AMAPrima Black Sea Voyage Live Blog/Review Sept 2014

[Hydrokitty]

SIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! That's all, just a deep contented sigh....and enjoying all our memories. It's amazing how many things we did "together" 8 years apart!!! Interestingly, they were working on the Blue Mosque and the Hajia Sofia then too.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Hydrokitty

[Familygoboston]

Back to the IC

 

When we returned with our guide to the Kabatas Pier, we had to walk up a very long hill for about a 1/2 mile to get back to the IC. We could have taken the Tunel up the hill again, but wold have had to walk about 1/4 mile to and from it, so it was only saving the hill really. Despite a full day (we started at 9 AM and ended at 7 PM...for an 11 hour day of touring!!!) we trucked up the hill, and were back at our hotel to say goodbye to Mete. I think this was a longer day than he expected, but we tipped him very well because he never complained or even suggested altering our itinerary to make it shorter. Luckily, his family lives out of town and he was on his own in Istanbul staying at his parents home (and even they were at their summer home) so he was just heading back to an empty house anyway. But we were very grateful that he allowed Jeff to wait to get the sun the way he wanted it!

I'm including a metro map so you can get an idea of the territory we covered in our first day!

 

Metro

 

 

 

 

 

Of course our next stop after dropping off most of our things in the room, was back out the Taksim Square to get some dinner. Not wanting to walk too far, we went back to Faros for pizza and were sure to order extra in order to give slices to refugees who were living on the sidewalk next to the Taksim Metro and on our way back to the hotel.

 

Honestly, this was the most heartbreaking thing we saw on the whole trip. We had heard stories of the horrors of war in the recent and ancient past in every country during our trip, but here we were seeing the effects of war, right now, on tiny babies and young mothers.

 

I did not discuss or blog about it while on the trip, for fear of seeming like I was criticizing the Turkish Government (this is taboo, and in any case not terribly gracious) but now that I am home, (in the land where we are lucky enough to blather our opinions whenever we feel like it) I'd like to talk about our experience a bit.

 

People in Istanbul told us that more than 500,000 refugees have flooded into Istanbul from Syria because of the war and the actions of ISIS. We also heard that the government has set up many refugee camps for them outside the city. For some reason, some of these refugees are choosing to come into the city rather than stay in the camps. My daughter, who has an interest in world affairs and politics, told me she read that the camps were running out of food. Having a background in health care, I know that cholera and other diseases are particularly deadly to babies and maybe these mums thought the babies best chances were to be away from the camps. It's hard to know exactly.

 

Refugees lining up at the Swiss Embassy in hopes to get visas to leave the country

 

 

 

 

 

This is in no way a criticism of the handling of refugees by Turkish Government- I look at my own country and see a less than large welcome mat for refugees, and I refuse to be hypocritical about this, but for what ever reason there are refugees on the street. We have plenty of hard to treat mentally ill and substance abusers on the streets in my city of Boston, but what was heartbreaking is that these refugees were young mothers (women who are probably uneducated and married off at a young age) with their babies on the street. Literally, babies, less than 3 years old. We saw one less than 2 nearly crawl into the road in front of a turning bus...had her 3 yo sibling not grabbed her shirt we would have witnessed her being crushed under the huge bus wheel (My pre school teacher instincts kicked in, but I was too far to grab her!)

 

 

There were also some young children, ages about 4-10 that we saw alone on the streets. Someone had provided them with little plastic toy "pianos" that they could play to have people donate coins to them. We never saw the refugees begging and certainly not stealing or harassing anyone. I think that The government has become very strict about begging, or harassing tourists, and the streets are very safe. The refugees were just living on the street with whatever items people had given them. We noticed as the nights went on and it got colder that other people had clearly brought blankets and clothing as their pile of "possessions" increased a bit each night.

 

After we enjoyed our pizza and wine, I had the waiter box nearly an entire leftover pizza and 1/2 bottle of water and we delivered what was left to these families on the street. One little boy about 7 or 8, was sitting on the curb near the mothers, but clearly not one of theirs. He looked at us so hopefully, that we would give him pizza too and not just the mothers. He didn't move or beg or even dare to hope, and when we did give him a slice his whole face lit up. After delivering the food to the mothers, who looked grateful, but so downtrodden, we had left, and I cried all the way back to the hotel.

