Day 8 - January 14, 2023
For my final day in Istanbul, I made my way towards Topkapi Palace. On my way, I ran into another rug salesman. He started out asking me where I was from. I told him America. Most people I have run into here do not know where Seattle is located, but he asked me which part of America I come from and I explained that it was near Seattle. He mentioned to me that he had actually driven Penske trucks in the Seattle area and knew where Bellingham was; it's a small world. He ended off in typical Turkish fashion trying to convince me to visit his rug shop :D
Topkapı Palace (built in 1460AD) was the Ottoman administrative center following the fall of Constantinople, before the construction of Dolmabahçe Palace (built in 1856). Topkapı Palace consisted of four courtyards separated by gates and containing different buildings in each. The first courtyard contained the Byzantine church of Hagia Irene which was used by the Ottomans as a storeroom and armory.
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| Hagia Irene |
Between the first and second courtyard was the Middle Gate. In the second courtyard were: a hospital, bakery, soldier (Janissary) living quarters, stables, and imperial divan (imperial council). The sultan appointed the grand vizier to oversee the imperial council who made decisions for the empire. Next to the imperial council chambers is an armory display which is full of ceremonial weapons and armor used by the Ottomans and their sultans. This was an impressive display highlighted many of the intricate designs of the Ottomans.
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| Middle Gate |
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| Middle Gate |
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| Second Courtyard |
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| Kitchens |
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| Kitchens |
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| Kitchen interiors |
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| The sword in the center is about 8' long, seems a bit excessive :D |
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| Tower of Justice |
The entrance to the third courtyard, the inner court, was called the Gate of Felicity. The third courtyard contained the private residences of the Sultan. The Sultan had to give permission for anyone who wanted to enter past this gate. Also found in the third courtyard was the Imperial Hall, the throne room and the library.
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| The Library |
In the fourth courtyard were a number of other private rooms and buildings for the sultan and his family.
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| Throne of Sultan Mahmud II |
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| Throne of Sultan Mahmud II |
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| Throne for the Eve of Bayram ceremony |
As a last farewell, I went to my favorite restaurant here, the Turgut, and ordered İskender kebap. A Turkish dish containing small pieces of pita covered in butter, sliced döner kebab, tomato sauce, and yogurt. I went there for dinner four nights. It was a nice way to get to know some of the staff. One of the waiters was born in Afghanistan and actually happened to have been a translator for the United States military for a couple years in Afghanistan. Outside the entrance of the restaurant was a man named Ali. He comes from Syria and is a giant of a man, all 7'2" of him! He is like the restaurant mascot, always wearing his Ottoman outfit trying to persuade customers to eat at their restaurant. Worked for me :D Had a good conversation with him about my time in Istanbul and how I liked it there.
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| Mr. Ali |
Dinner is always served with tea and baklava afterwards. Usually a black tea, but in some cases also apple tea.
Flight left Istanbul Airport at 10:35 pm for Astana, Kazakhstan. I really enjoyed my time in Istanbul! So many interesting things and places to see. Also met some amazing people here with stories to tell. The first few days, I was quite apprehensive about how things would go in this totally foreign country alone. But by the end, I do not regret going one bit! If I am able to go back to Turkey one day, I would love to visit the Princess Islands, near Istanbul, the Blue Mosque (it was closed for renovations), Cappadocia, and Ephesus.
Day 9 - January 15, 2023
Leaving the relatively mild temperatures of Istanbul (low to mid 50s) I traveled about five hours by plane to the capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana where temperatures were around 9 degrees today. Another foreign country where my first impression is that most people do not speak English. This time however, I have my own personal bodyguard and tour guide, Brandon :D
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| Istanbul Airport |
Making our way from the airport (around 7 am), Brandon and I stopped at Nektar Coffee Shop for some breakfast and much needed caffeine after a mostly sleepless flight.
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| A cuppa with the lad himself :) |
We left to check in at the Elite Apart Hotel, right across the street from where Brandon works. Ended up taking a nap and then headed out for some dinner at Line Brew. Great dinner and even better company! Gave the horse steak a try and I must say it was very good. Very similar to beef, but definitely slightly different tasting.
It has been a long last 48 hours, so I will wrap things up here. Tomorrow, Brandon and I fly to Almaty, an hour and a half south, for a bit of snowboarding and sight seeing. Goodnight all!
hi Jared, I was just made aware of this blog ,that you’re making , by your Mom, and that you are doing a world tour. That’s quite an exciting undertaking. I loved your pictures and explanations, making us realize that we definitely do live in a bubble here in Lynden, but it is a good one.😉 now you’re spending time with your brother, so I’ll leave you to it and hope you enjoy the snowboarding experience….have fun but be safe.Mrs K.
ReplyDeleteLynden is definitely a great place, but it is nice to see other places in the wide world too :) Have a good day over there!
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