You have heard this one before, but when you plan some trips you see a certain destination on the itinerary and your excitement for that spot stays in the back of your mind the entire trip. But it is there, and it is real.
The absolute is that I have been eager to visit Istanbul for some time, even though I have almost no idea what to expect. But the city of Istanbul represents such a unique history and culture that I literally cannot wait to explore it.
Shall we?
I woke up excited to know that my bed was in Istanbul, and opened the drapes.
My first look at Istanbul, ever. I was impressed to see a living roof at the docks. And the minarets. The newletter from Crystal Cruises reads, Istanbul, Turkiye -- Mosques & Minarets. If you are not like me, then you do not hear Rock The Casbah every time you hear the word, "Minarets." I hear it every time.
It is a cloudy morning, but it is still quite early. Expecting sunshine soon enough.
Your standard cruise ship breakfast.
Istanbul morning. I did not know it when I took the photo, but that is the Golden Horn, home to Old Istanbul and the walled city that was once Byzantium and Constantinople.
I felt like capturing this moment of proof that my iPhone was in Istanbul.
This is for those of you who want a more exact picture of where Istanbul sits.
Now... the history of this city is long. Extremely long. In fact, I imagine that an entire college semester could be spent on the history of just this city, because it has been a focal point for 2,500 years. And it is not hard to see why, based on the map above. Think of the amount of trade that would pass through that blue dot on the map above. The amount of trade that would naturally pass through that point is immeasurable.
Thanks to popular music everyone knows that Istanbul was once Constantinople. And many might even know that it was Byzantium before being renamed Constantinople. But did you know that Emperor Constantine, for whom the name was changed in 330 AD, actually tried to name this city Nea Roma? But for some reason people did not like New Rome. I suspect they did not want an identity based on Rome, considering that ethnically they were still quite Greek.
The Ottomans kept the name Constantinople and made this their capital from 1453 until 1922 when the empire dissolved. The name Istanbul is literally Turkish for the city and had been in colloquial use for ages, and when the Republic of Turkiye rose from the ashes of World War I, they made Istanbul the official name while at the same time moving their capital to Ankara.
Today we meet our Istanbul-based guide, Levon, who treated one of Barbie's clients to an amazing visit, and now we are delighted that for the next few days we are in the hands of an expert. We have made no decisions; Barbie has simply told him our interests and he did the rest.
Our first stop is Dolmabahçe Palace. The picture above is the front gate. Remember that the Ottoman Empire reigned for literally 600 years. Instead of modernizing Topkapı Palace that sits on the Golden Horn, Sultan Abdülmecid I built Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856 and it became the royal residence.
The guard is changing.
The grounds of Dolmabahçe Palace are gorgeous.
Inside there were two rules; wear booties and no photography.
In all sincerity, this palace is gorgeous. Not quite too over the top, it might be the most beautiful and impressive palace of Europe. It is certainly on par with anything we have ever visited. I suspect nobody would ever visit this city without a stop at Dolmabahçe Palace, but just in case, let me just say it; this is a must-see.
At the end of the tour we exited on the side of the palace that faces the Bosphorus Strait. In other words, I am standing in Europe, that waterway is the Bosphorus, and the land across the water is Asia. It is simply an incredible place to be.
That gateway actually represents the front door, in a way. Dignitaries and heads of state would be brought here by boat, and then the great hall that they enter from here might be the most impressive room on Earth. It killed me to not be allowed to take a picture.
A self-portrait with Levon, an incredibly friendly and knowledgeable guide.
Barbie and Levon at the front of Dolmabahçe Palace.
Dolmabahçe Mosque, next to the palace.
We grabbed a quick pastry covered in sesame seeds before hopping back into the car.
Taksim Square, built after Turkish War of Independence. At the end of World War I, the Allies carved up the remains of the Ottoman Empire. Among the Allies were the Triple Entente of France, the United Kingdom, and Russia, and each took territory other nations such as Italy, Greece, and Armenia also got in on the land grab.
From 1919 to 1922, Turkish officers of the Ottoman army organized and soon began resisting Allied demands. Remnants of the Ottoman Parliament still existed, but there was fervor for Turkish independence. Among the army officers was Mustafa Kemal, a hero of the Gallipoli Campaign whose natural leadership qualities lead him to be selected to lead the revolution, helped by the fact that he happened to have nothing to do with the Armenian incidents that happened during the war.
