Mosques, markets and too much food!
We were starting and finishing the day with a tour, but two completely different yet complimentary expressions of Turkish culture; firstly a history and culture tour, followed by a food tour.
Our first tour of the day was due to begin at 9am from the German Fountain within the Hippodrome complex. But first we would need some breakfast and more so coffee as the call to prayer woke us both just after 5am. Breakfast was served on the rooftop terrace which overlooks the Blue Mosque; not a bad view in the morning. I can’t say breakfast was that great, but it was enough.
We made our way to the German Fountain and waited for the guide; he was quite clear to spot as he had a yellow umbrella and a tour guide pass. There was supposed to be another 3 people on the tour, but they didn’t turn up so we had a private tour. The guide told us to call him Ludwig, like Beethoven, as his Turkish name was too difficult to pronounce; he was a fun guide, and very particular about telling us everything.
We started at the Hippodrome of Constantinople where he asked if we had been to Rome and seen the Colosseum, and if we remembered the hippodrome behind it, well this was the same. We took a few pictures of the remaining monuments (Serpent Column, Obelisk of Thutmose III and Walled Obelisk) before wandering to the Blue Mosque, where I had to cover my hair. I was already wearing long trousers and it was beginning to get hot and humid. There was no queue so we walked into the mosque without having to wait; it was beautiful inside and Ludwig explained all the areas of importance like where the Imam sits and where the Sultan used to pray, as he had to be separate for security reasons. The Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, constructed under the reign of Ahmed I between 1609 and 1617. It stands across from the Hagia Sofia, and in my opinion is the most beautiful of all the mosques in Istanbul.
Our next stop was the Hagia Sofia, or Ayasofya Mosque. This mosque started life as an Orthodox church, then it became a Catholic Church, an Orthodox Church, a mosque followed by a museum and back again to a mosque in 2020. Mosques do not have icons, but this one does, but on the second floor which is now closed to visitors. The guide said this is because it used to be an Orthodox church and he thinks they may be hiding them like they did before when it became a mosque for the first time. He actually thinks they may be removing the icons completely, as it was a show of power to transform the museum back into a mosque in the first place.
After visiting the two most famous mosques in the city, not including Erdogan’s vanity project (there is a new mosque on a hill overlooking the Bosphoros), we went for a coffee in a little courtyard only a 2 minute walk away. It was a nice break, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant for us, it was so Ludwig could have some breakfast (at 11am, I might add!).
The next stop was only a short walk away and it was underground; the Basilica Cistern is huge, it was built in the 6th Century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to collect water and channel it throughout the city. This is now a tourist attraction, and there are some weird and wonderful statues as well as lighting throughout. It was really busy, and so humid, but definitely worth a visit. We were told the Basilica featured in 2 films, Skyfall and Inferno, but neither of us could remember, so we are going to watch them both when we go home.
We were delighted to be back above ground but it was starting to get really hot. Rather than walk to the next place, we got a tram which was thankfully much quieter than the previous day (we were told because of the Victory Celebrations, public transport was free). We got off at the Spice Market where both tourists and locals go to shop; we were told we didn’t need to buy anything but we would see. The shop that we were taken to let us try the spices, there were a few we hadn’t heard of so we bought one for salad and the other for meat. We also tried some Turkish Delight which was delicious, so we bought some of that too.
It was already 1pm and time for lunch; we agreed to have lunch with the guide and were taken to a rooftop restaurant back in Sultanahmet. Ludwig suggested we try Ottoman cuisine, so I had mutton cooked with spices and nuts and served in a melon (I forgot to take a pic, but added one from google images so you know what I’m talking about)! Iain wasn’t that hungry, so he had Wet Meatballs. The food was good, but again quite expensive; along with a couple of beers, lunch was £50.
After lunch, we went to see carpets being handmade. The owner was great and talked to us about whisky, I’m sure he was trying to butter us up to buy something. There was a demonstration of the woman making a small carpet made of silk, which would take her almost 12 months. We were then taken to see different carpets which we could buy; the guy literally pulled out 30 carpets so we could look a the designs and feel the quality. I asked about one carpet which turned out to be £1400 including shipping, eh, no thanks!
We swiftly left and headed to the Grand Bazaar which is famous for over 3000 shops both inside and out. I didn’t really want to buy anything given my case was already full, so we just walked through. According to Ludwig, we were the first couple ever who didn’t want to shop.
We hopped back on the tram for about the 6th time, and headed back towards the Hippodrome, it was now time to visit Topkapi Palace, our final stop of the tour. We were exhausted by this point, but thankfully Ludwig just showed us to the courtyards of which there are four, and explained what we should go and see. We were delighted as it meant we could do as much or as little as we wished. We started in courtyard three where we saw a gigantic diamond and sapphire dagger, along with some holy relics which I am not convinced were real. The holy relics were located in the Mosque in the courtyard so I had to put the headscarf back on before we could go in. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos, but the items included Moses Staff, a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed, a hair from the Prophet Mohammed as well as letters and other bits and pieces.
