Kusadasi and our First Turkish Bazaar
Kusadasi is a brash, slightly down market, in yer face holiday resort, a bit like Skegness on steroids .
 
Our first priority on arrival in Turkey on Monday was to book ourselves a bus ticket to Istanbul on Friday. After a good night's sleep we got up on Tuesday, headed into town to see the bazaar and find the coach station. We noted that, in the dock, was a large cruise ship and on the streets were thousands of American teenagers strolling around and trying to look cool. Well, they really were cool, the weather was bloody freezing!
 
True to form the bazaar stall holders had opened up their stalls, dusted down their goods and were practicing their one liners to stop the kids dead in their tracks and draw them into their shops. However, being teenagers they walked past, ultra-cool, ignoring the traders pleas to look at their carpets and leather jackets, and then nearly pissed themselves giggling when out of sight of said traders.
 
Clearly the merchants saw the pair of us as easier meat and we did go into a couple of shops. Rob tried on about 70 leather jackets/coats while Gina looked on disdainfully and about 5 muscular assistants kept bringing us more jackets . We just escaped from this shop without buying a jacket and were walking past the next when the owner said "come on in it's my turn now". We got round the corner and nearly pissed ourselves giggling.
 
One old fellow asked us into his carpet shop. We protested that we weren't buying until next year but he was very welcoming and insisted. He put no pressure on us, showed us many fine carpets, explained what we should be looking for in quality and price, gave us cups of delicious apple tea and shook our hands when we left - a delightful experience.
 
After this we headed out of town up to the distant otogar (coach station for the non-Turkish speakers amongst you) The good news was that we booked our passage with Varan (apparently the best of many bus companies in Turkey) who offer a luxury coach with large leather seats (only 3 per row across the bus and good legroom) and an on board catering service. We were told that we would have to change bus at Izmir then it would be straight through to Istanbul.
 
Istanbul
Thursday/Friday - Overnight Express to Istanbul and our First Rip Off
On Thursday we packed our rucksacks and headed for the otogar to catch the 21 .30 coach to Istanbul. In front of us was a 600km journey which was due to take 10 hours at a cost of about £25.00 each. We caught a taxi and were immediately ripped off for around ten quid for the fare.
 
Lesson 1 - Always ask the price in advance !!
 
The coach to Izmir took about an hour and we boarded our luxury coach to Istanbul. It was almost like travelling business class. As we hit the motorway the steward came round with drinks (non-alcoholic) and cakes. Once we had eaten the lights went out and we continued through the night to Istanbul. The only slight annoyance was the occasional pot hole or crater which the coach drove through. This would instantly shock one awake. Then, to our surprise, the coach boarded a ferry and we got a half hour trip on the Sea of Marmara after which breakfast was served - bread , honey and peach juice. We arrived at the Varan depot at about 6.00 on a cold dreary Friday morning , got the shuttle bus into town and a taxi to our hotel.
 
We couldn't get into our room until about 11.00 so went to see the sights . The Blue Mosque was about a 10 minute walk away and looked glorious. It dominated the skyline with the sun rising behind it. As we looked around we realised that we weren't looking at the Blue Mosque but a far older one , the Aya Sofya. We passed this and were stopped in our tracks by the sight of the Blue Mosque, it's six minarets, the gardens in front of it and the sun now spreading over it's dome - glorious!
 
As the day progressed we managed to visit both of these mosques. Inside, the Blue Mosque was a tad disappointing but the Aya Sofya was fabulous. It started life as a Roman Temple, became a Christian Church (the largest in the then known world), then was changed to a Mosque and finally became a Museum in the 1930s when Kemal Ataturk governed Turkey. Within it's walls are: Islamic wall hangings and icons; early Christian murals and mosaics; and even a remarkable image of the Madonna which was preserved even when the building was a Mosque - Islam supposedly doesn't allow images, especially of women, in it's holy buildings but Mary is also especially revered in Islam .
 
We then visited the old bazaar where, because we looked gullible (does someone put a secret sign on one's forehead which says "this person needs a leather jacket and loadsa carpets" when entering Turkey?). Everyone and his dog's cousin wanted to sell us these items. In the end we bought a ceramic plate on which the, very polite, bargaining started at €300 and was eventually bought for €50.00.
 
