We've also been trying to figure out a way to partition our photo album. We have posted about 150 pics so far this trip. Not a huge number but as the number grows it gets harder to narrow in on specific time frames as we scroll through the album. Picasa does not support sub albums or folders or whatever you want to call them. We like to keep one album for each trip. So trying something different we are going to post a marker showing the start of each week.. If, for example, we want to see more pics from this week we can now scroll picasa looking for marker...
We'll see how that works out.
Monday morning showed that the lousy weather system was still hanging over us. In other words ... rain... Since most museums are closed on Monday we thought we might try to hit a couple of mosques and the Spice Market.
By the time we got down to the Sultanahmet area it was going on noon and we were pretty wet. We decided to lunch at Semazen again and take some time to try to dry off at least a bit. After lunch it was still raining quite hard so we opted to defer mosque visits to another day. We were near the store where Kris bought the kilim carpet handbags last week so went there again to look at some other styles. The fellow was quite busy so we asked if we could go over to their workshop. "Sure no problem". So, off we went to their workshop.
On the way Kris noticed a store front that radiated "crafts". We were looking in the window and were about to leave when a woman opened the door and invited us in... She (Theresa) is an American who has lived in Istanbul for about 4 years. They specialize in making all manner of fabulous felt products. Kris was in craft heaven! Now how cool is this... it turns out Theresa shares this studio/workshop with her partner Mehmet Girgic. Who? In 2010 Mehmet was recognized as one of seven Turkish Living Treasures by UNESCO. He is a third generation craftsman in both traditional and contemporary felt work. We had the opportunity to chat with Theresa and Mehmet about their work and current projects. Later we looked up his resume. Very impressive. Now, that was a cool chance encounter!
Oh yeah, we were on our way to the handbag workshop. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused. So off we went, checked out numerous examples of a particular type of bag and Kris decided she like one back at the store the best. Back in the store we chatted with the fellow (different guy from last week) who is from Belgium and has spent time biking in the Yukon and BC.
Anyway, the bag...
Nice.
Afterwards we walked (raining quite hard now) over to the Spice Market where it was quite pleasant to just wander around for about an hour, looking at the wonderful spice, and other, displays in the shop stall fronts...
Still raining and time to head, along with, it seemed, most of Istanbul, over to the tram for a wet crowded trip back to our apartment. Sad, but true... there are many dead discarded umbrellas along the way!
Later that evening we went up the street to try the Social Cafe. Nice wine, large cheese plate and atmospheric. Will likely return.
Tuesday we awoke to continuing rain so decided this would be a good museum day, starting with the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. The complex actually has 3 museums...
- The Ancient Orient (Mesopotamia etc)
- The Tiled Kiosk
- The Archaeological museum
One word covers them all... WOW! The artifact collections here are mind boggling. We spent more than a few hours here before we started to flag (don't want to get museumed out; we're only in week 3!).
We didn't think to check our camera battery before leaving the apartment and didn't bring our spare one with us. DUH... stupid tourists! ... Our battery died about half way through the Tiled Kiosk. Here's a few of our favorites with a bunch more in our photo album...
Leaving the museum complex we headed over to near the Spice Market to see if we could find the Hamdi Restaurant. It turned out to be easy. As we turned the corner around the Spice Market the large "Hamdi Restorant" sign on the top of a building was our guiding light. They do have a small cover charge (6 TL for the two of us) but the view, the service, the food, especially the dessert were all excellent, and, they don't charge for the bottled water.
After a nice leisurely lunch, over looking the Golden Horn, we took to the back alley areas around the Spice Market. Now, this is the real fun. Lively, loud, bustling crowds with all the vendors yelling out what they have on offer. Fish mongers, spice, coffee, candy, and many other types of merchant stalls. Way better experience here than the Grand Bazaar.
On the way home we walked over to the ferry docks, near the Galata bridge, to make sure we'll know where and when to go, when the weather finally clears, to catch the ferry for a full Bosphorus cruise. Got it. It was still raining but we decided to walk across the Galata bridge anyway. Even though it was a bit foggy, the view up the Bosphorus with all the boating activity and the chance to watch the folks fishing from the bridge made for an interesting walk. Once across the bridge we caught the usual tram and funicular up the hill to Taksim Square.
As we came up out of the underground metro station we noticed a lot of police, in riot gear, around the square... hmmm, not sure what that was about (but tomorrow the picture becomes much clearer).
Wednesday morning the rain had let up so we decided to check out the upscale district of Nisantasi, also known as the luxury fashion district of Istanbul. Getting off the metro at the Osmanbey stop we were looking for Rumeli Caddesi since that was where we would find Oska, a store Kris was interested in seeing. A bit disoriented we approached a couple of cops and asked if they could tell us where Rumeli Cd was. After much discussion with other cops, one of them told us, in his best english, to go down this main street a few hundred metres then ask someone else because he wasn't exactle sure. So off we went. Cool upscale looking area, but no street signs indicating Rumeli Cd. We asked another guy who pointed us back the way we came. Eventually, we found that the street on which we asked the cops was the very Rumeli Cd we were looking for. HUH?
