A Slice Of Constantinople

“If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul. “
Alphonse de Lamartine

View of European Side of Istanbul from the Asian Side on a Ferry (Pic courtesy – my own click)

View of the Hagia Sophia from inside the structure (Pic Courtesy – My own click)

The Colourful Glass Lamp Stores at the Grand Bazaar

This winter we decided to celebrate New Year and ring in 2014 at Istanbul in Turkey, in freezing temperatures and discover the exotic locales of this ancient civilization of Contantinople!

So  an adventurous bunch of us, our Friend Nayare, My hubby, mom, my sister and brother in law all packed in all our layered clothing, woolens and a lot of positive spirit and reached there, all geared up to take this city on and experience its culture.

Hugged by the Golden Horn, Bosphorus and Marmara Sea this massive ancient city, is a confluence of both the Asian and European side of the world. Thus attributing its diversity, cuisine and vibrant culture to this fusion of people from both sides.

We spent 6 days in Istanbul (it was called Constantinople in the olden days).The first 3 days were spent covering the monuments, walking the streets and enjoying the peculiar customs of its people. The Turkish people apart from being warm and friendly, are not conservative unlike most Islamic cultures. This was obvious when we visited the famed Blue Mosque(Sultanahmet Mosque) wherein both men and women prayed together there in this beautiful architectural masterpiece, named after the ceramic blue tiles lining the interiors of this mosque. We indulged in sampling a hot Turkish traditional apple tea in the cafe outside the mosque which is a Must do there.

The Hagia Sophia, a church earlier that had been converted to a mosque and now to a museum is a reminder of the former ancient Orthodox Greek rulers that ruled here. It is a stunning structure with an ethereal aura, with remnants of both Christian Holy Relics and mosaics as well as Islamic verses on the walls and ceilings.

The cold not deterring our spirit, we went On the third day to the amazing Grand Bazaar, which in one of the oldest covered bazaars in the world with more than 3000 shops. A treat to your eyes these shops stocked everything from spices to Turkish coloured glass lamps, carpets, blingy tea ware, ceramics, jewellery and Turkish evil eye in all forms and sizes. The rule here is to bargain all prices down to half when buying at this market. Two hours was just not enough to finish shopping here(-: We trudged back to our hotel with Turkish must buys including a Turkish lamp, blue ceramic Salad bowl and delicious dessert, Rose Turkish Delight.

Another definite thing to do in Istanbul is to visit a Turkish Hamam.  The experience is definitely worth a try…they basically have separate ones for both men and women, but its like a mass scrubbing bath in a hot steam room.  It reminded us of our childhood where an old matronly woman  first scrubs  you to detox your skin, then massages you with a foamy bath and finally washes you up. We kept away from the Touristy type Hammam and visited The Tarihi Galatasaray Hamam, which is quite Popular with the locals there. http://www.galatasarayhamami.com/ It was quite a refreshing way to start the New Year since we did it a day after the New Year festivities!

Turkish Food to say the least is sensual and delicious and the Turkish do really know how to rock the nightlife there. More on that in my next Blog to come…