29 March – 31 March 2017
Istanbul had made quite the
impression on us the previous September when we had transited through. Also considering that many of the great
cities of the world were in close proximity to where we were now living, making
a short jump to a city like Istanbul for ‘someone’s birthday’ was more than
feasible.
To set the background as to why
we selected Istanbul I need to add that since returning from Central America we
had commenced our pre-wedding diet in earnest. Part of maintaining a strict
calorie regime was completely getting rid of alcohol. Just like in the
commercial world, the rise of a substitute usually happens at the behest of
another product when circumstances change. Our substitute was sheesha. A real
pleasure actually and it provided the perfect foil to voiding the caloric
intake that had undermined our progress in the past.
On our way to Istanbul with the assistance of Air Serbia
Oh dear, calorie intake through the ROOF - visual osmosis - Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Considering that background,
Istanbul felt like the right choice for us. Not only from a purely touristic
perspective but also for the fact that finding Hookah cafes would be more than
easy, and, purchasing a new hookah for Inga as a birthday present would be
something fun that we could both do and create a memory in the process.
With the ever present shadow of
terrorism still hanging over the region and Turkey running itself into
political turmoil, we still made the decision to go and adopted the Australian
approach of ‘be aware but not alarmed’.
Thank you Steve Liebmann, I believe you words will haunt me for the rest of my
life.
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Delightful - Istanbul - Turkey
Man of delight - Istanbul - Turkey
Arriving mid-week we elected to
stay at the wonderful Regie Ottoman
Istanbul hotel. A glorious boutique hotel, its set an a 150 year old
Ottoman building and located in the Historic
Peninsula. With original mosaic artwork, stone walls and wooden floors, the
hotel felt like it harked back to an Istanbul reminiscent of an earlier era.
Moody and dignified, it set the feel for what the rest of the short stay in
Istanbul would be.
The next day our discovery of
Istanbul took us back into the Grand Bazaar, still the largest and oldest
covered market in the world, with 61 covered streets and 4,000 shops, having
originally opened to trade in 1461. This is a major tourist attraction of Istanbul
and an absolute blast for those that love doing a bit of shopping, also, it was
the perfect place to find the hookah we were looking for. It didn’t even take
that long for Inga to zero in on exactly what she wanted, a beautiful light
blue glass and gold motif base with a
gold, metal stem. Not only something that would suit us in a practical
way but certainly would be a great addition as a centre piece of our apartment
in Belgrade.
Grand Bazaar - Istanbul - Turkey
Grand Bazaar - Istanbul - Turkey
Grand Bazaar - Istanbul - Turkey
Grand Bazaar - Istanbul - Turkey - birthday present negotiation in progress
Birthday present secured - the wonderful light blue glass hookah on the left came home with us
Of course a hookah purchase of this nature also required its own carry bag
Grand Bazaar - Istanbul - Turkey
For the rest of the day we took
to walking and made our way across the Golden Horn, via the Galata Koprusu
bridge and then headed up to Taksim Square, around which there are restaurants,
shops and cafes a plenty. Somehow I expected Istanbul to be different to this,
more middle eastern in outlook, more leaning towards what I’d encountered in a
place like Marrakech. Unremarkable from those in the known, the city really looked to be a mix of
influences, not quite the European city and not quite Asian or Middle Eastern.
As a city is sits beautifully in the middle and in the midst of those
complimentary forces, a true spectacle of influences.
Blue mosque - Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
That evening we went to see a performance
of mediation and ceremony when we took in a performance by Surfi Dervishes of
whirling. From what I know the concept of whirling, or spinning the body in
repetitive circles is meant to be symbolic, imitating the way that the planets
of the solar system circle the sun. The aim of the action is to reach the
source of all perfection, or kamal. Abandoning one’s ego, psyche, attachments
to the superficial and utilising the music to simply focus on God. The
performance is mesmerisingly beautiful. Their fluid movement encompassed in
their physical being and the transition to a different mental state is
beautifully engaging. The audience sat silently (snapping photos of course) and
watched as these men showed us their version of what a discourse with God looks
like in their terms. Intoxicating.
Looking out to the Golden Horn - Istanbul - Turkey
Looking out to the Golden Horn - Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Istanbul - Turkey
Whirling Dervishes - Istanbul - Turkey
Whirling Dervishes - Istanbul - Turkey
Whirling Dervishes - Istanbul - Turkey
I have to admit, considering the nature
of our strict diet, what I found the most difficult thing to defeat was
partaking in the local cuisine or taking on a tipple or two. In fact that was
the biggest nuisance of the whole three months. Somehow staying at home and
following a routine allows you to establish a pattern that deflects temptation.
When you’re travelling, to me, it seems counter-intuitive to simply neglect the
restaurants and bars. Of course it’s not an absolute need to bow to gluttony or feel the ire of alcohol
consumption, but hey, travel should involve all that. Again, the luck for us,
in Istanbul at least as the substitution of one vice for another. Sheesha
became our saving grace and we were mighty thankful that of us at least, the
was freely available and celebrated.
Istanbul is a stunning city, of
that there can be no doubt. Spectacular, engaging & dynamic. A world
highlight to be certain.
