ISTANBUL


As wonderful as our other stops were in Turkey, Istanbul is in a class by itself.  In fact, as cities go in general, Istanbul is in a class by itself.  It feels like many cities in one as the different areas have completely different "personalities".  It is overflowing with history, culture, interesting architecture and art - never mind the delicious food.  We had a week there (Gerald was working for the first few of the days) and we feel like we only scratched the surface of what can be seen and experienced there.

Istanbul reeks of history.  The first settlements there were in the 13th century BC and the first formal city was established by the Greeks in 667 BC (called Byzantium after the founder, Byzas).  (Interesting trivia:  when this city survived a siege by Philip II (Alexander the Great's dad) in 339 BC, they minted coins in honor of their goddess Hecate whose symbols are the crescent moon and star (that are on the Turkish flag).  Just in case you were wondering....).  The city was named Constantinople in 330 AD after Roman Emperor Constantine made it the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Over the years, the place was attacked and/or conquered by the Celts, Persians, Seljuk Turks, Latin Christians, and Ottoman Turks. It's a great location for trade and resources, so everyone wanted it.  During the Fourth Crusade in 1204 the Latin / Roman Catholic crusaders attacked the Eastern Orthodox churches in Constantinople (center of the Byzantine Empire) and looted and destroyed much of the city.  Needless to say relations between the two churches were not so good after that. Some of the goods stolen from the city are still in Venice today and some say that the city never fully recovered from that attack.  The city remained the center of the Byzantine empire until the Ottoman Turkish leader Mehmet II conquered it in 1453 (when he was only 23 years old!).  Thirty-six sultans (who also served as caliphs, or religious leaders, starting in the early 16th century) ruled until Atatürk created the republic in 1923 and abolished the sultanate.  One can see the mix of these cultures everywhere in Istanbul.

Bayram accompanied us on the bus to Istanbul as there was a mini-workshop that he and Sadik (from Bosphorus University in Istanbul) had organized and that they and Gerald were participating in for the first few days of our stay.  The drive was beautiful; the landscape started with the rocky plains around Ankara, past hills and large lakes, through large, tree-covered mountains (that reminded us of the White Mountains of NH), and then down to the Bosphorous Sea and into Istanbul.  It was very exciting to see the Bosphorous and the city along the coastline with homes nestled among the trees; it looked a bit like a very large Sydney Harbor.  It was late evening, so the light made everything that much prettier.  Sadik met us at the university and took us to the guesthouses where we were staying.  The university is housed in a beautiful Victorian-era American high school complex situated on the hill next to the castle that Mehmet built overlooking the sea.  There are only about 10,000 students and the buildings are beautiful.  Both Bayram's and our room had spectacular views of the Sea. Since it was dark, the bridges were lighted up, making it look even more beautiful.   Below left is the view we saw from the room our 1st morning - what a way to wake up!).  The guesthouse (below, right) is just to the left of the left round castle tower at the top of hill.  We felt like we were in a five-star hotel and ended up sitting in front of our window regularly to enjoy the view.  It was very peaceful and quiet too.
 
Sunday morning, Sadik and his brother, Sedat met us at the university.  We walked down the hill to the coast to the neighborhood of Bebek, just below the university, and caught a ferry across to the European side of the Bosphorous, to the village of Kanlica, for breakfast.  It was a beautiful ride that passed by the castle (pictured above) and afforded us views of some of the yalıs (seaside homes) that used to line the coast.  Some of these old homes have been renovated very nicely (see below left), while others are very run down (it is illegal to tear these heritage sights down, so families often leave them to rot). Bayram's brother, Kamil, met us at the restaurant.  They were all very friendly and funny and it was a wonderful start to the visit.  We were sitting right next to the water so we could watch the HUGE ships, along with the ferries, private boats, fishing boats and the occasional rower (see below) all sharing the water.  It was very busy and seemed a bit dangerous, but everyone seemed to be managing. We had delicious eggs and then for dessert, Kanlica's famous yogurt.  They all had theirs with the traditional powdered sugar, while Gerald had his plain.  Elyse thought the ice cream one listed on the menu would be a frozen form of the yogurt, but it was actually yogurt with ice-cream on top!  More than she needed, but it was very tasty.  

