Back in the city center, Istanbul had plenty to offer: touristic sites, shopping, food, and Turkish culture. Wandering from mosque to museum to carpet shop, I stopped several times to meet vendors and talk about Turkey. One shopkeeper wrote out a few words of Turkish for me, another explained about kilims, all offered apple tea, and some offered much more than I was looking for.
It was a relaxing visit, with small crowds and cool weather, so I was able to enjoy my visits to the Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Sultanahmet Mosque, the Egyptian Spice Market, the Grand Bazaar, the carpet museum, the Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, and many shops and restaurants.
Aya Sofia and Aya Sofia Interior
Galata Bridge and Istanbul over my shoulder
Feed the Birds!! and the Tea Seller
Spice Market
The hotel was located in a quiet neighbourhood in the center, convenient to the big shopping street and about ten minutes by foot from the main tourist sites. They offered wonderful service, and I highly recommend this boutique hotel: http://www.minahotel.com.tr/
At night, while enjoying a cup of tea in the rooftop dining room, I looked out the windows and was rewarded with an overwhelming view of the Blue Mosque under a full moon.
On my last night in Istanbul, I felt like doing something very touristy, so I went to see a performance of whirling dervishes. The show was held at the train station, in one of the large halls. As we sat around in plastic chairs on three sides of the room, the musicians lined the front of the room, all dressed in black robes and brown felt hats. After a short musical introduction, six more performers entered and performed a ceremony which ended in their famous "whirling".
The hotel was located in a quiet neighbourhood in the center, convenient to the big shopping street and about ten minutes by foot from the main tourist sites. They offered wonderful service, and I highly recommend this boutique hotel: http://www.minahotel.com.tr/
At night, while enjoying a cup of tea in the rooftop dining room, I looked out the windows and was rewarded with an overwhelming view of the Blue Mosque under a full moon.
On my last night in Istanbul, I felt like doing something very touristy, so I went to see a performance of whirling dervishes. The show was held at the train station, in one of the large halls. As we sat around in plastic chairs on three sides of the room, the musicians lined the front of the room, all dressed in black robes and brown felt hats. After a short musical introduction, six more performers entered and performed a ceremony which ended in their famous "whirling".
Here is the website, explaining a bit about the Sufi religion and the performance:
http://www.rumi2007.net/
http://www.rumi2007.net/
After three fun days in Istanbul, I took a short flight to the coastal town of Bodrum where I met a yacht and joined a crew of women for a sail down the coast.
To be continued….
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