An early start is required for our journey to Istanbul, getting up at 05:45. The metro to the airport that I was expecting at 6:45 turned out to be 25 minutes later, possibly a Saturday morning thing? Our checked-in suitcase is 1.5kg over weight, the gigantes beans I have bought. This turns out not to be a problem, and surprisingly there is no attempt to charge an excess baggage fee.
A long shuffling queue for passport control, is this the new EU border system? Vera has her photo captured, which does not seem to happen for me.
There are two flights heading for Istanbul at the same time, Turkish Airline and Pegasus Airline. I transpose the boarding information, and we find ourselves at the front of the wrong queue and we can't get on the plane. Panic and a mad rush across the terminal, only to find our flight is an hour delayed. And another hour sat on the tarmac, eventually taking off two hours late.
An hour later we arrive in Istanbul, on the Asian side, and join another slowly shuffling queue for the Turkish border control. Vera discovers that her phone will not connect to the local network and the world of the Internet, our means of navigation and communication to our accommodation is unavailable. Her last act before leaving Greece had been to switch from EU roaming to Rest of World roaming. A call to EE customer services and changes to network settings eventually resolves the issue. Another hour has passed.
The journey to our area in the city, three metro trains, goes smoothly and we eventually meet our host Ugur who takes us up steep stairs to our third floor flat.
It is stifflingly hot, but the view out over the Bosphorus to the Asian shore makes it all worthwhile. It's a view that you would never tire of, watching the big cargo ships carrying grain from Russia to Singapore, chemical products from Moldova to Barcelona, and general cargo to and from here, there and everywhere (I have downloaded a ship tracking app)
The flat is in the Sultanahmet area, near the site of the Roman hippodrome, now a large open square
The nearby Sultanahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, calls us to prayer five times a day. When several mosques are in full cry, you certainly feel that you are somewhere exotic
Upon visiting the mosque I was expecting something more blue. The interior is very impressive, but what really struck me was that it was such a welcoming place to visit. We went for an introductory talk from volunteers linked to the mosque, who explained what it meant to be a Muslim and stressed the inclusivity and peaceful nature of the religion. I suppose as with all religious movements it is possible to use it to justify all sorts of extreme positions, but here felt much more tolerant. Although they aren't quite ready for the modicum of bare leg visible through the slit in Vera's skirt, and she is given a wrap to cover up.
Also nearby is the sprawling Topkapi Palace, main residence of the Sultans and administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400 years
The site is very well presented: the use of mannequins
and furnishings really brings the place to life, rather than simply walking through a procession of bare rooms
We are also struck by the sheer number of staff, their hierarchies, and the narrowness of their roles. To support the smoking of pipes for example, there would be a tobacco buyer, possibly with a team of staff, people to fill and light the pipes, someone else to clean the pipes, and a whole separate team involved in bringing you coffee while you enjoyed your smoke
The level of opulence in the Harem, is mind-boggling. There are taps everywhere, with both hot and cold running water, numerous bath houses - grading according to where you ranked in the hierarchy. The effort expended in keeping the women of the Harem isolated from the rest of the world is also astounding. Separate roles for black eunuchs, white eunuchs, dwarfs, etc
Beautifully gilded and opulent, but a cage nevertheless
There is so much to see, the huge kitchens that employed 1,500 staff, displays of Sultanic clothing, displays of porcelain, displays of treasure, it is quite exhausting. And with no food available within the site, and no readmittance if you leave, we are beginning to flag. Vera presents her need for sustenance to the keeper of the exit gate. After several phone calls we are allowed out via the staff entrance, and photographed so that we would be allowed back in. A kind gesture, but we found people here to be very polite and willing to talk and help.
Sustained after lunch we continue our visit. The lack of gardens in the palace is something of a surprise. The water engineering inside the buildings is hidden but clearly very advanced, but there is nothing comparable outside. I suppose we have been spoiled by the Moorish palaces in Spain with their extensive grounds
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