Turkey~April, 2008
Sat., April 12, 2008
Transfer to airport for flight (Virgin 672) from Nairobi (9:25 am) for 8 hours 35 min to Heathrow (arr 4:15 pm—term #3). Airport Shuttle (Hotel Hopper #6—every 15 min 4 pounds per person each way) to Holiday Inn, London Heathrow Ariel—conf #63937402). On line confirm BA flight to Istanbul Sun., April 13--4:15 am Hotel Hopper to British Airways (term #5) for 7:05 am flight (BA0678) to Istanbul (3 hours 45 min—arr 13:00). Very strict security in Nairobi. Confiscated my Swiss Army Knife (my fault), told me to turn on the binoculars, and questioned my knitting. Waited one hour for Hotel Hopper. Will use a taxi next time. Dinner at the Italian Restaurant in the nearby Sheraton recommended by Jerry’s seatmate. Nice but expensive. Hotel convenient and clean.
Met by guide, Yesim, for afternoon tour of Istanbul. In Istanbul, the city's three million tulips burst into a riot of color. (Old Stamboul or Sultanahmet)Tour: Once called Byzantium in the 7th century BC, this ancient city was renamed Constantinople in 326 AD by Constantine the Great when he moved the capital of the Roman Empire to what is now Istanbul. The city received its current name from Mehmet II in 1453 and is the only city in the world that spans two continents. First visited the Blue Mosque with its beautiful Iznik tiles. Explored the ancient Roman Hippodrome with Egyptian Obelisk and Serpentine Column.Hagia Sophia, a great Byzantine architectural masterpiece, whose interior is resplendent with golden mosaics. Visited the Underground Cistern built with a disregard for ancient treasures—Medusa was upside down as a column base.
Drop off to hotel Transfer to hotel Armada.The history of the site of the Armada Hotel in the ancient district of Ahırkapı extends back to the 16th century, when the Turkish Admiral Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, known in the West as Barbarossa, had a series of buildings constructed to house his sailors after their long days at sea (and perhaps to keep them in sight of the sea as well!) The facade of the Armada Hotel is a reconstruction of the original row houses, based on their depiction in period engravings. Since its inauguration on 7 May 1994, the Armada Hotel has set a successful precedent for the renovation of other local historical buildings. The interior is in keeping with the historic nature of the site, and the rooms are ornamented with decoratively painted wooden paneling of the traditional type known as "Edirnekâri." Alongside the traditionally decorated rooms, the private bathrooms are completely modern. Each bathroom is equipped with a generous bathtub and hairdryer, natural olive oil soaps, and specially-woven cotton towels from Bursa, Turkey’s historical textile center...Open buffet breakfast in the Turkish style, accompanied by homemade jams and pastries from Armada's own bakery and an assortment of organic fresh and dried fruits, is a flavorful way of welcoming the new day.Excellent dinner at Giritti, around the corner from the hotel. We had 11 mezes, fish, desert, wine and liqueurs.
Mon, April 14 Istanbul/Bosporus & 2 Continents
After excellent buffet breakfast on the roof, Yesim picked us up for a visit to the bustling Spice Market - a colorful bazaar heaped with various sweets and spices.
Took a relaxing Bosporus Cruise between the continents of Europe and Asia - gliding past Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, ornate wooden Ottoman mansions and mosques, Rumeli Fortress and the Bosporus Bridge, Camlica Hill. Got off on the Asian side of the city and drove back to the European side via a scenic route. Walked through a beautiful garden near Yesim’s home, then had a good meatball lunch.
Visited Topkapi Palace, with royal treasury and elegant four courts and Harem. The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı)[1] is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans, from 1465 to 1853. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today. The name directly translates as "Cannongate Palace", from the palace being named after a nearby gate. Initial construction started in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At the height of its existence as a royal residence, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people, formerly covering a larger area with a long shoreline. The complex has been expanded over the centuries, with many renovations such as for the 1509 earthquake and 1665 fire.Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance at the end of the 17th century, as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1853, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Some functions, such as the imperial treasury, the library, mosque and mint, were retained. There was a newly opened Relics Display which included the arm and skull of John the Baptist. Spent a little time at the dazzling Grand Bazaar with over 4000 shops. Drop off to hotel. Dinner at the Old Cistern Restaurant—very atmospheric. The food was OK. Walked home. Nice view from roof.
