An amazing breakfast at the hotel – in which an entire shelf from the beehive provided beautiful honey at one station (according to the staff member, the Turkish bees are doing well and ‘working very hard”) was retrospectively needed to fuel the walking in today’s tour. We started at the Blue Mosque (large dome under reconstruction so a bit disappointing) and learned of the modern adaptation for removing shoes. Instead of leaving shows for chaotic reclamation outside, plastic bags are provided and you just carry them around with you; very pragmatic to deal with the huge numbers of tourists. Although my lovely guide Safiye said it was relatively moderately quiet with respect to tourist numbers, by the time we left our next destination (Topaki Palace) there were huge crowds both of local screaming schoolchildren and the flag waving commercial guided version milling around. Happily with a guide we were able to proceed to the front of the lineups, and either tickets were bought in advance or from “street vendors” in front of the sites; we were able to save significant time queuing.
Safiye is very knowledgeable and able to also give a glimpse into modern Turkish life. It was definitely a boon to know which direction to go to in the large sites like Topaki – especially after the school groups appeared on scene. The next site, the underground Cisterns, would be a teacher’s nightmare – try keeping 20 excited schoolchildren together in the dark, and even coming out with the same number is a feat. Like everyone I’ve ever talked to who visited Turkey, the extent of the Ottoman Empire is astonishing to learn about, and I was interested to also learn that our Damascus furniture is Turkish in origin, as is baklava.
The weather was grey to begin with, developing into showers then monsoon rain which we encountered after lunch. We visited an old established dessert store for Turkish coffee and baklava to hide from the rain (and oh, the Turkish delight….) then headed out to see a bit of modern Istanbul and the old walls of Constantinople in growing warmth, humidity and eventual sunshine. A taxi ride back to the hotel in more crazy traffic (astonishingly we did get there though it looked impossible at times with no-one moving) ended day 1 with a total of 15 km recorded on the guide’s app. After a quick cup of tea I headed out to walk around the local bazaar and the main square at the top of the hill resplendent with yellow tulips (a flower apparently native to Turkey, and imported to Holland). A roof view from the hotel’s top floor at sunset ompleted the day and here’s hoping the sleep is better tonight! The Istanbul stop was added to counter jet lag so that when I took to the bike in Jordan I wouldn’t be quite so stupid. A wise idea, it appears….
Memories of the day – group upon group of schoolchildren, voices bouncing off the walls of the Cistern caverns – Call to prayer from competing minarets – piles of spices in the touristic shops, a prelude of the spice market; mosaic tile patterns in blue; the rain!!!
Teacher at the palace 
Oh, the Turkish delight 
Baklava! 
