We had a lot planned for our second full day in Istanbul –
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Turkish Baths.
We ended up fitting it all in, and even threw
in a couple of extra activities.
Our first stop of the day was Hagia Sophia, we got there
mid-morning and the line was already rather long.
It moved quickly though and before we knew it
we were inside the gates ready to explore.
For those of you who don’t know anything about Hagia Sophia you can read
the full history of it by clicking
here.
I studied the Hagia Sophia in undergrad in my art history classes and it
was really cool to be there and see the incredible mosaics in person.
I truly felt that we were experiencing the
history of Istanbul and really understanding what is meant when people say that
it is the place where East meets West.
Here are a few photos:
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| Such a beautiful place |
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| The crowd in Hagia Sophia |
We exited Hagia Sophia to find that rain showers had moved
in while we were inside, so we sat at the café for a few minutes to wait for the
rain to pass and watched all the other tourists moving around us.
In the square between the Hagia Sophia and
the Blue Mosque is a big park with fountains and benches, it seemed like a good
place to sit and enjoy the energy of the city, so we sat and Charles painted and
I read and we just enjoyed letting the city move around us.
Several people came up and complimented
Charles on his painting while we sat there.
We were offered shoe shines on two occasions – which was strange because
we were both wearing running shoes.
Maybe they thought they could polish my blue and turquoise Brooks
running shoes to an even brighter shine?!
Here is a pic of the artist at work:
When Charles finished painting we decided that it was time for
lunch and headed to the Grand Bazaar.
We
found a café tucked among the carpet vendors and textile stalls and ordered
some kebabs.
After lunch we wandered
through the Grand Bazaar not really looking for anything in particular and
finding anything and everything under the sun.
Charles ended up with a new wallet, we felt very accomplished because we
bargained the vendor down quite a bit.
We
wandered up and down the halls of the Grand Bazaar being offered beautiful
carpets (to match my shoes, yes the same Blue and Turquoise Brooks running
shoes), spices, pastries, watches, purses, tapestries….
Eventually our senses were so overrun with
colors and sounds and smells that we figured it was time to move on to our next
activity.
We left the markets to find a
beautiful mosque in the afternoon sun.
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| Entrance to the Grand Bazaar |
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| Inside the bazaar |
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| Mosque in the afternoon sun |
Earlier in the day we had passed a barber and Charles mentioned he was
interested in getting a shave.
We were
trying to remember which direction the barber shop we had seen earlier was,
when we saw a sign for a barber across the street.
So, we walked over and inquired how
much.
The price was 10 Turkish Lira,
which is about the equivalent of about $5-$6.
Unfortunately we had just used the last of our Turkish Lira to purchase
Charles’ wallet so we had to go find an ATM, but once we had cash we went back
so he could get his shave.
Going to the
barber in Istanbul was a really cool experience.
We met a man inside by the name of Mahmet, or
as he referred to himself, Crazy Mahmet.
Once he found out we were from Texas he started talking about the tv
show Dallas in a combination of Turkish, English, and Jibberish.
He kept laughing and repeating the names of
the characters from the show.
It was
hilarious.
As he left the barber got
started with the shave.
Charles’ beard
was so long he cut it first with a duller blade, then again with a sharper one.
He did an excellent job.
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| Crazy Mahmet leaving the barbershop |
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| Getting a shave |
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| Post-shave |
Post-shave we decided we would see if the Blue Mosque was
open to visitors.
It was dusk and we
knew that there would be a chance it was closed for prayer or possibly even for
the rest of the evening.
When we arrived
we were told that we could go inside in 15 minutes once evening prayer had
ended.
We sat in the courtyard of the
Mosque and waited.
It is a beautiful
place to sit and wait.
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| Waiting to enter the Blue Mosque |
Before you can go inside the mosque you have to remove your
shoes and women must cover their heads.
Once inside there is a railing a third of the way into the mosque which
is the barrier that visitors are not allowed to cross.
The decorations inside the mosque are incredibly
detailed and intricate.
There was so
much to look at and so much detail to admire.
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| Inside the Blue Mosque |
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| sock feet - Blue Mosque |
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| Detail |
It was nearing 6 p.m. and we had reservations at the Suleymaniye Hamam at 7:00 p.m., so we headed back to the hotel to
drop off our day packs and relax for a few minutes. We didn’t really know what to expect at the
Turkish Baths. I had read that it
included 40 minutes or so of lying on a hot slab of marble within the bathhouse,
followed by a ritual bathing and a soap massage, then a traditional method of
drying. It sounded interesting, but also
kind of strange. Let me tell you that it
was awesome. Definitely one of the most
unique and enjoyable spa experiences I have had. When you arrive they show you to a changing
room where the men wrap themselves in a towel and the women are given shorts
and a bikini top. You are then taken
into the baths which are heated steam rooms with marble benches and slabs
inside. Everyone spends about 30-40
minutes resting on the hot marble, which is supposed to warm the body and
release toxins from the skin. After
about 40 minutes we were taken into a smaller room off the main bath where we
were rinsed with cool water by our masseur.
Then you lay on a marble slab and they use a silk pillow case to douse
you with soap suds. Then you get a
massage that incorporates not only the typical Swedish style rub down but also
incorporates yoga like stretches and slapping the muscles. Yes, I know it sounds weird and slightly
unpleasant, but believe me when I say – it was awesome. I don’t think I realized how tired and achy
my body was from all the walking and backpack heaving. We left feeling amazing.
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| In the hamam |
We were returned to our hotel at around 9:00 p.m. and we
still hadn’t found dinner.
We figured
our best bet was to walk somewhere nearby.
We found a restaurant with a cool rooftop
dining area a few blocks from our hotel.
As someone who gets cold easily I appreciated the fact that they had
blankets on the backs of the chairs in case you got cold, which of course I
did.
The food was delicious.
I also had a glass of Turkish wine, which was
really good.
I think maybe Turkish wine
is underrated, it was delicious and inexpensive.
We had a visitor show up as we were eating, a
white and grey cat.
There are stray cats
everywhere in Istanbul.
As Charles said,
Bob Barker would go nuts here with all the stray cats and dogs.
After our wonderful dinner we headed back
towards our hotel and we walked by a shop selling lanterns and pottery.
There was a Russian woman and her son
negotiating the price of the lanterns, we stood by and enjoyed the show.
I loved the lanterns – beautiful.
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| Rooftop dinner |
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| Lanterns |
On the walk back to our hotel we passed by a café that offered
hookah pipes with flavored tabacco, Charles felt compelled to give it a
try.
I decided to have some mint
tea.
Here is Charles with the hookah, or
as they call it in Turkey the nargile.
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| Hookah |
We really loved Turkey and can't wait to go back one day to explore more of the country.
