Taking Time in Istanbul, Türkiye: Greek Cruise Part Three

Bryan Johnson
Aug 28, 2024
9 min read

Friday, August 9: Day at Sea

After an exhausting day in the Mykonos sun and swimming in the Aegean Sea, a day of relaxation at sea was much needed. Katie and I spent the majority of the day hanging by the pool, playing chess, and reading; pretty much doing anything we could to avoid my mortal enemy, the sun! That's right, I got sunburnt in Mykonos!

Dardanelles Strait: Çanakkale Boğazı

During our transit to Istanbul, we passed through the Dardanelles Strait which separates the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea. The captain opened up the deck on the bow of the ship for passengers to go outside and enjoy the views!

Trojan Horse Statue: Truva Atı

During our transit, we passed by the town of Truva Atı, which is home to the Trojan horse prop from the movie Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt. The "Trojan horse" is on display here since the modern-day Troy city is nearby! Pretty cool fun fact.

Later that evening Katie and I attended the "Questions About Istanbul" presentation from our cruise director Erin. We learned that Istanbul is the largest city in Europe with approximately 16 million people and is where Europe meets Asia. The city is split in half by the Bosphorus Strait, with the European side on the west and the Asian side on the east. Their currency is the Turkish Lira and $1 is worth approximately ₺34.

We are excited to tackle a new country and new city tomorrow! I also think we are both excited to finally be back in Asia for a change!

Saturday, August 10: Istanbul

Galataport Istanbul

The next morning started bright and early; our excursion stated that we would meet up approximately 1 hour post-arrival. Our tour guide messaged Katie the day prior and said we would be meeting up just after 7 am, right after cruise arrival.

Katie and I were up at 5:30, enjoyed a light breakfast and were off the ship right when the gangway was open at 7 am. However, the rest of our group must have not gotten the update...Katie and I sat outside the cruise terminal, where we were met by our guide Unal (pronounced you-nal), waiting for the remainder of our group to disembark. At 8 am, everyone was accounted for and we were finally off!

The one plus to this time delay was that we were up with the sun and got to enjoy a sunrise over Istanbul's city skyline!

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque: Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi

Our first stop of the tour was at the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the crown jewel of Old Town Istanbul. Built in 537 AD, it originally served as a Greek Orthodox church until 1204, when it served as a Roman Catholic Church for 57 years following the Fourth Crusade.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire, it officially became a mosque. To this day, Hagia Sophia is an active mosque, so we were only allowed the second-floor gallery and were not allowed on the prayer floor. We were absolutely stunned by the huge dome and the beautiful mosaics.

Remember how I said this mosque was originally a Greek Orthodox Church? Well throughout the second-floor gallery were numerous mosaics built through the 10-13th Centuries depicting Jesus, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, Emperor Constantine (founder of Istanbul, previously known as Constantinople), and Emperor Justinian (Byzantine Empire), who built Hagia Sophia.

In the first photo below, you will notice that the mosaic of Jesus is covered by curtains. We learned that in the Islamic faith, images are prohibited during prayer. Instead, mosques are decorated with Arabic calligraphy. Since all images are prohibited, any mosaics that could be seen while worshipping had to be covered. Since many of the mosaics are outside of view from the ground floor, they are on display for visitors to see up on the second floor.

Sultan Ahmet Park

After leaving the Hagia Sophia, we made our way through the Sultan Ahmet Park which separates the Hagia Sophia Mosque from the Blue Mosque. This park provided stunning views of both the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the tall towers, called minerats, that surround each mosque.

The minerat towers have been used since ancient times so that one person can climb to the top and sing the Call to Prayer above the town for all to hear. The number of minerats signify its importance; a mosque with four or more meant that it was considered an imperial mosque.

Hippodrome of Constantinople: Konstantinopolis'teki Hipodrom

Our next stop was the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the site of chariot races dating back to the Roman era.

Obelisk of Theodosius: Theodosius Dikilitaşı

In the middle of the Hippodrome is the Obelisk of Theodosius, which was originally erected in Egypt in the 1400s BC and was re-erected in the Hippodrome by Theodosius I in the 4th Century AD. This made Katie and I reminisce on the obelisks we saw during our visits to Rome & Paris with both our parents!

The Blue Mosque: Sultanahmet Camii

The next major destination of our tour was Sultanahmet Camii, better known as the Blue Mosque. Built in 1617 as an imperial mosque by Ahmed I, Sultanahmet Camii is coined the Blue Mosque because of its beautiful blue-tiled interior. After marveling at the six minerats, many domes, and beautiful courtyard on the exterior, it was time to doff our shoes and see the inside.

On the inside, Katie and I were in awe at the beautiful blue tiles, reminding us of the beautiful tiles in Lisbon and Lagos, Portugal. I can honestly say we have never seen anything like this. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Istanbul Handicraft Center

After grabbing our shoes and leaving the Blue Mosque, we made a 10-minute walk to Istanbul Handicraft Center for a Turkish rug demonstration. As we nestled into the demonstration room, we were treated to cold apple tea, water, and a sesame bread ring while numerous rugs were being unrolled in front of us.

We learned that Turkish rugs use a double knot design that prevents slipping and makes the carpet stronger. When compared with other famous carpet designers, say Egyptian & Moroccan, who only use a single knot system. The Turks primarily use three types of material to make rugs: wool, cotton, and silk, with wool being the cheapest and silk being the most expensive.

We also learned how to identify the difference between a machine-made and a handmade rug. If you flip a handmade rug 180 degrees, you'll notice a color change; the rug will look lighter or darker from different vantage points!

