to attack the legs.  Thighs were fine, but oh my, the pain in my calves!  Those fingers were STRONG and every muscle in them seemed to be drilling their way into my calves & then feet.And she didnt let up!  I wondered whether I would be able to walk after this! When my eyes flew open during the most painful moments, I noticed how many women had tattoos.  One even had dog paw prints tattooed up her side!

I dont know how long the massage went for, it was certainly value for money, but I was glad when the legs were finally left alone! The whole experience was completed by a gentle washing down with warm water & then I was instructed to put on my clogs, before I was led across the marble to the drying room. She took a towel & dried me down!  It was very difficult to balance on the shoes whilst she was doing this, so at one point I had to grab her around the waist to steady myself!! Then back to my cubicle I was led to dry off & dress.

 My experience was a good one...except for the legs & would happily do it again, but choose a head & shoulder massage instead of the full body one.  The boys had had a very painful experience in the mens section.  They felt that the masseur had been purposefully brutal & they would never do it again!

Since the above, I have been to the Cemerlitas Turkish Baths.  It was COMPLETELY different, in that it was more tourist orientated ie; a pair of disposable knickers were included in the price, along with the mitt & we were given different coloured tokens for what procedure we had paid for, then it was like being in a processing plant, all quick, impersonal & not much time to steam & enjoy. The head massage was brilliant, but it was off in another room and by an efficient young woman in a white coat!. Almost attempting to be like a 'spa treatment' but not quite getting there.

Of the two, I preferred the first...inspite of the pain! And after both....my skin is just so incredibly silky, that I am definitely taking one of those mitts home!!

FOLLOWING THE BRICK TRAIL

It was time I earned my keep!  Following my little whizz around Byzantian ruins with Trici, last week, the boys felt they had missed out & wanted a tour of their own!!!

Armed with the map she had marked out for me & a picture of what some believe the walls & building location of Byzantium looked like...off we went, leaving the current location of the Hippodrome, for the remains of the walls of the ancient Hippodrome!(Photo no:2) Getting excited about echoes of past arches, snatches of the telltale narrow bricks, and marvelling at the recycling of generations since, as layer upon layer of building debris reveal the variety of reincarnations this wall had had...we meandered around narrow roads to see the whole curvacious shape.


Then we traversed downhill darting through the quickly congesting traffic, to the 'Little Aya Sophia'. This gem is a Mosque, currently in use, built onto the remains of the ancient SS Sergious & Bacchus Church, which was built during Justinian's reign. Inside we witnessed yet another treasure, beautiful patterning painted around window alcoves & walls, leading to a exquisite cupola.(Photo no:4) Then on a small platform we were able to see the greek inscription from the early church. It is one of those places that deserves to be looked after. After a quick look at the Medrese, where there were a group of students who seemed to be involved in some serious study & discussion, we went in search of the ruins seen from the roadside.  Some think they also belong to SS Sergious & Bacchus, but if the map of old Sultanahmet is to believed...they are probably ruins of SS Peter & Paul, as the two Churches were, allegedly, cojoined with another Palace, named Hormisdis. Whilst looking at the brick work, we were made aware by one of the homeless residents, not to come any closer.  There was no threat, just enough noise, to let us know we were trespassing...it was time for a tea break anyway!

The Marmara cafe looks out over the ruins of the inside of Bucoleon Palace. It is lined with rugs & Kilims & has a stunning view from it's balcony, of not only the ruins, but the Marmara sea & all the boats that ply it! (It also only has a squat toilet, which we wont talk about here!!!!)

 Having been revived & enjoyed some shade, we set off back down
the hill, to view the ruins from the other side.(Photo no;5)  Standing where the waters of the Marmara once lapped against the walls, we were able to get a sense of the size of the Palace, & the structure. From here we just followed the remains of old walls all the way around to current day Topkapi, enjoying debate about which bricks were genuine & which not....and delighting in discovering glimpses of decorative work, including brick work on an old & long forgotten church. (Top picture!)

I havent mentioned much about the weather in this blog! Before leaving Australia, we had done a 10 day weather google for Istanbul & packed according to what it predicted ie; low 20's & cool in the evenings. That forecast was accurate...about the evenings, but the days have been high 20's & low 30's & thick jeans & long sleeved T-shirts havent really been very comfortable! I have managed to buy a linen shirt which is a little more  breathable, however it doesnt take long before we are seriously wilting & needing shade & refreshment! It was with enormous relief then, that we made our way into the Gulhane Park which surrounds Topkapi Palace & found a tea garden...with magnificent views out over the Bospherous! We had walked from one Palace to another, & from here, we could look across the water at the magnificent Dolmabahce of yesterday's excursion.

Recognising just how fortunate we were, we could tolerate the heat...especially when escape from it meant stopping in places like this,with water views!!

OPULANCE & ART

Istanbul has a tram system that WORKS! It is easy quick, reliable & there is only a 5 minute wait for the next tram!(An excellent model for Adelaide's train service to follow!!)  The route allows us to travel across the Galata bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn, where the more modern city & business district is now based.