Lesson 2 - Markets are the same the world over whether it is in China, Thailand, London or the Barras in Glasgow. When you want something feign indifference, chat politely about a theoretical price, when a price is offered laugh out loud and proceed from there .Never lose your cool (but you can play act doing so) Never be the first to offer a price - you are dead in the water thereafter (literally so if you get it wrong in the Barras).
 
As we walked out of the stall bearing our hard won plate a stall holder whispered at us "well you've got the plate now you need a carpet". We shot round the corner and nearly pissed ourselves giggling! We had lunch at the cheesily named Café Fez in the bazaar - it was good value .
 
In the evening we took ourselves out for a meal and, on our way back were accosted, outside a confectioners, by a rotund wee man in a green suit who introduced himself as "Mr Delicious". He offered us some pistachio Turkish delight which was mouth wateringly wonderful. We bought some of this along with pistachio nougat and walnut Turkish delight. One would put on about half a stone just looking in the window of this amazing shop.
 
Saturday - Treasures of the Ottoman Empire and Wales win the Grand Slam.
Today we decided to see the Topkapi Palace from where the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire ruled from 1479 until the middle of the 19th century, along with the Istanbul Archaeological museum, reputedly one of the best in the world.
 
The museum lived up to it's reputation, it contains stuff from all over the middle east but the highlight is the Alexander sarcophagus which is beautifully preserved and well presented in very low light conditions. The real surprise here is the Turkish Ceramic Museum which has some amazing tiled rooms, mosaics and marble flooring . Like most Islamic design the place seems very cool, quiet, makes good use of natural light and is understated. One could easily spend a full day just wandering around these 2 museums. Oddly, the grounds outside are absolutely littered with huge sacophagii and other relics which would be prominently displayed in any other museum in the world but are seen as rejects here.
 
After this we dodged through the coach parties and tour groups to the Topkapi Palace. Initially we were quite disappointed in it. It was very understated and bereft of most of it's original contents so was fairly characterless. However as we toured the Harem and then the rest of the palace it started to grow on us and like much Islamic design made good use of the natural light, particularly in the more open areas. It contains many ancient Islamic holy relics - the prophet's sword, bits of hair etc which, whilst very ordinary, are spectacularly displayed.
 
It also contains many of the treasures of the Ottoman Empire including the emerald encrusted Topkapi Dagger (featured in the turgidly cheesy 1960s movie 'Tokapi') which are displayed almost mundanely (except for the seriously armed guards) by comparison to the holy relics .
 
Rob particularly enjoyed the palaces kitchens where the food was cooked on open fires and coal fired ranges in huge black vats and cooking pots. A summer dinner must have had a very high fatality rate among the chefs.
 
After the Topkapi Palace we legged it to an Irish Pub to watch the rugby. Rob, an avid Welsh supporter, has decided that his epitaph shall be:-
I saw Wales beat France to win the Grand Slam in an Irish Pub, full of Frenchmen, in Istanbul.
 
Sunday - Cisterns, the best Mosque in Istanbul and we get Ripped Off Again.
Today we headed to the Roman cistern by the Aya Sofya. We looked for it and couldn't find it. A passing gentleman said "it is just behind you, it is beautiful and when you come out you can see my beautiful carpets in the shop over there".
 
He was right, it was beautiful and, in March, not too crowded.
 
We then headed off to find the small, but apparently perfectly formed, Rustem Pasa Camil Mosque which proved elusive. It was hidden near the waterfront in a maze of narrow alleys and was dwarfed by the other local mosques . We stopped for lunch at a scruffy open air dining area, behind a large mosque, where only locals seemed to be eating. While there we saw the local riot police turn up, put on their armour, have a laugh and a joke with one another, check their weapons and then get into a mini bus and disappear - very puzzling - had the plate vendor discovered where Rob had got to? Were they and active unit of the French Rugby supporters club?
 
After lunch we asked for the bill and were charged the equivalent of twenty five quid for a nice, but ordinary meal. Clearly the riot police were the restaurant owners own private security force to escort his takings to the bank.
 
Lesson 3 - See lesson 1 (there was no menu and they only spoke Turkish) and learn better Turkish.
 
