We had a great time these five days in Istanbul. While it is not likely at the top of most people's tourist agendas, it is a great city with a very rich history. I wouldn't say that it is a 'pretty' city, but it does have quite a number of interesting sites to see. We managed to hit most of the main tourist spots including the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, Topakapi Palace, the Archealogical Museum, Boat ride up the Bosphorus, the Prince's Islands and the "Mystical Water Pipe" complex.
Boldly contradicting the rather dismal forecasts, we had exceptional weather the whole time. It was sunny and warm and we both got a little bit sunburned.
My impressions of Istanbul
1) Distinct odours (good and bad)
2) Amazing water
3) Pockets of beauty.
4) Potential..potential..potential.
5) Rich History
Let's see if I can delve into each of these a little more.
1) Distinct odours...well...I suppose I won't go into this one too deeply. Suffice it to say: Good: Egyptian Spice Market or the fresh Sea Air on Buyukada Island. Bad: Standing room only on the 6pm tram ride from the station.
2) Amazing water....Istanbul sits at the junction of three waterways: the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. There is water everywhere, and it is beautiful. The Golden Horn is an inlet on the European side. The northern side of the inlet seems to be progressively more modern. You start with the area down by the Golden Horn which has some historic sites such as the Galata tower, and then the further you go up towards the Black Sea the more 'posh' and modern it all seems to get. On the south side of the Golden Horn is the more historic area which has the Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topakapi Palace etc.... The City is then further divided by the Bosphorus which is a straight connecting the Black Sea to the Marmara (which then connects to the Mediterranean). The Bosphorus is also a continental divide. On one side is Europe, and on the other is Asia. Finally, to the south and west of Istanbul is the Marmara Sea which eventually runs into the Aegean and Mediterannean. The water is everywhere and there is a great public transport system that connects everything by boat. We spent hours out on these buses of the sea and it was fantastic.
3) Pockets of Beauty: Throughout Istanbul and even across into the "Prince's Islands" you see a mixture of buildings that I would classify as: 1) Restored and Magnificent; 2) Magnificent but not restored, in OK condition; 3) Magnificent, not restored....falling apart 4) well..the rest of them...which I would classify as never nice in a variety of conditions. The first category really are spectacular, and we saw some nice examples of this over on the Prince's Islands. The second category is fine. The 3rd however is really a shame. In a number of places we saw what seemed to have been great buildings, in excellent locations, surrounded by beautifully restored buildings, literally crumbling to the ground. I don't know if there is some law in Turkey that prevents the tearing down of historic buildings, but it really seemed odd that these old places were left to actually crumble to the ground. Finally, the 4th category...well, Istanbul is a big city, and, at least in the areas we were in, I suppose the practicality of architecture seems to have greatly outweighed the aesthetics.
4) When I say "Potential, Potential, Potential" I mean to say that Istanbul is a great place that is, well, perhaps a little rough around the edges. You can see all the beauty that it could be, just beneath the surface. It wouldn't take much and you could make this a truly great city. A little cleaning and restoration and it would be wonderful. Around the Galata tower for example, you see a number of apartment blocks that have been restored, and how 'nice' they are...and then there are all of the others that for some reason or other haven't. One day, perhaps all that have been left to crumble, will have fallen to the ground and everything can be brought up to modern standards. Were that the case, it would really be a great place.
5) Rich in History: To go into this subject in any detail would require more space than I dare bore you with. Here are the basics for you: Istanbul has been the capital of four empires: Roman Empire: 330 - 395; Byzantine Empire 395 - 1204 and then again from 1261 - 1453, the Latin Empire from 1204 - 1261 and then finally the Ottoman Empire from 1453 - 1922. Through this time some pretty cool guys have called this place their home. The Roman Emperor Constantine was there for the last 15 years of so of his life, from where he ruled the entire Roman Empire. Then there were the Ottomans. Sultans with great names like: Sultan Mehmed II "The Conquerer"and Sulieman "the Magnificent". A regular Vince McMahon show.
The city apparently dates back to around 5000 BC, but most of the 'history' that you can see there now starts around 400 or so AD. Having been the seat of great empires and occupying the crossroads of Asia and Europe, a lot has happened, and there are traces of this everywhere. It is incredible to think about the history that happened within the walls of the places we visited.