Kamil then drove us down the coast to a ferry stop called Üsküdar where we caught a ferry back across to the Anatolian/Asian coast and the historic peninsula/area called Eminönü, where the most famous spots are located.  We passed through the old book seller's market (that's been there since Byzantine times) and passed by the entrance to Istanbul University with its 100,000 students. As we were walking we noticed hundreds of people outside studying; ends up they were all waiting to take a civil service exam to try to get work.  

Our first "formal" destination was the Süleymaniye complex.  This complex includes the phenomenal Süleymaniye mosque, completed in 1557 after just seven years of construction.   It was designed by one of the most famous architects, Sinan. The complex covers 63,000 square meters and also includes tombs (including those of Sultan Süleyman and the architect, Sinan), medreses (schools) and a Turkish bath, and a soup kitchen, among other things.  Süleyman, known also as Solomon the magnificent and the lawgiver, ruled from 1520-66.  During his reign he doubled the size of the Ottoman empire, was very involved in European political affairs, and created a law code that was studied by Henry VIII.  The building with the tombs was actually quite ornate (below, left), with gold mosaic ceilings and colorful tiles on the walls. However, the mosque itself is relatively simple in its decor.  It is still most impressive: its dome is more than 27m in diameter and rises 48.5 m from the floor.  We overheard a guide telling folks that each of the "sections" on the carpet is for an individual person to pray on (below, right).

We didn't expect to be able to see it on our first day, but our next stop was the Hagia Sophia (called the Ayasofia in Turkey).  This has been on each of our lists of places we want to see for a long time, so it was a bit overwhelming to be there.  This place was requisitioned by Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora,  It was designed by two mathematicians and was completed in only five years, from 532-7!!  It was sacked in 1204 by the Latin Christians (and many of the relics are still in Italy), but served as the main church of the Byzantine Empire until the city was captured in 1453 and the building was converted into a mosque. It was converted into a museum in 1934.  

It is hard to describe how vast and impressive this place is (below, left), especially considering it is almost 1500 years old!.  It measures 70m x 75m in the main area, and its dome is 31m in diameter (the other sultans kept trying to match its size later, but never could) and rises 55m above the floor.  The dominant color is a burnt yellow with lots of brown and gold in the designs.  The walls have different colored marbles whose natural designs complement the intricate art work.  We walked around with our jaws hanging open and had sore necks from looking up.  And if the decor wasn't impressive enough, we were stunned by the beauty of the mosaics that date from the 9th and 10th centuries (and were restored when museum workers removed the white paint that had covered everything).  The mosaics are beautiful and look like they were just made last week.  It all took our breath away and the others were exceedingly patient as we kept stopping to gape and soak it all in.


We were all ready for a break by now (it was about 4 p.m.), so we went to a "classic" restaurant called Sultanahmet that has about 5 items on the menu.  We ordered their specialty köfte and their white bean salad.  Simple food and incredibly delicious.  Gerald also had one of the Ayran drinks - yogurt diluted with water - that are also very good.  We split a halvasi dessert.  It was good, but didn't come close to being as good as the one we had had with Deniz and Bayram our last night in Ankara.

Refreshed and reenergized, we went across to visit the Sultan Ahmet mosque. It was prayer time, so visitors were not allowed in.  We took the opportunity to look around the area, which has many other sites of interest.  One is the old Hippodrome.  At its peak, this chariot-race track could hold up to 60,000 people. There isn't much left to it other than a large column that would have indicated one end of oval track (apparently the column had been covered with gilt-bronze, but that was taken by the Latins during the 4th Crusade).  Close to this was the top third (the rest didn't survive the journey over) of an obelisk that had been raised by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III (1549-1503 BC) and brought to Turkey by Emperor Theodosius in 390.  The 60m-tall obelisk was placed on a huge marble base with reliefs depicting scenes of the rule of Theodosius.  A fun mix of history and cultures.  We also saw one of the many ornate fountain buildings that are scattered around the city (right).  These are huge, beautifully decorated buildings dedicated to one tap for water.

The Sultan Ahmet Mosque was also built quite quickly (1609-16).  What is most impressive about it is the 20,000(!) tiles that cover the walls, some of which date from 1585.  The 260 windows give a soft light to the interior that allows one to appreciate the color and designs of the tiles. Even the bronze doors have a beautifully intricate design on them. Legend is that the new 19-year old sultan, Ahmet was so excited about building the mosque that he would help in the construction some days.

