A Lull in the Action: Istanbul: Day Two

The second day in Istanbul we met the tour guide in the morning and headed out to begin day two. He had to change our plans a bit, as 4 giant cruise ships had arrived overnight and he knew that the tourist places would be crowded. Istanbul has giant cruise ships that arrive every day, but usually only one or two at a time. With four giant ships, we knew we would probably have to wait a little longer in lines at the touristy places.
First we took the tram (the outdoors trolley car) through the city to the far side of the bay. We got off at the last stop, which was right by the soccer stadium! We didn’t go to the stadium though; instead we walked down the street to the entrance to the Dolmabace Palace. The Sultan built the Dolmabace Palace in 1841, when he decided the current palace was too outdated to fit his needs. The Dolmabace palace was built in a European style, similar to Buckingham Palace in London. There were almost 300 rooms in the whole place! We couldn’t take pictures inside, and I cannot even begin to describe how detailed and exquisite each palace room was. Everywhere we turned there was another ornate Turkish rug, another hand carved ceiling made of marble, and another priceless painting. The tour was fabulous, and the last room we saw was the grand ballroom, with a chandelier weighing 4 tons! The tour guide said that about 5 or 6 years ago they held a NATO convention in the grand room, and that diplomats and leaders from many nations came to the Dolmabace Palace to spend the evening there. I can only imagine what the palace must have been like back in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries when the Sultan and his family lived there.

We learned a lot of history while we were on the tour as well. We learned that Ataturk (which means the forefather of Turks) who was the one to get rid of the Sultan system and turn the Ottoman Empire into the Turkish Republic also lived in that palace when he was the first president of the republic. He died in the Dolmabace Palace, so all the clocks in the palace are set for five past nine, which was the time it was when he died. The palace faces the Bosporus, so it was interesting to see all the defense that used to be in place, since the palace had to be prepared for an attack from the water as well as an attack from the land.

After Dolmabace we went to the Blue Mosque, which was absolutely amazing. All the tile work, mosaics, and paintings inside had different blue and green colors in them, which gave the mosque its name. The Blue Mosque has 6 minarets, which is unusual for a mosque. Most have one, maybe two, and the Hagia Sofia has 4, but six is almost unheard of. Since it is an active mosque, all the women in our group had to wear shawls around our waist that went to our ankles, and we also had to wear shawls around our shoulders. We didn’t have to cover our heads, but many women inside chose to. All of us also had to take off our shoes. We saw the fountains outside in the courtyard where the people would go to wash their hands, feet, and faces before prayer, and when we were inside, we saw the special areas where people would kneel to pray. There was a large gold statue along one wall, indicating the direction of Mecca as well.

After the Blue Mosque we toured the cistern, an underground water container that they used back in the day to collect fresh drinking water for the city of Istanbul. It was massive! It was a series of underground alleys with ornate pillars holding up the ceiling, and about a foot or two of water at the bottom. Back when it was in active use there was a lot more water inside, but nowadays they do not funnel water into the cistern anymore. There were lots of fish swimming in the water, and the lights at the bottom of the pillars gave the place an almost spooky feel.
We walked on a walkway above the water through the alleys, and saw different historical marks. There was one pillar that had a tear shaped design on it, and our tour guide said it was called the pillar of wishes, and that if you touched the pillar and made a wish (and maybe also threw a coin in) then your wish would come true.
There was also a spot on the pillar where you could stick your thumb inside, and if you could turn your hand all the way around then your wish would come true as well. Since I am double jointed, I could get my hand around twice instead of once! I impressed the people around me, especially Irmak's parents who are doctors. There was also one of these pillars inside the Hagia Sofia as well, that we saw when we went the other day. Also inside the cistern were two pillars with medusa heads on them. One was sideways, and the other was upside down. Our guide says nobody knows why this is, but they were interesting nonetheless.

After the cistern we went to the Topkopi Palace, the original palace of the Sultans. It was extremely busy, and filled with tourists. It covers a huge amount of land, and there are many walls surrounding the different parts of the palace. The palace had to survive many attacks, so the ancient defense mechanisms were really cool. There were separate living quarters for each Sultan’s family, plus hundreds of other rooms that were used for various things. Nowadays it is a museum, containing lots of precious ancient artifacts, both royal and religious. We toured the parts of the palace where the sultan and the counsel would make governmental decisions, and then we toured the exhibit rooms where they had the crown jewels on display. We also got to see the throne, and several intricate daggers. When we moved on to the religious section, we saw the famous footprint of Mohammed, the rod of Moses, and many other really cool things. I never really knew how much history had taken place in Istanbul and how rich it was with religious artifacts and religious places, like Ephesus.

After we saw the Topkopi Palace, we decided to walk up a little further and see the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. The Grand Bazaar has over 3000 different shops, so we were only able to see a small portion of it. However, we had a lot of fun, and everyone bought something. We finally found my dad the soccer jersey he had been looking for all trip, and I got myself a pair of earrings. After the Grand Bazaar, we headed back to the hotel to rest our tired legs, take a nap, and change for dinner.

For dinner, we went to Taksim, a famous place in Istanbul that Irmak recommended. It is a very busy part of the city, with lots of restaurants, stores, and outdoor shopping. It reminded me of some parts of New York City a little bit. To get there, we had to take the trolley car to the end of the line, and then take the Funikuler, or the train that goes up the side of the hill, which brings you right to the center of Taksim. We chose a random restaurant that looked good, and had a really good meal. After dinner we walked around a bit and saw the area, before heading back to the hotel to sleep!

Julia Marie