 

 

Refugees

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff took this photo with his camera by his side (you can see his shadow on the wall) shooting quietly without the family noticing, so it's not a great photo...we felt sticking a camera in their face was another assault on their already tattered dignity, and we also did not want to run into any trouble with anyone in Turkey for documenting a "problem", though I don't know that this would have happened. But we felt it was so important to share what we saw, so that everyone who is lucky enough to have a voice in the big decisions that get made can see and then have a say in what they want done about these very difficult situations!

[Familygoboston]

SIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! That's all, just a deep contented sigh....and enjoying all our memories. It's amazing how many things we did "together" 8 years apart!!! Interestingly, they were working on the Blue Mosque and the Hajia Sofia then too.

 

Has it been 8 years!! Yes, things change but many stay the same don't they!? I think, like owning an old house, the renovations will nver be "done"!:p

 

Your photos are spectacular!!!!!!! The running commentary sooo good. Am reliving our times in Istanbul thru your eyes and words. Thanks.

 

Thanks Pacmom! I'm glad you are enjoying it! Hubby is responsible for the photos! (the good ones, crappy ones are mine ;) I like the addition of video, the first time I've tried that! For this review the sights and sounds are so rich, its hard to get a feel for it without the video too!

 

Well, I'm a little emotional again after that last post, (this is why my loved ones call me "bleeding heart"...I don't think they mean it as a compliment!:rolleyes: ) I'm going to go move the clocks back and then I'll have an extra hour to post our second day in Istanbul later:D

[Hydrokitty]

You have a good heart! Why don't you try to post this picture on Facebook with a link to a reputable charity that is working with the refugees....something like UNICEF perhaps. I have a pediatric nursing background and you have a nursery school teacher background.....we share many emotions and feelings.

[Familygoboston]

You have a good heart! Why don't you try to post this picture on Facebook with a link to a reputable charity that is working with the refugees....something like UNICEF perhaps. I have a pediatric nursing background and you have a nursery school teacher background.....we share many emotions and feelings.

 

Thanks!! I did make a facebook post on the night before we left. Several charities are doing good work to help the refugees, and we plan to make a big donation this year! Most of the people we traveled with felt the same way about the refugees, from all sides of the "aisle" so to speak!! All of us were ready to smuggle boiled eggs off the buffet in the morning and deliver them, but the families were never there in the AM just at night.

 

And I do plan to make a post on my blog too. I've been neglecting the blog to do this review, but I hope to also do a few fun things with it, like my "funny" signs, some interviews and tips. I have a face book album called "unfortunately named hair salons", which has been a blast to curate, because its so darn easy!!;) Still learning, but I am having a blast and keeping my "new tech" skills up too!

[Familygoboston]

Second Day Touring Istanbul

 

On this day we made arrangements to meet Mete at 7:15 AM with the van and driver. Our hope was to go to the Old Town and get photographs of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia before the crowds and when the light was perfect. We sailed through the ordinarily crowded streets because the tourists from large cruise ships had not yet disembarked and jumped into their dozens of 55 passenger buses to head to Old Town. We really had the place to ourselves. I enjoyed the peace and quiet and the street animals while Jeff wandered getting photo he wanted.

 

After an hour or so, Mete took us to the area of the Old Town where the Hippodrome of Constantinople had been located. This is where the stadium where chariot races happened, and there were several columns in the middle to mark the infield that still stand today, although all of the "seating" is gone, and the whole plaza is much higher today that it was during that time. The columns are amazingly preserved!!

 

This Hippodrome Map in the Archaeology Museum helps you visualize what it would have looked like.

 

 

 

 

Mot of the columns are things that were brought from other parts of the Empire, or things they took from conquered areas during the Crusades. Some of them were estimated to be from 1500 BC! I was amazed that these things are still out in the elements and (I did this!) you can actually touch them! (It was the oldest thing I EVER touched!) In the US these kinds of artifacts would be in a climate controlled room with security guard!! Clearly no one could walk off with a 300 foot column, but I'd imagine the weather and love of tourists would degrade these amazing artworks over the years!!

 

 

The Egyptian Column (1500 BC) that once stood in Luxor and was pillaged and placed here. The artwork on it is amazing! There is also the Serpentine Column (from 479 BC) which originally had 3 snake heads on it, but now one of them is in the Archaeology museum) The other column is Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (10 AD) AKA the "new one";)

 

 

 

Egyptian Column base relief (maybe it's just me, but I'd be keeping my 35 thousand year old column in a nice cozy museum somewhere out of the rain and pollution!!:eek:) Look what's happening to those faces!!