Our next stop was a building that used to be a Turkish bath, but is now used as a carpet showroom.  The building was most impressive (we were hoping to go to a real Turkish bath while we were there, but ran out of time), as were the carpets.  They were handwoven from wool or silk and used fantastic designs and colors.  We had an extra treat outside as a "Janissaries" marching band was playing and was dressed up in traditional uniforms (Janissaries were the old infantry troops and bodyguard of the sultans).  We were told that these were the first military marching bands and their rhythm inspired Mozart.

Sadik took us down some interesting backroads and brought us to a medrese that has been converted into craft workshops and a cafe.  We had a cup of tea in the tree-shaded courtyard and then looked around at some of the artwork.  A hidden gem.  Sadik had hoped to take us to Taksim, the area we would be staying in after the conference, but it was about 7:30 p.m. by then and we were all too pooped for another 2-hours of touring.  We walked over the Golden Horn (a waterway that cuts into the European side of Istanbul) via the Galata bridge (from where, we are told, the card-game "bridge" takes its name) which has two levels.  The lower level is filled with shops and restaurants (where we were asked by each proprietor to come in to eat - one even said he'd jump into the river if we didn't) and afforded us beautiful views of the mosques in the late afternoon sun.  It had been a pretty amazing first day in Istanbul.  

Monday, Gerald was working.  Given that most of the museums were closed, Elyse did not go back into the old city that day.  Instead she made her way down to Bebek, the seaside coast "under" the university.  She found a cafe by the sea and wrote in the travel journal while savoring the good food and incredible view.  Quite a relaxing day for her!  Gerald was pleased with the conference and with the chance to meet some of the Istanbul physicists.  We went out for dinner with a few of them to a fantastic fish restaurant where we had turbot and way too much other food!

Tuesday, while Gerald was working, Elyse visited a museum on campus that was the home of a Turkish artist (Fikret) and had memorabilia from two famous poets, as well.  Unfortunately we don't know their work and there were only limited English explanations.  Nice view from the balcony though!  Sadik had recommended taking a bus along the shore to a neighborhood called Beşhiktaş so Elyse did that and came across the Storage Museum.  This is where they have placed items from houses of pashas and other buildings that have been converted into museums/are being used for other purposes.  Many of the items (e.g., fireplace sets, candleabras, ink wells, etc.) would have been shoved into basements or closets and might have been ruined, so they established this place.  It looked like a giant warehouse - some nice stuff though!  They were having an exhibition of Porcelain, so she went into that.  Most of the items were way too garrish for her tastes, but there is no question that a lot of work went into making and decorating them (by hand, of course!).

In the afternoon, Sadik drove the 3 of us (with Bayram) down to Taksim to tour that area together.  It felt like we were in a completely different city.  Taksim has been vastly renovated over the past 5-10 years and has gone from a run-down, crime-ridden area to a bustling area filled with shops catering to students / a younger crowd.  There is a long (about 2 km/1 mile) pedestrian street, called Istiklal that always has people walking on it. There is also a historical tram that travels back and forth on it.  After parking the car near Taksim Square (where we would stay at the end of the week), for the next three hours or so Sadik led us all to many interesting spots and more hidden gems: passageways between buildings that housed 2nd-hand bookstores, craft shops and/or cafés;  a series of streets whose buildings had been completely gutted and renovated in the past 2 years to mimic Paris streets filled with brasseries and galleries; old hotels where people like Agatha Christie and her ilk used to stay; a cafe filled with incredible black-and-white photos of Istanbul by Ava Güler; a home of the whirling dervishes; numerous great book shops (good thing we don't want to carry more books or we'd have bought some of the shops out); and the Galata Tower.  This tower was built by the Genovese in 1348 and stands 62m high.  It can easily be seen from the other shores, but it looked even more impressive up close.  There is a great view from the top, but we decided to explore more on the ground.  Istiklal street looked extra pretty when the decorative lights came on (below).

Dinner was at an absolutely fantastic place called haci abdullah.  We shared a variety of mezes, including a delicious stuffed eggplant that Bayram said he usually makes his entire dinner.  It was superb.  We then shared a variety of lamb dishes that were also each very tasty.  And then, incase we weren't stuffed enough, we shared 4 desserts.  The most interesting was a quince covered with a banana, honey and cream that was served with fresh berries.  That alone would have been enough for the 4 of us, but we made it through everything somehow.  The tea helped a bit, but not much. When we were driving back to the university we realized that we felt like we had visited a different city that day.  Fantastic place.