 We used it to get most of the way, to Domabahce, a very European styled Palace right on the shores of the Bospherous! This was home to the last of the Sultans, six in all from 1856 when the building was complete, until 1922, when the Republic was founded. Having been to Topkapi Palace last week, we were interested to see how the more recent Sultans lived. We also 

wanted to see how different the Harem was!

In spite of being early, there were already tour loads of people on site. We soon discovered that everyone had to join a guided tour, there was to be no free roaming around this place!  There was also to be, NO photography indoors & to emphasise the seriousness of that request, there were armed guards! For the first time in this trip, NO ONE tried to disobey the RULE!!!!!!!

 Opulent is the only appropriate word for the interior of the Administrative side of this Palace! Nauseating opulence! A great deal of effort was obviously made to appear European & appease European allies! Luscious silk curtains & upholstering, the most exquisite parquitry , furniture inlaid with mother of pearl, ceilings painted in Renaissance style, gold leaf covering the sculptural relief work, pillars, and most impressive of all...crystal chandelliers to blow your mind! I am so VERY sorry not to have photos to show of these to share!

That wasnt all...ther were staircase bannisters, a piano, whole mirrors of cut crystals, not to mention plateware & goblets.  They were truly marvelous!

 Sadly, we were rushed through so rapidly, that we weren't able to get much more than a glimpse at the highlights. Although  there were a huge number of paintings that we literally whizzed past,  they became a blur! The Hamam for the Sultan was all carved marble, of outstanding workmanship, & with a view over the Bospherous...what a place to bathe! It is fair to say, that we walked around with our mouths hung open in awe!

 The Harem, we expected, would be much the same..how wrong we were! Our guide there, began by acknowledging that in the old Palace of Topkapi, the Harem women were basicly imprisoned.  Here, however, they were allowed to leave the premises.

Of course, they needed to get permission from the Sultan & administration first, they had to be covered, and have a body guard & ...oh, they could only go to the Grand Bazaar to do any shopping.  And they had to be back before sun down!! Their appartments were, basicly, dull!  The first wife's private room was more grand than the others, but even then....nothing compared to the other side of the house!!

During our tour we had been shown a room known as the recovery room.  This was exclusively for the young princes recovering from Circumcision.  The tradition here is that boys are circumcised between the ages of 6 to 8. A week prior to this operation they are dressed up in finery like young princes & then after the op, they become young men.  We have seen boys in these outfits and...now we know what it is all about!

 The grounds that wrap around the Palace are not large,(ie; there was nowhere for young Princes to kick a soccer ball) but full of rose bushes, and we saw at least three large fountains, but then, they did have a large aviary complete with peacocks, and running along the front facade was the beautiful Bospherous! Now, a well located cafe sits alongside, under large shady trees allowing we, the weary, to partake of refreshment in the grounds of another kind of life...before exitt'ing to the real world!

Our 'real world' plans were to find the Museum of Fine Arts, where I wanted to see if any of Melling's paintings of Istanbul were on display & I also wanted to find out more about the Istanbully artist Osman Hamdi Bey. The Museum was supposed to be right next door...however, it took a considerable amount of walking to get PAST the Palace property, & when we did...discovered the Museum, like many places here in Istanbul, is all wrapped up in a layer of scaffolding, being renovated!

Fortunately for us, we came across a new museum...dedicated to the art of coffee as partaken by the Sultans!  It was all in Turkish, but there were sufficient pictures for us to work out what was going on. There was an extensive exhibition of Sultan's coffee cups and equipment, all very beautiful.( Lots of gold & crystal!) To top the visit off...we were given a free cup of Turkish coffee.  For the first time, I actually enjoyed it!  I think the secret is NOT to have sugar!!

From here we took the funicular up to Taksim square, looked at some very European influenced shops now housing brands like Body Shop & Colours of Benetton, we found the oldest remaining confectionery shop in Istanbul , where we bought Turkish Delight for our children, before joining a throng of locals at lunch in a 'point & serve' cafe.  It was a long HOT walk back down to the Galata Bridge, which we walked across, amazed at the numbers fishing & just how many fish they were catching!

 That evening we decided to follow through with the 'Sultan' theme and dine at Matbah, a rather pricey (for here) Ottomon cuisine restaurant.  We started with a sherbert drink, made from pomegranite and some flower.  This was the Sultans drink of choice, they did not (allegedly) drink alcohol. It was sweet, but delicious. Our starters consisted of; - a calamari ring stuffed with a blend of rice, pine nuts, almond, cinnamon and mint.  A rather unusual blend, but tasty.- A dolmade, stuffed vine leaf with rice & sour cherries.-An icecream scoop of hummus, which is a blend of chickpeas, currants, lemon, cinnamon and pinenuts.-And eggplant, as we have had before, stuffed with tomatoe & onion.

