!A - Layover in Istanbul
Yep, it's true! The world is finally opening up again. No more covid testing is required to travel to most places in the world. And although you still must wear a mask in airports, on planes and in hotels, you needn't worry about showing absolutely everyone you meet that you are fully vaccinated. So, Gym and Mrs. Gym thought this would be an opportune time to slip away, before the next Covid variant began to spike.
Gym and his dear sidekick have turned up in Istanbul for an extended layover. To what end you might ask? Well, given the area around the Black Sea has been hotly contested of late, Gym had the thought that maybe he could offer Mr. Zelensky the services of his dear wife. As many of you know, she is a hell of a scrapper and the Ukraine could sure use her help. .....😄, Just kidding!!!!
Mrs. Gym really only wants to go sit on a beach somewhere. So, our intrepid couple are on their way to a beach. Istanbul, Turkey is a 'stepping stone' on the journey to the beach. And since they needed to changes planes in this great city on the way to the beach, why not extend the layover and explore the place a little.
Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the greatest cities in the world. It straddles the Bosphorus Strait which is the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is an archeologists dream as it has been the capital of three great empires. Napoleon Bonaparte said that, "If the world were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital".
Our intrepid couple flew into Istanbul on March 16, 2022. Gym found a nice route to the beach that had them pop over to Vancouver and then from there, endure an 11-hour non-stop flight on Turkish Airlines. After exploring Istanbul until March 21 the plan is to grab another Turkish Airline jet and travel 8 more hours east to the final destination but more on that later.
On the evening of March 16, 2022, our travelers settled into the Four Seasons Bosphorus, a nice base camp for their extended layover in this giant city of 22 million Turks.
Then on March 17, 2022, Gym had a couple of notable experiences. He suffered the consequences of his casual consumption of an innocent looking red pepper on his plate. There is no truth to the rumor that he can eat anything. Then he and his dear wife had a much more agreeable experience when they walked down to the Dolmabahce Palace. There, aided with an electronic guide, they took a tour of this home of the last Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Gym reported that the palace tour was much more agreeable than the red chili incident.
Later on March 18, our travelers went further along the strait and inspected the fishing techniques of the abundant fishermen hoping to hook a tasty shad, mackerel or sardine from the Galata Bridge. There were literally scores of anglers dangling lines into the Golden Horn, in spite of the foul weather that day. Once across the bridge, our duo wandered through the Istanbul Spice Market and found some respite there from the cold and damp. The spice market was very visually and aromatically appealing. After they recrossed the bridge, they hiked up the rainbow stairs and the steep narrow lanes leading to the base of the Galata Tower. After paying a small entrance fee, they climbed the ancient edifice to look out upon the city. They drank in the wonderful views of the Old Town and the Bosphorus Strait, the scenery only marred by a somewhat obscured horizon. They completed the expedition by slogging back to their basecamp on a very wet and cold day.
On the third full day, they ventured out with a private tour professional named Kenan Ucar. Gym and his dear companion invaded the Old Town with the guide's assistance and visited three very notable venues. In the morning, they were stunned by the grandeur of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, formerly a Christian church in the Byzantium and Constantinople times. It was a successful public works project ordered by Emperor Justinian and completed in just 5 years, obviously without the assistance of cranes. It served the Orthodox faithful for almost 1000 years before Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans and it was turned into a mosque in 1453, Then that afternoon, they split their time between the amazing Topkapi Palace and the the maze of shops in the massive Grand Bazaar. Temptation got the best of our poor pilgrims when they fell into the snare of a Turkish Delight shop. Those damn things are just so delightful.
By the end of the third full day, our adventurers had clocked over 46,000 steps and climbed 34 floors to visit some of the most notable places in the city. The pictures below with the captions provided, only scratch the surface of these initial experiences.
We will cover the final two days of this layover in a separate post.
Stay tuned!
BTW Brenda A., the Blue Mosque is sadly under renovation at this time.
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| Look mom no hands! Dolmabache |
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| The previous picture was taken at the top of the stairs shown here. The side of the building faces the Bosphorus. |
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| This picture shows the grounds between the palace and seawall looking back towards the main entrance. In spite of the sub-zero weather they experienced, it is interesting to note palm trees grow here. |
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| And it seems it was good fishing weather |
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| Spice in the Spice Market. The aroma was intoxicating. |
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| Olives come in so many colors here, |
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| A view from the top of Galata Tower. The Asian side can be seen in the upper left of the picture. The Old Town can be seen on the other side of the Golden Horn, that flows into the Bosphorus, from the right side of the picture. The Topkapi Palace grounds sit atop the part of Old Town shown here, |
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| Inside the top of Galata Tower. There is also a balcony running around the outside. |
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| The Royal Door from the narthex into the nave of the church was only for the Emperor but that is where Gym entered Hagia Sophia |
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| Today because it is an active mosque, muslim faithful bow to Meccca just in front of the Apse. This 'mosque cat' is acting as 'rear guard'. |
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| One of the sultan's thrones. They surely used gold to adorn them but I'm certain this one has no precious metal |
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| Sultans were big on swords. In fact, instead of a coronation with a crown they were given a fancy sword in a special ceremony. |
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| This is the inside of the Grand Bazaar where Mrs. Gym and Kenan make a plan of attack |
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| Gym etal went to a pottery shop and workshop. They were shown lots but again didn't buy anything here. In the picture are very fine examples of handmade quartz and clay pottery that are colored using traditional, natural dyes from such things as coral, lapis lazuli and the mucous gland of snails |
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| Don't try the free sample at this booth. Gym did and we bought some stuff here. They also have delicious teas and other goodies - and so now does Mrs. Gym |
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| The oldest and most important monument in Istanbul is the Column of Constantine. It was finished by Constantine the Great during his reign in 328 AD. It was dedicated to the establishment of the city. It once supported a bronze statue of the emperor, holding a spear. Even without the statue it might have been the tallest Roman monument of its kind, rivaling the height of the Colosseum. Unlike in Roman times, a Light Rail Tram now runs by its base. |
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| Saying good-bye to Old Town Mrs. Gym and Kenan head out to the extraction site. "Gym Bey" (Mr. Gym in Turkish), follows as rear guard. |
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