Posts Tagged ‘Istanbul Series’

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The Grand Bazaar, The Spice Market & A Chinese Restaurant

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

This post is part 17 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.

Spice Bazaar

Spice Bazaar - Photo from Elizabeth Anne Designs

The Grand Bazaar is a maze that expands over 58 streets. The shops inside are filled with jewelry, pottery, spices, carpets and restaurants. The Spice Bazaar is the second oldest bazaar and shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. You would think that shopping in these two bazaars would consume most of the day but it didn’t for JC and I.

We saved our visit to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market for our very last day in Istanbul. We’re not big on shopping but we made an attempt to buy souvenirs. It was a failed attempt. The hawking turned me off and made not want to buy anything. Like any popular tourist attraction, it was overcrowded and swarmed with shoppers. Plus, it was raining that day so many people decided to visit the markets to escape the rain.

Changcheng Restaurant

Changcheng Restaurant

After a hectic stroll through the bazaars, our last day in Istanbul ended with dinner at Changcheng, a Chinese restaurant! “Chang cheng” literally translates to “long wall.” That’s what we call The Great Wall of China in Chinese. The restuarant was so close to where we were staying, the Hali Hotel. We had no idea it was right around the corner until the day we took a cab to the Chora Church.

We were one of the first customers to arrive for the night. Our Turkish waiter spoke a few Chinese phrases and we complimented his pronunciation. After we placed our order, there was a flock of Asian tour group that came and quickly filled up three large tables. We said hello as they walked by and their tour guide actually came over to introduce himself to us. We chatted for a little bit and learned that many of the tourist in his group were professors from Taiwan and Singapore.

Changcheng Restaurant Menu

Changcheng Restaurant Menu

Our hostess was from mainland China. She told us that she has been living in Istanbul for about 4 years and that she speaks a little Turkish. We asked her if it was a hard language to learn and she it was easier than she expected. It’s interesting to know where the Chinese diaspora extends to. It was like a little piece of home in Istanbul. It sure felt nice to have some hot fish soup.

If you’re ever in Istanbul and craving some Chinese food, check out Changcheng Restaurant.

Changcheng Restaurant
Binbirdirek Mahallesi Peykhane Sokak No:46/1
Sultanahmet, Istanbul
Tel:(0212) 458-6760
Fax: (0212) 458-6759
www.changchengrestaurant.com
info@changchengrestaurant.com

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The Harem At The Topkapi Palace

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

This post is part 16 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.

Apartment of The Sultan's Mother

Apartment of The Sultan's Mother

The line for the harem can get ridiculously long so if there was ever a short line, take advantage of it. To our luck, there were only about five or six people ahead of us when JC and I awaited to purchase our tickets. The entrance to the Harem is not included in the admission ticket you first purchased to get into the Topkapi Palace. (Way to make money right?)

The Harem is the home of the sultan’s mother, all of his concubines, his children and their eunuch servants. One of the first rooms is the Hall of Ablution Fountain. Its interior is beautifully decorated in Iznik tiles. The room leads to the courtyard of the eunuchs. The main entrance of the harem separates the concubines and their families from the courtyard of the eunuchs. The main entrance is followed by the sultan’s mother and then the courtyard for the sultan’s consorts and his concubines.

The room of the sultan’s mother is one of the largest and most important part in the harem. The only rooms that were open to the public was the dining room and her bedroom. The interior was also beautifully decorated with Iznik tiles. Her room is connected to the sultan’s mother’s bathroom and the quarters of the sultan. Her bathroom consists of multiple rooms with domes and glass tiles for natural sunlight. The floor is covered in white and gray marble and the marble tub includes an extravagant fountain with gilded iron grills. These iron grills seem to be the characteristic features of the Topkapi Palace.

Imperial Hall
Following the sultan’s mother’s bathroom is the Imperial Hall. It is the largest dome in the palace. The room contains the sultan’s throne. There’s a secret door behind the mirror that serves as a safe passage in case of danger. Of the doors leads to the sultan’s mother’s apartment and the other leads to the sultan’s hammam.
Twin Kiosk

Our self guided tour took as outside to the Twin Kiosk. The interior is beautifully decorated in stained-glass windows. From the inside, it has an amazing view of the Galata Tower. This is where the crown prince resided until they became adults.

