Round the World 2015: Istanbul

Even if Istanbul (aka Constantinople and formerly Byzantium) hadn’t had the easy task of following Egypt and India, I think we would still love it just the same. It is much cooler and the days are longer. Despite 4 million cars, traffic seems to manage just fine without horns. Maybe because fuel is 4 times more expensive than in Egypt. People are also occupied and not standing around in the streets.

Zoe thinks Istanbul is “cute” and I’d agree. It has old, narrow, cobble-stone streets and sidewalks lined with small, neat shops. The streets wind and the buildings aren't square giving it a more organic feel. Dogs and cats seem right at home. Cats sleep on the seats of scooters and dogs wait patiently outside butcher shops and restaurants. The tram and funicular system make getting around easy. We've been walking 5 to 8 miles a day in the City of Seven Hills and we are feeling it.

There is lots of history here. Istanbul’s location in the Bosporus Straight between Europe and Asia made it a world leading city for almost 2,000 years starting with the Greeks and then the Romans and Ottomans.

We’ve been staying in the Sultanahmet neighborhood, below the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome, on the European side of the Bosporus Straight. We can see the Asian side, but we won’t be visiting. I’ve already decided I’d like to make a return trip to further explore more of Istanbul and Turkey.

We’ve visited the Grand Bazaar, a building dating to 1455, with 4,400 shops selling gold, jewelry, leather goods, clothes, crockery, spices, candies, and much more. The bazaar was located at the European end of the Silk Road. The bazaar burned in 1700 and was replaced with the present masonry structures.

We visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka Blue Mosque) a huge and beautiful mosque dating to 1609. It gets its name from the blue tile interior.

Hagia Sophia is a huge domed structure completed as a cathedral in 537. It served as an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (537–1204 and 1261–1453), a Roman Catholic Cathedral (1204–1261), a Imperial Mosque (1453–1931) and currently as a museum (1935–present). It is one of the largest structures of its type. The original flatter dome collapsed in 558 and was re-engineered with a more hemispherical dome and reconstructed immediately thereafter.

Spice Market – a smaller version of the Grand Bazaar with greater dedication to spices.

Topkapi Palace, a 170 acre complex that was home to the Ottoman sultans from 1465 to 1865. We got to see how the sultans lived. Jack particularly liked the weapons and armor exhibits, especially the 7-foot broad swords. Sorry, no cameras allowed inside.

View from a boat ride on the Bosporus - Galata Tower in the background

View from a boat ride on the Bosporus - Rumeli Hisari (ramparts protecting the straight)

Sultan Abdulmecid I moved the royal residence from Topkapi Place to Dolmabahce Palace in 1865. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it that impressive. No real stonework on the interior, just faux painted wood. The same was true for most of the cornice. Sorry, no cameras allowed inside.