 

 

 

 

 

Egyptian Column detail

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not kidding about the blase attitude toward these ancient things. A local who grew up in Istanbul told us a story about his father and a friend who decades ago found a huge ancient head in an old palace that was not restored, but just a ruin where they used to hang out. He and the friend "rolled" it to the other fellows back yard where it lived as a "lawn ornament" for years. It is said that nothing gets built in Istanbul because as soon as you dig a hole, you have to call the archaeologists. And it must really be true, because there are the most amazing artifacts and ruins all over the city!!

[Familygoboston]

Blue Mosque

 

We decided to head toward the Blue Mosque to beat the crowds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To give you an idea of the crowds massing outside the Blue Mosque

 

Edited November 3, 2014 by Familygoboston

[Familygoboston]

Blue Mosque Interiors

 

Panoramic (Did you see how I did that?? Made one whole Mosque out for two panos???)

 

 

 

 

 

There is a very large line outside that forms where you pass by a stand to get any borrowed scarfs or wraps you might need. You'll notice the ladies on the left (near) and in the center (far) have the light blue wraps that are borrowed. Men and women will be asked to wrap their legs if they have shorts with this same wrap) Then you end up in an inside area where you remove your shoes, and there are "bag stations" so you can grab a plastic bag and carry your shoes with you. Once inside you can take a peak around and marvel at the tile work and windows. But you will be doing it with many new friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Basilica Cistern

 

Because we had an early and easy entry to the Blue Mosque (we arrived just before they allowed folks in at around 8:30 AM, and were near the front of the line, so once they admitted us, we were in very quickly) we were able to head on foot to the Basilica Cistern shortly after 9 AM before the crowds formed there.

 

We passed this fun sign! I love that the distance to Truva is noted in Roman numerals!

 

 

 

 

The Cistern is an amazing Roman construction (est 6th century) designed to hold water for the Great Palace brought in from another part of the city where there was a reservoir in the Belgrade Forest. This has been completely renovated and is a very cool thing to see!

 

 

 

 

We learned that pillaged or unused statues and columns were used to build the cistern (after all, who would use "good stuff" to make a bucket of water!) So these two Medusa statues were chosen because they "fit", and there was no guarantee that they would "fit' the way you might expect them to, so the builders wedged them in the way he needed! Be sure to walk all the way to the end of the walkways, where the Medusa's are, several people on the AMA included tour were not told about them, and missed seeing them.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course you can have a little fun with it, and pretend she's at the top of the column..."ahhh, I'm stuck on the roof of the Cistern!"

 

[Familygoboston]

Archaeology Museum

 

The Topkapi Palace is a huge complex that was once the site of the Byzantine era Great Palace, when the Ottomans captured Constantinople in the mid 15th century, the Topkapi palace was built. The Sultans lived there with their family and court until the mid 19th century when the Sultancy was moved to a more "European" looking palace on the Bosporus, the Dolmabahce Palace.

 

The Topkapi is now a museum with a series of buildings linked by inner and outer courtyards. Because we had an AMA included tour of the inner Courtyards and Harem in the Palace scheduled for the next day, we enjoyed only the first courtyard of the palace which houses the Archaeology Museum with Mete.

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was a coffee and tea break at this lovely, quiet cafe in the First Courtyard. You would never know all the hub bub of tourists going on inside the other courtyards (which would experience tomorrow) This cafe was ringed with a "graveyard" of ancient statuary!! They were all labeled, but they were all just propped up here and there, its an absolute embarrassment of archaeological riches!! You can see how Hamdi Bey had to convince the Sultans that something so commonplace in the city (and greater Empire) could be worth preserving!

 

 

 

 

 

If you are a person who really can't take crowds, or on a budget and you would like to see some beautiful examples of tile like what is in the far more crowded and expensive Harem, try to find this little Tile Pavilion or Kiosk in the First Courtyard. It is very quiet, and has several rooms which were built just so the Sultans could play with various tile designs and "collect" tiles and display them. It was free and virtually empty and I didn't notice any difference in the loveliness of the tiles between the two places. You'll have more time here and "clearer" shots of the tile without so many people around.

 

 

 

 

 

We were also shown traditional old wooden homes renovated within the courtyard. There are example of these all over Istanbul, some are in terrible condition, and a few a beautifully renovated like these. Mete adored this old style which he remembered dominating the city of his childhood, and we noticed them everywhere.