Courtyard of the Favorites

Outside of the Twin Kiosk is the The Courtyard of the Favorites.  This is where the sultan’s favorite consorts lived. They were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery from their windows.

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Unmet Expectations At The Topkapi Palace

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

This post is part 15 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.

Gate of Salutation

Gate of Salutation

The more I travel, the more I realize that the less explored sites often take my breath away more so than popular touristy sites that everyone says it’s a “must-do.” Maybe it’s because I have higher expectation for sites that everyone talks about and less expectations for sites that aren’t mentioned in every single guide book and travel blog.

When I come across something totally unexpected, it leaves an impression and makes me wonder why it doesn’t receive the same amount of publicity as other popular sites. Maybe the impressiveness of the sites becomes diminished once it’s a major tourist attraction. To me it’s no longer as authentic as something that’s hidden in a back alley. It becomes another form of western commercialism charging additional fees for this and that and higher fees for more experiences.

However, not all popular tourist destinations fail to live up to it’s hype. For example, everything I’ve ever read about the Forbidden City was nothing but praises of beauty and extravagance. Even with high expectations, it still blew me away. I had the same kind of expectation for the Topkapi Palace but it wasn’t what I had hoped for. Maybe my expectations were too high.

It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former primary residence for the Ottoman Sultans before they moved to the more westernized Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosporus River. The Topkapi Palace became museum for it’s fine example of Ottoman architecture and it’s collection of porcelains, weapons, armors, calligraphic manuscripts and it’s most prized treasure and jewelry.

JC and I bought our entrance tickets and proceeded through the Imperial Gate. It was covered in marble and written with gilded inscriptions over a high arch. The gate led to the first courtyard followed by the Gate of Salutation, which was also richly inscribed with calligraphy.

Imperial Council

Imperial Council

The first building that instantly caught my eye was the Imperial Council. You can’t miss it with it’s naturally illuminating gilded exterior. The porch and floor was made entirely of marble. The white and green wooden ceiling was decorated in gold.  The exterior walls and entrance was plastered in gilded gold. No other building in the Topkapi Palace that I had seen matched up to the lavishness of this one.

JC and I wandered in and out of the courtyards just to get a feel of the palace. It was grand in size but it didn’t match up to my expectations. Like any other major tourist attractions, swarms of tour groups and visitors filled up the palace as the day progressed. Lines were getting excessively long and visitors were getting impatient.

The Imperial Treasury was one of the main sites of the palace. The line to enter snaked around and around and it moved at a snail’s pace. When we finally got in the air was humid and musky. Swarms of people crowded around the glass windows to get a glimpse of the glistening jewels. I’m not a big fan of things that sparkle but curiousity made me wonder what everyone was drooling over.

View From Topkapi Palace

View From Topkapi Palace

The one thing that did make me go ga-ga was the view from the balcony. Of course, the photo doesn’t do it justice but I had an amazing front row seat since every one was too busy being enchanged my jewels. I got to enjoyed another one of Mother Nature’s masterpiece.

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Ferry Ride to Uskudar

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

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.

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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.

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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.

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A Lazy Saturday In Istanbul

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

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.

CozyPub Restaurant

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

Copy_IMG_4371After 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.Copy_IMG_4373

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!

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The Whirling Dervishes At The Sirkeci Train Station

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

This post is part 12 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 Orient Express

By the time JC and I walked the length of the Theodosian Walls from the Chora Church to the Sirkeci Central Train Station, the sky turned into a menacing gray and the wind picked up furiously. Within a few minutes sky broke into a waterfall. We went into the train station to escape the rain and to buy evening tickets to see the Whirling Dervishes. Unfortunately, the tickets weren’t available for purchase until an hour before the show. For the next two hours, JC and I sat at the benches and played a game we made up while the trains passed by and the sky poured sideways.

