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!!
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