Wednesday we went with Bayram to visit the Dolmabahçe Palace, built from 1843-56, and to which the Ottoman sultans moved from the original Topkapi Palace (that had been built in the 15th century).  The place is enormous - with 285 rooms, 43 grand halls, and 6 Turkish baths - and it is as garrishly decorated as Versailles.  In fact, it was a very Western-looking palace and clearly showed how the empire was influenced by European fashions (and bad taste) at the time.  The extravagance is clear evidence that the empire was on its way out - it would be abolished within 60 years of the sultans moving here.  We visited the main area and the Harem quarters  (a bit more subdued) and couldn't imagine ourselves living in any of the rooms (below, left). There were some impressive bits though - fantastic (and sometimes huge) handwoven carpets, interesting ceiling designs in the baths (below, right), a 4.5 ton chandelier (in the imperial hall that also had 56 columns) and a three-wood parkay floor with beautiful geometric designs that was put together without glue or nails.  It was interesting to see, but a bit sad, too.
 
We took a ferry and (long) bus ride to get to the Physics Institute where Sadik was working that day (and where some of the workshop attendees are based).  Gerald met with some of them for a bit and then Sadik dropped Bayram and us off at a spot where Bayram's brother, Kamil could pick us up for dinner.  He took us to a place with this amazing view of the castle.  We watched the light change on it as the sun went down and the lights came on - stunning.  Good food and great company, too!  We were struck again by the generosity and friendliness we encountered.
  
Thursday morning we were moving into Taksim, so we took a cab from the guesthouse.  Kamil had arranged it for us, providing us with his corporate discount.  The room was on the 8th floor and had a beautiful view of the water again.  It was raining that morning, so after dropping off the bags, we took the tram down to the other end of Istiklal street and then took the metro into Eminönü.  It was extremely helpful to have had the tours around this area as it made it easier for us to navigate through the public transport and the streets.  We headed over to the Basilica Cistern, built in the 6th century and providing water long after that.  There were waves of tour groups arriving about the same time, but we decided to brave the crowds anyway.  We are glad we did as none of the tour groups stays in one place very long anyway, so we could just wait them out and appreciate the quiet.  This cistern is unbelievable (we need a thesaurus for additional adjectives for this city's site):  it covers an area of 9800 square meters and has 336 marble columns that are each 9 meters (about 30 feet).  It was beautifully lit and even has two columns with heads of Medusa (although one head is on its side and one upside down).  We enjoyed walking around and seeing the reflections - and the fish.

Our next stop was the Grand Bazaar (one of the few memories Elyse has of her family's trip here when she was 8-years old).  The bazaar was first established in the 15th century and has about 4,000 shops in a maze of lanes and alleyways.  There is a lot of junk - it is definitely a tourist stop - but also some spectacular stuff, including carpets, hand-painted tiles, scarves and jewelry.  We wandered around for a few hours (holding off the friendly but persistent shopkeepers!), stopped for a cup of tea and enjoyed the prime people-watching before leaving for Kariye Museum.

It took us a while to find the way to Kariye, but we figured it out.  We got off the tram and were walking along the inside of the old city walls toward it when we passed through a neighborhood of homes that looked as if they should have been condemned. Families were clearly living in them and kids were running around playing, but it was very sad to see.  A good reminder, though, of the many faces of this (and any) city.

The Kariye Museum is located in an old church that dates from the 11th century.  The draw though, is the mosaics and paintings on the walls that date from about 1320.  The mosaics are filled with gold and are beautiful, but it was also the expressiveness of the faces in the mosaics that took our breath away.  We had read that we should take our binoculars and we are glad we did so that we could see the details on the domes.  It's a small place, but we spent a few hours soaking in the details and appreciating the artistry of it all.

We had dinner back near the hotel - somehow they figured out we were tourists (again) and were a bit too pushy for our tastes, but the food was good and they left us alone when bigger groups showed up. We decided to try the dessert place that Sadik had pointed out to us, called Saray. Little did we know what trouble this would cause us. We ordered two types of dessert: Kuşgözu (minced pistachios mixed with honey, wrapped in a thin sheet of pastry and topped with walnuts) and Burma Kadayıf (pistachios wrapped in vermicelli noodles, mixed with honey and baked so that the noodles are crispy (see below)).  The waiter showed up with the portions: 4 pieces of the first kind and 2 huge ones of the second kind. And it was all so very, very, very, good that we ate every last bite of it (and would have licked the plates if it there hadn't been so many people around).  The trouble was that we were hooked- we went back to this place each of the remaining nights. We're drooling just writing about it.  

