Turkish Doner Kebabs and Ottoman Opulence

We tried street eating. We have tried corn on the cub and pretzel. But this time, we wanted to go all the way. The kids loved it, except Obi, of course, who only had fanta.

It smelt good, and watching the attendant slice the kebab meat off, tuck in the meat along with tomato, pickles, and chilli; splatter meat broth on the bread/wrap, and allow the bread to brown for a few minutes, was enough to get the mouth watering. And when it was time for the bite, it was worth the wait.

The Dolmabahce Palace

Earlier in the day, we visited another palace. Dolmabahce Sarayi demonstrated that Topkapi was a warm up to the extravagant display of wealth by the sultans. Built by Sultan Ahmet I (1601-1671), the Dolmabahce left us wondering why anyone would need to build such extravagant palace in the 16th century. According to some sources, the only instruction to the architect and the builder was that the palace "surpass any other palace of any other potentate anywhere in the world." And surely it did. And partly bankrupted the empire.

For one thing, it contained the biggest chandelier in Europe weighing more than 4 tons.

 It has whole ball rooms with gold plated ceiling.

The spiraling staircase is of crystal.

Four Sultans, including the last one lived here. Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey lived and died here. Indeed, all the clocks in the palace are set to 9:05, the time he died. Ataturk is so revered in this country that it is still a crime to criticize him in public, even though he died back in 1938.

After the palace tour, we took some pictures outside.

On our way back to the apartment, we stopped by Taskim Square.

 Trying to conduct the local tram at Taskim Square:

Then, as has been the case, we had at least two different families come up to take pictures with us. Weird. And another, carrying Chizor and kissing her on the cheeks.

Bosphorus Day Cruise & Topkapi

We spent half of the day on The Bosphorus (a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia) which runs through Istanbul,  the only city that is located on two continents: Europe and Asia.  We boarded the ferry around noon today. Excited! It was a big boat. We were among to first to board and had the opportunity to sit any where we wanted.

The smooth ride took us from the Eminonu docks to Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and back.

Amaka was afraid that she would get sea-sick. So, with Ugo, she went on the the main level, while I remained on the top deck with the 'twins' for a while.

We sailed under one of the bridges that connects the two continents in the city:

Chizor wanted the local sandwich. She mowed it down and poured the cup of fresh squeezed orange juice right on the deck. What a surprise! She had to make do with bottled water we brought on board.


We later went to the Topkapi--the Showplace of the Sultans.
 
The Topkapi was built in 1459 by Sultan Mehmet II. It is an elaborate palace with out-of-this world architecture, furnishings, flamboyance and unbelievable collection of precious stones.  It has room for 1000 kitchen staff alone. It has four elaborate courtyards. On the first court yard is a church from the Byzantine era that was never converted into a mosque even during the Ottoman empire. Among other highlights are:

Gate of Salutation, built by Suleyman the Magnificent in 1524. Only the sultan could enter the gate on horseback.  The two towers held the slaves before they were executed:

In front of the Gate of Salutation is the Fountain of the Executioner, where the killers washed the blood of the victims off their hands.



In front of the Gate to the Divan:

 Assembly Room of the Council of State where the Sultan met with his court officials and subjects:

By the royal water fountain:

 

Also on display are:

• Some of the private effects of prophet Mohamed.
• 'Staff of Moses' , the one apparently used to path the red sea--how do we know that?
• cast of the foot print of the prophet Mohamed
• 86 carat spoonmaker diamond
• A basket of precious emeralds
• Topkapi dagger
• Armors of the Sultans, including bows, spears, guns & shields

Chilling at the park after a long walk through various sites:

A Slow Day

Today was a slow day. We got out of the house by late afternoon, and went on a walk along the Bosphorus river that separates the European and Asian part of Istanbul. Watched ferries, cruise liners and small boats sail on the river. The kids enjoyed playing at the park by the river.

Walking through the cisek pasaji, and other shops, window shopping..

How do women in Niqab eat in public?

We found our way to a local Indian restaurant for dinner. The kids were intrigued as some ladies in traditional Niqab came to the restaurant to eat. We got the answer as the ladies raised side of the face covering to eat, without revealing their faces. What a tradition!

Summer 2012 - The Turkish Adventure Begins

Can you give us more detailed updates on the this trip? Why are you traveling with children this young? What actually do you do with them on these trips? These and similar questions we hope to answer on this blog.

Last year, we had difficulty posting updates and pictures from our trip to Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco. Even after we sent links to the pictures, some friends were unable to open them.To make it easier to keep family and friends updates on our travels, this blog was born. We hope to keep you updated regularly, and answer questions about this trip.

Meeting Ugo's Uncle and Aunt

The flight was uneventful, except that we flew with Ugo's uncle and his wife on our flight to France. Pure luck! On their way to Nigeria, they were routed through Minneapolis, where we boarded. I had never met them before; the kids had never, either. Even Ugo had not seen them in more than 10 years. So, this was a joyful meeting and reunion for all.

First Full Day in Istanbul

This is a fascinating and complex city. It is one of top 3 most populated cities in the world, with about 13 million inhabitants.  The country is an Islamic republic, but the city is very secular, yet with mosques dotting the landscape. Ladies in very short mini skirts, walking next to those in hijabs; beers and liquor abundantly available from liquor and grocery stores; grocery store with bacon; pet dogs running around; call to prayers every few hours while young couples are kissing and cuddling by the corner.

This city has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. It served as the capital of the Byzantines and Ottoman empires. Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to this city, and it was called Constantinople--city of Constantine.  In 395, the Empire was divided into two, with Rome being the capital of the western half and the eastern (Byzantine) half  centered in Constantinople. It was not until 1453 that Sultan Mehmet II captured the city and renamed it Istanbul--city of Islam, thus marking the beginning of an era.

For our first day, one key thing that confused us was how Istanbullus love children and go out to their way to show it. Adults would come and ask for permission to take pictures with one of the children; another would ask permission to have their kid take picture with our children; another would take picture of our children playing with one another; yet another will pull on our kids cheeks, pat their head. For someone traveling from the United States where you guard your children like a hawk, it was quite disorienting.  A carpet salesman (another ubiquitous species) said it was the "Obama Effect".

Sites Visited

We made it to the Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosques. The Haghia Sophia is the most amazing structure with incredible history. Built in 537 as a Christian Church by Justinian and was the biggest Church in the world for more than 900 years. When the Ottoman conqured the place they used it as a Mosque until the 19th century when Aturtuk decided to covert it to a museum. For details about this masterpiece, click here.   We also went into the museleum where some Sultans were buried. Very strange.

Below are some pictures from inside the Haghia Sophia:
 

The kids in front of the Haghia Sophia

We later went to the Blue Mosque.

Completed in 1616, it became on of the most celebrated mosques in the world. Only this Mosque and the one in Saudi Arabia have 6 Minarets. it has more than 20,000 blue tiles, hence the name.  The delicate and intricate details reminded us of Alhambra, in Granada Spain. As is customary, we all had to remove our shoes, (stinky feet, anyone!) and they gave Ugo blue fabric to cover her shoulders.

Inside the Blue Mosque:

We took the light rail to  Taskim Square where we strolled around; went to Turkcell office, where I had forgotten my passport yesterday, to pick it up; bought corn on the cub, sat around the square, watch some teenage girls with Justin Bieber fever, etc.

Taskim Square: