Week 114 Part I: Four Days in Istanbul

We had a non-stop week in Turkey, so I’m breaking this week up into two parts.

We left early Sunday morning for our flight and arrived in Istanbul by noon. We headed straight to our hotel, the Marriott Şişli, for a nap and then headed to our first destination, Miniaturk.

Miniaturk is a park that has miniature models of all of Turkey’s major sites. It was recommended on TripAdvisor and also featured on Rick Steves so we had high expectations, but we thought it was tad cheesy. We did get our first Turkish ice cream though, which comes with a show.

After Miniaturk, we went back to the hotel to check out the Happy Hour in the lounge before going to dinner. There was so much food, we ended up just eating there. The lounge was on the 32nd floor and as the hotel was already on a hill, we had a great view all the way to the old town and the Bosphorus; both of which were over a half hour away by car.

On Monday, we had a huge breakfast at the hotel and then taxi’d down to the port where we caught a boat for a cruise up the Bosphorus. The cruise took us up the straight past many of the famous sites and under both Bosphorus Bridges. On the way, they served tea, coffee, and fruit. The boat stopped on the Asia-side of the Straight and one of the guides took us to the shop for “the best” Turkish yogurt. The yogurt was good but a little too sour for me.

On the way back to the port, more Turkish tea, dessert, and ice cream was served. Everything that was served was with real dishes, glasses, and cutlery. The cruise was actually pretty cheap so I was surprised it came with all the food. Hospitality seems to be very important to the Turkish people.

After the cruise, our next stop was Taksim Square. I had originally planned on taking a taxi but we decided we could handle the 15 minute walk and spare ourselves another crazy taxi ride. What we didn’t expect was the crazy steep climb up one of Istanbul’s seven hills. It was so steep that the sidewalks were mostly just steps. We were definitely out of breath when we reached the top. Taksim Square is the center of Istanbul’s “new town” and supposedly the ‘Times Square’ of the city. It was definitely busy with a lot of traffic and people, but I wouldn’t say it compared to Times Square.

We stopped for another Turkish ice cream and then walked down Ishtikal Street, which is Istanbul’s main pedestrian shopping street. We saw a Christian church and stopped in some shops.

At the end of Ishtikal Street is Galata Tower. We took the elevator to the top and took in the views. Ryan doesn’t like heights so decided to hang out inside while we took pictures from the circular balcony. Galata Tower is on one of the tallest hills in Istanbul and we could see miles in every direction.

After we were done with the Tower, we decided we needed a nap after the crowds and heat of the day. We taxi’d back to the hotel and got that nap in. We got back up in time to enjoy the happy hour at the hotel. The happy hour at the Marriot was so nice and had TONS of food; we were able to make a dinner out of it both nights we stayed. We left early to head to our show, but the attendant asked us to come back after because he was doing a champagne toast at 9pm; count us in!

We taxi’d back down to the Old Town and made our way through some narrow alleys to Hodjapasha for a Whirling Dervish show. A Dervish is comparable to Christian monk. While a dhikr (kind of like a band) plays soft music and chants, the dervishes spin over and over, really fast in order to enter a trance like state which allows them to meditate.

No cameras were allowed so I have no pictures except for the display in the entryway below. The ceremony was held in a round cavern with no windows and the lighting was pretty low. It was a really peaceful ceremony and really interesting to watch the dervishes enter their trance like state.

Ryan fell asleep within five minutes of the start of the ceremony and I gave up on trying to wake him after a few minutes. By the end of the ceremony, all of the children in the room were sleeping and some adults had droopy eyelids. The music and chanting is supposed to put you in a trance-like state and it definitely worked on a large portion of the audience.

After the show, we walked down to the harbor and across the Galata Bridge to watch the sunset and hear the call to prayer from the Yeni Mosque. It was really pretty.

After the sun was set, we tried really hard to get a cab back up to the Marriott. Some cab drivers attempted to pull away from the curb with us in the car and without starting the meter, which is illegal. They were asking us to instead pay a flat, higher rate due to traffic. We refused each time and had to get out of the cabs. Finally, we found one that would use the meter and we made it back to the hotel in time to have the Champagne toast in the hotel lounge.

Tuesday after breakfast, we packed up our things and departed the Marriott. We loved the hotel and our stay. The room was huge and overlooked everything, the staff was so welcoming and the included breakfasts, happy hours, and dinners were the icing on the cake. However, it was just to far away from almost everything we wanted to see. We had always planned to spend the first two days of the trip there for a “soft landing” in Istanbul and then move to a Turkish hotel in the Sultanahmet neighborhood so we set off.

Our first challenge was again, finding a taxi that would take us that far. The fare was only about $10 USD so we understood the drivers’ reluctance and made sure he got a good tip. Our second hotel was the Seven Hills Hotel, which is right in the middle of everything. Luckily, our room was ready as soon as we arrived and we were able to store our bags. Our room was definitely different from the Marriott, but still really nice. It was big enough for all four of us to spread out. The furniture was more traditional and ornate and the ceiling was handpainted.