We decided not to bother with courtyard four as it was just a couple of balconies with views of the Bosphoros and Golden Horn; instead, we wandered to courtyard two to look at weapons, the kitchens of the palace and the areas where discussions between the Sultan and the politicians of the time took place. After this, we were hot and tired, so thought it best we go back to the hotel for a shower, and get ready for our next tour. We walked back through courtyard one which is really just where the entrance is, and back out of the Imperial Gate. Again, our hotel was just rand the corner from the Palace, so we didn’t have far to go.
We didn’t have long to get ready or relax, and it was just when I was rechecking the meeting details that I realised we had 15 minutes to get where we needed to. We made it to the meet up and were introduced to our two guides, Ben and Dilara. The meeting point was beside the old Orient Express train station and the original train was even outside. We took a picture, before heading to our first stop, this was a food tour, not another history tour.
The first stop was bizarre to say the least, it’s a little street food place known for having a really grumpy owner. It’s hard to even describe what we had, it was a spicy bulgar based lettuce wrapped snack, the owner slapped the paste on top of the lettuce then squeezed lemon over it, and your hand, in the process! It was actually delicious, although it looks awful.
The second stop was much more serene, and just around the corner at a Turkish Delight shop; this tasting was sweet which aimed to remove the spicy taste from our mouths.
We crossed back over to the train station, and probably the most dangerous street in Istanbul, as we were getting picked up to go to a rooftop bar and restaurant used by locals. Before we went in, we tried some “beer food” known as midye dolma or stuffed muscles with rice; Iain didn’t bother, but it was also delicious. The rooftop visit was mostly for the view which was spectacular, but we did manage to have some Turkish tea in the process.
Our last stop was another short ride away, again this was a local place and it was family-owned. We were led up to the rooftop which was slightly cooler than the rest of the restaurant which was spread across 3 different floors. We were served about 10 different dishes and the table was full; we had acili ezme, a hot spice mix, tzatziki and salad to eat along with pitta, büryan which was a tender mutton based dish, Adana kebab, Chicken kebab plus some sort of dumpling type thing that tasted like the bottom of a scotch pie. We then finished with künefe, a syrup dessert which is set on fire and then sherbet and pistachios are added to the top. Along with all this food, we had ayran, a yoghurt based drink with salt; it was very weird but went well with the meat. By the time we were finished, you could have rolled us back to the hotel.
Our first tour of the day was due to begin at 9am from the German Fountain within the Hippodrome complex. But first we would need some breakfast and more so coffee as the call to prayer woke us both just after 5am. Breakfast was served on the rooftop terrace which overlooks the Blue Mosque; not a bad view in the morning. I can’t say breakfast was that great, but it was enough.
We made our way to the German Fountain and waited for the guide; he was quite clear to spot as he had a yellow umbrella and a tour guide pass. There was supposed to be another 3 people on the tour, but they didn’t turn up so we had a private tour. The guide told us to call him Ludwig, like Beethoven, as his Turkish name was too difficult to pronounce; he was a fun guide, and very particular about telling us everything.
We started at the Hippodrome of Constantinople where he asked if we had been to Rome and seen the Colosseum, and if we remembered the hippodrome behind it, well this was the same. We took a few pictures of the remaining monuments (Serpent Column, Obelisk of Thutmose III and Walled Obelisk) before wandering to the Blue Mosque, where I had to cover my hair. I was already wearing long trousers and it was beginning to get hot and humid. There was no queue so we walked into the mosque without having to wait; it was beautiful inside and Ludwig explained all the areas of importance like where the Imam sits and where the Sultan used to pray, as he had to be separate for security reasons. The Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, constructed under the reign of Ahmed I between 1609 and 1617. It stands across from the Hagia Sofia, and in my opinion is the most beautiful of all the mosques in Istanbul.
Our next stop was the Hagia Sofia, or Ayasofya Mosque. This mosque started life as an Orthodox church, then it became a Catholic Church, an Orthodox Church, a mosque followed by a museum and back again to a mosque in 2020. Mosques do not have icons, but this one does, but on the second floor which is now closed to visitors. The guide said this is because it used to be an Orthodox church and he thinks they may be hiding them like they did before when it became a mosque for the first time. He actually thinks they may be removing the icons completely, as it was a show of power to transform the museum back into a mosque in the first place.
After visiting the two most famous mosques in the city, not including Erdogan’s vanity project (there is a new mosque on a hill overlooking the Bosphoros), we went for a coffee in a little courtyard only a 2 minute walk away. It was a nice break, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant for us, it was so Ludwig could have some breakfast (at 11am, I might add!).