 

[Familygoboston]

Archaeology Museum

 

Right now the museum is undergoing a huge renovation, and the Alexander Sarcophagus was not open to the public. However we did see this (apparently lesser) one, and I was amazed at how the carvings jumped out of the relief on the side. It's incredible to see the detail and dimensionality of this sarcophagus.

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby were some mummified remains (I had hoped to post these on Halloween)

 

 

 

In another area there were many preserved tablets of early Egyptians and Hittites. We got a kick out of reading the Hittite laws!

 

An impotence cure?

 

 

 

 

I like the very specific recompense outlined of how many sheckles are owed for the number of teeth that get knocked out in a fight! We can joke, but these civilizations were pretty incredible! They had very thoughtfully tried to consider every eventuality and set up all of these guidelines and laws. Like the Justinian water works of the viaducts and cisterns, it's pretty amazing how advanced these ancient societies were!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't have a great imagination, so when someone drones on about history, it goes in one and out the other; but seeing things really helps me process the history. It's really WHY I travel! Here is an example...Mete had told us that during the Ottoman Empire there was huge chain that was strung across the entrance to the Golden Horn to prevent ships from sailing up the Horn without permission. But until I saw this modern artwork displayed with a section of the original chain, I didn't really "get it"! Notice how small the written explanation is? That should give you an idea about how large the chain really was!

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone like kittens? There are lots in the courtyards! I cuddled with this one for a moment!

 

 

 

 

There are rooms and rooms of statues and other things to see. We spent about an hour or so, but you could spend half a day if you have a big interest in archaeology.

[Familygoboston]

Because we had a van today, we used it to take us to the area near the Grand Bazaar, first for lunch and then to spend some time exploring the Bazaar.

 

This gives me a chance to talk about the traffic in Istanbul. We have traffic in Boston...we are pretty proud of our traffic. (they way we are in Boston about things that don't work the way they are supposed to; for instance...we call Red Sox fans "the Fellowship of the Miserable" because truly, the diehards are happier when they are losing and then they have plenty to complain about) So back to our crazy traffic; in addition to the fact that we delight in misery and that our roads were designed by cows and have been only minimally redesigned for actual cars, we are also not a very patient bunch. So our traffic is miserable, often gridlocked, with everyone gesticulating and cutting each other off (no honking, that's a NY thing)

 

What amazed me about Istanbul traffic (designed by even OLDER cows!) was that despite it's gridlocked nature, everyone is very patient and polite to one another. We saw a group of bus drivers direct another to back into the one and only parking space in a lot. This took a good 6-10 minutes of maneuvering and shouting, but they were all working together to make it happen. It was so amazing, we actually stood there agape, just watching this 100 foot bus maneuver into a tiny space between two equally giant buses! (and did I mention the van park in FRONT of the parking spot??)

 

 

Yes, he did get it in there! The good ones just make it look easy!

 

 

 

 

 

This will be my plug for hiring a driver, and tipping him well!!! I'm also going to make a plug for private tours in smaller vehicles because the bigger ones just take longer to get everywhere, have to park farther from things (so you will walk more anyway)

 

Our van had a pop open roof window. When we arrived at the Aqueducts, he popped up to get this photo of all the traffic at the Aqueducts...and it wasn't too bad this day!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is video our driver negotiating some kind of "square"- we have these in Boston too- enormous plazas full of cross traffic, pedestrians, children in strollers, with almost no official traffic regulation involved. It's a take no prisoners, every man for himself sort of environment!:eek:

 

[YOUTUBE]JeqILbyFQEo[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

 

 

After arriving in the Bazaar Quarter, Mete took us by foot to one of his favorite "traditional" restaurants. He described this as the kind of food your mom makes for you, and he wanted us to try what typical Turks eat. Because it's not on the tourist path, it was very quiet and the owner himself made sure we had everything we needed. We selected what we would like to eat from a display buffet, and then the wait staff put it on plates and brought it to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Grand Bazaar

 

Appropriately fortified we were on to the Grand Bazaar! I'm not much of a shopper and I don't love crowds, but we wanted to spend an hour experiencing the this world famous market.

 

Mete sent us in on our own to explore, but you could request your guide to take you, if you feel overwhelmed. One thing our guide was very good about was that he didn't steer us towards any vendors or appear to get kickbacks.