Tue, April 15 Istanbul/Bursa
Visited Dolambahce Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace was the first European-style palace in Istanbul and was built by Sultan Abdülmecid between 1842 and 1853, at a cost of five million Ottoman gold pounds, the equivalent of 35 tons of gold. Fourteen tons of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings of the palace. The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria, is at the center hall. The chandelier has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tons. Dolmabahçe has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world, and one of the great staircases has banisters of Baccarat crystal. Took a ferry across the Bosporus, and drove to Bursa. After a kebap lunch at the world-famous Kebapci Iskender, headed for The Great Mosque (Ulu Camii) When the building was erected in 1396, architects were just beginning to dabble in the problem of covering large spaces with small domes, and the result is the first example of a monumental Ottoman multi-domed mosque. The 20 domes, supported on 12 stout pillars, are better admired from within, where the final result comes together in the mosque's five naves and four bays.The date of completion (802H -- H is for hicret, the day Mohammed left Mecca for Medina) is inscribed on the pulpit door, but several waves of renovations were necessary after the invasion of Tamerlane, with major restorations completed after the earthquake of 1855. The wooden minbar (pulpit) is a masterwork of carved geometric and floral reliefs, as is the banister work and other wood details. But the main focus of the mosque is the three-tiered ablution fountain beneath a large light well. Although this has its practical purposes, the result is an embracing sensation of serenity, and many worshippers remain on the raised platforms surrounding the fountain for long moments of meditation. The plain walls, covered with gorgeous calligraphy, were awe-inspiring. Went shopping at Koza Han, the historic bedesten (covered market)Then we saw the inside of the Green Mosque and the outside of the Green Tomb. Overnight in Bursa at the Bursa Gonluferah with its hot springs. It’s a rather confusing story, but we both had a Turkish bath, and I had a Turkish massage—very, very nice!!
Wed, April 16 Bursa/Bird Paradise National Park & transfer to Kusadasi
After breakfast depart to visit Bird Paradise Park. The province of Balikesir has pretty little towns of wide natural beauties. The beaches extending for kilometers on both the Aegean and Marmara coasts, the dazzling waters of deep blue, and rich greenery gently covering the land, attract anyone who would like to have a wonderful time in the midst of wonderful scenery Of particular interest is the Manyas National Park near Bandirma which is the "Bird Paradise", sheltering 239 species of birds. It is a restful and lovely place for bird watchers, just as the whole city is for nature-lovers. We saw the Dalmatian pelican, the nesting pygmy cormorant, and the great crested grebe.After the tour, drive to Kusadasi city and overnight there (5 hours drive) at the Kismet Hotel, a beautiful property owned by one of the Ottoman Royal Family members. Dinner overlooking the water was mezes: cold, very good; hot, stuffed squid and grilled octopus, outstanding.
Thu, April 17 Ephesus tour and flight back to Istanbul
After breakfast at 9 am departed for Ephesus. First a visit to the House of Virgin Mary. The belief that the Virgin Mary had spent her last days in the vicinity of Ephesus and that she had died there, focused attention on a nun named Anna Katherina Emmerich who had lived in the late 18th century (1774-1820). The efforts to find the house were greatly influenced by her detailed description of the Virgin Mary's coming to Ephesus, her life and her last home there and the characteristics of the city although she had never been to Ephesus.Emmerich had seen in her visions the Virgin Mary leaving Jerusalem with St.John before the persecution of Christians had become worse and their coming to Ephesus; she had also seen that the house in Ephesus was on a mountain nearby and that the Christians who had settled there before lived in tents and caves. She said furthermore that the house of the Virgin Mary, a stone house, was built by St.John, that it was rectangular in plan with a round back wall and had an apse and a hearth. The room next to the apse was her bedroom and there was a stream of water running through it. Visited the Ephesus Ruins on a beautiful, flower-filled spring day.
The people of Ephesus believed that the Amazonian Queen, Ephesia, who was the leader of the Amazons (a tribe of warrior women), founded the town. Another myth says that the son of the King of Athens founded the town. Whoever it was who founded this beautiful town does not really matter because what you will see is one of the most extensive and best preserved ancient cities of the world. Much of the city has been reconstructed but also much of it still buried under mounds of dirt and rubble. Ephesus was a city of ancient Anatolia. During the period known as Classical Greece it was located in Ionia, where the Cayster River flows into the Aegean Sea. It belonged to the Ionian League. Ephesus hosted one of the seven churches of Asia, addressed in the Book of Revelation of The Bible), and the Gospel of John might have been written here. It is also the site of a large gladiator graveyard. The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), and both were destroyed by the Goths in 263. The emperor Constantine rebuilt much of the city and erected a new public bath. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614. The importance of the city as a commercial centre declined as the harbor slowly filled with silt from the river.
The Library of Celsus, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was built ca. AD 125 by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father, and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Designed with an exaggerated entrance — so as to enhance its perceived size, speculate many historians — the building faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light. Visited the Architectural Museum in town. It was wonderfully setup and very interesting. Had lunch at a wonderful family-run garden restaurant. Friends of Yesim. We spent 2 ½ hours there talking with the family and having our fortunes told. The mother brought out fresh, hot loaves of bread from their outdoor oven. Village of Sirince with wooden houses, traditional village life style and locally produced wines, now unfortunately overwhelmed by tourists.After the tour we transferred to Izmir airport for flight back to Istanbul at 7:20 pm. Arrive in Istanbul at 8:30. Departed on Turkish Air flight 1142 at 11:10 pm for 3 hour 15 min flight to Cairo)—long day!!
Gail South