The Turks took on the armies of Britain, France, Greece, Italy and Armenia, and won significant battles. Mind you, after World War I it was not like all these nations were devoting all they had to the Anatolian peninsula. All the sides met in Lusanne, Switzerland and in 1924 the Treaty of Lusanne established the borders of modern day Turkiye and lead to international recognition of the Republic of Turkiye.
Mustafa Kemal was given the honorific Ataturk, which means father of the Turks. It was his beliefs in democracy, secular government, and modernization that literally created the Turkiye we visit today.
Taksim Square has a Starbucks, of course.
The Monument of the Republic commemorates the establishment of the modern Turkish state, and intentionally represented human forms in order to challenge the taboos from Ottoman times against depicting human forms.
The city's main pedestrian street and the
İstiklal Caddesi, Independence Avenue, is a pedestrian-only avenue of shops and cafes. As you can see, it is filled with a countless number of people. And this is the shot that forces me to say it; in case it it is not at the top of your head the street above, that looks like any pedestrian walkway in Europe, sits in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. The people you see in that shot are likely 99% Muslim. And that is a Burger King on the right.
I am forced to mention the majority religion of Turkiye because too many in the USA seek to portray Islam as incompatible with modernity.
Along İstiklal Caddesi we stopped for Levon's favorite Turkish Delight, and he explained that this high end Turkish Delight is ground pistachios with gelatin.
Another İstiklal Caddesi shot, looking the other way.
Time for a true food break along the İstiklal Caddesi.
This is an interior space of restaurants off the main street. Levon took us to one his favorite restaurants, where people hang out and chat over food and drink.
You have been spoiled with full menu descriptions aboard a cruise ship. For this meal, I did not even see the menu.
All that I can tell you is that this was a delicious Turkish meal. On the right is a hard cheese and on the right maybe a rice dish of some sort?
This is the hard cheese with olive oil dripped on it and I think ground sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
Mussels cooked with a sort of rice combination.
A lovely plate.
Turkish tea.
Shrimp cooked in butter.
Fried vegetables.
Our next stop, a nearby Armenian church.
The tradition lives.
Even though the city is close to 90% Muslim, the churches of other faiths are preserved here. In fact, we are now walking towards one of the Jewish synagogues.
Along our way, we passed through a section that was all music stores. It felt like that little part of Hollywood that is one guitar shop after another.
We passed the Galata Tower, built in 1348. This landmark can be seen from may different parts of the city, and in addition to offering a panoramic view of Old Istanbul, it apparently has a restaurant, a cafe, and a nightclub inside. I suspect Levon does not consider going up in it too essential, for he had us simply walk by.
We arrived at this, one of Istanbul's synagogues.
I always take this shot in churches, and it would be wrong to not give the synagogue the same treatment.
How is that for a dome?
This older gentleman whose head you can see, he is the caretaker of this synagogue. He asked us, in Turkish and translated by Levon, if we thought that he was Jewish. He honestly looked like a tall-ish, older white man tome, and I had no idea. He said that he was Muslim, and that any true Muslim respects other faiths and is as devoted to protecting them as he would his own.
After seeing the Muslim community in Jerusalem eight days ago, it is an extremely pleasant contrast to be in Istanbul. Again, my feelings are absolutely a reaction to things going on in the USA today, where 1.5 billion people are often painted with the same brush. I am not saying, "All Muslims are wonderful," I am saying, "Not all Muslims are the same, and the ones you have negative associations toward are a tiny fraction of the global community."
A shot through the moving car window of a mosque and its minarets.
We crossed the Galata Bridge to the Golden Horn, the peninsula where the Sea of Marmara reaches the Bosphorous. It is the most naturally fortified spot in Istanbul, which is why it is home to the oldest and most important area of the city.
Our first stop on the Golden Horn? The Spice Market.
We entered the spice market through a back alley, where Levon showed us shopkeeper who sell the same spices that you can get in the market for less, generally to locals.
This is what it looks like when you take pictures of spices while walking by without stopping. A happy accident.
The shops just outside the Istanbul Spice Market.
We stopped at a shop for Levon's favorite baklava in town.
Enjoyed throughout the Ottoman Empire, Baklava is chopped nuts inside of filo pastry and sweetened with honey. This was probably the best baklava I have ever had.
Carts of freshly cooked can be spotted around the city, but especially in areas with foot traffic.
Here we enter the official Istanbul Spice Market. As you see, over the doorway it shows that it has been in operation since 1664. I keep calling it the Spice Market, but I should be calling it the Spice Bazaar.