 

This did not appear to be true of the AMA included tour guides in Istanbul. We went to the Spice market the next day with our AMA guide and he was leading the group to a specific spice vendor. We saw the guide of the other bus with his group at a different vendor all together. Our friends who went into the market with the guide (we went to the pet market for photos instead and met them at a central meeting point!) said they noticed our guide keeping a close eye on how much each of them spent and seemed to be taking notes. He returned to the bus with a large bag of things from that store. When one of our friends jokingly said "oh, you got a nice commission!" and he stammered a bit and said he gets a "discount". This was another reason we were happier with our private guide, versus using the AMA provided guides in Istanbul, although, you could hire a private one that does the same thing!

 

 

 

 

Here you can get a sense of the crowds at the entrance

 

[YOUTUBE]xfpFgYPkVD0[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

 

But inside things thin out a bit in places because the place is so huge!

 

 

 

 

One hint for navigating, is to look for the "Gold Main Street", which is the extra wide hallway that houses primarily the gold shops along one side of the bazaar. If you get turned around, (and we did, its very easy to do!) just ask any English speaking vendor to direct you back to the "Main Street" and you'll find your way out to the street again!

 

[Familygoboston]

Grand Bazzar

 

There is plenty to buy! We did a little souvenir shopping, I spent a little time looking at the carpets, not because I needed one, but because I particularly love the silk rugs, the way they glisten in the light, they are like works of art!!!)

 

I didn't feel uncomfortable with the way shopping happens in the market here. Generally, the vendors will be quite vocal about inviting you to see their shops. I don't find this stressful, I don't pay much attention at places I'm not interested in, and I don't mind engaging with people in the shops where I want to shop. If the vendor shows us lots of stuff or we chat about something for a while (like the rug I was admiring) I don't feel guilty saying, "No, Im not interested, but you have beautiful xxxxx, thank you" and leaving. I don't feel any reason to be guilty...as a former salesperson myself I know you need about 9 "no's" to get to a single "yes"...so I just made their day easier!

 

Our guide told us to offer a little less than 1/2 of their initial price and go from there, ignoring any dramatics about being insulted. And of course if you can't get to a price you like, just leave, if they want the sale they will come to you. None of this is personal, it's just business!

 

Of course, if you are spending money for anything significant, it's best to have a really good idea of what prices should be. I've heard you can even hire a private "shopping" guide who will know which vendors are trustworthy, but I would be careful to get a very good recommendation from a trustworthy source or you could just end up with another guide taking kickbacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

An Unexpected Journey

 

Mete decided he wanted to show us a beautiful Orthodox Church located in a residential neighborhood nearby. We took the van to the main road and then walked up the hill hoping to find this church. Unfortunately, it was all gated and was being converted to a mosque, and we weren't able to see the artwork inside. But we did run into some interesting sights along the way! Including this interesting and very steep residential neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

We also learned the reason for the loose ram on Istiklal St. We were in Istanbul in the days leading up to Eid Al Adha, a Muslim holiday of sacrifice. It's traditional for each family to sacrifice a sheep and donate the meat to the poor to honor Allah for sparing Abraham's son (this story of Father Abraham is common to all three major religions; Christianity, Islam and Judiasm!) Living in the city, most people do not have access to sheep anymore, so local brokers set up pop up markets in empty lots representing several farmers (which is why they sheep are spray painted to identify the farm so the broker can keep track of whose animals he's sold.) After the local men choose their sheep, the boys load it into the van and deliver it to the home, where it's kept in the yard till the family sacrifices it. One lucky ram obviously made a break for it and ended up on Istiklal street! Ewes were 400 eu and rams were 600 eu at this market 2 days before the sacrifice day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YOUTUBE]xhbkdVKM4jQ[/YOUTUBE]

[Familygoboston]

Coffee and Tea with a View!

 

After our unexpected stop to see the sheep market, we went to a beautiful restaurant high up on a hill in old town where we could have tea and take some late afternoon photos of the panoramic sights of Sultanahmet. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this place, because the view was really nice, but looking at the map, I'm feeling like it might have been the cafe adjacent to the Pantokrator Church, which is now a mosque or Vefa mosque. But I could be mistaken, maybe some of you will have been to either of these places and would know!

 

 

 

 

 

View to the Sulemaniye Mosque

 

 

 

 

 

After our last rest break and photo session, we called it a day for Mete, and he and the van escorted us back to the IC. We were very glad we had hired Meli tours for these two days in Istanbul...we kept up a very buys pace, with breaks, but we really felt like we had seen, experienced and learned a great deal of this sprawling city when we were done!!

