Istanbul - a Magical Grand Bazaar

Blue Mosque from our balcony

Topkapi Palace - the chimneys are all the kitchens

Rooftops of Istanbul

The cruise into Istanbul was gorgeous - a busy shipping thoroughfare - and the skyline was dotted with the glittering gold minarets and domes of the churches and mosques as we docked right in the centre of the city. We arrived into Istanbul early so we were able to once again get off the ship quickly, in our small group of 12, before the Princess tours had congregated.

Our guide for the day was Khan (as in Ghengis Khan, he joked) - a minority Christian living in Turkey where 93% of the population is Moslem. He suggested that at least in Turkey, they are able to live together in a congenial atmosphere - and he had never been treated any differently based on his religion - his friends were mostly moslem and he had many moslem employees.

Fashion statement - don't want to see those nobbly knees

The police patrol on segways!!

Our first stop was the spectacular Blue Mosque - the superb 17th century building which dominates the skyline of Istanbul - inside are spectacular chandeliers and more than 20,000 blue mosaic tiles. The dress code is very strict but there were attendants on hand to check dress as we entered - we were first handed a plastic bag for our shoes - and them if the knees or shoulders were showing - a velcroed shawl/skirt was draped around you - Arnold’s knees were peeping out of his shorts  so he was subjected to the blue skirt fashion makeover!

We had asked Khan for time for shopping, and so he wisely suggested that the bazaar would be very busy in the afternoon, so we headed off early to capture our bargains - in a maze of over 4000 authentic Turkish stalls where the bartering was friendly and fun- Khan described them as ‘friendly sharks’ - so many smooth Turkish vendors offering - “Can I help you spend your money?” Arnold laughingly reassured them that I was doing a very good job of it on my own and didn’t need any help. A wonderful collection of stalls selling everything from gold, beautiful leather jackets, fake handbags, pottery, beaded jewellery, rugs and carpets, clothing and even fake moustaches - what fun to explore!!

Need a false moustache?

Khan had warned us that it would be better if they didn’t know that we were from the cruise ship (three in port today) and they all asked - but we just replied that we were ‘visiting friends in Istanbul’. Many passengers insist on wearing the cruise card around their necks at all times - and we have found in most ports that this is like carrying a large neon sign on your forehead that flashes ‘come and relieve me of my money’ - cause they assume that all cruisers are very rich - and a great target for the pickpockets! 

Talking to others who went on the ships tours - I was convinced that I got some bargains - I paid $10 US for four beautiful hand painted bowls while another lady showed me the same bowls where she paid 15 euros for two of the same bowls. A bargain is only a bargain if you are happy with the purchase, and we were both very happy - convinced that we paid a good price for what we bought.

 At least everything doesn’t have ‘Made in China’ on the labels - oh, no - they are too smart - the labels say ‘Created in PRC’ - Peoples Republic of China - a rose by any other name??? After about 1 1/2 hours in this Aladdin's cave, it was time to move on, but Khan promised a visit to the Spice Market if we made good time at the other sites and didn’t get held up in queues.

Next stop was the opulent Topkapi Palace - the residence of the Ottoman Sultan rulers for more than 400 years - and we had an eye-opening visit to The Harem - the home to a group of specially selected girls who formed the Sultan’s Harem. Girls ‘with sparkling eyes’ were selected from the age of 4 to 7 to enter the Harem and be trained and educated until they were 18 when they would be presented to the Sultan. It seems that the families of selected girls were proud that their daughter was taken away - it was considered to be ‘the best thing that could happen to a girl’ - despite the fact they they spent their lives under lock and key it was a status position in the community. 

One hundred eunuchs of African descent were housed with the girls to ‘protect them from each other’ - according to Khan, it was a jealous, bitchy cathouse with all the girls vying for the Sultan’s attention. From the age of 18, when they became concubines -  the girls had 7 years to capture the attention of the Sultan - and become a ‘favourite’ of the sultan or be returned to the streets to marry a government official - the women were usually very wealthy when they left the palace - and were highly desirable ‘wife’ material. Legend has it that one Sultan was mad - and had his entire harem of 280 women tied into sacks and thrown into the Borphorus when he became bored with them.

The Palace is highly ornate - featuring beautiful ceramic displays on all the walls - we also visited the Treasury - with the Topkapi diamond - over 86 carats - really looked like a large chunk of shiny glass and the prized emerald encrusted dagger - star of the movie ‘Topkapi’.

The outside isn't impressed - but the inside is another story!!

All these fabulous sights are close together, so we took a slow 20 minutes walk to the Hagia Sofia - originally a Christian church, this spectacular architectural masterpiece was once the largest building on the planet  - it became a Mosque when Mehmet the Conqueror stormed the city and claimed it for Islam. It doesn’t look very impressive from the outside - but when you walk through the door and look up - WOW - the huge dome without any centre supporting columns and beautiful gold mosaic decoration immediately draws your attention away from the large tour groups, tacky souvenir vendors outside and the noise inside - the decoration is both Christian  - Madonna and child and the Archangel Gabriel co-existing along side Moslem icons and scripts from the Koran - it was surprising to see this beautiful building which has become a striking monument to both religions.

Who would have thought that an underground water storage tank would become a tourist attraction? Not me - unless it was the fabulous Basilica Cistern, another short walk from Hagia Sofia - the cistern was originally built as a huge water supply but now it is a huge cavernous tourist attraction - the water still steeps into the pool under the enormous columns. All the columns have been recycled from other monuments (I am sure the ancients had a few left over columns just lying around!!) - and two have Medusa heads - one lying on the side and even one upside down!!

Since, we ‘behaved well’, we had time to be let loose at the Spice Market - a collection of stalls selling spices, Turkish delight, dried fruits and nuts as well as touristy souvenirs. We were told that the most expensive spice is saffron at 3000 euros per kilo. Well, the spices are displayed in baskets or stands in the doorways of each stall - Arnold stood aside to let another gentleman walk through -the narrow lane way - when he turned around we all burst out laughing - he had about $50 worth of saffron on the back of his shorts where he had brushed up agains the basket!! We tasted and bought some pomegranate flavoured Turkish delight and nuts. One large basket of dates which were cut in half and stuffed with walnuts was labelled ‘Turkish Viagra’.

Every night, I think that the ‘port of today’ has been the best so far, and we will definitely have to come back some time for a longer visit, and then we go to another port and it is also wonderful -  you will love Istanbul - make sure you have it on your ‘must see’ list  - a fabulous day in this fascinating city - now we move on to our European ports.

Cheers