Sailing through the Dardanelle straights, it’s not the best day in the world to take pictures. Very hazy and monochromatic out there over the land we are passing. We have a Behind the Scenes tour in the morning, which we were regretting because we’d miss the scenery, but as it turns out, no need to be concerned!
The skies are clear, and it’s better as we sail into the city – so at least we can get some good shots from our balcony before we dock. It’s so cool sailing into Istanbul, sailing past first Sultanahmet (the blue mosque), then Hagia Sophia and finally Topkapi Palace (my favorite) before docking on the other side of the Bosphorus river.
We arrive a bit early into Istanbul, and hop off the ship first chance. It’s a gorgeous sunny day, but chilly, with a really cold wind. We have no specific plans for today, just wander about and get our bearings. We’ve done everything we’ve wanted to on past trips so this time here it is much more relaxed with nothing special to do. We head out toward the Spice market across the bridge, on the way trying to figure out where the ferry to Kadikoy is located – our destination for tomorrow. We walk along the main road out of the port, then turn down by the water. There are two ferries there, one of which I don’t think is right, but as it turns out I misread the destination and it’s where we need to be tomorrow. Thank you Ed for paying attention!
Across the bridge we go, watching everyone fish off the bridge. One guy has his dog with him, and he’s even brought a rug for the dog. How sweet! Down into the tunnels under the road we go, crossing through the stores and shops selling sneakers for 20 TL (about $5US), popping out at the square in front of the spice market.
Here we go! We wade into the crowds, looking at all the different spices, nuts and Turkish delight. But the biggest thing is the crowd – it is jam packed, and it is like swimming through a sea of people. It is virtually impossible to move, but somehow everyone does. It is crazy – trying to get to a shop is next to impossible, but if you just watch how everyone moves, you can sort of glide along with them at a pretty good pace. It’s like a weird ballet of sorts.
We finally push our way through to the interior of the spice market – the tourist section! It’s funny – in the outside stalls, there is nothing written in English. Inside? Everything is English – and the prices are higher! Too funny. We’re not in the market for anything (we still have spices from the last time we were here 5 years or so ago) besides pistachios (which we know we’ve seen at the grocery store for 36 TL/kilo) and maybe a couple little plates that we use as spoon rests, so the hawking and pricing doesn’t really bother us. Although – on the outside pistachios were 40 TL and on the inside they are 60 TL, so….buyer beware!
We actually do end up finding 2 little plates and having a lovely conversation about world (and American) politics with the proprietor. He was sweet and funny and oh so knowledgeable. Amazing how much everyone outside our country knows about our country and the impact globally that we make.
Back out into the swarms again, it’s actually died down a bit. We make it safely to the square where we treat ourselves to a Ciric – those drool inducing sesame bread/pretzels that are ubiquitous in Turkey. 1 TL, it’s 40 US cents – how can you go wrong?
We’re done here. Time to make our way back, with a pit stop at one of the restaurants lining the ferry harbor for a quick drink. I’m sticking with beer, because it’s cheaper than the wine and I don’t want to take any chances with Turkish wine! It’s nice in the sun and we hang out and use the free wi-fi to check mail and search for rental cars in Civitavecchia.
Back on the ship, we freshen up, then head to an early dinner so we aren’t late for night tour of Istanbul. Yes, we actually took a ship’s tour! I know, I know, but what the heck? It was only $29 and it’s a 2 hour tour of all the sights by night. Figured it would be nice to sit on the bus in the cold and hit the highlights.
And it is a lovely little tour. First of all we get to circle the city following the old city wall. Now that is one incredible wall! It is still mostly intact all the way around the city – it has 3 layers – and still is used as the “gates” for the city. Pretty massive and pretty impressive. The pictures aren’t (moving bus and all) but you can get the drift here.
After about 1/2 an hour of circling the city, we arrive in the old town are let out at the mosques for picture taking. It’s great! There is hardly anyone here (the cold and the situation in neighboring Syria have really hurt tourism, our guide tells us) and we get great shots of the Blue Mosque…
…then across the street to Hagia Sofia with the great fountain in front of it…..
…we still had loads of time, so we walked across the street to a little pagoda type structure…
…then back again to the bus. On the way we watched the garbage truck pick up the garbage can – yeah, I know – but it was really cool –you can see the normal trash can above ground, maybe 4 feet tall, but the can also goes down into the ground – maybe 20 feet deep? And they hoist it out of the ground and dump it in the truck. It can hold enormous amounts of trash without overflowing. Pretty ingenious!
Back on the bus – and off we go – back to the ship. Ends up about a 1 and 1/2 hour tour, but we don’t care – it was fun and easy! Back aboard, we’re safely ensconced in the Atrium listening to Patricia sing and play piano before 10 pm. Nice!
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