First Day In Istanbul -- "Awash" In History (Literally)

I had a full first day in Istanbul, even apart from my stroll through the park at Taksim Square.  Here are some highlights.

[BTW, one quick note on something about which several of you have asked: the 5:00 am prayer call.  I haven't heard of it.  I suspect that you can't hear it -- or that it's very low -- in the Cihangir neighborhood.  Alternatively, it could be that those little foam ear plugs you get on some flights are just too good at blocking out sound; given my sleep sensitivities, I doubt that.  I'm of two minds about not hearing it yet.  On the one hand, I do want to hear it as it seems to be part of the quintessential experience of visiting a Muslim city.  On the other hand, I'm happy to not get woken up at 5:00 am.]

Exploring Beyoglu:  I spent the first half of the day wandering around the Beyoglu area and it's main thoroughfare, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street).  Beyoglu doesn't have the major religious sites that I'll head to next week.  It is instead the area that Istanbullus go to to shop, wine & dine, take in a film, club or gig, visit a gallery or the theatre, or to promenade down Istiklal Caddesi -- which was known as the "Grand Rue de Pera" before the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.

A fantastic breakfast at the cafe that's affiliated with my apartment: "summer porridge."

A taste of Roma in Istanbul: this is the Istanbul branch of one of Rome's most famous gelato shops.  

The Pera Palas Hotel:  This Istanbul institution was completed in 1892, and is designed in a flamboyant Rococo style.  It was intended to ensure that affluent European tourists in Istanbul could enjoy the same level of comfort and style that they were accustomed to in London, Paris, etc.  Many visitors who arrived on the Orient Express -- which linked Istanbul to Paris and Vienna -- stayed here.  Famous guests included Kemal Ataturk (the founder of the Turkish Republic), Hemingway, Hitchcock, Garbo, Gabor (Zsa Zsa, not Eva Gabor or even the lesser-known Erwin Gabor), Hayworth, and Agatha Christie.  I don't know what it's like to stay here now (it's too rich for my blood), but it's a nice place to sit and enjoy a coffee or tea.

 

My first Turkish coffee!

The Military Museum:  Some of my sources had recommended a visit to the military museum.  It was pretty good.  I wouldn't call it a "must see;" but, if you have a longer stay in Istanbul, it's definitely not bad.  There are a bevy of huge dioramas, lots of signs in English, and thousands of years of military history.  The most intriguing set of exhibits was in a room dedicated to airing the Turkish side of the Armenian genocide.  (I obviously do not know enough to make any kinds of judgments on this.  But it was very interesting to read the narrative and look at the pictures.)

One of those huge dioramas

Part of the chain that the Byzantines used for centuries to block enemy ships from passing through Golden Horn

Some pictures of alleged Turkish victims of Armenian atrocities

Room full of cannons from across the centuries 

A fighter plane supplied by the US to Turkey.  Built by Lockheed.  

My Turkish Bath:  For obvious reasons, I could not take pictures of this episode.  But I did go to a Hamam to experience my first Turkish bath.  Thumbs down!  It could just be that this place -- Galatasaray Hamam (which dates back to 1481) -- was not good.  And I'd be open to trying it again at another venue.  But getting dehydrated by the heat in a huge dank chamber, and then doused with enough water to the face that I felt as if I was getting water-boarded, was not my cup of tea.  The scrub with the mitt was not nearly as vigorous as I'd read it would be; heck, I can exfoliate more dead skin with my Kiehl's facial scrub!  And the massage by the tellak was not very intense -- I'm not sure why he was holding back; but my 98 year-old grandmother rubs my shoulders harder than that guy did.  All in all, this felt like a rip-off.