 

We've seen it ALL! (this is the cafe)

 

[Familygoboston]

Dinner on Istiklal St

 

After a short rest at our hotel, we of course headed out to Istiklal St for dinner. I also had seen a Catholic Church on Istiklal and wanted to go see it to take some photos for my Catholic relatives. It's tucked in a quiet little courtyard, and there is a statue of Pope Jon XXIII who lived there as an ambassador to Turkey for the Vatican before he was elevated to Pope.

 

St Antoine's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We picked an Asian food restaurant for dinner for something different and as expected in a world class city, even the ethnic food is excellent!! We enjoyed the food and the locals and Chinese visitors eating there.

 

 

After dinner, we stopped for Baklava, after having passed the storefronts loaded with treats, it was time to have some!!

 

 

 

 

Can I be honest? Completely and totally honest....ok, here it is...I'm not wild about Turkish Delight! I couldn't admit this till I returned home for fear of being detained at the airport, flashing lights and alarms..."lady doesn't like Turkish Delight...stop her!!" We had a piece on the plane that I actually enjoyed, but all the other flavors I tried at the spice market just didn't appeal to me. I wanted to be a good tourist and love it, bring it home to all my friends, but in the end it just didn't do it for me:o But I can say I did love just about everything else I ate in Istanbul, and some of our meals were some of the best meals out we've ever had!! So if I didn't find the national treat Turkish Delightful, it's no knock on Turkey!!

 

[Familygoboston]

I am rapidly coming to the end of our trip!! I know at least a couple of you have followed along with this very looong review and I thank you!! If anyone traveling has any specific questions, I am happy to do my best to look through my paperwork and answer them as best I can!

 

Tomorrow I will post our last day in Istanbul, our tour of the Topkapi Palace with AMA and the optional Bosphorous cruise with AMA.

[Familygoboston]

OOPS!!!

 

I misstated that the cafe and Tile Kiosk is in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, it is actually in the public (no admission needed) 4th courtyard of the Palace!! The Archaeology Museum is in the 1st courtyard.

 

We saw 1st and 4th today and toured the 2nd and 3rd courtyards (admissions required) with AMA the next day!!

 

Sorry for the confusion!!

[Familygoboston]

AMA Tour of Topkapi Palace

 

Because our AMA friends had been touring the day before, they had already been assigned buses, so everyone just hopped on their bus, and we got on the same bus as our new friends. The quiet voxes were passed out by the guide that day With so many people opting in and out of various tours, I think they preferred to collect them each day rather than lose them. But frankly, they were very bad technology, the sound came through extremely loudly and there was no way to adjust the volume. Several folks found wearing the backwards made it tolerable.

 

Unfortunately, the AMA guides in Istanbul were a very weak link. The gentleman we had was polite and appropriately funny, but I was not pleased at all by the point of view he shared. Every other tour guide we had with AMA had been excellent, they were able to share their opinions and we might not have agreed, but they were willing to acknowledge the challenges in their countries too.

 

I can understand wanting to paint your country in the best light, but to whitewashing history isn't helpful or enjoyable. Our guide warmed us up by describing the Harem as the private space and therefore we could have no idea what went on there (I could buy that) and then he explained that popular (western) culture has improperly portrayed harem life. And I totally agree with that...its unlikely Muslim women would running around in a bikinis and gauze as depicted in our western movies.

 

Once we arrived at the Harem he shared stories about orphan girls as young as 8 being "selected" for the Harem, simply to educate them, and that they would be delighted for the opportunity (hmmm, how could we know THAT?:rolleyes:) They would have a chance to be chosen as the Sultan's wife and possibly the very powerful mother of a Sultan or at least be married to a powerful man in the court.

 

Enochs were described as being lucky since they were educated alongside the Princes. Now it could be said that the Empire was already engaging in slave trade and castrating the men from Northern Africa to sell as slaves, so life in the Harem might have been a much better lot in life than the alternative.

 

As our guide went on and on about how wonderful life was in the Harem, denying his own words that we can't really know what happened there, we and others on the tour felt like we were just being fed a line. As we wandered off on our own at one point I mentioned to my husband that I was glad to be away from the "everything is awesome" guide for a little while (with apologies to the Lego movie!).