 My main dish, was described as a Melon, stuffed with minced meat, rice, herbs, almonds, currants and pistachios. My brain immediately  interpreted that there had been a translation hiccup & surely the 'Melon' was in fact a 'Marrow'?  I was wrong!  There was nothing wrong with their translation into English. My meaty rice dish was stuffed into a cooked Honey dew melon! It tasted very different to anything I have tried before, and very delicious! It was quite an experience to be dining like Sultans...and first wife!


NOTE: Again, I apologise that photos arent in the order that I would want ie; refering to the paragraph that they illustrate.  I will not bore you with the FRUSTRATION I am experiencing in actually producing these blogs...lets just say that the programme has a mind of its own!!

EATING A LA TURK

Rumour had reached me that the Turks cook good vegetarian food.  Therefore, I had decided to be vegetarian whilst here in Istanbul. HOWEVER, with the quantity of fresh fish & the fact that they use lamb meat a lot in their cooking (I am a Kiwi after all!), I decided to ignore that previous resolve, knowing I would be depriving myself of true culinary experiences!(  I have stuck to my no-alcohol discipline for this trip though!)

I have fallen in love with Turkish food, so it was with great anticipation that we attended a cooking lesson with Eveline & her team at 'Cooking A La Turka'. Together with two other Aussies, a couple of Brits and four Americans we became kitchen crew, helping to cook delicious traditional Turkish dishes, which would be served up to both ourselves & paying guests that evening!

 Our menu consisted of;
 *Lentil & Bulgur Wheat soup - where we first used the bell pepper paste that seems to go into every savoury dish here. It gives a wonderful depth of flavour.  We were also introduced to Turkish chilli flakes, which give a zing without a burn!
*Zucchini Fritters - this has the same effect as a sorbet, although served hot! The dried mint used gives a refreshing flavour that works beautifully with the Turkish equivalent of feta. These were so yummy no one would have been blamed for polishing off the whole batch!
*Eggplant braised in olive oil with onion & tomato - we have had a variation of this dish almost every day.. If there is one thing that the Turks are true champions in, its the Aubergine!  This dish is 'Imam Bayildi' which literally means 'the imam fainted with joy' (because it tasted so goo!) One of the aspects of this dish which makes the flavours sing, is the use of multiple complimentary herbs.  This smelt as good during preparation as it was eating it as a completed dish.
*Domades stuffed with minced meat - wherever we are in the world, we cannot help...rightly or wrongly...comparing what we are experiencing with what we already know and are familiar with.  That is the case with these Dolmades. They sound Greek, but these are so removed in flavour from Greek dolmades, that you would hardly know they are neighbours! A small sausage is made from a mixture of rice, herbs, bell pepper paste, tomato & a equal quantity of lamb mince & beef mince.  They are then wrapped tightly in vine leaves and steamed in a broth containing herb stems, tomato juice and water. They are served hot, with a dollop of yoghurt and tomatoes.  Trust me, they are God's gift to the taste buds!

 Semolina Sponge cakes with syrup - the turks do a great job with sweets!These arent as sickly sweet as some.  They begin life as little vanilla cookies with a hazelnut crowning them.  Then when cooked, boi ling syrup is poured over & the hot cookies begin to absorb the sweet fluid, making them puff up a bit like doughnuts! They were moreish!
*Greek Coffee - this coffee is an acquired taste, which  I have not quite acquired yet!!!!   I seem to be in the minority!  It was however, very interesting to see how it is made, a lot more time consuming than in  plunger!!

 It was hot work in a small kitchen & hard on the back for those of us with longer than average legs, but, I wouldnt have missed it for anything.  The experience will be one of the highlights of my trip. It wasnt just the learning how, that made it enjoyable, it was the discovering of new products & when to use them.  It was learning that meat is expensive for the average household here, hence so many dishes have meat   bulked up with vegetables.  It was the pleasure of learning alongside fellow travellers, all interesting delightful people.  It was the meeting of Eveline & her team & working alongside them.  The BIGGEST lesson of all, was just how much time & effort goes into making each of these relatively simple dishes.  Something we take for granted when  we order from a menu!



 We have tried something new everyday we have been here. Some of my favourites have been;
*Simits - a bagel like bread smothered in sesame seeds.  I have these for breakfast with homemade cherry jam
 *Baklava - very different from the Greek sweet of the same name.  Although we havent conducted our taste test on the various varieties available, yet, my favourite thus far is walnut.  They are smaller mixtures of pastry, nut & syrup, served in bite size squares, sometimes with a cream cheese type accompaniment.

*Turkish Delight - I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that we were taste testing 21 varieties.  We have completed that task & have   extended waistlines to prove it.  My favourite is still pomegranite with pistacio, although the cinnamon & the chocolate come in for top awards too!!!!!
*Yoghurt - These people do not restrict yoghurt use to just cereal at breakfast time! It is the base for sauces, dips and anything else they can think of!  Not as thick as Greek yoghurt, nor as acidic, it is as heavenly with honey in the morning, as it is mixed with garlic, oil and paste as a sauce over Turkish ravioli in the evening!