The Sirkeci Central Train Station was built in 1889 under the walls of the Topkapi Palace near Eminonu, the ferry docks and the Galata Bridge. This train station was the destination for the renowned Orient Express. It was Europe’s first transcontinental express train that brought a luxury of wealth and travel to Istanbul. The Orient Express was created by a Belgian businessman George Nagelmackers and revived in 1982 by an American businessman James Sherwood. The Orient Express has been immortalized in films, books and other parts of popular culture.

The current train station is preserved in its original state and trains now run various routes between London and Venice but not as luxuriously as they did back in the days. The trains that passed through the station made some of New York City’s subways look like luxury. In the 1950s and 1960s, the station had a restaurant where many journalists, writers and influential media people gathered. The restaurant today is called the “Orient Express,” coincidentally, and is a popular spot for many tourists.

Sufi Music Concert

Members of The Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana Society conduct ceremonies at the Sirkeci Central Train Station every Tuesday and Saturday at 7:30PM. At 6:30PM, a plastic booth appeared by one of the doors and that was our cue to go. We lined up to enter the small psuedo-music hall. The one-hour long program consisted of a Sufi Music Concert and the Whirling Ceremony. Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam.

Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as “a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God.” Alternatively, in the words of the renowned Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba, “a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits.” – Wikipedia

The Whirling Dervishes

The seating was arranged with plastic chairs in a U-shape formation with five designed chairs for the musicians located at the front of the room. The worship ceremony began with a performance by the flutists, drummers, chanters and choir, known as the mutrip.  This is followed by the Sema, or the Whirling Ceremony, which is their form of mediation.

In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, the semazen’s camel’s hair hat (sikke) represents the tombstone of the ego; his wide, white skirt represents the ego’s shroud. By removing his black cloak, he is spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the number one, thus testifying to God’s unity. While whirling, his arms are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God’s beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned toward the earth. The semazen conveys God’s spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema. Revolving from right to left around the heart, the semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love. Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says, “All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!” – Wikipedia

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A Walk Along The Theodosian Walls

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

This post is part 11 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.

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After devouring an entire feast at the Asitane Restaurant, JC and I became lethargic and comatosed. It was too early to call it a day and since I like to take 8 hour naps, it would have been a waste of a day in Istanbul. We wandered to the back streets behind the restaurant and the Chora Church and came upon the ruins of the old Theodosian Walls, also known as The Walls of Constantinople. We decided to walk back to Eminonu. Rick Steve’s guidebook told us to look for a large Turkish flag to guide us. It was no where to be found so we approached a local to ask for directions. He was way too eager to help. Carrying his shoe shining bucket, he led the way up a flight of stairs on to the top of the Theodosian Walls. I took my time climbing up knowing the fall would not be pleasant. He rambled about his three babies and asked if I was the misses. I couldn’t make out the rest of it so I just shook my head and smiled.

Copy_IMG_4455He pointed the way to Eminonu and we gave him our thanks but he wouldn’t let us go. He chatted away and we smiled and nodded and hoped that universal body language would convey to him that we had to go. He was still talking when we started to make our way toward the stairs. He suddenly plopped his chair and bucket down in the middle of the wall and motioned for us to give him our feet. He wanted to shine our shoes and we knew he was looking to get paid for his work. We politely declined and JC handed him a few Liras to thank him for showing us the way. He stopped talking after that and we proceeded to make our way carefully down the stairs. We went our separate ways but then JC and I realized we were walking in the wrong direction. We turned around and headed back the way the shoe shiner left. We saw him standing under a tree in front of an old dilapidated house. A short stubby woman came outside and shouted at the boy who was poking a dead cat with his wooden stick. The shoe shiner turned his back to us as if he didn’t want to see us and focused on the dead cat instead. I guess all that friendliness was just to make a buck or two.

