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  • Exploring Istanbul: The Journey Begins at the Taksim Square

    Exploring Istanbul: The Journey Begins at the Taksim Square

    Source: Lovely Mehrotra

    dsc 3843 copy 2361 fPeople say places leave memories in your heart, but I left my heart in Istanbul. Turkey’s largest city which spans over two continents, Europe and Asia, is a perfect blend of cultures for centuries. The city is not only modern and vivacious but, maintains its tradition and history too.

    Napoleon once said, “If the world were a single state, Istanbul would have been its capital.” The former capital of three successive empires- The Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul is truly a cradle of civilization.

    Recently, I got a chance of a lifetime to explore this ‘city of seven hills.’ The first step into the city, and was amazed with its astonishing skyline, studded to perfection with domes and minarets. Full of modern buildings all around, the deep blue waters of the Bosphorus and the sight of huge ships and small ferries, the view is completely mesmerising

    My journey began at one of Istanbul’s most modern city centers, ‘Taksim Square’, which is a busy hub, located on the European side. As I got down from the mini bus to roam around on the streets of Taksim, the first thing that caught my attention, was a huge monument standing on the Istiklal pedestrian street, which I later found out to be the monument of Independence, representing Atatürk, the founder of the Republic.

    While I stood analysing the monument, an old tram just passed from the street, taking me to the old Turkey. It added a perfect ancient touch to the modern square, which was full of big and small eateries, well maintained street cafes and a small flower market. Call it the perfect blend of modernity and tradition that can’t be missed!

    As if the tram wasn’t enough, the charm of old Turkey flew out of the window the moment I saw a stunning Turkish girl, dressed to kill- in a short skirt and a white Tee, pumped up high heels, with her curly brown hair catching all the attention, every time the wind teased them. She mixed in the aura, a tinge of Turkish modernity. Well that’s modern Turkey for you, where, there’s no place for burqas and the stifled inhibitions that come with them.

    It was later that I discovered the fact that, ‘burqas’ are banned here. Just like any other Indian with a pre-conceived notion, I had this perception that in a country where ninety-nine percent of the population is following Islam, females will be covered from head to toe, they’ll be shy and conservative, but to my surprise, things were completely contrary to what I thought.

    After checking out the streets, it was time to dig into some Turkish delicacies. Neither an experimental eater nor a foodie, I chose to flow with the tide and opted for ‘Falafel-Hummus Salad’ and ‘Turkish Tea’, as the pictures of both looked great in the menu (something we Indians do all the time).

    A large scoop of creamy hummus with lots of olive oil drizzled on it, along with red cabbage salad, pickled carrots, and of course- six pieces of the Humungo falafel balls, arrived along with my tea, in a traditional Turkish cup, beautifully painted in red and blue tulips. They were really cute!

    Finally after lunch, it was time to catch a nap. ‘The Central Palace’, a big three star hotel, centrally located on the busy street of Taksim was my residence for next three days in Istanbul. The room was spacious and had a spectacular ‘balcony view’ of the city and its nice cozy bed was enough to make me fall asleep.

    After catching on some sleep, it was time to explore the nightlife of Taksim. And, as I stepped out of the hotel, I got another surprise of the day. The sun was shining brightly all over me and my clock struck 8pm! Surprised to know that? Well, this is nothing, for in Turkey, the sun shines brightly over your head till 9pm during these months, which means, whenever you’ll have your dinner, the sun will always, accompany you.

    Talking about dinner, giving up on my hunger pangs, I chose ‘Cicek Pasaji’, on the Istiklal Street of Taksim, as my dinner destination. The beautiful ‘L’ shape passage was covered with glass roof and restaurants waiting to serve the visitors with open arms.

    via Exploring Istanbul: The Journey Begins at the Taksim Square – www.daily.bhaskar.com.

  • Glamour of the Orient expressed

    Glamour of the Orient expressed

    By Oliver Bennett

    As an introduction to Istanbul, the Pera Palace is in a class of its own. Oliver Bennett enjoys the luxury of Agatha Christie’s favourite hotel, and the mystery of the town that surrounds it

    Istanbul Agatha Christie The ghost of Agatha Christie hangs over Istanbul. Photos by Untipografico and Faded Giant

    Istanbul Agatha Christie

    The ghost of Agatha Christie hangs over Istanbul. Photos by Untipografico and Faded Giant

    Opening the electric curtains in my room to reveal the sun rising over the Bosphorus, Istanbul’s great waterway, I pondered on this technological innovation. What a great murder weapon electric curtains would make. Prompted by the refurbishment of Pera Palace Hotel, Agatha Christie’s Turkish home from home, I had come to Istanbul to breathe in the essence of mystery, and to stir the inner detective.

    It was here that the Queen of Crime wrote Murder on the Orient Express – in room 411 – and where she stayed frequently between 1926 and 1932 with her husband, archeologist Sir Max Mallowan. Now, after a £22 million refurbishment, the Pera Palace is a direct link into the golden age of travel: a great-aunt given a multimillion-pound wash and brush-up.