We are yet to try Turkish Doner Kabab.  This seems to only be available around lunchtimes and we havent been in the right place at the right time...yet!

 Well, it's that time again...dinnertime that is...dont know where we will eat tonight, but I have no doubt it will be VERY good!!

BRIDE OF HEAVEN

 (Before I start this blog, I would like you to know that I am having a very difficult time trying to get the photos in the order I want them, so that this all makes sense!  This blog programme & I are not on good terms at the moment, so you will just have to guess which photo goes with whatever I am saying!!!)

We are staying in Sultanahmet, which is the old town of Istanbul.  The roads are cobbled, with occasional pit holes in them, few sidewalks/footpaths and frequent people, table & chairs lining & spilling from the sides.  This is not a place designed for the automobile! However, the taxis & cars that scoot around here are amazing in that we are yet to see a prang, when every intersection is a disaster waiting to happen.

We needed to get a taxi to Chora, our destination for the morning was the Church of St Saviour in Chora, home of the finest Byzantine mosaics & frescoes. Would we get there in one piece..of course we would, although there was extensive stop start motion, the foot of the driver permanently attached to a hover just above the brake, and frequent use of the horn! Not one swear word though! Never the less, I was very relieved to arrive.  (We chose to take a long walk back afterwards!!!


In Byzantine times, Chora was a rural area, just inside the city walls.  Now of course it has been swallowed up into the sprawling city itself, but there are still remaining sections of wall, & there is still Chora!.  The building is from the 11th century, with wonderful brick work, perfect domes and the intimacy of a small, country church.  The frescoes & mosaics were added in the 13oo's by a theologian & philosopher, Theodore Metochites, who wanted to show how Christ became a mortal on our behalf.  He achieved this by focussing on the genealogy of Christ.  There was also a series of mosaics about the life of Mary, which, with neither of us coming from a Marian background, we found particularly fascinating! (Did you know that Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she was a child, & that he already had a son?????)

 Upon entering the church we went from one section to another, straining our necks to see the exquisite workmanship, that these mosaics represent.  It was terrific seeing exposed brick work peeping through the places where no mosaic remains.   The frescoes were still so rich in colour & like the mosaics, there was NOTHING primitive or naive about the their form. We wandered through it all first, but not really understanding what we were seeing, we then made a brilliant decision &...bought a book! (I should point out that we are bibliophiles & have a tendancy to weigh our return luggage down with books purchased on our adventures.  THIS time we thought we WOULDNT buy books, we would hunt them down on Book Depository & buy later! We now have 6 books to pack somewhere in our luggage. I did check for 2 of them on book depository & they didnt have them, so those purchases are justified!!!!!!) This purchase was a very smart move, because at last, we could actually work out what we were seeing & more importantly, WHO was who!

I was particularly interested in a rather damaged mosaic where a woman named Priestess Melane was kneeling before the Christ. I was interested because I have never heard of her & we seldom see women other than the "mary's ' kneeling with Christ.  I am going to have to do some research about this woman.  I was also attracted to the beauty of her face & the varying textures that surround her face, created by lost mosaic pieces & plaster. It was like the faded & motheaten parts of tapestries...adding to the story!

I also had another delight in store. Some American prat was using flash photography when there were signs up everywhere saying not to. A woman security guard was on to him in a flash (!) & confiscated his camera!  It took a GREAT deal of effort not to shout "GO GIRL"& whoop with satisfaction! Oh there is a God!

We had a long & pleasant...if hot...walk back to our part of town.  It was fascinating to see where the 'real' people lived. Mainly in blocks of flats, crammed together. Everyone living on top of each other.  At one point we could clearly see Byzantine wall, where buildings had literally been built onto, providing a startling cross section of the evolving city.

 As we progressed further, we came upon more shops & a huge cluster of Bridal shops! I have never seen so many wedding dresses in my life! MILLIONS of them.  This was wedding dress grand central!  What we learned from this insight, is that Turks are really into BLING in a BIG way!  Honestly, we thought that Barbie knew how to dress...her wardrobe is NOTHING compared to what was on show here. Ruffles, and as much sparkle as a girl could wish for!  Unfortunately, I wasnt able to take a photo from inside the shops (I did ask, but got a very strong NO), but I hope that you get a snippet of what we saw, from these 'through the window shots'! It would have been an ideal place to buy my daughter a dress for school Formals...but she really needs to have some say in the choosing, so I resisted the temptation!

THE PLEASURE & THE PAIN

Today is Monday ... I think... and we have been here for just over a week. This morning I had the pleasure of sleeping THROUGH the call to prayer for the FIRST time since arriving here!  This is a significant breakthrough for me!  Mildly tempered by the panic that sets in on realising that we only have a few more days here! Ahhhhhhhh so much to see, so much to draw!

