Turkey (May 2009)
I've always been fascinated by the rise and the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Also, I was aware of the fact that Ephesus is considered to be one of the most significant sites with Greek and Roman artifacts. Furthermore, destinations such as Pamukkale and Cappadocia with unique landscapes have been calling me. I took a plunge and visited Turkey in May 2009.
Using a travel guidebook and various websites, I planned an itinerary that consisted of 4 nights in Istanbul, 3 in Selcuk, and 4 in Goreme (and 3 nights in Athens on the way back).
Days 1 and 2:
I splurged my frequent flyer miles and obtained first-class tickets on Lufthansa for San Francisco -> Frankfurt -> Istanbul and Athens -> Frankfurt -> San Francisco. They were "open jaw" round-trip tickets. An overnight flight from SFO to FRA was very comfortable with great services. Since I had a fairly long wait time at FRA, I had a use of the first-class lounge, which was fantastic. When the boarding time for the Istanbul flight neared, they brought a Mercedes-Benz limoursine to the area just below the lounge. I took an elevator down to the ground level and hopped onto the limo, and they drove me right to the jet! (Since the flight was using a bus gate, without this service I would have had to check in at a bus gate and take a bus to the jet.)
The flight fomr Frankfurt to Istanbul was about 2 hours. Since I had a pick-up service arranged with the hotel, it was very simple to reach the hotel from the airport, but the driver kept on yapping on the cellphone all the way! The hotel I had selected is a fairly small boutique hotel in Old Istanbul, near Aya Sofya. In fact, I had a great view of Aya Sofya from my room and ever better view from the roof-top restaurant. Here's a photo I took at night:
After I unpacked and settled in, it was already dark. So, I just had a nice dinner at the hotel's roof-top restaurant and went to bed early to get ready for an early morning start.
Day 3:
After an early breakfast, I went exploring Old Istanbul. My plan was to visit the Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya (which is now a museum), and the Blue Mosque - all within easy walking distance from the hotel.
Apparently I got started too early because the Imperial Gate to the Topkapi Palace was still not open by the time I got there. I killed about 1/2 hour strolling in the Sultanahmet Square, which is between the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya. Past the Imperial Gate is the First Courtyard of the Palace which is pretty much the green space, and it leads to the Gate of Salutation:
One needs to purchase a ticket to go beyond this gate, and one needs an additional ticket if he/she wants to see the Harem, which is the most beautiful space in the Palace. I toured Harem first and managed to avoid a large crowd
Using a travel guidebook and various websites, I planned an itinerary that consisted of 4 nights in Istanbul, 3 in Selcuk, and 4 in Goreme (and 3 nights in Athens on the way back).
Days 1 and 2:
I splurged my frequent flyer miles and obtained first-class tickets on Lufthansa for San Francisco -> Frankfurt -> Istanbul and Athens -> Frankfurt -> San Francisco. They were "open jaw" round-trip tickets. An overnight flight from SFO to FRA was very comfortable with great services. Since I had a fairly long wait time at FRA, I had a use of the first-class lounge, which was fantastic. When the boarding time for the Istanbul flight neared, they brought a Mercedes-Benz limoursine to the area just below the lounge. I took an elevator down to the ground level and hopped onto the limo, and they drove me right to the jet! (Since the flight was using a bus gate, without this service I would have had to check in at a bus gate and take a bus to the jet.)
The flight fomr Frankfurt to Istanbul was about 2 hours. Since I had a pick-up service arranged with the hotel, it was very simple to reach the hotel from the airport, but the driver kept on yapping on the cellphone all the way! The hotel I had selected is a fairly small boutique hotel in Old Istanbul, near Aya Sofya. In fact, I had a great view of Aya Sofya from my room and ever better view from the roof-top restaurant. Here's a photo I took at night:
After I unpacked and settled in, it was already dark. So, I just had a nice dinner at the hotel's roof-top restaurant and went to bed early to get ready for an early morning start.
Day 3:
After an early breakfast, I went exploring Old Istanbul. My plan was to visit the Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya (which is now a museum), and the Blue Mosque - all within easy walking distance from the hotel.
Apparently I got started too early because the Imperial Gate to the Topkapi Palace was still not open by the time I got there. I killed about 1/2 hour strolling in the Sultanahmet Square, which is between the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya. Past the Imperial Gate is the First Courtyard of the Palace which is pretty much the green space, and it leads to the Gate of Salutation:
One needs to purchase a ticket to go beyond this gate, and one needs an additional ticket if he/she wants to see the Harem, which is the most beautiful space in the Palace. I toured Harem first and managed to avoid a large crowd
Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853 A.D. until Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved the court to the newly built Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus Strait. Although it's difficult to select, perhpas the most impressive room was the Imperial Hall, although the stained-glass windows and tile mosaic in the Apartments of Crown Prince were gorgeous.
Outside of the Harem was the Imperial Treasury where incredibly ornate and precious treasures of the Ottoman Empire were on display. Since photography was prohibited, I just had to burn the images of these fabulous objects in my memory banks. Here is a link to the website maintained by the Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, that shows photosof the treasures: http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/topkapi.html
Besides the Harem there are a number of beautiful buildings. Also, the restaurant and the cafes at the back of the palace offer beautiful views of the Bosphorus Strait and the Bosphorus Bridge which connects Europe and Asia:
I then visited Aya Sofya right next door. The original church was completed in 537 A.D., but it was converted to a mosque after Constantinople (Istanbul) was conquered by Ottoman Turks in 1453. The four minarets, three of which are built of marble and one of brick, were added by succeeding sultans. Currently the building is used as a museum:
It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, and it still is one of the largest in the world. Arches and columns that support the impressive main dome are massive:
When the church was converted to a mosque, the mihrab was built in the apse where the altar used to be. The mihrab points toward Mecca, and that's why it's not aligned exactly with the main axis of the original church.
Outside of the Harem was the Imperial Treasury where incredibly ornate and precious treasures of the Ottoman Empire were on display. Since photography was prohibited, I just had to burn the images of these fabulous objects in my memory banks. Here is a link to the website maintained by the Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, that shows photosof the treasures: http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/topkapi.html
Besides the Harem there are a number of beautiful buildings. Also, the restaurant and the cafes at the back of the palace offer beautiful views of the Bosphorus Strait and the Bosphorus Bridge which connects Europe and Asia:
I then visited Aya Sofya right next door. The original church was completed in 537 A.D., but it was converted to a mosque after Constantinople (Istanbul) was conquered by Ottoman Turks in 1453. The four minarets, three of which are built of marble and one of brick, were added by succeeding sultans. Currently the building is used as a museum:
It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, and it still is one of the largest in the world. Arches and columns that support the impressive main dome are massive:
When the church was converted to a mosque, the mihrab was built in the apse where the altar used to be. The mihrab points toward Mecca, and that's why it's not aligned exactly with the main axis of the original church.