Imagine...one day out in Topakapi Palace (which we visited), one of the Sultans decided that he wasn't going to let the Europeans pass through to India and China anymore....and so...in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and well..now you have all of us Americans (I mean this in the most continental of respects possible.....all 950 million of us..not just the 300mm between Mexico and Canada.) I know that this is all highly oversimplified, but were it not for a decision made by the guy who's dagger, sword and robe we got to see, taken in a room we got to walk through....we wouldn't even be here. Its funny...coming from Western Canada, I am always quite astounded by history. In a city where the oldest building dates back to the mid 19th century, history is something you read about, not something you actually get to walk through and touch.
Anyway, I've rambled on far too long, and Alex will like to add to this. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip.
Talk to you later,
Scott.
picture of the Blue Mosque taken from inside the Aya Sofia
Foto de la Mezquita Azul tomada desde la Aya Sofia
Inside the Egyptian Spice Market
El mercado de especies de Egipto
The 'real' market. Outside of the Grand Bazaar on Saturday afternoon, where the non-tourists come to shop. El "verdadero" mercado, afuera del Grand Bazzar en la tarde del sabado, donde los locales van de compras.
Istanbul (Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia) taken from across the Golden Horn on our late return from the Prince's Islands. Estambul, tomada desde el ferry durante el regreso de las islas Prince's.
Alex with the Golden Horn and the Galata Tower in the background. Alex con el Golden Horn y la torre Galata en el fondo.
The entrance to Topakapi Palace (the Buckingham Palace (or 24 Sussex Dr.) of the Sultans. Entrada al palacio Topakapi, palacio donde antiguamente vivia el Sultan (Monarca de la region).
The Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) taken from the exit of the Blue Mosque. La mezquita Aya Sofia.
En Español: Regresamos de Turquía
Regresamos de Estambul hoy. En el avión, para el almuerzo teníamos dos opciones Pasta o Pavo (en Ingles Pavo se dice Turkey, la misma palabra para el nombre del país – esto le causo mucha gracia a Scott).
La pasamos muy bien, aunque Estambul no esta en la agenda de muchos turistas, es una ciudad grandiosa con una historia fascinante. No diría que es una ciudad “linda”, pero tiene un gran número de lugares interesantes. Tuvimos la oportunidad de visitar la mayoría de los sitios turísticos: Aya Sofía, palacio Topakapi, museo de arqueología, crucero por el Bosphorus, islas Prince’s y el Jardín místico de la pipa de agua.
Mis impresiones de Estambul (resumen):
1) Olores (Buenos o malos). Buenos en los mercados de especies y el olor fresco del mar, malos en el transporte publico.
2) Agua: La ciudad esta en la unión de el estrecho Bosphorus, el mar Marmara y el Golden Horn. Hay agua por todos lados. El estrecho Bosphorus conecta el Mar Negro con el Mar Marmara (que se une luego con el Mediterráneo). También es la división continental de Asia y Europa. Hay un muy buen sistema de transporte publico que conecta todo en botes (Ferrys y buses acuáticos), pasamos horas en esos botes.
3). Construcciones: Un gran numero de construcciones bien preservadas y otras no tanto, o mas bien en decadencia.
4) Potencial: En Estambul puedes ver toda la belleza en la superficie y no costaría tanto esfuerzo convertirla en una verdadera ciudad grandiosa, con mas limpieza de las calles y restauración del los edificios.
5) Riqueza histórica: Estambul fue la capital del imperio Romano, Bizantino, Latín y Ottoman, y sus monarcas vivieron y construyeron sus hogares en ella. La ciudad fue fundada 5000 anos a. C. pero la mayoría de la historia que se puede ver es de alrededor de 400 d. C. Muchas cosas pasaron dentro de las paredes de esa ciudad. Por ejemplo, un día en el palacio Topakapi uno de los sultanes decide que no dejara pasar por su región a los Europeos que van en camino a China e India en busca de especias… entonces… en 1492 Cristóbal Colón va en busca de nuevas rutas y así nace América.
Saludos,
Scott.
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