During our 2 hour walk along the Theodosian Wall, we passed by underdeveloped neighborhoods that stood out starkly in contrast to Sultanahmet. What’s beautiful about it is that the locals embrace the ruins of the walls as part of their daily lives. They don’t ignore it or commercialize it as a tourist attraction. The Theodosian Walls are fully integrated into the neighborhood, the houses, the local food stands and the mosques. It doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb even with its remarkable history. The Theodosian Walls are one of the most impressive city walls in the world stretching from the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara. They were breached in 1204 by the Fourth Crusade and in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. After that, Constantinople became Istanbul.

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We entered through the Edirnekapi Gate and walked along the length of the walls to Eminonu. We passed through the grave site of the followers of Muhammad. They fought the jihads of the Byzantine Empire but they failed and are now buried in the cemetery near the gate. Our walk consisted of running through oncoming traffic, scrambling through wet mud and passing by abandoned fish boats. They were the same ones used to make fish sandwiches down by Eminonu district.

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Asitane Restaurant – Recreating Fine Ottoman Cuisine

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

This post is part 10 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.

Asitane Restaurant

Asitane Restaurant

After hours of self-induced neck cramps at the Chora Church, I was ready to feast. Behind the small Byzantine church is the Asitane Restaurant, which means Head Gate in Farsi. The restaurant is opened from 11:30AM-midnight. It’s the perfect place to have lunch after a cultural visit to the Chora Church.

The Asitane Restaurant is unique from all the other restaurants I’ve tried in Istanbul.  Its mission is to rediscover and recreate the lost recipes of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman reign lasted for 700 years but very few recipes have survived. They had a strong tradition that demanded cooks to keep their recipes  and cooking techniques a secret.

“The large and airy Asitane Restaurant serves imperial Ottoman cuisine, incorporating Central Asian, Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Balkan flavours, resulting from the intensive research undertaken at three palace kitchens (Dolmabahce, Topkapi and Edirne) to test and recreate long-forgotten imperial dishes, whose recipes were traditionally kept secret. Some of the rediscovered dishes on the menu, such as veal in apple sauce, were served at the circumcision feast held for two of Suleyman’s son in 1539. The location might be off the beaten track, but Asitane is the one and only restaurant in the city where intrepid diners can experience such unlikely-sounding treats as almond soup. This is a restaurant for the serious culinary adventurer.” – Review from Style City Istanbul

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The food certainly hit a palette I never knew I had. I’m no food connoisseur but being Chinese, I’m  use to MSG, artificial flavoring and spices. At the Asitane Restaurant, the dishes tasted like they were purely flavored with natural ingredients. JC and I shared a plate of stuffed calamari as an appetizer. It was a blend of rice and pine nuts flavored with cinnamon and fresh mint. Our main courses took a little longer to come but there wasn’t mcuh to complain about. We had a table right next to the door and we couldn’t help but marinate in the cool breeze.

As soon as our main course arrived, all small talk stopped. Our conversation consisted of ooohs and mmmhs. For my main course, I ordered the Mutanjene – diced lamb with dried apricots, raisins, honey and almonds. JC had the Muhmudiyee – chicken stewed with almonds, dried apricots and grapes, flavoured with honey and cinnamon. It was perfectly portioned for my belly. All was well until we ordered the Helatiye. It was a pudding dessert with almonds, pistachio, fruits and pomegranate seeds in rose-water syrup. It was like eating flowers. I was not a fan of the rose-water syrup.

Here are some of the fine Ottoman dishes that are served at the Asitane Restaurant. All images below are from Asitane’s Picasa gallery.

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Chora Church

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

This post is part 9 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.

Chora Church

Chora Church

On the fourth day of my Istanbul trip there was no sun and no morning haze. JC and I went upstairs to the terrace and claimed our usual table. It was a chilly morning and the rain drizzled on my breakfast. By the time we were ready to leave the hotel, it was a waterfall outside. The Putin-looking manager at the front desk to call a cab for us. We thought the day would be a well spent hiding out in the Chora Church. Unfortunately, so did every single tourist in Istanbul. All of Istanbul seem to have come to the Chora Church to hide out from the rain.