The Istanbul Spice Bazaar. Remember that this was once, literally, the crossroads of continents, of cultures, and of empires. All of the spices in the world moved through here, and, in fact, the age of exploration began as a reaction to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Until then, European nations ran land and sea routes through the Byzantine Empire. When the Ottomans blocked these routes to monopolize the trade routes for themselves, the European powers took to the sea.
In other words, if the Ottoman Empire does not get a tad greedy, the people in North and South America do not get light skinned visitors from Europe showing up and spoiling their party.
Your standard Spice Bazaar booth.
I would imagine that if this woman saw a row of spice jars at a supermarket in the USA, she would say something like, "How could you buy a spice without smelling it first?"
Frist world life.
Next to the Spice Bazaar site the Yeni Mosque. The mosque and Bazaar were built together, and rents from the bazaar shops pay for the upkeep of the mosque.
After the Spice Bazaar, which is the second largest indoor market in Istanbul, it only makes sense to go to the largest, the Grand Bazaar.
The entrance to the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. It was built by the Ottomans in their capital of Constantinople, which had become their capital in 1453 when they finally conquered the city. The Ottoman Empire had existed for 25o years before finally capturing what would be their fourth and final capital. The sultan who captured it is known as Mehmed the Conqueror.
Construction began in 1455 and it was completed in 1461.
The Grand Bazaar. People in the USA who see just an indoor mall are correct, this is an indoor mall. But it pre-dates the USA by more than 300 years, which cannot be ignored. In fact, it was completed around Minnesota's Mall of America by 531 years.
After the Grand Bazaar, which is seriously gigantic, Levon took us for the customary rug push. He knew that we were not interested, but he nicely explained that we would not be pushed and we approached it as a chance to sit down before heading back to the ship.
An artisan knotting a Turkish rug before our eyes.
A Turkish rug being rolled out before our eyes.
They gave us coffee and tea, and as promised they did not push the sale. In fact, the very nice man who was the salesman joked that because we were Levon's friends he was not allowed to try to force a rug on us. That said, these Turkish rugs were far more beautiful than the Berber rugs we saw in Morocco this summer.
After a long day, one where I really had to cheat you out of a lot of amazing pictures, we headed home for our last night on the Crystal Serenity.
Home for one more night.
Tonight is literally the final dinner aboard the ship. Tomorrow we get kicked off bright and early,
Barbie started with the Chilled Seafood Cocktail with Horseradish Cocktail Sauce.
I started with the Cream of Chicken Soup with Sun-Dried Tomato & Bell Pepper Confetti with Wild Rice.
My second course was the Consomme Double with Truffle and Spinach Royal.
For my main I had the Mafaldine Pasta, with Braised Beef Short Rib and Root Vegetable Ragout.
Barbie had the Whole-Roasted Maple Leaf Farms Duckling, Served with Caramelized Raspberry Sauce, Accompanied by Braised Red Cabbage, and WIlliams Potatoes.
My dessert, the Apple Crumble Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Barbie's dessert, Refreshing Grapefruit Campari Sorbet.
Our head and assistant waiters, whose names I knew at the time but... well, the tall handsome guy is Rama from Mauritius. The guy with my hairstyle is Turkish and I wish that I could remember his name.
The last dinner picture aboard the cruise.
Okay. This should work. I tested it. A few nights ago I asked our awesome Head Waiter above, whose hairstyle is the same as mine, for the previous night's menu. He responded by offering to give me a copy of every dinner menu served during our cruise. I took him up on it, and after this photo was taken (and he noticed the ProCamera app that I use and asked about it, because everyone has an iPhone) he handed me a thick envelope with the promised menus.
I scanned them, and you can see every dinner menu for yourself.
The cruise is over. Tomorrow morning we switch from a floating hotel to a hotel on the solid ground.
Until then...
The absolute is that I have been eager to visit Istanbul for some time, even though I have almost no idea what to expect. But the city of Istanbul represents such a unique history and culture that I literally cannot wait to explore it.
Shall we?
I woke up excited to know that my bed was in Istanbul, and opened the drapes.
Now... the history of this city is long. Extremely long. In fact, I imagine that an entire college semester could be spent on the history of just this city, because it has been a focal point for 2,500 years. And it is not hard to see why, based on the map above. Think of the amount of trade that would pass through that blue dot on the map above. The amount of trade that would naturally pass through that point is immeasurable.