Anyway we wandered along Rumeli Cd where we came across many fabulous fabric and textile stores. Continuing onto Tesvikiye Cd we browsed numerous upscale stores eventually stopping for lunch at Salomanje, a smart looking place a hundred yards or so down a side street. After lunch we thought we would walk back along Rumeli Cd to the metro... BUT... emerging from the restaurant we encountered a mass of what must have been thousands of people marching up to Rumeli Cd. What the ??? We tried to ask a few guys what was going on but none of them spoke english and the best we could discern was "protest". Hmmm... we decided to go into a mall for awhile and let the protest march move well ahead of us. When we came out it had moved on and we had a clear walk all the way back to the metro. On the way back to the metro we saw this poster and wondered if it was related to the protest...
... and oh boy, did it ever... read on... oh, and we concluded that the cop who had given us "bad" directions was maybe, in his own way, hinting that we should bugger off since they were getting ready for a protest march!
Anyway, still not aware of what the "fuss" was all about and since it was yet early afternoon we decided to go a bit farther out on the metro line and check out another relatively new upscale mall at the Zorlu Center where there is a COS store Kris wanted to visit. We wandered around this beautiful center for a bit then checked out the schedule for it's performing arts center before jumping back on the metro to head home. Things still pretty normal, usual bustling crowd in shopping center, bit of afternoon rush crowd on the metro.
Emerging from the Taksim metro station we quickly realized that something biggish was up. Our clue...
Time to vacate the premises! We headed back to our apartment to see if there was anything on the BBC World news channel or on the internet.
It turns out, that poster was the real deal. Berkin Elvan was a 15 year old boy out to get milk for his family when he was hit on the head by a police fired tear gas cannister. That was about 9 months ago and put him into a coma. He died yesterday. Today was his funeral march through Istanbul. After the funeral the crowd headed up Rumeli Cd and over to Taksim Square. Apparently the crowd swelled to about 50,000 as it neared Taksim Square. Lucky for us, we beat the crowd by a good enough time to get away from there. Back at our apartment, there were already news reports of tear gas being fired in the square.
Our apartment is a good distance away and the street scene outside was pretty normal (cafes downstairs had the usual tea drinking crowds), so we decided to skip up to Otto and have a pizza for dinner. As it was a bit chilly out we told the hostess that, today we'd like to sit inside. Now, we ask ... have you ever had a hostess say this to you "Good choice, I think the gas will come soon". Really, I mean, have you? First time for us! But still, all around us every thing looks normal. Normal size crowd in the place, some outside, some inside. Anyway, we had a nice pizza with a couple of glasses of wine then headed off home. Leaving the restaurant back on the street, there was a definite waft of tear gas in the air (the hostess was not far wrong) and our eyes were quite watery by the time we got back to our apartment.
Soon after (by this tme it was around 8:00 pm) things started to change. Online news reports (BBC World News) featured this pic from Taksim Square (police charging and firing tear gas into the crowd)...
A while later we could hear a lot of noise and chanting coming from up Siraselviler Caddesi, the main road to the square past our apartment. Our apartment is on the 5th and 6th floors and has a bit of a view, past the mosque next door, up Siraselviler Cd. From our window and balcony we could see crowds milling about. Seemed like mostly curious onlookers. We switched between watching tv and what we could see of the goings on outside.
As the noise got louder we watched outside more. People began hauling wooden pallets out into the street to start fires and there were fireworks set off. Then we heard the sounds of the police firing tear gas (some of the tear gas cannisters were picked up and hurled back at the police) and the air started to get thick with tear gas smoke...
... followed by the sight of the water cannon truck and armed police as they attempted to disperse the crowd....
Eventually the police drew back up the street followed by some protesters setting new fires, but it all started to peter out and by shortly after 11:00 pm the street was mostly empty.
Early Thursday there was much street cleaning going on and by the time we went out at about 9:30 you could hardly tell that something had gone on the night before. Only a few burnt spots in the pavement and some smashed out ATM machines...
Unfortunately that is just destruction for the sake of destruction and essentially had nothing to do with the actual protest.
Anyway, we made our way to Taksim Square where life was basically normal. After coffee at Starbucks we headed for the metro and the usual funicular and tram ride to old town. Today was Blue Mosque day. Getting off at the Sultanahmet tram stop we walked over to the mosque and joined the queue to enter via the visiter's entrance. Shoes removed and a head scarf for Kris and we were all set. In we went...
Due to prayer scheduling we were only in the mosque for about a half an hour. More than enough time to get a real feel for the place. Afterwards we sat on a bench outside the mosque and did a bit of sketching, then we decided to head down to the Little Hagia Sofia...
... much smaller mosque but every bit as beautiful. More Little Hagia Sofia pics on our picasa album.