Our focus for Friday was Topkapi Palace.  This palace was commissioned by Mehmet II (of conquering Istanbul fame) in 1470.  It was added onto by other sultans who lived there and served as the "heart" of the Ottoman Empire until the official palace was moved to Dolmabahçe in the mid 1800s.  Up to 3,000 people lived here; the place is HUGE.  It is also right on the edge of the peninsula, so there are beautiful views at every turn.  We went to the Harem section first because we thought it would get more crowded later in the day.  The harem wasn't moved here until the mid 16th century, but it fits in very nicely with the rest of the place.  It alone has 300-400 rooms, 40 of which were just for the Queen Mother. Concubines were brought to the palace when they were 12-14 years old and were educated in palace etiquette, music, embroidery, etc.  Their goal was to catch the eye of the sultan and bear him a male heir so that they could become Queen Mother.  There was probably a fair bit of intrigue and back-stabbing going on. The concubines were guarded by eunuchs chosen only if they were ugly enough so that they would not be tempting to the young ladies in their charge.  The courtyards and rooms in the entire palace are covered with exquisite hand-painted tiles.  There is also superb word carvings on the doors, superb paintings and stunning architecture.  We kept asking ourselves, "Why did they move to the  Dolmabahçe Palace?  Why would anyone want to leave such an amazing place?"  That's when it really hit how difficult it has been for Turkey to find the right balance between its pride in its traditions and history, and its desire to "modernize" and "fit in" with the western world.

We really can't adequately describe the abundance of color and beauty of this place, so we'll just leave you with some pictures of it.  We have many more where they came from.


We both love the hand-painted tiles (imagine the amount of work that went into any one of these, never mind the whole palace).  Luckily Gerald has a steady enough hand for close-ups.  We've chosen a few of the many spectacular sites to share.


In addition to the living areas and formal rooms, there are also the formal kitchens (they would serve 4,000 people a day here) that included some pots big enough to bathe in.  There was also the treasury exhibit that includes an 86-carat diamond, an inlaid ebony and mother-of-pearl throne, an emerald-encrusted dagger (called the Topkapi dagger), and a huge array of pendants, turban pins, and other objects dripping with precious gems.  One could easily see the shift toward western tastes in the later years in these objects as well.  The arms & armor exhibit was also interesting (though the weapons did look pretty lethal).  Unfortunately, one of the main halls was closed for restoration, so we missed seeing the collection of miniatures and religious relics (including one of Muhammad's teeth and some of his whiskers).

We had a great time taking our time and exploring the place.  We had stopped for lunch overlooking the Sea from a balcony one of the sultans had built and sat in various courtyards soaking in the history and beauty of the place.  It was a fabulous place to spend the day.

We had time to go visit the Spice Bazaar, so we headed over there next.  Gerald's folks had remarked on how frustrated they were when they visited there that they could not bring some of the goodies home.  We concur completely with them! The vendors had plenty of free samples of Turkish Delight (which we partook of quite happily), but we knew we couldn't take home all that we wanted of the spices, sweets, and dried fruits and nuts that were being offered. We enjoyed sniffing, seeing and tasting our way up and down the lanes. Locals were buying things along with the tourists who were visiting there, so it felt more authentic.  We would love to have even one of the stalls near Storrs.


We were a bit tired of walking, so we hopped on one of the commuter ferries to take a ride on the Bosphorus.  It felt great to smell the fresh air, see the amazing sights, have a glass of tea (of course), relax and let all that we had seen that day settle in our minds.  It was also fun to see the Topkapi Palace from the sea (below, left). We decided to stay in Eminönü for dinner so that we could see the mosques in the evening.  We went back to the Sultanahmet restaurant that we had gone to with Sadik, Sedat and Bayram and had more of their delicious bean salad and köfte. Sitting on a bench between the Hagia Sofia and Sultan Ahmet mosque, we watched guys walk around trying to sell glasses of tea.  One of the guys would just say "chai-chai-chai-chai-chai-chai-chai" really quickly as he walked around.  Made us giggle.  They must have had a hot water tap or something in the bushes right near us because they kept going in there and coming out with tea.  Fun to watch. We left before full darkness/ full illumination of the buildings, but the Hagia Sophia (center) and Sultan Ahmet mosque (right) were breathtaking in the late evening sun. 