At the end of each day, the boys & I congregate on the roof terrace, partake of turkish delight & something cold & liquid, whilst recapping the days interests.  For them, it's lectures.  They have been interested in hearing a bit about Sufiism throughout various lectures, & a concept that has grabbed them is 'the pleasure and the pain!'Meanwhile I have been sketching & whilst that is a relatively solitary & motionless experience, I too have had some enlightenment in this concept!

 The Museum of Islamic Arts is right next door, and was once the palace of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha. It is perfectly suited to being a museum. The whole structure of the building wraps around a lush courtyard, in which the cafe does NOT take up the whole space!!! (Someone intelligent was engaged in planning here!) As I entered the museum, I was stopped in my steps by an ancient lion sculpture, he was made in Sejukid region in 13th century, & in their language is named 'Aslan Heykeli'.  The original ASLAN!  CS Lewis must have been here. I was so excited (PLEASURE) I whipped out the camera to take a photo only to find that I had left the SD card in the laptop after blogging that morning! (PAIN)
 I meandered through, sketching the designs that grabbed me, namely 'Tree Of Life' patterns in carpets, & had a thoroughly enjoyable, if camera free, time.  Before setting off to explore the lower floor, I felt the need for refreshment.  Once again, that tourist oriented cafe with western cakes & paper cups of tea (PAIN) until, I spotted the Turkish equivalent to a fruit & nut bar!  Packaged like mini cup cakes in a sealed packet, were 2 dried apricots stuffed with different types of almonds, a fig stuffed with walnut, a fruitleather tube stuffed with...something, and a 'viagra' ball from the spice market!  It was pureed apricot with an almond inside, completely covered in pistachios & SCRUMPTIOUS!(PLEASURE!) (There was no effect on my libido or anything else afterwards either!)

I have been sketching old walls, specifically ones with a lot of different brick work, this has seen me sitting on a little triangular stool, for hours, (6 yesterday) for very little result...and a sore bum. (PAIN) However, I have been rewarded by having to focus & consequently have spotted things that people frequently just walk past. (PLEASURE) People often stop to look at what I am doing which I dont like but tolerate, & yesterday I had a couple of lovely girls from Taiwan stop & want to take my photo whilst I was sketching...we are not talking great art work here... I felt a bit of a fraud! (PAIN & PLEASURE)

I experienced a 'point & serve' lunch meal a couple of days ago, where at the entrance to the cafe are trays of delicious turkish meze foodstuffs & you point, they serve! I had a plate containing turkish dolmades, grilled pimentos, aubergine in yoghurt, carrot in yoghurt, spinach in a feta mixture, beans in tomatoe, aubergine in tomato & a huge piece of grilled pita bread. All for the australian equivalent of $10. The food was heavenly. (PLEASURE) However, afterwards I was seriously bloated (PAIN).

That evening we went to see the Whirling Dervishes perform in a converted hamam (bath house) in

the Hocapasha district. It has become a dance centre & a variety of regional dance shows are performed here every day.  It was a hot & humid evening & after the 15 minute walk there,(PLEASURE) we could have done with some airconditioning. However, ancient hamams dont seem to be wired with that..yet!(PAIN).  Whilst waiting for the loo, the woman ahead of me asked if I was pregnant. (MAJOR PAIN!!!!!) I replied that no, I was a bit old for pregnancy & that what she thought was a developing baby was just over indulgence in turkish food! (I havent eaten lunch since!)

Before the Dervishes began we had emphasised to us, with word & picture that there was to be silence and no photos. In came a small group of musicians with singers at the back, flute, drum, zithyr and a gourd shaped violin, in the front.  The music really set the atmosphere, calming and meditative. The singers seemed to put themselves into a trance state, their voices harmonious & in lower tones, nothing harsh & soprano! The Dervishes came in first to lay down skins of some kind, one of them representing the centre of divine truth. After a period of prayer & personal preparation, they rose from kneeling , bowed to each other & began to twirl in a circle. Each cycle has significance to them, but to the audience it is rather hypnotic to watch continuous twirling.  The stage was very close to the audience too, so there was a period where watching made me dizzy!

They believe that they are channels of Gods love.  through them, we receive that love, as they twirl.  These men were examples of complete contentment, I could feel the peace emanate from them, and recognised again, the unique privilege it was to witness this ritual.  It is a humbling experience to see someone effectively pray for you!(PLEASURE)

And yet, behind me were some people who really havent learnt the art of 'audience skills', let alone, respect! They talked quite loudly through some of the more sacred moments.(PAIN) I had to do something, so turned around, and gave them a Medusa glare over the rim of my glasses! It had an effect for a while! As if that werent enough further down the row, a big burly man, is snapping away on his camera! (MAJOR @#$%&@# PAIN) I had to really control myself.  Sufiism is all about love & my malevolent vibes werent appropriate for the space!

I have to wonder WHY they allow such a sacred ritual to be performed as an entertainment in the first place. Maybe the income?.  I value the gift, which is what it is, but do wonder how much more will they take, of rude people disrespecting their conditions, before we, the audience, will no longer have this privilege.  I wouldnt blame them for depriving the masses. I was also personally frustrated, because I should have left feeling calm & loving thoughts, but instead I wanted to hit someone!

