Day 8 - Arriving in Istanbul

Today was a great first day in Istanbul! Due to COVID nearly all of our flights changed at least once during the planning stage (even though we waited until late Fall to book any flights because we knew there was a lot of uncertainty with this trip). When we originally booked the flights, we were going to be traveling all day today, but when the flights changed we came in on a red-eye which meant we had a bonus day to spend in Istanbul. We both slept surprisingly well on the red-eye and felt mostly refreshed when we arrived. Passport control was quick and easy and we were on our way! 

We had arranged an airport transport with our hotel, which was great. The picked us up and we had an hour drive into Istanbul. Istanbul is a very large, sprawling city. We commented how highways tend to be our first impression of a country and the highways is Istanbul were big and wide similar to the United States. Istanbul City Center is a really unique conglomeration of buildings with a skyline dotted bit minarets. Eric and I both love hearing the Call to Prayer in Muslim countries, so it was a great way to start our day. 

The street leading to our hotel

We arrived at our hotel and were able to check in. Our hotel could not be in a better location, it is literally in the shadow of the Hagia Sophia. It’s a really charming boutique hotel. It was originally homes for Ottoman Elite and Hilton converted the homes into hotel rooms. The property is fairly large, so they shuttled us to our room in a golf cart. We showered and got a quick breakfast at the hotel. It was delicious. The hospitality in Turkey is top-notch. Everyone at our hotel wanted to know our plans for the day and made sure that we were taken care of. It was a rainy, drizzly morning so we wandered around the Hagia Sophia for a few minutes and then headed back to our room to wait for our transport to our Bosporus Cruise. 

Our Bosporus Cruise started out a bit shaky. It received great reviews on Trip Advisor, but when we arrived and started going there weren’t any guides. We cruised to another part of the strait and picked up our guides and the cruise got much better. It was really chilly so we hung out inside the cabin for the most part, with Eric running outside occasionally to take photos. The views on the Bosporus were incredible. It was a great way to understand the geography and see both the Europe and Asia sides of Istanbul. We cruised north on the Bosporus for quite a ways enjoying the views and learning the history. Istanbul was established by Nomadic Turks and there were a series of 36 Sultans. The older buildings in the city tended to be open air, however, in the 19th century Istanbul was more heavily influenced by Europe and many of the Ottoman palaces, homes, and mansions on the Bosporus were very European looking. The Dolmabahçe Palace was modeled after Versailles and had French influences. 

The Dolmabahçe Palace

We stopped for lunch near the Rumelian Fortress. We enjoyed a Turkish lunch of Kebab and chicken with vegetables, lentil soup, and pita bread. It was delicious. We also tried a yogurt drink that our guide said is quite popular. She thought we might enjoy it because we are American, but we did not like it at all. It was quite sour. We ate quickly so we would have some time to explore the Fortress. The Fortress was built by an Ottoman Sultan to control entrance into the Bosporus. We enjoyed climbing all over the fortress until disaster struck. The stairs were slippery from the rain and Eric took a fall. He caught himself on his elbows/forearms and has some nasty looking bruises. His camera also hit the ground, which for him, was even more concerning than the arm pain. Fortunately we were able to put the camera together quickly. The only minor damage is on the view screen, which can be easily replaced when we get back home. The Turkish police who were at the Fortress were really nice and made sure he was OK. We then headed back to to the boat to finish out our cruise. 

There were cats and dogs all over Istanbul. They all looked healthy and happy. We noticed many people feeding them. Many of the dogs also had ear tags, which we learned were used to track their vaccinations/care. The animals around Istanbul appear to be cared for. 

Since we were the only English Speakers on the cruise our guide came and spent quite a bit of time with us. It was really interesting to hear her perspective on the current president and religious politics. Turkey is a secular government, but the current president is very conservative. Among other things, he turned the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque from a museum just last year. Most of the liberal people in the country disagree with this decision. 

When the cruise ended we decided to walk to the Galata Tower rather than take the transport back to our hotel. The tower was across the Galata Bridge. We got to the tower, purchased tickets, and got in line to the take the elevator to the top. The tower was a lot of fun and there were 360 degree views of Istanbul from the top. Istanbul really is such a gorgeous city. We both felt the Bosporus Cruise and the Galata Tower helped us gain some perspective on how big the city is and where everything is located. 

We decided to walk back to our hotel which was approximately 1.5 miles. While we were walking we came upon the Spice Market. This was a really nice market that is located indoors. There were many vendors selling spices, dried fruits, nuts, teas, and Turkish Delight. We also tried a sample of Turkish Delight. It’s an interesting dessert that is flavorful, but not too sweet. 

There was a lot of graffiti around Istanbul, especially outside of the historic city center

When we were near the Hagia Sophia we came upon a carpet salesman who started chatting with us. He was really friendly and told us about his brother who had visited Salt Lake City. We agreed to go back to his shop where we had the most interesting sales pitch we have ever experienced. They brought us out some delicious tea and we chatted with his brother about Salt Lake City. He showed us some of his pictures from when he visited Utah prior to the pandemic. He then showed us several carpets and asked us to choose a favorite. We told him we weren’t going to buy, but he still asked us to pick some of our favorites. We did and he gave us a price and we told him we weren’t going to buy one, because we really don’t have a lot of carpet in our house (and we will likely not have any carpet in our next house - I hate all carpet). He then wanted to sell us a doormat for $60. Although it was cheap and he was really nice, we didn’t like any of the designs and we didn’t need a doormat. We severely disappointed him when we left. It was an interesting, high pressure sales pitch. We then learned that many carpet salespeople hang out around the Hagia Sophia to lure tourists into their shops. They are all really nice and try to strike up a conversion, but very aggressive and try almost anything to get you inside their shop. 

Prior to our trip we had made spa appointments for a traditional Turkey Bath experience. This did not disappoint. We first went into a sauna to get our skin soft and prepared. Then they had prepared warm marble for us to lay on. Our spa attendants then used a hummus stone to remove dead skin followed by a salt scrub and then they cover you with bubbles and provide a cleansing massage. At the end of each step they pour warm water over you from a basin in the room. It was incredibly relaxing and a unique spa/massage experience. The spa is located in a 1,500 year old Cistern, so the ambience couldn’t have been better or more authentic. We absolutely loved our hamam experience. 

We then decided to check out the Cistern Jacuzzi, which is the hotel swimming pool. It was really cold, so I only got in to my knees, but Eric got in and swam around. We had read in reviews that this was a must-see aspect of the hotel and it didn’t disappoint. It has been converted from a portion of the ancient Cistern and is so interesting! Unfortunately it was a bit too cold for us on a chilly night, so we only stayed for a few minutes and then went to bed after a full first day in Istanbul.