We haven't mentioned yet "the cats of Istanbul". They are every where! For the most part they do not appear to be feral in any way. People seem to love them. You see them curled up in the oddest places; store window displays, chairs in stores, etc etc... Here's a couple of cute cuddlers we saw near the Blue Mosque...
Walking back up the hill towards the Sultanahmet area, we decided to try the Carpet Museum again. This time it was open and entrance was free (maybe it was atonement for being closed last week). Small but wonderful museum...
... and some of them are huge...
Well that was enough for this day. We took the tram back across the Galata bridge but this time got off at Karakoy to catch the Tunel funicular up to the bottom of Istiklal Cd. On our way to the funicular we took a walk through the alley behind Tersane Cd. Man, is this hardware and handyman central or what? If they don't have anything like a Home Depot here then they don't need one! This area has it all and then some.
After the funicular up the hill we strolled the ever busy Istiklal Cd. As we neared Taksim Square we noticed the large contingent of riot police amassing on a side street. Likely just a show of force to try to deter a repeat of last night but we weren't about to stick around to find out! That evening there was no indication of a repeat performance.
Friday, the forecasted blue sky appeared... time for a Bosphorus cruise. We opted for the Sehir Hatlari full day round trip from the Eminonu docks, by the Galata bridge, to Anadolu Kavagi near where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea. Beautiful day to be out on the water and lots to see along the way...
The stop in Anadolu Kavagi is a long 3 hours with the only options being to climb the hill to the old castle or eat a long lunch. We did both and still had lots of time to kill. Wandering the small town streets, we came across a bakery with an interesting looking small cake (maybe 8" round by 1" high). We asked what it was and was told it is a delicous fish cake made with anchovies and corn meal and only 5 TL. Hmmm, sounds intriguing... "We'll give it a try" we say. Off we go with a rather hefty bag of cake in hand which, by the tme we got to the end of the block, was starting to ooze grease! Time for a taste test... well this thing is so bad it is surely an affront to both anchovies and corn meal. Yuck! We didn't even have the heart to offer it to any of the local dogs let alone sea gulls... straight to the bin it went!
Interesting tidbit we learned along the way... the Black Sea is about 40 cm higher, in altitude, than the Sea of Marmara, so there is quite a current in the Bosphorus.
On the way home tonight there was no sign of riot police as yet. Stopped in at Otto for an excellent smoked salmon pizza and some wine. Nice day.
Saturday was a close to home day. We started out taking a few pics of street scenes around our apartment. The first here gives an idea just how close we are to the loudspeakers announcing the very early morning "Call to Prayers", or as Brian calls it, the "Call to P" since, well, the timing is about right. The second is a cool store front window...
There is an antique area a few blocks from here so we thought we'd check it out. Hmmm... a few gems mixed in with a lot of dusty crappola! One place a guide book recommended was so dusty and reeked of cats so much we couldn't get out of there fast enough. Now, we like cats a lot, but... come on! Well that was that.
We decided to go back up to Istiklal Cd and wander down to the Galata Medlevi Museum, where we saw the Whirling Dervish ceremony last week. What an excellent little museum and the best self guided audio tour we have had so far since we got here.
After about an hour enjoying the museum we walked down to the Galata tower to check out the lineup. Yep, it's a Saturday lineup alright! It can wait until next week. We opted for a repeat lunch at Kiva. Excellent.
On the way back to the apartment there were a couple of groups of street musicians, along Istiklal Cd, that we stopped and watched for a while. They were very good. We just got pics no sound. The second group had a couple of cds which we bought but will have to wait until we get home to hear them. Hope they are as good as the live show was!...
Later we decided to try the top floor "bar" at the Vardar Palace Hotel, a rather swanky looking place up near Taksim Square, for a couple of glasses of wine. We walked into the hotel lobby and the young man, at the lobby desk, asks, in perfect english, if he could help us. Brian asks "Yes please. Where is the elevator to the terrace bar?". Young man responds "network?"... Huh?...ok, so we get past that initial misunderstanding, find the elevator, and make our way to the roof top terrace bar. Well, what this place lacks in atmosphere it almost makes up for in the the view. Almost, but not quite... at least you can see the Suleyman mosque past the Galata tower but, of course, we didn't have the camera with us. We'll probably stick with Otto for refreshments. All in all a very good day.
Sunday, we decided to do a short road trip. Walked up to Taksim Square, funicular down the hill to Kabatas and caught a bus up along the Bosphorus to Ortakoy. They are rumored to have a good flea market on Sunday, and we all know who loves a good flea market. Too bad it was raining so hard as to put a bit of a damper on the experience of wandering around what appears to be a fairly lively community. The flea market also fizzled, mostly cheap plastic trinkets. Had lunch at a brasserie, wandered around the market area and along the waterfront for a bit then jumped on a bus back to Taksim. Went back to the apartment for a rest before going back up to the Medlevi Museum to see if we could get tickets to tonights Whirling Dervish ceremony show. We saw it two weeks ago and thought it would be cool to go again. Rats... sold out.
That's it for this week.
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