A Pair of Panties and Boxers

This post is part 14 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

After watching the street music performance near The Galata Tower, JC and I strolled over the Galata Bridge just in time to catch the sun set behind the Istanbul skyline. It was dusk by the time we arrived at Eminonu and since it was still early, JC and I decided to take a ferry to Uskudar for 1.5 lira. When we landed on the Anatolian shore of the Bosporus River, there was a massive line snaked around the dock. We followed it all the way to the beginning and discovered that everyone was lined up waiting to be served their first meal of the day on Ramadan.

JC and I walked to a small square near the dock. Uskudar is a very residential district. Many of the people here are locals who commute to Eminonu for work. There is a large population of university students and retirees. We were people-watching as night fell and it was quite interesting to see how Ramadan is observed in public. When the mosques began to chant, everyone around us began to rustle through their plastic bags.

The pot-bellied middle-aged man to our left pulled out a plastic container of water and drank it in one gulp. A couple each pulled out their sandwiches and tore through the plastic. A guy from across the courtyard lit a cigarette and finished it in four puffs. A little girl flew by carrying a dish of food and then the lights came on at the mosque sitting right in front of us.

The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is one of Uskudar’s most famous landmarks. It was one of the first two mosques designed by Mimar Sinan and built my Mihrimah Sultana, the daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. JC readily identified the mosque because of its Sinan-esque features. The mosque had several of his signature styles. We stared at the mosque in awe because when the lights lit up it looked magical, like it was straight out of a story book.

The ferry ride back was definitely a pleasant surprise as well. I was expecting to board onto the same worn down wooden ferry boat that we arrived in. But instead a 5-star cruise liner pulled up to the dock. The cruise boat came with beige leather seats, shiny marble furniture and large flat screen TVs!  We paid the same amount for this ride – 1.5 lira. Talk about getting my money’s worth. 1.5 lira is about $1 USD.

This post is part 13 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

The sixth day in Istanbul was our lazy Saturday. Technically, it was a Wednesday but we’d been running around the city like lab rats since we landed. It felt like a Saturday. Our days usually started at 7:30AM. We’d snooze for an hour, get dressed and have breakfast on the hotel terrace. By the time we left the Hali Hotel, it was around 10AM and we’d explored the city non-stop until 11PM. Once we got back to the hotel we’d shower and take a face-dive into the pillow. But this morning we decided to take it easy.

We slept in and had brunch in what use to be the home of Hakki Pasha.

Hakkı Pasha, who was the governor of Yemen in the last era of Ottoman Period, between the years 1846 – 1914, lived in this house. He constructed the building in the authentic architectural form together with the most famous Turkish architects of the period. And he lived here until 1911 with his family. This place of Hakkı Pasha has an important place in the history. His grandchildren restored this historical building for Hakkı Pasha’s memory. And now, they are operating this place, which has a magnificent atmosphere, under the title CozyPub Restaurant. -  CozyPub & Restaurant

After brunch it was another day of trekking. We took the funicular at Kabatas Station to Taksim Square. Taksim is known as the new Istanbul. The most important monument is the Independence Monument. It commemorates Kemal Ataturk, the father day of modern day Istanbul. The monument displays his two roles – one as the military commander-in-chief and the other as a statesman.

Across this monument is the Ataturk Cultural Center, which use to be known as the Istanbul Cultural Palace. During the early years of the Republic, it use to be an opera house but it was damaged during a fire in 1970. After it was renovated they renamed it the Ataturk Cultural Center. Concerts, operas, exhibitions and premiers are held here.

Nearby the monument is Istiklal Caddessi, or Istiklal Street. It extends all the way to the Galata Tower. This road is filled with retail shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes, a few movie theaters and many historic sites. The walk through Taksim didn’t take too long. JC and I stopped by a few book stores and paid a visit to the St. Anthony of Padua Church. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul. The original church was built by the Italian community. The current church was rebuilt in Venetian Neo-Gothic style by the Istanbulite Levantino Italian and architect Giulio Mongeri.

The walk down Istiklal Caddessi takes about an hour and a half. JC and I sauntered about but we didn’t have much of an urge to go into the shops that lined the cosmopolitan pavilion. We walked all the way down to The Galata Tower and by the time we arrived, the sun was just about to set. We sat down in front of the tower and caught an amazing street performance.

Click here to watch the video!

This post is part 7 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.

The Galata Tower

If you lucked out of a stay in the Hali Hotel and it’s terrace view of The Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque and The Bosporus River, visiting the Galata Tower is the second best place to go for a panoramic view of the Old Istanbul. JC and I hopped on a bus from Chamberlitas station in Sultanahmet and took it over the Galata Bridge. The sun beamed at a 45 degree angel. In a few hours it would be setting. There would be no better place to watch the sun set over the Istanbul skyline than up on the Galata Tower.

We climbed up the vertical hill before reaching the foot of the medieval stone cylinder, where a line already snaked around the base. The Galata Tower stands out as one of Istanbul’s most striking landmarks. The blue cone capped tower offers a panoramic view of The Golden Horn, The Bosporus River, the Sea of Marmara and the skyline of Old Istanbul dotted with minarets and dome mosques.

The Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 to fortify the city. After the Ottoman Conquest, it became a holding place for captured war prisoners and a watch tower for spotting fires. There is an Old Galata Tower called the Megalos Pyrogos, which was built during the Byzantine period on another location. It was used to control the entrance of the Golden Horn. However, the old tower was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade.

The current Galata Tower contains a restaurant, a café and a nightclub. None of which were of any interest to me. I darted straight to the narrow deck to claim my spot and held down the fort until the sun set. The deck is just wide enough for one person but tourists are impatient. They squeeze by anyway forcing the person standing closest to the fence to sway the upper half of their body over the edge giving them a thrilling view of the 220 foot drop. It’s not for the faint of heart. Good thing I’m short. I didn’t sway over too much.

We lingered on the deck long after sunset. The city looked different at night but it was still as lively as it was before. From above, the lights below were the heartbeats of the city. Everything seem to have a pulse – the restaurants, the cars, the mosques, the ferries, the streets, everything.  JC and I made our way back over to Eminonu via the under path below the Galata Bridge. Restaurants filled the length of the bridge from one end to the other. Looking out towards the water, I could see the almost invisible fishing lines that were dangling from above.

At the end of the Galata Bridge in the Eminonu district, three neon flashing fishing boats rocked heavily from left to right. They were Eminonu’s famous fish boats that served fish sandiches straight from the deck. I was a little seasick just watching the cooks work. I wonder how they stayed on for so long. The waves crashed hard along the boardwalk and the boat almost looked like it was about to tip over. The cooks didn’t look phased at all. They must have taken some really strong dopamine. We sat away from the water and people-watched from afar while we munched on our fish sandwiches. Our fingers smelled fishy for a very long time but I didn’t mind. It was great to be absorbed in another world.