Istanbul: Exploring the New District

Before crossing the Golden Horn to the New District, Nick and I visited the Rüstem Paşa mosque.  It is a small mosque not far from the Spice Market, whose exterior and interior are richly decovered with 16th century Iznik tiles. 

Nick under the portico covering the courtyard of the Rüstem Paşa mosque

Having spent a considerable amount of time obsorbing the tiles' floral patterns, we crossed the Galata Bridge and visited the well hidden (down a tiny alley) and rather empty Museum of Turkish Jews.  For example, I did not know that in the 1930s the Turkish government invited many German and Austrian Jewish scietists and professors to relocate and continue their work in Turkey in order to escape the Nazi regime. 

Our next adventure was the Galata Tower.  There was quite a crowd on the viewing platform, but the views were well worth the pushing and shoving.

View of the Bosphorus Straight and Bosphorus Bridge from Galata Tower

After the tower we continued walking up the hill and soon reached Istiklal Street--the main pedestrian "drag" of the New District.  This street was very busy as promised by our guide book, but pleasantly there were as many (if not more) locals as tourists strolling by.  We followed Istiklal Caddesi all the way up to Taksim Square.  On the way we counted at least 3 Burger King joints, several Starbucks cafes, and a few clothing stores whose names we actually recognized, among many other fancy stores, cafes and restaurants full of locals. 

Looking down Istiklal Caddesi

Taksim Square was partially closed off to pedestrians, and it was only after we got back to our hotel that we realized that there was a suicide bombing there in the morning. 

Republic Monument in Taksim Square

From Taksim Square we walked down to the water on the Bosphorus Straight and enjoyed the sunset.

Bosphorus Bridge



With Bosphorus Bridge behind me

Nick with Hagia Sophia in the background



The Istanbul Walkathon

We started our day rather tamely--at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, where the carpets and tiles were beautiful, and at least half of the exposition was closed for restoration. 

Only an hour later we took a taxi to the Chora Church to view its amazing mosaics.  I mention the taxi mainly to underline the fact that the Chora Church is about 4 miles away from the Sultanahmet district of the Old Town. 

The mosaic pieces used for the jars are actually pieces of terra-cotta

After looking at the mosaics in the Chora Church, we sort of, kind of messed up, and did not eat lunch before continuing on our journey.  We climbed the walls of the city (Constantinople had multiple walls, and these were the Walls of Theodosius, built in the 4th century) for some some amazing views.

Afterwards, we marched through several neighborhoods, thankfully yet untouched by hords of tourists.  The lack of tourist industry can be a blessing and a curse, in particularly the latter if you really need to eat. 

Tekfur Palace--the world's only surviving Byzantine palace

About two hours after leaving the church and losing all hope of finding real food (little corner shops selling potato chips do not count), we came upon a little restaurant and decided to go in.  We were clearly the only non-locals, but the waiter was extremely nice, and the food was very good.  I guess we just got really lucky. 

After lunch, we strolled along the Golden Horn for about two more miles until we reached the Galata Bridge.  The pedestrian and automobile traffic was horrandous, but nevertheless we made it to the Spice Market about an hour before it closed.

The Spice Market was very crowded, and merchants lost no time trying to get us to buy something from them.  I actually found it harder to shop here than at the Grand Bazaar.  We quickly learned that prices visible outside the shop are not necessarily honored in the shop.  Finally all "spiced" out we walked out and turned onto a street busy with shops selling similar items, but to locals.  Prices here turned out to be lower, and the merchandise also included things like a dozen varieties of olives, feta cheese, and fish.

We rewarded ourselves for all the miles walked by eating dinner at the Adonin restaurant.  The food was good, but for a noticably higher price we got significantly worse service here than in Pasazade, where we ate yesterday.

Istanbul in the Rain ...and Wind

Honestly, we did not explore Istanbul in the rain.  Having learned our lesson in Prague last summer (e.g. do not stand under a gargoyle spouting water...), we used two criteria for visiting a "sight": is what we want to see indoors, and how much walking would we have to do to get there.  And the Thursday finalists were Istanbul Archaelogical Museum and the Grand Bazaar.