Thanks to popular music everyone knows that Istanbul was once Constantinople. And many might even know that it was Byzantium before being renamed Constantinople. But did you know that Emperor Constantine, for whom the name was changed in 330 AD, actually tried to name this city Nea Roma? But for some reason people did not like New Rome. I suspect they did not want an identity based on Rome, considering that ethnically they were still quite Greek.
The Ottomans kept the name Constantinople and made this their capital from 1453 until 1922 when the empire dissolved. The name Istanbul is literally Turkish for the city and had been in colloquial use for ages, and when the Republic of Turkiye rose from the ashes of World War I, they made Istanbul the official name while at the same time moving their capital to Ankara.
Today we meet our Istanbul-based guide, Levon, who treated one of Barbie's clients to an amazing visit, and now we are delighted that for the next few days we are in the hands of an expert. We have made no decisions; Barbie has simply told him our interests and he did the rest.
In all sincerity, this palace is gorgeous. Not quite too over the top, it might be the most beautiful and impressive palace of Europe. It is certainly on par with anything we have ever visited. I suspect nobody would ever visit this city without a stop at Dolmabahçe Palace, but just in case, let me just say it; this is a must-see.
That gateway actually represents the front door, in a way. Dignitaries and heads of state would be brought here by boat, and then the great hall that they enter from here might be the most impressive room on Earth. It killed me to not be allowed to take a picture.
From 1919 to 1922, Turkish officers of the Ottoman army organized and soon began resisting Allied demands. Remnants of the Ottoman Parliament still existed, but there was fervor for Turkish independence. Among the army officers was Mustafa Kemal, a hero of the Gallipoli Campaign whose natural leadership qualities lead him to be selected to lead the revolution, helped by the fact that he happened to have nothing to do with the Armenian incidents that happened during the war.
The Turks took on the armies of Britain, France, Greece, Italy and Armenia, and won significant battles. Mind you, after World War I it was not like all these nations were devoting all they had to the Anatolian peninsula. All the sides met in Lusanne, Switzerland and in 1924 the Treaty of Lusanne established the borders of modern day Turkiye and lead to international recognition of the Republic of Turkiye.
Mustafa Kemal was given the honorific Ataturk, which means father of the Turks. It was his beliefs in democracy, secular government, and modernization that literally created the Turkiye we visit today.
The city's main pedestrian street and the
I am forced to mention the majority religion of Turkiye because too many in the USA seek to portray Islam as incompatible with modernity.
Time for a true food break along the İstiklal Caddesi.
You have been spoiled with full menu descriptions aboard a cruise ship. For this meal, I did not even see the menu.
Even though the city is close to 90% Muslim, the churches of other faiths are preserved here. In fact, we are now walking towards one of the Jewish synagogues.
After seeing the Muslim community in Jerusalem eight days ago, it is an extremely pleasant contrast to be in Istanbul. Again, my feelings are absolutely a reaction to things going on in the USA today, where 1.5 billion people are often painted with the same brush. I am not saying, "All Muslims are wonderful," I am saying, "Not all Muslims are the same, and the ones you have negative associations toward are a tiny fraction of the global community."
We crossed the Galata Bridge to the Golden Horn, the peninsula where the Sea of Marmara reaches the Bosphorous. It is the most naturally fortified spot in Istanbul, which is why it is home to the oldest and most important area of the city.
Our first stop on the Golden Horn? The Spice Market.
We entered the spice market through a back alley, where Levon showed us shopkeeper who sell the same spices that you can get in the market for less, generally to locals.
In other words, if the Ottoman Empire does not get a tad greedy, the people in North and South America do not get light skinned visitors from Europe showing up and spoiling their party.
Frist world life.
After the Grand Bazaar, which is seriously gigantic, Levon took us for the customary rug push. He knew that we were not interested, but he nicely explained that we would not be pushed and we approached it as a chance to sit down before heading back to the ship.
After a long day, one where I really had to cheat you out of a lot of amazing pictures, we headed home for our last night on the Crystal Serenity.
Tonight is literally the final dinner aboard the ship. Tomorrow we get kicked off bright and early,
Okay. This should work. I tested it. A few nights ago I asked our awesome Head Waiter above, whose hairstyle is the same as mine, for the previous night's menu. He responded by offering to give me a copy of every dinner menu served during our cruise. I took him up on it, and after this photo was taken (and he noticed the ProCamera app that I use and asked about it, because everyone has an iPhone) he handed me a thick envelope with the promised menus.
I scanned them, and you can see every dinner menu for yourself.
The cruise is over. Tomorrow morning we switch from a floating hotel to a hotel on the solid ground.
Until then...
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