As happens with all our trips we awoke early in the morning, this time to the 5 am call to prayer. We got up, and headed out for an early morning walk. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the previous day; Divan Yolu Caddesi, the main street passing through this part of Istanbul was empty. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but nothing beats walking around at this time of the morning…. especially since the Missus was drawn to the Blue Mosque.
During this time of the morning the courtyard of the Blue Mosque is empty; in direct contrast to later visits when we entered the Mosque. On this morning we just walked the courtyard…..
A view of Hagia Sofia from the gates of the Blue Mosque……
Nobody around but the two of us…. and the local dogs, who were very well behaved….
This one took a liking to the Missus and followed Her everywhere.
He even managed to sneak into a couple of photos! Here he is wondering why the Missus is smiling at nothing…..
After walking around for a bit we headed back to our hotel, I showered, and we headed downstairs via the tiny lift for breakfast. The typical Turkish breakfast is jam, honey, cheese, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, some kind of meat, yogurt, juice, and some Turkish tea…..
And bread….. lots of bread, sometimes several varieties of bread; often including the standard "simit", sesame bread. They don't fool around….. we often got what amounted to almost a whole loaf! Eggs are always offered, but come on; after eating six slices of bread…. there ain't much room left!
Compared to what we had later on in the trip; this was mostly packaged stuff….. but it sure filled me up. Later on, the Missus would often whisper to me, "just because they give you twenty slices of bread doesn't mean you have to eat it!"
Then it was off to Topkapi Palace, one of the must see places in Istanbul.
Constructed by Mehmet the Conquerer who conquered Constantinople after a 57 day siege in 1453, the palace was home to a Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years.
The complex is designed around four courtyards, and of course there is much to see……
Not the least of which are the views of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus……
Here's the Asian side of Istanbul, right across the Bosphorus.
Of all the rooms, structures, and displays at Topkapi Palace; there were two that really caught our interest. Unfortunately, both rooms, the Treasury, and the Sacred Trusts don't allow photos. In the Treasury you'll find the Sword of Suleyman, and the even more impressive Topkapi Dagger with the three gigantic emeralds in its hilt. There's even a watch set into it! Even more interesting for us was the Room of the Sacred Relics, which include the Holy Mantle of Prophet Muhammad, along with several other holy relics. There is also the Sword of David, the Staff of Moses, and the Skull of John the Baptist. It is said that when Sultan Selim I conquered the Middle East and North Africa he started bringing the relics back to the city.
One of the areas where you can take photos is within the fourth courtyard which features some beautiful tile panels…..
The wonderful tiles decorate the exterior of the circumcision room…….
The chamber is also beautifully decorated.
All told we spent a good three hours at Topkapi Palace…. and could have possibly spent a few more, but we didn't want to burn ourselves out.
Deciding to grab something to eat, we walked the couple of kilometers to the Galata Bridge which spans the Bosphorus. Starting on the European side we crossed the Golden Horn to Asia in less then 15 minutes! How's that for pretty cool? The current location for the bridge has been used since 1845 and bridge further up the waterway was built in 1836. But plans for a bridge at the current had been in the works for many centuries before the actual construction. Back in 1502, Sultan Bayezid II solicited none other than Leonardo da Vinci who came up with a revolutionary design that was not approved by the Sultan. Another design was requested from some Italian "Dude" who turned down the offer. Today's bridge was built in 1992, and is a lively spot; not only for 2 and 4 wheeled vehicles, but for foot traffic. On a sunny day, the bridge is lined with vendors and tons of men trying their luck fishing….. and socializing.
And of course there's food……. like the folks selling the very popular "Balik – Ekmek" (fish sandwiches – more about that in a future post).
I had read that there was a fish market on the Asian side of the Galata bridge so we went in search of it. Because if there's a fish market, there's bound to be at least one place serving it!
The market itself is fairly small; a couple of stands selling fish, and one or two produce stands.
There happened to be more restaurants then fish vendors on this particular day. One was doing some good business; and his customers seemed to be all older gentleman, who tend to be more picky eaters. So this was the place for us……
But before taking a seat, I inquired about some of the fishes available, and the cook actually let me look at the fishes.
Of course being Turkey; everything started with a huge hunk of bread!
And a plate of veggies…..
I'd heard about a specific fish that is very popular, and after reading posts about it on Istanbul Eats and Eating Asia, it was all Hamsi (European Anchovy) for me.
These were nicely fried. If you love the oil-ruch Anchovy you'll like these. A bit stronger than Shishamo (smelt) in flavor, these were too much for the Missus. I considered it a bargain at 5 TRY (about 3 bucks).
The fish I selected for the Missus, was Cinekop, baby bluefish 15TRY, which She loved:
With water the entire meal came out to 22 TRY (about $13.75)…. cheaper then the previous night's lousy dinner, and tons better.
The funny thing was, even though we were satisfied, we weren't done yet…. the Missus spied the Egyptian Spice Market while crossing back….. and there would be a second lunch today!
Stay tuned……..
I dropped by Marukai in Costa Mesa on the way home last weekend. Since I was in the area, I decided to check out Santa Monica Seafood's new (at least new to me) digs so I drove down Harbor, fought my way to Newport, waiting forever at the light on 17th, to SMS. The shop is really nice, perhaps I'll do a post in the future. We used to drop by the now defunct shop (warehouse) in Orange on almost a weekly basis when we lived in Rowland Heights, so I was curious to see this location….and maybe pick up some fish for the evening. Though the opah looked wonderful, but I settled on some really fresh looking mahi mahi, which was priced right.
I had a little fun at the Missus' expense. Among the sliced tomatoes were several cherry peppers that I threw in….a little friendly game of pepper roulette…..