Far from being an archaelogy buff, I still got excited about a few things in the Archaelogical Museum:

• Alexander Sarcophagus--The sarcophagus did have Alexander the Great portrayed on the sides, but it was carved for another king

  

  

  The Tetrarchs: the statues are now in Venice, but the heel is in Istanbul

  
• Tetrarchs' Heel--Remember those double porphyry statues of the Tetrarchs in the Piazza of San Marco in Venice.  We saw them last summer.  They were actually from Constantinople (as were the four hourses on top of the Saint Mark's Basilica), and one of them is missing a foot.  Now we saw the missing foot here in Istanbul.
• The Tiled Kiosk--a small 15th century building exhibiting cool tiles
• A piece of chain that was strung across from Constantinople to Galata Tower (from sometime before 10th century till at least the 15th century) to prevent unwanted ships from entering the Golden Horn

In the Grand Bazaar we were thankfully not harassed nearly as much as we expected.  The bazaar was very festive as it was the eve of the Turkey Republic Day. 

We went to sleep on Thursday to the sounds of the winds wailing.  The next morning--today--it was still really windy, but the rain subsided a little bit, so we decided to brave the weather and tour the Topkapi Palace. 

Apparently many many other people decided to tour the Topkapi Palace today as well. (Because today is a holiday in Turkey, both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market were closed, which probably did not help.)

Nick in front of some tiles in the Harem of Topkapi Palace

In short, the pros:

• the Harem was relatively uncrowded and full of tiles
• Helen is addicted to looking at tiles, and hence loved the Harem

and the cons:

• we froze to death while fighting the crowds
• the European porcelain exhibit was closed

Helen in front of tiles, of course, in the Harem of Topkapi Palace

After touring the palace, we headed towards the Galata Bridge.  And this is when finally the sun came out.

Fishermen on the Galata Bridge, with the view of Galata Tower in the background. 
And the sun is out!!!

We were going to tour the Spice Market, but this was when we found out that it was closed.  So we just wondered through the back streets. 

Local boys sliding down a street

We finished the evening with a nice dinner at Pasazade (where amazingly the prices were the same as at a place we had lunch yesterday, but service and food were several levels above that) and a nice stroll by Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia at night

Our First Full Day in Istanbul

We are staying in Sultanahmet district of the Old Town, which means that we are just a couple of short blocks away from many of the "must see" sights here in Istanbul.  Without doing much walking, we visited three of them today. 

Underground Cistern
Built in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Underground Cistern is an enormous underground chamber that can and used to store water.  It supplied water to the Great Palace of Constantinople and later to the Topkapi Palace. 

The cistern was restored in the 1980s and the walkways were added to allow public access.  Before the walkways, visistors had to rent boats and row around in the dark.  Rain water still accumulates in the cistern today due to cracks in the mortor, and shockingly the water is teeming with fish, some of it quite large, but the excess water is pumped out regularly.

In the Underground Cistern, by a one of the two Medusa heads "squeezed" in under a pillar

Hagia Sophia
We have been really looking forward to going inside Hagia Sophia--the Great Church of Constantinople (built in the 6th century), later converted into a mosque (15th century), and now a museum. 

In the process of restoration, there has been layers of mosaics uncovered under layers of plaster and paint.  The restoration continues, but you can see parts of these layers in different parts of this magnificent building. 

Nick admiring Viking graffiti (from the 9th century) in Hagia Sophia

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque
The mosque, built in early 17th century, is one of many churches and mosques whose architectural design uses many elements of Hagia Sophia.  It is popularly known as the Blue Mosque because the color dominates the wall designs and tiles decorating the mosque's interior.

Inside the inner courtyard of the Blue Mosque, ready to go inside

Unlike Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque is an active mosque, so all visitors are required to have their shoulders and knees covered.  Our faithful guide, Rick Steves, tells us that women should also cover their heads with a scarf.  While it is not required, it is appreciated as a sign of respect.  So we followed his suggestion.

