The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Filling In the Blanks
It is our last full day in Istanbul ... although our flight to Paris tomorrow leaves at 6:40 in the evening, so perhaps
that counts as another half day. As we head off this morning, the plan is to see the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) and the Grand
Bazaar. Let's see how well we do on that.
OK, it is Tuesday evening and I can report that for once we did what we set out to do, probably because we spent relatively
little time at either destination. The guide books say to avoid the Hagia Sophia on Tuesdays, most likely because with the
Topkapi Palace closed, the whole mob descends on Hagia Sophia by default (much as they overran Topkapi yesterday when sophia
was closed).
The line for tickets was at least a city block long when we got into it ... and the line of tour groups waiting to get in
was 2-3 times longer! I suppose in the end it moved at an acceptable pace but even with that, we spent more time waiting
to get in that we actually did inside the building!
Emperor Justinian built Hagia Sophia in the mid 500's. It was first a church, then a mosque and
now is more of a museum. Like the Blue Mosque, inside is essentially one big room ... but it is a REALLY big room. Notre
Dame in Paris could easily fit inside with room, as Rick Steves says, for the Statue of Liberty to do jumping jacks!
But once again, the hordes of people and the sheer scale of the building itself make it impossible to convey the experience
adequately with a pocket camera ... further complicated by the fact that a third of the main room was closed off with
scaffolding. So once again I have borrowed a few photos from the Internet to give you a better idea of the place. The
sight of several thousand people milling around the main room, all taking pictures of the ceiling, is something to behold.
Unlike the endless series of rooms and buildings at Topkapi Palace, there weren't many other spaces to explore at the Hagia
Sophia so we made the circuit and escaped into the coolness of the garden to bring body temperatures down to normal. The day
itself was lovely -- mid 70s and sunny with a light breeze -- but inside the church/mosque/museum we were sweating.
I overdose on religious art and ruins faster than ever these days, so a little goes a long way for me. We saw a little, I
was happy I had seen it and I was happy to leave it all behind.
The Istanbul tram system has proven to be a quick and easy way to avoid lengthy walks or long
cab rides, often simply just stopped in traffic. From our hotel it is an easy walk up to the Sultanahmet tram stop by the
Blue Mosque and the T1 tram seems to go everywhere we would want to go on a relatively short stay -- the Grand Bazaar, the
Spice Market and the Ferry Terminal. The cars are modern and air conditioned, the ride is smooth, and trams come along
every few minutes so there is very little waiting. Not bad for three Turkish lira (about US$1.65) per trip.
After escaping the crowds at Hagia Sophia, we walked three blocks, hopped on the tram and two stops later we were at
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, the first shopping mall ever built. Originally built in 1461, the market has grown over the
centuries. Today its 4000 shops sell just about anything you can imagine ... and probably a few that would stun you!
The place is a total maze and I suspect it is easy to get lost. Certainly knowing exactly where you are at any given time
is a challenge. We wandered about for less than an hour but with no particular shopping itch to scratch, we again tired of
the crowds and beat a path back to the tram and our hotel.
A couple of hours in the air conditioning, a late lunch/early dinner back at Rumist Cafe and we called it a night. I'm not
sure what the plan of action is for tomorrow except that we need to be out of the room by 11am and need to leave for the
airport around 3pm. What we will do in between is anyone's guess. We will overnight in Paris and head back to the US on
Thursday morning ... but more on that tomorrow.
© 2013 Restaurant Doctor
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