    The 1892-vintage splendour of the Pera Palace, once host to Orient Express passengers as they glamorously schlepped in from Paris, is writ large and utterly tasteful. This is not an ‘international’ hotel where local flavour ends at the door. Outside sits a maroon Plymouth car, used for transfers. Inside are marbled walls, antiques and a venerable cash register that may once have taken Christie’s guineas.

    I walked over the tiled floor and noticed a spaniel-eyed shoe-shine man, eyeing my brogues expectantly. The prime suspect? Nah. It’s always the one you least expect.

    Christie is indelibly associated with the hotel, and the world’s most published writer lingers in salons and the city. The Pera Palace, designed by French-Turkish architect Alexander Vallaury in Art Nouveau-meets-Oriental style, hammers the continental crossroads theme home. I went up to room 411: large, elegant and without a distracting view of the Bosphorus. Could I transfer to here? “Sorry,” said Esin Sungur. “It’s always booked.”

    Others to have stayed here include the Queen, Greta Garbo, Alfred Hitchcock and Ernest Hemingway. But the most prominent spirit here is Agatha’s.

    I necked an Efes beer on the Orient Bar’s splendid terrace then went for supper in the Agatha Restaurant: quail kebab, artichoke soup. Murder by Meze? I certainly felt the generous helpings as I stumbled off into the back alleys for a raki nightcap. The streets heaved, the crowd moving like a millipede. Turkey may be an Islamic majority country, but bar cleaved to bar. I managed about half of my six-inch glass of Raki, watched the pageant, and went to bed.

    In the morning, a spectacular sunrise lured me up, and I went down to breakfast. A delicious croissant, finished with honeycomb, reminded me that this most French patisserie had started life as an Ottoman ‘crescent’. Another plus was the lift: a glorious carpeted wooden cabin, at 120 years as old as Agatha herself. A great location for a crafty garroting? Well yes: at Agatha’s ‘birthday party’ last year, someone ‘died’ here. If you’re going to put on a Murder Mystery event, then it might as well be at the Pera Palace.

    I left the hotel and walked to the Bosphorus, the glittering waist of Istanbul. This is a city that benefits, like Rio and Cape Town, from amazing topography, and the hills were top of my mind as I struggled back up the incline from the Bosphurus’ floating bridge.

    Here, life is lived outside. Rough metalwork shops melded into tourist emporia. In the old town, I nosed around the Grand Bazaar, thinking of Mallowan and Christie: great collectors and rug buyers. The Bazaar is a tourist trap, but one that offers an irresistible jolt of the East. I strolled to Istanbul’s big three: the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. The latter is home to a magnificent jewellery collection, including the Topkapi Dagger, as used in the thriller Topkapi. There is something about raffish Istanbul that inspires the imagination.

    In the late afternoon I alighted a boat – white leather seats, pink windows – for a glamorous splash along the Bosphorus. As the Bond-like craft cruised, the banks became replete with international glamour: an Ottoman palace here, a waterside restaurant there, the occasional ancient castle. The city’s historical depth surely inspired Christie and back at the Pera Palace, I looked at the museum room (room 101, no less), which includes old newspapers from the day that Ataturk died, as well as Christie memorabilia.

    And there remains a mystery most weird: the key story. In 1926, at the age of 36, Agatha Christie went missing in Britain for 11 days. A film directed by Michael Apted was made in 1979, trying to piece together this episode and, bizarrely, a Hollywood séance even took place in pre-production.

    At this event, a ghostly ‘Agatha’ gave spooky directions to the skirting board in room 411, where the key to a missing diary was found. A replica of the key now sits under glass outside her room, testifying to the most enduring Christie mystery: those missing days.

    To this day, nobody knows why she dunnit.

    * high50 special offer: enjoy 10% off a trip on the Orient Express

    * Pera Palace, Istanbul: www.perapalace.com

    * Agatha Christie: www.agathachristie.com

    via Glamour of the Orient expressed.

  • Istanbul hotels: four of the best

    Istanbul hotels: four of the best

    From a former Ottoman palace to stylish boutique hotels, the four best places to stay in Istanbul, as selected by Francesca Syz.

    Ibrahim Pasha

    This quietly brilliant and intimate boutique hotel is the ideal option for those looking for something stylish, affordable and atmospheric (you won’t miss the morning call to prayer). Located in two adjoining townhouses in the heart of the historic Sultanahmet district, or Old Istanbul, Hotel Ibrahim Pasha is named after the most popular Grand Vizier (second in command to the Sultan) of the Ottoman Empire, whose next-door palace now houses the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. Like a chic private house, the hotel has 20 rooms, individually decorated with a mix of comfortable contemporary furniture, antiques and vibrant textiles.