On the tram ride back to Taksim we were able to see the major mosques and buildings lighted up and it looked spectacular.  We had saved room to go to Saray again for dessert.  This time we knew to ask for a half-portion at least.  But we still had two varieties: Burma Kadayıf (the vermicelli-pistachio one) and pistachio baklava which was the most delicious baklava we had ever tasted (very buttery vs. honey-ey). 

Saturday morning we headed back to the Topkapi museum area to visit the three museums nearby: the Archeology Museum, the Museum of the Orient, and the Tiled Pavilion.  We started in the Archeology Museum and knew we were in for a treat when we walked into the first room and saw a gigantic sarcophagus with incredible carvings on it.  Ends up the Royal Tomb of Sidon, dating from the 4th century BC, had been found in 1887 by a farmer working his land.  King Abdalonymos's tomb was the first one we saw and it is amazing.  The carvings are extremely realistic and expressive and there were still remnants of the colors that had been used to paint it.  Other than the weapons in the carvings having been broken off and/or stolen, it looked like it was recently carved.  We must have circled around looking at it for 15-20 minutes.  The picture on the left is a detail from the King's sarcophagus; the one on the right gives you a sense of the size of these things.  Much of this section of the museum was focused on burial - steles, sarcophogi, and even this mummy with hair left on his scalp (can't wait to show that to the students).  There were tombstones for whole families, for gladiators, and even for favorite dogs. It was interesting to read the translations of some of the inscriptions, including poems and curses.
 
We took a break for a hot chocolate/Turkish coffee in the garden that was filled with huge statues, parts of columns and blocks of red marble.  It was relaxing and beautiful.  For a change of pace, we took a quick walk through the Tiled Pavillion.  This features pottery through the ages.  It was interesting and there were some beautiful pieces, but on the whole it paled in comparison to the Topkapi Palace's collection.

When we went back into the Archeology Museum, we went through a section of sculptures that included this beautiful one of a young athlete resting after his workout and this man who looks like he's looking right through you, doesn't he?

Elyse had read that there was a copy of the first written peace treaty (between the Hittite King Hattušiliš and Raamses II in 1269 BC) and wanted to see it since she teaches about it in her classes.  We asked the guard and were directed to the Museum of the Orient.  This has art and artifacts from many different countries in the area.  It was amazing to see the treaty "in person"and to read the translation (including the statement that the Egyptian version slants things to make Raamses look better.) There was an interesting collection of cuneiform tablets there that included part of Hammurabi's Law Code (Elyse teaches about it), the oldest love poem (that made Gerald's eyes roll) and everyday things like a multiplication table - all in cuneiform on clay tablets from the 18th century BC!  There were also sections of the Great Ishtar Gate in Babylon (that Elyse also talks about in class), including huge relief panels that were colorful and looked newly made.  We ended up seeing a lot of beautiful sculptures, reliefs and artifacts in this museum, but we were running out of steam, so we went through it quickly.  One could easily spend a week among the two main museums.

We had talked about taking a ferry up the Bosphorus toward the entrance to the Black Sea and discovered that there was one leaving about 10 minutes after we asked the Tourist Information lady about it.  So we ran over to the piers and hopped on the boat and spent the next 5 hours enjoying the fresh air and views.  It was a glorious day and the water was a turquoise blue (trivia - did you know that the word turquoise comes from Turk quartz?).  We enjoyed seeing the familiar sights again (more yelis (houses) and old mansions, the Galata Tower, the palaces, the mosques, the castle, etc.) and then noting how long it took (about 1 1/2 hours) before the coastline became less developed.  This city is huge!  Most of the areas are still a nice mix of green and buildings though; only a few had been overdeveloped.

When we returned to the old city, we visited the Spice Bazaar again (and purchased some things this time) and then went back to Taksim.  We chose our two favorite spots to finish on - the restaurant we had gone to with Sadik and Bayram that had the phenomenal stuffed eggplant (amongst many other delicious things) and, of course, Saray for dessert.  We finally ordered the right amount - one serve of our favorite Burma Kadayıf.  The perfect end to a great day.

Sunday we only had the morning, but we had planned to go into the old city for one last look around. We stopped at Saray for a last glass of tea and Turkish coffee (and didn't succumb to the temptation of all the goodies there because we were well and truly tired of eating) before getting our luggage and going to the airport.

Istanbul - and what little we saw of Turkey as a whole - was much more interesting and beautiful than we had expected ... and we had pretty high expectations going.  Other than feeling like we need to be on a diet for the next month, it was a perfect couple of weeks.