 

 

We don't know if this was required by someone else, the way he was trained, or just his own point of view. Lots of countries engaged in terrible practices in the past (and still do today) but I would not be happy if I went to say, Monticello, and did not get an honest (if difficult to hear) history of slavery there. Maybe the Harem was like an exclusive girls school, saving orphans and educating and elevating them to favored wife status. Even after our tour we still don't know!

 

Two other complaints about this guide (evident later) were his behavior steering guests to his vendor at the spice market and his thin narrative of the Bosporus cruise. I understand French and so did another passenger and the French guide was giving a much better narration than our guide. (and it wasn't just that it takes more words in French:p)

 

So enough with the negative...let's at least enjoy the photos!!

 

The Topkapi Palace is a huge complex that was once the site of the Byzantine era Great Palace, when the Ottomans captured Constantinople in the mid 15th century, the Topkapi palace was built. The Sultans lived there with their family and court until the mid 19th century when the Sultancy was moved to a more "European" looking palace on the Bosporus, the Dolmabahce Palace.

 

The Topkapi is now a museum with a series of buildings linked by inner and outer courtyards. Today we took the AMA included tour of the Topkapi Palace, which brought us into the 2nd and 3rd inner courtyards and the Harem Complex; the Sultans private living space.

 

 

There are several interesting dioramas at the entrance which show the Palace over the years

 

 

 

 

 

Gate (looking out towards the Blue Mosque)

 

Edited November 4, 2014 by Familygoboston

[Familygoboston]

Topkapi Palace Tour- Harem

 

We arrived as a group and followed the red lollipop through the entry gate and security. We gathered so our guide could show us where we would meet at the end of the tour (there was independent time). Then we proceeded to the Harem. This required separate entry ticket. Our guide explained very few groups go through the Harem because of its small rooms and hallways. He told us we would need to keep moving but he would narrate as we went along, and he made that work very well. But the Harem was very crowded.

 

There was some truly lovely architecture and tile work, and we were allowed to take photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the Mother Sultan's Private Apartment. Each wife also had an apartment for herself.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2014 by Familygoboston

[Familygoboston]

Topkapi Palace - Harem

 

We were told that the reason for so many fountains was because they masked the sound of conversation, and that the wives and favorites were often plotting to advance their sons' chances of becoming the next sultan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos are of rooms where the Sultans would lounge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Courtyard of the Favorites where women selected by the Sultans mother were allowed to be outside, because they were not allowed outside of the Harem.

 

[Familygoboston]

Topkapi Palace

 

After we finished touring the Harem, our guide led us to the outside 3RD courtyard, where we lined up to see Treasury. The Treasury has 4 main rooms, and the first room has the imperial thrones. the line here was HUGE, and moving slowly. The bottle neck is that everyone comes in and out the same door (it's a dead end) whereas the other rooms are all interconnected and you can flow from one to the other. We were looking at standing in that line and spending 1/2 of the one hours we had for free time in the line, or seeing the rest of the Palace. So we skipped the first room and went straight to the second room which had jade objects and jewels. Most of these things were gifts brought to the sultans. The third room contains more jewel studded gold items. It's a bit overwhelming how much dazzling stuff is in these rooms! It's also extraordinarily crowded...think Louvre Mona Lisa etc. You can expect to move along with the tide and have many heads in front of you to look into each of the dimly lit inset cases. No photos are allowed in this area for obvious security reasons!

 

You pass through and exterior balcony with a beautiful view of the Bosporus and Marmara Sea, It's large enough to linger without holding up the line and we did, because not only is it beautiful, but you can see the arches of this part of the Palace from the water too, and we have several photos of this spot from the Asian side!

 

The fourth room is accessed by the balcony and holds the famous Topkapi Dagger, which was made for the Shah of Iran, in the mid 18th century, but oops, he was murdered before they could give it to him! It is also the subject of a 1964 movie no one under 60 has ever seen, but its probably free on Netflix!

 

 

After touring the Treasury, we went to the 2ND Courtyard to see the rooms with Clocks, Arms and the Divan.

