Istanbul - part 2
After completing a (almost) full circle of Turkey, we're back again in Istanbul to complete the rest of the city. We also extended another 2 days so that we can tour some other places that were listed in the itinerary.
One cannot say he or she has visited Istanbul without going to the Grand Bazaar. This place has thousands of shops and it's a maze to walk thru - one section has shop selling jewellery, another section has shops selling bronzeware, another with souvenirs, carpets...you name it, they have it. Altho' we spent close to 2 hours here, it almost seems like a very short time since there's so many things to see (and bargain and buy).
We also visited the Spice Bazaar, on a much smaller scale compared to the Grand Bazaar. One obvious difference is that this place is frequented by more locals compared to the other one and it has more interesting stuff to see. For one, they have a few stores that specializes in green plants and flowers, plus a few pet stores. They also have some fresh produce in which we bought some fresh cherries, and fresh dried apricots. Until today, we have still not able to find any cherries or apricots that rival those we bought here.
The night was reserved for an evening of belly dancing. Both Shuhui and I have never thought much about belly-dancing but after seeing the various performers that night, we start to appreciate that it really is an art-form.
Exterior scenes from Dolmabahce PalaceThe next day we signed up for an optional tour of Dolmabahce Palace and a cruise on the Bosphorus River. The palace is definitely one of the most extravagant I have visited. It was lavisly furnished with no expenses spared with its huge silk carpets, giant handpainted pottery, enormous chandeliers, everything to make a visitor filled with awe at the wealth of the Sultan. Well, this palace turned out to be the downfall of the Ottoman Empire as the cost to build this palace almost made the country bankrupt.
Interior scenes from Dolmabahce PalaceWe stopped for lunch before going on the cruise on the river. The interesting part is that the Bosphorus River is right in between Asia and Europe. One side is Asia and the other is actually Europe. We saw many houses which our guide said is worth in the millions of US$ due to their prime location. We caught a glimpse of the Palace Hotel, reputed one of the top hotels in the whole of Europe...cost more than US$2000/night!
The first place we visited on our free-and-easy tour (after the rest of the group had left for Singapore) was the Basilica Cisterns (Yerebatan Sariyi). This place is located in the Sultanahmet area. We bought the tickets and went downstairs to view the place. It was quite early in the morning, and therefore the crowd is not here yet, so it's pretty peaceful with the piped in classical music. This place is where the entire city stored water during the early days - we even saw fish in the waters. The highlight here is the head of Medusa being used in 2 of the columns.
Scenes from the Archaelogical Museum (Arkeoloji Muzesi)
The Alexander Sarcophagus in the Archaelogical MuseumNext is the Archaelogical Museum (Arkeoloji Muzesi) which housed many Greek/Roman sculptures (including the statue of Alexander the Great, Zeus, Poseidon, among others), Egyptian artefacts, most of which from the BC periods. This place also included some remains from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassos and the Temple of Artemis. For me, the number one exhibit is the Alexander Sarcophogus. This so-called sculptured coffin does not belong to Alexander but it features him on a hunting scene.
The next day we visited the Chora Church, which has the most amazing mosaics. The mosaics tell a story from the birth of Jesus up to his death. There also also painted murals on the walls from the book of Revelation. Since all the mosaics and murals are painted on the ceiling, it's quite straining on the neck (our major complaint). Nonetheless, we were very glad that we came here.
For the remainder of our trip (until we board the flight back to Singapore), we went back to the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market and Istiklal Cadessi, like most of the people in Istanbul...just passing time. I think the both of us are just feeling sad that we are about to leave this place (and back to work).
'Til our next vacation... .
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