We headed out of the hotel and our first stop was the Hagia Sofia, which was only a two minute walk from the hotel. We were able to enter really quickly, taking off our shoes, and Brooklyn and I covered our heads, as we entered. It turns out we had arrived just before the midday call to prayer. We stayed to listen and then see some of the prayer service, which was really special.

We headed out from the Hagia Sofia and crossed Sultanahmet Square to see the Blue Mosque. This one was more strict and Brooklyn was issued a pair of paper pants because she was wearing shorts. I had warned her this could happen so we didn’t feel too bad for her. It’s easy to see why the Blue Mosque, which is actually called the Sultanahmet Mosque, has that nickname: the entire interior is covered in intricate blue tiles and lit through blue windows. The outside is built of a grayish blue stone. It is beautiful inside and out.

Still not done for the day, we headed over to the Basilica Cistern, which is an underground water reservoir dating back to 4AD in Constantinople times. Being in the cistern gave us a chance to cool off as it had been around 85F the entire trip. There are walkways throughout the pools of water and several art installations and light features have been added to make it more interesting.

After the cistern we headed over to the ancient Roman Hippodrome and saw the Obelisk of Theodosius. We did a little shopping and purchased a Turkish tea set for my glassware collection. I can’t wait to use it.

Then, it was back to the hotel for another nap. That evening, we had dinner on the roof restaurant of our hotel, which overlooks both the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. The restaurant allows patrons to feed Istanbul’s seagulls on a separate terrace so we stayed entertained by the birds. It is probably the best place in Istanbul to take pictures because of its location overlooking both the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, as well as the Bosphorous. We stayed through sunset and into the night and were able to see how each mosque lights up as well as hear both mosque’s Calls to Prayer which seem to echo each other.

Wednesday was our last full day in Istanbul and also Ryan’s 13th birthday! Can’t believe we have two teenagers now!

We started the day with a Turkish breakfast at the hotel restaurant. I can’t believe how much food it comes with. There were at least twenty dishes that are brought to your table and you serve yourself a little from each plate. This all came with juices, tea, coffee, and water. We did need extra tea and coffee as our new hotel was so central, the Call to Prayer woke us all in the middle of the night. Not everything was to me or the kids liking but we were more than full when we left. Matt of course did his best to make up for the food we didn’t eat.

In the morning we went to Topkapi Palace and toured the huge grounds, terraces, and the infamous harem, which turns out is just the place where the family lived within the grounds of the palace.

After the palace, we walked over the Grand Bazaar for some shopping. Brooklyn picked a really nice chess set and I was able to bargain the price down from over $100 to about $60. We also got a new hard-side suitcase for Ryan, whose had broke, for about $20. Huge win!

Afterwards, we stopped at Burger King, still Ryan’s favorite, for lunch and then headed back to the hotel to cool off and for another nap.

That evening, we went on a night cruise on the Bosphorous to celebrate Ryan’s birthday. The cruise included dinner and a Turkish show with another Whirling Dervish and several dancing groups. If I have to be honest, we didn’t enjoy it as much as we thought. It was a huge boat with a ton of people and not much ventialiation and hot! The food was ok and the show was pretty short. It was still great to get to cruise past all of the famous landmarks lit up at night so I would call the whole excursion “likeable” instead of “loveable.”

We got back to the hotel late and got all of our things packed up as we would depart early in the morning for Part II of our Turkey trip. We left the hotel by 5am to get back to the airport and wouldn’t you know; again the taxi driver would not start the meter. We didn’t feel like arguing at 5am so just agreed to pay the 600 lira he was going to charge us. We made it back to Istanbul Airport, had some Starbucks and Popeye’s for breakfast and waited for our flight!

So what did we think of Istanbul? If I’m being completely honest, it was not our favorite and that’s for mainly a lot of personal reasons. We still liked it, just didn’t love it. The kids and I are picky eaters and having limited food options besides Turkish food made meal times stressful. The city is also pretty crowded during the summer due to tourism. There were long lines to get into most places and the heat made things a little more difficult. It took a long time to travel across the city due to the traffic and chaotic driving. In Turkey, personal space is limited and people stand almost right on top of you and that took a lot for me to get used to. Lastly, the taxi meter situation and hard selling by salesmen added to the stress. It was still an enjoyable trip where we learned a lot and feel enriched by the experience but the extra stressors made it less enjoyable. The people are incredibly warm and welcoming and hospitality is top notch. I also never felt as if I was in an unsafe situation. If I could do it over again, I would definitely still go, but I would go over a long weekend in the fall when there are less tourists and not so hot and I think that would make a big difference.