 

We couldn't take pictures of the clocks or arms, but we really enjoyed them better than all the jewels, and it was less crowded, if not exactly people-free! The clocks (most given as gifts from here and there) are also often crusted with jewels, but there are quite a few that have a high "neato" factor in how they would have operated, and that appealed to my engineer husband. He and our youngest daughter have a very strong interest in arms and particularly armor. I found myself wishing we had brought our 17 yo on this trip because she has a much deeper understanding and appreciation of history than I do, and she would have loved the swords and armor! (not a few of which were ceremonial and ...you got it...studded with jewels)

 

 

Our next stop was to the Divan, to the historically uninformed, like myself, its a nicely tiled room with an uncomfortable looking padded bench around the perimeter. (and don't we call uncomfortable couches, divans, even today ??? ;)) But to history buffs, this is the place where the ministers of one of the greatest empires in the world's history made their decisions! It's pretty cool that you can walk into a room where that kind of history was made in the same room!!

 

Divan

 

 

 

 

 

After visiting the Divan, we visited the newly (and beautifully) renovated Kitchen. This is also several attached rooms located where the original kitchen was, that now houses an enormous and really beautiful silverware, European and Chinese Porcelain collection, as well as the more ordinary kitchen implements (copper pots and such) used by the sultans cooks. Again, no pictures here, but there are wonderful interpretive plaques done in the most modern style with art work of the time depicting what the kitchen and the banquets looked like at the time, as well as describing the pieces.

 

 

Outside the kitchen, these calligraphic stones were displayed.

 

 

 

 

At this point, we needed to head to the meeting point. I stopped in the gift shop, and there were some lovely art works and books, but the prices! We'd seen several of the items offered there at the bazaar for less.

 

We met our guide, and he led us back out to the bus to return to the hotel. We only had about an hour between the Palace tour and the optional Bosporus cruise, so several of us went to Taksim Square to get a kebap sandwich to go. I have been a pescetarian for about 35 years...I ate a little chicken when my family was young (or else have to cook 2 meals, since Jeff is NOT a fish eater) and haven't had much chicken in the last 5 years, and haven't missed it, but that sandwich was one of the best things I've tasted in years!! Somehow they spice those chicken breasts or lamb with all the right spices and our group agreed, they are yummy!

[Familygoboston]

Optional AMA Bosporus Cruise

 

The weather had taken a turn to much cooler and windier...quite a few people took a pass on going on the cruise despite having paid for it. Our bus had only 14 people, and our guide was bereft! He tried to entice some of the Canadians in the full bus next to us (they aren't afraid of a little cold!) but had no takers. I think he was seeing his tip take cut in half and he was not happy!

 

Our first stop was at the Spice Market for about an hour. As I described earlier, some went with the guide to his preferred store, and some of wandered on our own. having spent some time there already, we decided to check out the pet market. Afterwards we took the bus to the ferry terminal at Eminonu.

 

Public Ferry area and Galata Bridge- the charter boats were to the left of this area, on the left side of the Galata Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

We were bundled up- I wore all my cool weather clothes for this trip...fleece, rain coat, headband, gloves and my boots!

 

 

 

 

We cruised out of the Golden Horn and out into the Bosporus. I was expecting to be rocking and rolling more, but the boat was very stable! We had the whole boat for the AMA guests, and our guides narrated in both French and English.

 

The Bosporus Bridge

 

 

 

 

We sailed past the Dolambahce Palace and the Mecidye Mosque on the European side. Fellow AMA travelers went there instead of the cruise and loved it, saying it was a beautiful palace and the tour was interesting. After going by the Bosporus Bridge, we sailed past the Fortress of Europe, and then crossed to cruise along the Asian side and saw the Fortress of Asia, These late 14th and early 15th century forts were built as the Ottomans were moving into Constantinople.

 

This is the Fortress of Asia, on the Asian side

 

 

 

 

There was a full bar on the boat, but no one was up for cool refreshments and to make their quota, the tea man came around and there were many takers for tea!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Optional Bosporus Cruise

 

On the Asian side we saw that there is a lot of building going on, and lots of cafes and restaurants.

 

 

 

 

The ferry terminal at Uskudar

 

 

 

 

 

We took this photo becasue of the nicely renovated old style wooden house on the hill; as you can imagine, these are desirable homes, steps from the ferry, cafes and shops and gorgeous views!!

 

 

 

 

 

As we cruised back at sunset, we were able to get a nice view of the Galata Tower and the Old City

 

Galata Tower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our cruise, we were bused back to the hotel. Some folks went out to dinner together, but we had an early flight, so we did some packing and then took the elevator to the top of IC to enjoy a snack and drink at the City Lights Bar. This was by far the most expensive meal we had all week, and all we had was wine, beer and an appetizer each!! But the view was lovely, and since Jeff was starting to get the cold that was going around, it was better to stay in and rest before the long travel day.