My angst was settled by another gift that night.  Walking past the Blue Mosque, rising up into the clear black sky, radiating gold & copper, she is a magnificent sight.  What an absolute pleasure to  end a day with.


NOTE: My photograph of the whirling Dervishes is in fact a photo of the programme they handed us!  I did NOT take a photo in the performance!!

THE WORK BEGINS

Okay, fun over, it was time to head to a long day of lectures...for the boys, and a day of drawing for myself! Hmmmm.  The problem with having just spent an inspiring day with someone who has spent 12 years creating wonderful drawings...is that ones own efforts are bound to disappoint!
 Never- the- less, equipment in bag, off I strode, down the hippodrome, past the Blue Mosque, past the corn seller,over the cobbles, past Aya Sophia and the restored wooden Ottoman homes, feeling

almost local managing this without a map, until...."Hey preety laidee, yu wanna buy guide book?"

 The Archeological Museum was my destination,  and upon entry I was greeted with a sculpture garden that could have inspired CS Lewis in his writing of the white queen turning the creatures to stone in Narnia. There were several variations of lion, a medusa head lookinglonely & forgotten, an odd amphibious creature that is so weathered I couldnt be sure what it was, and lots of columns in various states of despair!

Where does one start...in the pavilion with the ceramic ware of course!  Fragments of tile , pot and anything glazed distracted me from the task at hand.  The most gob smacking being a fountain (wash basin alcove) decorated with a golden peacock amidst tulips, carnations and flowering plum, all in golds & reds & glowing in the available light. Opposite was a painting by Osman Hamdi Bey called 'The Fountain of Life' in which this fountain had been featured...along with some possibly important person, whose name I didnt make note of! :-)

 I didnt draw that.  I chose instead to start with a warm up of tulip designs.  Tulips are a prominant tile design here, flowers of high regard in Ottoman life due to the geat Suleymaniye being so fond of         them.  The less said about those little efforts, the better!

   After an exasperating hour standing to copy these designs, in poor ventilation, I was desperately in need of a sit down!  Off to the outdoor cafe in the sculpture garden for a tea.  I was extremely disappointed to find that the museum cafe has been designed to cater for westerners.  Mediocre (disgusting) tea in paper cups, choices of 'American chocolate brownie', baked cheescake and tiramisu sat in the refridgerated shelf looking REALLY out of place, as did the 'sandwiches' with limp lettuce poking their tongues out at us, taunting, daring us to buy them! " Come on you tourist, this is what you're familiar with, this is what you want....here I am, BUY ME!" Needless to say I didnt.  This country has FANTASTIC food (more about that & how it is impacting on my waistline later!) with sweets that ooze temptation. There wasnt a baklava in sight & yet down the road...there are a myriad of types!  I wanted to scream.  This result of tourism is not good, it makes me furious & oh, dear, I feel a band wagon coming on....so lets get back to drawing!

Tea consumed, I plonked myself on a nearby wall...probably ancient...to draw a weathered and weary lion. So faded was he, that only a few markings remained to show that he had had a magnificent mane & a mighty roar...even if at some time in history his nose had been lopped off! From him to Medusa. Whilst drawing her I had a very interested group of school boys behind me wanting to practice their english..."Hey wooman, hey wooman, hello'. They thought they were so clever.

In need of time inside, I took a break from drawing & just went through the museum looking. One of my first encounters was with huge glazed panels with animals on them.  It could have been noahs ark! Absolutely stunning lining a wall.There were sculptures and relief panels in marble GALORE  . There were fascinating mythical beasts, part wolf, part lion , part peacock....anything goes! I was fascinated with the locations & peoples mentioned, Hittites and Palmyra, all right out of bible class & they were real people with real lives including pots & tools and graves!  There columns and columns and tombs upon tombs...endless carved marble!  I felt intrigued by one carved column because it wasnt as decorative as many others.  Upon closer inspection, it was was supposed to be inlaid with coloured marble & lapis! The inserts had all been gouged out & plundered.

The top floor held an interesting exhibition of digital art showing what Istanbul's magnificent buildings would have looked like.  Some were a bit boring, especially the rendition of the Bucoleon which I had seen the ruins of the day before.  It was rendered all grey & concretey! Highly amusing when alongside was an early illustration showing the building in golds & malachite greens and lapis  blues, with princess Zoe on the balcony waving...

Another disgusting cup of tea later, & I was perched on a step outside sketching another lion. This time lots of people passed by & had a look, which I coped okay with.  I was frustrated more when people had the audacity to stand right in front of MY lion to pose for photos, but I refrained from stopping them!  This magnificent beast has a partner & they stand at the entrance to one section of the museum. I was actually pleased with this result!