The next stop was only a short walk away and it was underground; the Basilica Cistern is huge, it was built in the 6th Century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to collect water and channel it throughout the city. This is now a tourist attraction, and there are some weird and wonderful statues as well as lighting throughout. It was really busy, and so humid, but definitely worth a visit. We were told the Basilica featured in 2 films, Skyfall and Inferno, but neither of us could remember, so we are going to watch them both when we go home.
We were delighted to be back above ground but it was starting to get really hot. Rather than walk to the next place, we got a tram which was thankfully much quieter than the previous day (we were told because of the Victory Celebrations, public transport was free). We got off at the Spice Market where both tourists and locals go to shop; we were told we didn’t need to buy anything but we would see. The shop that we were taken to let us try the spices, there were a few we hadn’t heard of so we bought one for salad and the other for meat. We also tried some Turkish Delight which was delicious, so we bought some of that too.
It was already 1pm and time for lunch; we agreed to have lunch with the guide and were taken to a rooftop restaurant back in Sultanahmet. Ludwig suggested we try Ottoman cuisine, so I had mutton cooked with spices and nuts and served in a melon (I forgot to take a pic, but added one from google images so you know what I’m talking about)! Iain wasn’t that hungry, so he had Wet Meatballs. The food was good, but again quite expensive; along with a couple of beers, lunch was £50.
After lunch, we went to see carpets being handmade. The owner was great and talked to us about whisky, I’m sure he was trying to butter us up to buy something. There was a demonstration of the woman making a small carpet made of silk, which would take her almost 12 months. We were then taken to see different carpets which we could buy; the guy literally pulled out 30 carpets so we could look a the designs and feel the quality. I asked about one carpet which turned out to be £1400 including shipping, eh, no thanks!
We hopped back on the tram for about the 6th time, and headed back towards the Hippodrome, it was now time to visit Topkapi Palace, our final stop of the tour. We were exhausted by this point, but thankfully Ludwig just showed us to the courtyards of which there are four, and explained what we should go and see. We were delighted as it meant we could do as much or as little as we wished. We started in courtyard three where we saw a gigantic diamond and sapphire dagger, along with some holy relics which I am not convinced were real. The holy relics were located in the Mosque in the courtyard so I had to put the headscarf back on before we could go in. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos, but the items included Moses Staff, a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed, a hair from the Prophet Mohammed as well as letters and other bits and pieces.
We decided not to bother with courtyard four as it was just a couple of balconies with views of the Bosphoros and Golden Horn; instead, we wandered to courtyard two to look at weapons, the kitchens of the palace and the areas where discussions between the Sultan and the politicians of the time took place. After this, we were hot and tired, so thought it best we go back to the hotel for a shower, and get ready for our next tour. We walked back through courtyard one which is really just where the entrance is, and back out of the Imperial Gate. Again, our hotel was just rand the corner from the Palace, so we didn’t have far to go.
We didn’t have long to get ready or relax, and it was just when I was rechecking the meeting details that I realised we had 15 minutes to get where we needed to. We made it to the meet up and were introduced to our two guides, Ben and Dilara. The meeting point was beside the old Orient Express train station and the original train was even outside. We took a picture, before heading to our first stop, this was a food tour, not another history tour.
The second stop was much more serene, and just around the corner at a Turkish Delight shop; this tasting was sweet which aimed to remove the spicy taste from our mouths.
We crossed back over to the train station, and probably the most dangerous street in Istanbul, as we were getting picked up to go to a rooftop bar and restaurant used by locals. Before we went in, we tried some “beer food” known as midye dolma or stuffed muscles with rice; Iain didn’t bother, but it was also delicious. The rooftop visit was mostly for the view which was spectacular, but we did manage to have some Turkish tea in the process.
Our last stop was another short ride away, again this was a local place and it was family-owned. We were led up to the rooftop which was slightly cooler than the rest of the restaurant which was spread across 3 different floors. We were served about 10 different dishes and the table was full; we had acili ezme, a hot spice mix, tzatziki and salad to eat along with pitta, büryan which was a tender mutton based dish, Adana kebab, Chicken kebab plus some sort of dumpling type thing that tasted like the bottom of a scotch pie. We then finished with künefe, a syrup dessert which is set on fire and then sherbet and pistachios are added to the top. Along with all this food, we had ayran, a yoghurt based drink with salt; it was very weird but went well with the meat. By the time we were finished, you could have rolled us back to the hotel.
The minibus finally dropped us back at the Blue Mosque, although we were delayed as the Americans on the tour wanted a cab to drop them off directly at their hotel, and of course, we had to wait to make sure they were ok. We eventually made it back to hotel, knackered, full and ready for the next adventure!
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