The Black Sea--the destination alone sounds ominous and a bit mysterious. Only recently has the area opened up to tourism and we were all very excited when Regent Seven Sea Cruises added the Black Sea to their cruise destinations. The itinerary is fabulous --Istanbul to Athens with stops in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Ukraine and Greece. I have been wanting to travel to the Ukraine for several years (my grandfather was from Odessa,) so when radio talk show host Bill Handel asked me to host a Black Sea Cruise in July, 2008, I was very excited. Marjorie Handel and I (Bill’s wife and my dearest friend) have been traveling together for many years (more than I’m willing say,) and this is one destination none of us had ever visited. Bill, Marjorie and I had been to Istanbul and Athens before, but the rest of the ports were all new for us.
For the next few weeks I’ll share our adventures as we shop for Turkish carpets in Istanbul (an adventure in itself with Bill Handel,) visit ancient Nessebur and learn more about Bulgarian village life, tour the site of the 1945 Yalta Conference where British prime minister Winston Churchill, US president Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met and decided the fate of postwar Europe, and climb up to the 6th century Sumela Monastery set high on the side of a mountain in Trabzon, Turkey.
Since 2005 (my last trip to Turkey), the increase in the number of women wearing head coverings (hijabis) or wearing full-length robes such as burkas or abayas, has increased dramatically. I questioned one of our male guides, who was wearing a short sleeve shirt in the 90-degree weather, and his answer was simple, “many of the younger generation are finding solace in their Muslim roots and choose to dress accordingly.” When I questioned him further he was very emphatic when telling me that no one was forcing the women to wear the head coverings, or even the burkas or abayas; that was their choice. He then shared with me that both his mother and sister wear hijabs, much to the dismay of his father.Our Black Sea trip started in Istanbul. We arrived late in the afternoon and checked into the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet in the heart of the old city. Once a Turkish prison, the hotel is small (only 65 rooms) and is in a great location--around the corner from the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace and a short walk to the Grand Bazaar (yea!!!) Marjorie and I couldn’t wait to get to the Grand Bazaar and see all the wonderful trinkets from gold and silver jewelry to carpets and leather goods. There is absolutely nothing like the Grand Bazaar; it’s actually a labyrinth of streets covered and lined with thousands of small shops.
The bazaar dates back to 1453 and many booths have been in families for generations. The bazaar has a sort of party atmosphere. Buying something takes patience, since haggling or bargaining is part of the game. Unfortunately, the Grand Bazaar closes early on Saturday and is closed on Sunday. Hard as it was, we contained ourselves and joined the group for some sightseeing.What a fabulous city. It’s the only city in the world on two continents (Europe and Asia) and the mix of cultures gives the city a vibrant and mysterious aura that most tourists find both intriguing and exciting. Due to its strategic location on the Bosporus between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, Istanbul has always been a major commercial center. In ancient times it was part of the Silk Road trade route and stood at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Today, it is Turkey’s largest city and still serves as the country’s financial and commercial center. From its varied past, Istanbul has an extraordinary collection of palaces, mosques and markets from every period in history. It also has major traffic jams and like most ancient cities, suffers from narrow streets not built for modern technology, air pollution and more and more high-rise buildings to house the ever-increasing population. It all comes together to make Istanbul one of the most unique and exciting cities I’ve visited anywhere in the world.
We started our sightseeing with a visit to Dolmabahce Palace, the official residence of several Ottoman Sultans in the 19th and early 20th centuries. 
The palace was built on the shores of the Bosphorus in 1856, for the Ottoman Sultan, Abdulmecid I, and reflected strong Western influences that were beginning to have a presence in the Ottoman Empire. Today, Dolmabahce is a museum and features exquisite artifacts such as Heeke and Isparta carpets, porcelain vases, chandeliers of European crystal and a priceless collection of paintings.
Next on our list of “must see places” was Topkapi Palace. Built by the Ottoman Turk Mehmet II after his conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Topkapi was the administrative palace and home of the Ottoman Dynasty for over five centuries.
The palace is huge and incorporates a series of pavilions contained by four enormous courtyards. To see the entire complex would take a full day. If time is limited, the Treasury, featuring the 86-carat Spoonmaker’s diamond, a seven-pound emerald, the Topkapi dagger, a gift designed for the Shah of Persia in 1741, and a case containing the bones from the hand of John the Baptist is an absolute must. Other buildings to see are the Harem, a labyrinth of exquisite rooms where the sultan’s wives and concubines lived, the kitchen, with its display of fine Chinese porcelain and ceramics, and the arms rooms filled with weaponry from the Ottoman dynasty. An unusual highlight for us “westerners” is the religious Moslem Museum with a young man in a glassbooth continually chanting from the Koran. Among the artifacts here, are hairs, teeth, and articles of clothing ostensibly belonging to the Prophet Mohammed.
Hagia Sophia, the “Church of Holy Wisdom,” is a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world. It is certainly among the world’s greatest architectural achievements. More than 1,400 years old, this immense building was built over two earlier churches and inaugurated by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD. In the 15th century the Ottomans converted it into a mosque.
Across from Hagia Sophia is the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, better known as the Blue Mosque because of the more than 21,000 azure tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling. Built by Sultan Ahmet I in the early part of the 16th century, the Blue Mosque, with its six minarets, is one of the most recognized and famous religious buildings in the world.
In the area between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia is the Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and political riots in Byzantine times and of horseback-riding games and archery contests during the Ottoman era. Today, it is a park and the only remains are three monumental obelisks, one dating back to 479 BC, and a fountain.The Underground Cistern, only a short walk from the hotel near the Blue Mosque, is a massive cavern of beautiful arches and support columns built by the Romans in 532AD and used for centuries as the city’s main source of water storage.
After the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks, the cistern was forgotten and was only rediscovered in 1545. Today, it has a rather cool and mystical ambiance and you can stroll along the colonnades.We spent the better part of three days exploring Istanbul. We visited the mosques and palaces, we walked along the cobbled streets lined with outdoor cafes, shops, peddlers selling pistachios and shiny brass shoeshine stalls. We were impressed by the vast number of carpet sellers enticing tourists into their shops in French, English, German and a dozen other languages. We visited the Spice Bazaar with its exotic aromas
and the Grand Bazaar where shopkeepers hawk their wares and enjoy “bargaining” over a cup of apple tea. We listened to the call of the Muezzin summoning the faithful to prayer five times daily and watched as the sun gave a spectacular show as it set over the Bosphorus. We loved Istanbul.
Join me next week as Bill and Marjorie Handel go carpet shopping and learn the ins and out of buying a Turkish carpet............................
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1 comment:
We loved Istanbul to.
We will return to this great city.
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