After leaving the restaurant we spotted the Rustem Pasa Camil Mosque and headed over to it. It's entrance led off of the local street market. One had to climb a low ceilinged staircase to get to it. It was small, peaceful, simple and covered in beautiful mosaics inside and out . The perfect antidote to rip-off restauranteurs.
 
We then partook of the street market where we bought some lovely copper cooking pans for peanuts.
 
Monday - A Trip down the Bosphorous
On Monday we booked a guided tour of the city which was mainly a boat trip down the Bosphorus but also included a drive round the old city walls of Constantinople, a cable car trip down through a cemetery (don't ask!) and a visit to a carpet factory (inevitably).
 
The trip down the Bosphorus was interesting, if a tad cold, seeing the Victorian Ottoman Palaces, millionaires houses etc etc. The cable car journey was seriously bizarre. It went from the top of a cemetery, half way up a hill, to the bottom of same cemetery at the bottom of the hill. Gina seems to understand the logic of it but Rob is still puzzled but happy because WALES WON THE GRAND SLAM! 
 
The city walls pre-dated the Ottoman Empire and outlived their usefulness centuries ago. However they provide a remarkable contrast between old and modern Istanbul. Appare ntly they constituted the second longest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China . The carpet factory was the standard tourist trap but done with a certain amount of charm by the carpet expert.
 
Tuesday - The Nautical Museum and an OTT Palace.
We caught the ferry to see the Turkish Nautical Museum and the Dolmbahce Palace.
 
The Nautical Museum is an absolute must for any seafaring types who get to Istanbul. It not only has lots of Turkish Navy stuff but also houses the Ottoman Sultans fleet of ceremonial and other rowing galleys as well as two or three modest rowing dinghies used by Kemal Ataturk. We arrived there on Cannakele Day when the Turks celebrate their great victory over the combined British and French fleets in 1915. As a result we got in free. The staff, all Naval personnel, were charming and helpful and the exhibits fascinating.
 
On the other hand the Dolmabahce palace is possibly the most over the top piece of Architecture we have ever seen. It was done in the mid-Victorian gothic/baroque style to impress the then European super powers. In the words of the immortal Kenny Everett "it is all in the best paarserball taste" .It has crystal stair banister supports, the largest chandelier ever made (British, of course),weighing 4.5tons, some of the gaudiest, most uncomfortable furniture ever allowed since the Spanish Inquisition and décor that would be rejected in a Blackpool guest house. Whilst it is mostly pretty awful, the individual craftsmanship has to be admired. How the compulsory tourist guides managed to keep straight faces we will never know.
 
The Sultans built this repulsive monument to bad taste to replace the beautifully understated Topkapi palace - the Ottoman Empire was clearly on it's last legs.
 
Wednesday - Wasting Time and a Conversation with an Armenian Lamp Seller.
 Our bus was due to leave at 23.00 hours on Wednesday and the hotel threw us out at midday so we had time to waste. We ambled back into the old bazaar again and just browsed. Even the carpet sellers were getting restive "you have passed my shop 3 times today and still you don't buy my beautiful carpets!".
 
We were just heading for lunch when Rob got a call from a client in the UK and, in a narrow alleyway in the oldest part of the bazaar was loudly giving advice for about 15 minutes . Meanwhile an old boy in an antique shop beckoned Gina into his tiny shop for a sit down. After Rob finished his telephone call the gentleman came out and said "how lovely it was for me to hear the English language spoken so well and with such charm (wot?) I would be honoured if you would join me far a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. I so rarely get the chance to speak English these days.".
 
We joined him in his miniscule shop and vaguely noticed a picture of him with Laura Bush (George W's missus). It turned out that he was a lecturer in English at Istanbul Uni and now, apart from an antiques business, worked occasionally for the various embassies. He was a fascinating character - a Christian Armenian. We talked for an hour and a half and it seemed to pass in seconds. An absolutely charming experience and one of the highlights of our trip so far. Thank you Murat Bilir.
 
For the rest of the day we went to the spice market and will never forget the fragrances, noise and bustle (nor the kilo of apple tea that we bought); saw the Blue Mosque by moonlight - unforgettable - and then managed to catch our coach back to Kusadasi .
 
Istanbul is a beautiful, noisy, friendly and endlessly fascinating city. We hope it will not be long before we see it again.