We were quickly priced out of the rugs when we learned that wool runners were going for $2500+. That's right, a runner made from the cheapest material was over two grand. Small silk rugs, that you would hang on your wall, were going for $5000+. As soon as the demonstration was done and the salesmen entered the room, Katie and I sprinted out of there!

Grand Bazaar: Kapalı Çarşı

Following our group tour, we walked up the street to the Grand Bazaar, a large market with over 1,000 shops selling rugs, spices, candies, desserts, coffee, art, and souvenirs. Katie and I spent about 20 minutes wandering the corridors checking out a couple of stores before becoming overwhelmed by the amount of haggling. Every shop owner tries to get your attention and then won't leave you alone while you walk through their shop. This is definitely not something Katie and I wanted; we wanted to shop in peace.

Sultan Ahmet Park

After leaving the bazaar made our way back to the heart of the Old Town, Sultan Ahmet Park. As we were walking up, the Call to Prayer began, so Katie and I grabbed some corn on the cob from a street vendor and found a bench to soak in this amazing cultural opportunity.

Gallery Antique

Following the Call to Prayer, Katie and I decided to explore some of the lesser-traveled side streets to see what we stumbled into. Along the way, we found Gallery Antique where Katie and I purchased a watercolor of the Hagia Sophia and where we found some interesting tooth drawings! I almost bought one for my office but figured they may creep out my patients.

ALEM YAYINCILIK

While wandering the streets, Katie and I found a bookstore and purchased our Turkish copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Katie and I now own this book in 21 different languages!

Yeni Cami Mosque

As we began to make our way back to the port, we came across Yeni Cami Mosque, another beautiful mosque with free entry! Katie was all for visiting more of these stunning places of worship. Their tile work had her in awe!

You'll notice the stray dog pictured below and wonder why that made it into the blog. Istanbul, and Türkiye in general, is known for its stray dogs and cats. The people take really good care of them by feeding them, loving them, and even providing medical care for them. A majority of the dogs have a tag in their ear to indicate that they have been spayed or neutered and the ear tag color coordinates with their latest shots. We spotted these strays all over Türkiye lounging in the shade!

Egyptian Bazaar: Mısır Çarşısı

Close to the market was the Egyptian Bazaar, one of the other famous markets in Istanbul. Katie and I quickly made our way through the market and snapped a couple of pictures along the way!

Imhan

As we exited the market, we came across Imhan, a small shop selling Baklava and other Turkish treats. Katie and I shared a piece of baklava, and Katie preferred Turkish baklava over Greek, while I preferred the latter.

Galata Bridge: Galata Köprüsü

As we made our way back to the ship, we crossed the Galata Bridge where we found numerous fishermen hoping for a bite and an I ❤️ Istanbul sign.

That evening, Katie and I enjoyed dinner back on the ship because it was free, and we're all about saving money where we can; that and the food on this cruise rivals Disney Cruise food, so it's worth going back to eat!

Sunday, August 11: Bosphorus Strait Cruise

Velena Travel

The next morning was a little bit later of a start. At 10 am, we met our tour guide from Velena Travel and we made the walk to our Bosphorus Strait Cruise. Fortunately, the yacht we would be taking left from the cruise port, so there wasn't much of a walk.

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, the city of Istanbul is split in half by the Bosphorus Strait, with the west side of the city being on the European continent and the east side being in Asia. Today we were going to visit the Asian side of Istanbul while admiring much of the architecture along the way.

Here's what we learned:

Dolmabahçe Mosque: Dolmabahçe Camii

The first major monument we spotted on our cruise was the Dolmabahçe Mosque, which sat just on the bank of the Strait.

Dolmabahçe Palace: Dolmabahçe Sarayı

Adjacent to the mosque is the Dolmabahçe Palace. Built in 1856, it served as the administrative center for the Ottoman Empire for over 50 years until the Empire's fall in 1922.

As we continued along our cruise, we were treated to sandwiches, fruit, Turkish tea, and Turkish coffee.

Çamlıca Mosque: Çamlıca Camii

The next major highlight was the Çamlıca Mosque, the largest mosque in Turkey with a capacity of over 63,000 people. It was quite an impressive site to see up in the hills on the Asian side of Istanbul.

15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü

Next came the first bridge built connecting the two sides of Istanbul, and the first-ever intercontinental bridge in the world. Standing over 500 feet high and nearly one mile in length, before this bridge was built in 1973, the only way to get across the Bosphorus Strait was by ferry.

Rumeli Fortress: Rumeli Hisarı

The Rumeli Fortress was built in 1452 by the Ottoman Empire at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus. It was built during their conflict with the Byzantine Empire in an effort to seize control of Constantinople. We learned that this impressive fortress was built in just a few months!

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü

As we approached the second of three bridges to cross the Bosphorus, our attention was turned to a large house just underneath the bridge. We were informed that the house was currently for sale for a bargain at $120 million. Real estate on this beautiful waterway comes at a steep price.

Kanlıca

On our tour, we did make a stop on the Asian continent at Kanlıca. This was Katie and I's first time on the Asian continent since we left Japan in the summer of 2023! Feels good to be back!

Kanlıca Dondurma Kafe

Our tour guides recommended a yogurt shop in this small district, so Katie and I spent our 15-minute port call enjoying a Turkish yogurt with honey. Although not as good as Greek yogurt, it was still a nice treat!

Maiden's Tower: Kız Kulesi

Our last stop of the tour was another staple of the Istanbul waterway, Maiden's Tower. This tower, completed in 1725, stands at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait.

Our tour was finished around 1:00 pm, drawing a close to Katie and I's time in Istanbul. We made our way back to the ship just before the 2:30 pm all-aboard time.

The rest of our evening included a few drinks at happy hour, reading, relaxing, and enjoying the views of the Sea of Amara as we made our way to our next port!