When we left the Blue Mosque, we discovered that a nice gray turned into a rainy and windy one.  So we did not do much of anything else, except for eating an excellent meal at Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi (click on this link to see exactly the food we had).  This restaurant was not only recommended by the venerable Rick Steves, but also by our dear friend, American in London.

Istanbul: The First Glimpse

We could have easily fallen asleep as soon as we got to our hotel, but it was not even 5pm here yet.  So Nick and I ventured out for the first glimpse of the city and a bite to eat.  The real sightseeing will start tomorrow. 

Hagia Sophia, first completed in 537A.D., built in just 5 years

Blue Mosque, built in 7 years, completed in 1616

Leaf Peeping in the White Mountains

All these years we have been talking about going leaf peeping and we finally did it. In early October we drove up to New Hampshire looking for some colorful foliage.

Our ambitious plans involved hiking the entire 9 miles of the Franconia Ridge Loop, an extremely popular hike, hailed to be one of the best in New England.

Always reluctant to get up early, we had to improvise a spot in the trailhead parking. Despite the day being rather overcast, we were not alone, when we started hiking along the Old Bridle Path. As we gained elevation, the sun started peeking out from the clouds lighting up the golden valley below.


Views from the Old Bridle Path

As we surmounted the “three agonies” on our way to the Greenleaf Hut, we found ourselves and the path well hidden from view by a milky fog. We have reached the clouds.

The Greenleaf Hut was buzzing with hikers. Everything (everything! including garbage) has to be carried in and out of the hut along the same hiking trail we just climbed. Yet for just a couple bucks, the hut crew offered hikers freshly made cookies, and bread, and even hot potato soup, which Nick and I could not resist despite having packed enough food for twelve.

More Views from the Old Bridle Path

It was while sitting in the comfort of the hut and enjoying the steaming peppery potato soup that we decided to turn back. It was almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon and we have only covered about a third of the journey we originally planned. Hidden in the clouds, the ridge did not promise clear views of the landscape. The waters of Dry Brook were at least knee high. If we continued onto the loop, we would have to cross this brook several times, and the idea of wading through icy waters just did not sound as appealing as it usually does.

Dry Brook at the end of the Falling Waters Trail,
which we did not hike

Our descent along the Old Bridle Path was not necessarily made easier by gravity, as we clambered down large smooth rocks. Nevertheless we safely made it back as the sun started to set over the White Mountains. Despite the last minute route change, we deemed our hike a great success.

Visitng the Mount Auburn Cemetery

Back in September, Nick and I went on a walking tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery.  The cemetery has been on my list of places to visit for a long time, but now I am glad we went when we did.  I have learned a lot of Boston history in the last two years (thank you, Boston By Foot), making our visit more meaningful to me.

It might seem odd that we would tour any cemetery, especially one where none of our relatives are interned...  But Mount Auburn Cemetery is special.  In fact, it was intended to be visited.

Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1831 and is America's first "garden cemetery".  It marked a shift in the way the dead were buried in America--moving away from using church graveyards often located within cities, and towards using landscaped, park-like burial grounds outside of the city limits.


Edwin Booth's Headstone

During the walking tour we were surprised to learn that Edwin Booth, the famous 19th century actor (whose infamous brother, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Abraham Lincoln), is buried at Mount Auburn because apparently his first wife, Mary, was from the Boston area.


The headstone of Charles Bulfinch, prominent American architect



The tomb of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, the Scientist.

We have visited the Longfellow House in Cambridge the previous weekend, and now we were able to see Longfellow's tomb.

The tomb of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our tour was briefly interrupted by a fox.  He was busy pouncing on something in the grass, completely unperturbed by a large group of people staring at him. 

After the tour, we climbed the Washington Tour, built in 1852-1854 at the highest elevation of the cemetery, for great views of the surrounding area. 


Washington Tour

View from the Washington Tour