The Chora Church (pronounced Cora) is located in the Edirnekapi district of Istanbul. It is a small Byzantine church that was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. The interior is plastered with beautiful mosaics and frescoes. They extended from wall to ceiling. Everything was above eye level for me. I was forced to crank my head to a 90 degree angle to appreciate the beauty. I appreciated it well until I started getting dizzy from spinning around in an attempt to take pictures, which constricted blood circulation to my head. Below are a few images from the church:

The Virgin and Child Parecclesion

The Virgin and Child Parecclesion

Anastasis

Anastasis

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The Bosporus Cruise & Yoros Castle

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

This post is part 8 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.

Bosporus Cruise

The Bosporus River is the winding water way that divides Turkey into two. Most tourists stay on the European side and take short day trips across to Uskudar or Kadikoy, which is located on the Asian side. It’s vice-versa with Istanbulites. Many of them live on the Asian side and commute via ferry to the European side.

Every guide book and website I came across before my trip to Istanbul said that the Bosporus cruise is a must-do. So JC and I boarded our ship at Eminonu. The cruise was about 6 hours long and took up the entire day. We made alternate stops along the European and Asian side of the river. Some people got off and others got on. The length of the cruise varies depending on the amount of time you spend exploring each port.

Greenpeace - Rainbow Warrior

The Rainbow Warrior

It would be very lengthy, and extremely boring, if I were to share with you everything I saw along the river. If you’re interested, Rick Steve does an incredible job with his self-guided tour of the Bosporus Cruise. But he never told me that we’d be getting a nice surprise from Greenpeace. They were there to protest for a ban on the trade of  Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean.

Copy_IMG_4301When our ship left the dock at Eminonu, it gave us an amazing view of the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. All along the river, left and right, grand villas and marble palaces added a modern twist to the stone fortress and small fishing villages nearby. We cruised by the Dolmabahce Mosque and Dolmabahce Palace where the sultan lived after he and his royal family moved out of the Topkapi Palace in an effort to become more westernized.

Copy_IMG_4319We passed under the Bosporus Bridge and came upon the Rumeli Hisari, also known as the Fortress of Europe. It was built by Mehmet the Conqueror  in 1452. The entire fortress was completed in 4 1/2 months. It was built to control the passage of ships up and down the Bosporus. The Rumeli Hisari became a checkpoint when Constantinople. It was also used to hold war prisoners. Today, the fortress is a museum and contains an open-air theater for summer concerts and festivals.

In about an hour and a half, our ship docked at Anadolu Kavagı. JC and I got off and hiked up to Yoros Castle. We were a little confused as to why there were no maps or signs to direct us. The path was isolated and eerie. Our route took us by a horse that seem to have appeared out of no where and we encountered a number of stray and very hungry dogs. We also passed through a cemetery and a couple of Turkish military bases. The soldiers did not look friendly. Once we arrived to the foot of the hill where the castle was located we realized that if we had just turned one more page in Rick Steve’s guide book, we would have seen a set of directions that would have taken us up to Yoros Castle. Instead we went off the beaten path.

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When we reached the top, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of where the Bosporus River meets the Black Sea – the name sounds so ominous. Before the Byzantine period, the Yoros Castle was used by the Greeks and Phoenicians for trade and military purposes. There use to be a massive chain that extended across the width of the Bosporus from the Yoros Castle to the Rumeli Kavagı, located on the opposite side of the river. The chain was used to prevent attacking warships from entering the strait and into the city. What’s left of the Yoros Castle now are the ruins and the castle’s surrounding walls. The mosque and towers have disappeared.

The wind was gusty at the top of Yoros Castle but it felt so good against my skin. JC and I climbed as high as we could along the wall and sat there for a few hours. We stared out to sea as it turned from patches of blue to sea-green. When we saw that the gray clouds were coming in from the Black Sea, we decided that it was time to head back. We didn’t want to get caught in the rain. I took a nap on our cruise back to to Eminonu and by the time we docked, it was starting to get dark and we were starving. We walk towards the fish boats on the dock and had fish sandwiches for dinner again.

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olmabahce Mosque and Dolmabahce Palace

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