    While standard rooms are fine, the deluxe rooms are noticeably more spacious, so it’s worth paying the extra. The hotel has no restaurant, but a good buffet breakfast is served in the lobby, which has comfortable sofas and two open fireplaces, and there are lots of great restaurants close at hand. One of the hotel’s best features is its guest-only roof terrace and bar overlooking the domes and minarets of the dramatic Blue Mosque, with the Sea of Marmara beyond.

    * The details Doubles from £87 (i-escape.com/hotel-ibrahim-pasha).

    via Istanbul hotels: four of the best – Telegraph.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/turkey/istanbul/hotels/

  • Monday in Istanbul

    Monday in Istanbul

    Another whirlwind day of visiting here there and everywhere.

    Today’s agenda includes Topkapi Palace, the Post Office, A ferry trip to Kadikoy which is the Asian side of Istanbul and going past the Maiden Tower followed by another night out eating.

    Topkapi palace was made in 1500’s by a Sultan and occupies the most wonderful piece of land overlooking the sea and Golden Horn. It has many pavilions, large grounds, and was home to a harem, many wives and many more servants. The treasures of the day are carefully preserved and displayed including so many jewels. One area was devoted to the artifacts of the prophet Mohammed including his footprints. This area included an Iman chanting from the Koran making it very atmospheric.

    The Asian side of Istanbul includes spice markets, fish markets and many alleyways of people eating and drinking and enjoying life out and about.

    Ferries cross the Bosphorous often with people using this for the daily commute to work.

    via Monday in Istanbul.

  • Best BBQs in Istanbul

    Best BBQs in Istanbul

    The BBQ and roast are not as big an issue in Istanbul as they might be in London or D.C. As the summer dawns in, people do start to move outdoors, but it is not so much for the picnics and the BBQ, as it is for the Bosphorus.

    cevapcici

    That said, if you will be in Istanbul on a sunny Sunday and you really are yearning for a BBQ party, you might as well check out the few following options.

    1. Ciragan Hotel by Kempinski in Ciragan (between Besiktas and Ortakoy, right next to Four Seasons Bosphorus) does tend to host BBQ Sundays during the summers from 19.30 to 23.00 at the Summer Lounge. There is also music and drinks… BBQbuffet costs 155 TRY per person. With drinks, the price is at 189 TRY. However, do call the concierge and check again as you make your reservation.

    Cook yourself…

    [By Ippi (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

    2. A more classic way of enjoying the heat of the grill is at “Cook yourself, Eat yourself” venues. There are many of these in Istanbul, but most of them requires a long car drive (sometimes to the out of the city for a couple of hours). Nonetheless, a few options within the city are the following: Camlik Et and Kazanc Park.

    Camlik Et is located in Silivri, which is still approximately an hour away with car (up to two hours with the bus). It is located over an area of 30,000.00 sqm. Reservations are a must on the weekends. One can bring their own meat and cook it here. Side dishes may be ordered from the property owner.

    Kazanc Park is on the Asian side of Istanbul and a little farther away from Polonezkoy. There is a hotel on this property as well as a picnic area, where visitors are allowed to grill meat with their BBQ. There is a children’s area and a trekking area. Phone number: 0090 (216) 434 52 99.

    3. Your third option when it comes to grilled meat are the steakhouses of Istanbul. Most of the steakhouses have a nice and big garden, but you are unlikely to get the garden party atmosphere at these. Some of the best steakhouses include: Gunaydin, Ozgur Sef, Nusr-et.

    On a final note, a nice buddy, a friend who has a big house with a big garden along the Bosphorus and who welcomes the summer with a BBQ party, is as always the best BBQ ever in the city…

    via Best BBQs in Istanbul | Istanbul | NileGuide.

  • Hagia Sofia in Istanbul – a Survivor of Byzantine Architecture

    Hagia Sofia in Istanbul – a Survivor of Byzantine Architecture

    Religion is very strict when it comes to the places of cult where you practice it and these places differ very much depending on that particular religion. You can recognize a Roman-Catholic church from the outside and also a synagogue or a mosque. That is possible because they have a totally different architecture. But sometimes all these rules are broken and you face a wonderful mixture and styles and that’s what makes the place unique. I am talking now about Hagia Sofia or Ayasofya in Istanbul that is presently a museum and one of the most famous remnants of Byzantine architecture.

    It was in turns an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral and a Mosque, all in different times in history, depending on who conquered Istanbul or Constantinople at the time. So it looks like an Orthodox Church with Muslim minarets. It is unusual, yet incredibly beautiful and each cult has left nice marks on it. The original cathedral was built by Isidore of Miletus Anthemius of Tralles and is decorated on the inside with mosaique and marble pillars. It is tall and richly decorated, preserving in a perfect manner the base-reliefs that were specific to Byzantine architecture. It was a place for coronations and asylum for the ones in need and still attracts lots of tourists or pilgrims every year, because it really is a wonderful architectural monument.

    via Hagia Sofia in Istanbul – a Survivor of Byzantine Architecture.