It was time to leave, I made my way up into Gulhane park, soaking in the visual coolness of the green grass. The day was a stunner, so the view over the Bospherous a beauty. It had been a long day so when I spotted the cafe at the end of the park, umbrellas up, stunning view...I thought that another cup of tea wouldnt hurt, besides...there was baklava on the menu!

TRANSPORTED IN TIME

Thursday 2 June: my day with Trici Venola, Los Angeles born artist, who 12 years ago, feel in love with Istanbul, began drawing it & hasnt left! (Google her) I had booked a day for her to show me where some reliable textile places are, but over the course of  our day discovered that she is also a walking history lesson and carer & custodian of lesser known glimpses into Istanbul's past!  Her mission is to Draw Istanbul as a means of preserving it's history in a unique way.

Our day started by stepping into archeologist 'shoes' & following a trail of Byzantine arches, snatches of wall and glimpses of window. Enroute we popped into a Medrese (teaching part of Mosque) which is now artists studios, including Ahmet Sezen who is a master of inlaid mother of pearl work.  The current Mosque is built onto remnants of the much earlier SS Sergius & Bacchus Church, & we noted brick work changes, & variety of tombs, as indicators to age. From here we followed the trail of the earlier church down on the other side of the railway, to the crumbling remnants now home to the cities homeless!  The piece that looked like it belonged to the church....has since been spray painted with 'WC", so Trici refers to it as Sergious & Baccus WC! It wasnt safe to scramble into the ruins (more because of it's current custodians than the fragility of the building), but it was obvious the former building still wanted to be remembered.

Walking along the same road we came across the remains of the Bucoleon Palace, which had been literally on the waterfront...much likeVenician palaces. Wonderful bricked arches, snatches of marble, columns & walls, all held together by the roots of the plants around them...in fact growing over the remaining building like a protective cloak.  With a little imagination we could see the grandeur & elegance of this building...and a woman standing on a balcony waving to a love sailing off into the distance!  After this we went to a little cafe directly behind the remains to se the other side.  The walls of the cafe were lined in kilims and carpets & the smell of past narghila smoke hung in the air. The tea actually had tea leaves in it & was very good...which makes me wonder if we have been having turkish tea bags up until now!!      
Our next destination was tracking down the Corridor of Lord, & enroute we scrambled over more building debris to seek out that thin horizontal brick work that marked it as Byzantine....and now supports a growing shanty town of gypsies!

The patch of 'Corridor of Lord' (the course a new Empress would walk enroute to her coronation) that we had good access to was via Asia Minor Carpets.  They had invested in cleaning up, without destroying, the archeological treasure that these remains are. Wonderful vaulted ceilings & brick work, together with the tree roots making their way through, created an amazing atmosphere, it was almost possible to believe that the walls were trying to speak & tell their story.

Climbing back out into the current world, we then crossed the threshold of the VERY fancy (& pricey) Four Seasons Hotel!  It was once the prison & Trici pointed out inscriptons carved into pillars by the soldiers.  I wished I had crayon & paper to do a rubbing to see what it said! (Not that I would be able to read it....!) Out the window though...Byzantine wall!

From archeology to textiles & we dropped by to see Sheila, whose Dad deals in carpets & other textiles. We were looking for embroidered cloths from a group of people in Saudi Arabia.  In the shop Sheila was managing for the day, there werent any, so...as seems to be the norm...she left her shop in the care of staff & walked us to her Fathers other shop, near the Grand Bazaar!  We were welcomed with tea & a wonderful display of these unique cloths that are all the more special because they are not going to be made anymore! (Not sure of actual story, but have a contact to ask & find out!) They were so gorgeous I bought one.  Trici was also in love with them...and continued the practice that these &
other tribal textiles here are all about...she traded!  She is going to go back & draw Sheilas Dad sitting as you see him in the photo, a survivor of cancer & open heart surgery & back in his carpet shop selling carpets!  There was no pressure selling here, which I appreciated, but there was the pleasure of meeting & interacting.

  Walking through the Grand Bazaar with someone who knows where they are going is so much smoother, albeit, we WHIZZED around I was quickly directionally disorientated. We lunched & then went visiting reputable stores; tribal jewellery saw me bring out my purse again...a pair for me & a pair for Rose. Not cheap, but good value for money.
Another store had nomadic textiles from Turkistan, Uzbekistan...all the 'stans'!  I bought a few, hoping to use in my own textile work.  Again this sense of taking part in history.  This was the end of the silk route, this is where massive trading took place.

I was disappointed in the Suzanis.  They were all extremely beautiful, but a lot of the fabrics used seemed to be synthetic. I admire the embroidery, which when I had first seem them, appeared to be applique! So, I didnt buy any of those.

From here we went through the spice Bazaar to meet Troy, a Turkish Van cat, who  resides at the last stall! White & tall, he has one blue & one green eye!  Turkish vans are protected from export, so here, allegedly, is the only place to spot them!  He was too active to photograph & in fact...he bit Trici !

