Istanbul – where Cultures collide

7 June 2022

Flying in from Vilnius, we met up with Sam that evening in front of our small hotel in the Old Town, which offered a view over the Bosphorus to Asia from the rooftop restaurant terrace.

Our first stop the next day was within walking distance, at two of the most famous mosques in the world, both set close to each other in an attractive park. Unfortunately, the Blue Mosque was undergoing extensive renovations and it was not possible to stay and admire this pearl of Ottoman architecture. We then made the short walk to the Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom), one of the most important and imposing religious buildings in the world. Constructed as a church in the sixth century, its massive domed basilica was to provide the blueprint for countless Ottoman-era mosques. Glittering with gold mosaics and richly endowed with porphyry columns and marble panelling, it became Istanbul’s centre of Islamic worship after the Ottoman conquest of 1453. A museum from 1934, it was controversially turned back into a mosque in 2020 and today visitors have to leave at prayer times. Our guide pointed out some frescoes that have remained from the time that it was a Christian church.

Our next stop was the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest markets in the world and voted the world’s top tourist attraction in 2014. There are over 4000 shops, most of them it seemed selling artisan goods, jewels and clothes. It is an amazing labyrinth of noise, colour and activity in which it is very easy to get lost.

No visit to Istanbul could be complete without a short cruise on the Bosphorus, the narrow strait which divides Istanbul in two and connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. For a few hours we could escape the noise, hustle and bustle of this incredible metropolis of over 15 million people and view it from another perspective. We passed historical monuments on the European side, such as the Galata Tower and Dolmabahçe Palace before the ship turned around and returned down the Asian side, including a short stop there for coffee. We admired the elaborate Beylerbeyi Palace, built as a summer residence for the Ottoman rulers in the1860s, and the Maiden’s Tower guarding the entrance to the strait, before disembarking.

Our final full day in the city was spent trying to figure out and then use the public transport system which was no easy task (a travel pass is required before you can buy a ticket and all instructions are in Turkish only) and we only made it with the kind help of a young Indonesian/Moroccan couple we met. The tramcar took us to Kabatas station where we took the funicular cable railway to Taxim Square. A leisurely walk back down the hill and its busy streets brought us past the Galata tower with nice views over the Bosphorus. We continued exploring the modern side of Istanbul with its high-end designer shops and boutiques. By dinner time, we were ready for a delicious Turkish meal before returning back to our hotel.

The next day we traveled together to the airport where Sam returned to Basle as we continued on our journey (to Georgia, Tbilisi).