We popped into Rustem Pasha Mosque before visiting a few hans to see ancient walls & then Trici gave me a real treat.  We went upstairs in this mans workshop to his equivalent of an attic, there exposed from beneath some hideous plasterwork was the remains of a frescoe . Looking at the room we could see niches in the walls & surmised that this had once been a church. The small portion of
fresco was delicate & the colour still very clear, I had to resist the urge to start tearing off plaster in the hopes of finding more!  From an adjoining door, which very possibly could once have been a window we looked out over the roof tops & spotted more signs of the previous lives of buildings, which currently house cafes and cigarette rollers & printers, and where they all coexist & evolve together!

A brisk walk 'home' to fresh orange juice on the rooftop, introduce Trici to husband & co & witness the seagulls making that incredible SOUND,( very much like Howler monkeys). A great way to take our shoes off, to a great day!
After saying goodbye to Trici, we made our way to the Kalamar restaurant in the 'fish restaurant capital of Istanbul', Kumkapi. We met a fellow another aussie who was travelling alone, so asked her to join us... only to discover that she is fluent in turkish!  What a find that was!  She interpreted menu & asked questions of the waiter for us & then gave us all sorts of recommendations as to what to try. (She is part Turkish!) The food was heavenly....best fish stew I have ever had... but the REAL treat was the gypsy bands playing in the street below.  At times there were 3 of them, all competing in volume, such vibrant music, which they put genuine passion into!  A late night, to a long day....but oh so worth it!

WATER, water...everywhere

We awoke to a glorious day in Istanbul, and as a result, only one thing to do....cruise the Bospherous!  After deciding that we would opt for the public ferry, which gave us an option of getting off at one stop for 3 hours, before returning.  We set about making our way to the docks to purchase tickets. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get there, was easy to find, we were quickly served & we still had an hour on our hands!  Over the road we went to the NEW Mosque!
 Now when I say 'new', I mean started in 1597 and finished in 1663! It is an interesting Mosque for a couple of reasons; the spice market was established to fund the mosque & continues to pay for its maintenance., & it's construction was orchestrated by 2 Valides (Mums of Sultans). It confuses me as to why it only gets a small write up in the DK Istanbul guide, and in the list of 'Best Mosques & Churches', the New Mosque doesnt get a look in. And yet, it is stunning, and quite different from the others we have seen in this city. (Losing count now !) Not only does it have iznik tiles outside in the courtyard area, as well as the interior, but the building is made all the more interesting with its extension into the 'Royal Pavilion', (private access for the Sultan). We had a thoroughly enjoyable stroll before crossing under the road again, to join the cattle herd waiting to board the ferry. 

It was while we waiting that my husband refered to one of the stories in Orhan Pamuk's book, where he describes how the locals, so used to boating collisions in this strip of water, when hearing the crash, would bring down deck chairs from which to watch the show & within minutes there would be coffee & tea sellers making their way through the spectators!

I did enter the boat with some dis-ease!

 The water was so calm & the trip blissful.  We sat on the 'European' side on the way up, confronted with the massive urban sprawl, and all so tightly packed on top of each other. Further up we started to see beautiful Yalis, the Istanbullies version of a beach house! Now I could REALLY get a kick out of beach side holidays in one of these ottoman treasures! Apparently these used to line both sides of the Bospherous, but have since been replaced by hotels etc.  We saw a number that had clearly been lovingly restored & some that clearly hadnt! There were castle remnants from times when the land was being conquered by one group or another & big boats & charming villages.

We stopped at Anadolu Kavagi where the restaurant owners started competing for our custom as soon as the boat came within sight, waving franticly & pointing to their restaurants, & as soon as we got off the boat, the competition became verbal.  We ate a questionable lunch (which I am currently paying for!) and then set off on the steep walk up to the 14th century Byzantine fortress, from which we would see the Black Sea.

The Black sea is not actually black!

Our cruise down the Bospherous saw us seated on the 'Asian' side, which wasnt hugely different from the European, although less congested and more Mosques.  We played a little game of 'spot the Mosque' and couldnt get over how many there were.  Very much like rural France and parts of the UK where clearly, every village area has its own church.

Back on land we made our way back to the hotel, stopping at a fabulous Turkish Delight shop where we bought 3 of each of 21 different varieties of Turkish Delight, which we aim to taste test over the coming days...on the rooftop of our hotel...watching the sun go down! (Life's tough, but we all have a purpose to fulfill!)

Next stop the Turkish Baths at Cagaloglu! AT LAST!  I'd finally convinced the boys we needed to do this! I plan to write another blog page specifically about the experience, so all I will say here is...my experience was not as rough as the boys, they dont make women's wooden clogs big enough for my feet,  and it was fascinating seeing what tattoos other woman had on their bodies & where...I felt severely under adorned!

I am trying to convince the boys that we need to try another one next week! (Might take that long for them to agree!)

 Radiating with cleanliness we strove back to the Hotel to change before heading out for dinner. Our venue this evening the underground cistern of the Sarnic Hotel, lit up with candles & accompanied by piano music it was very atmospheric.  A good place to end our water inspired day!