Looking at the wall, the towers and the gates which led to the castle, my eyesight fell upon the fields of vegetables that some not so wealthy inhabitants have planted near the castle: this was the source of their everyday food!  A visit to the Chora Museum followed, looking at the inside of a Byzantine Monastery that hosted some remarkable frescos and wall paintings of Christian art in the Eastern Medieval Style. Due to the many intruders in the place, it didn’t seem like an old place of worship anymore but more like an open air market with energies flowing all over through the centuries! In the evening my friend and I took a walk down Taksim Square and the main shopping area of Beyoglu, in order to satisfy our shopping curiosity and to become accustomed to the different currency Turks use. We exchanged 50 euros and got back 90 million Turkish Lira, meaning that 1 euro equals 1,85 of the local currency. Feeling like unexpected millionaires, we started looking at the shop windows and calculating the prices back and forth. The endless paved road was full of every kind of shop from the most expensive boutiques to the very cheapest. One thing that struck me was that when we passed by a couple of underwear shops, their windows were explicitly promoting kinky underwear in the wide open, leaving me with one question in mind: Why in this Islamic society, where some women still cover their heads with scarves, due to religious bylaws, were women allowed to partake in such loose morals, like wearing kinky underwear! That’s of course a cultural remark that may not be answered due to the differences between civilizations.

We then had our dinner at a local eatery where, in a very folk atmosphere people ate pies, dairy products, local dishes and tea. Turks abstain from pork meat and don’t consume alcohol. As a matter of fact alcohol drinks are very expensive in comparison to normal prices in our homeland and I suggest you don’t drink. Instead they drink either Turkish coffee or tea. For us Greeks, it was a pleasant surprise to find out how many similar recipes both countries have in their cuisines. Even the names are the same in some cases with the only difference that the food in Istanbul was spicier than in Greece. We paid 12 million lire per person, having eaten a main dish with meat and assortments, a bottled water and a dairy dessert, meaning we paid approximately 6 euros and we ate well for dinner. In Athens the prices would be muchhigher, wondering why! Mind water consumption: only water from bottled sources is permitted to travelers, due to the uncertain hygiene conditions in the city's water network. Thus, for those who are vegetarians, they have to be extra careful about eating fresh salads without vinegar, which kill microbes in the vegetables. Having walked back to the hotel, another thing struck me: the traffic lights! Above the usual traffic signs were a countdown for both pedestrians and automobiles. It counted backwards in order to allow time for each person to cross the road safely! No more excuses for crossing the road at the last minute or even when the light turns orange for the automobiles. This was an innovation I hadn’t been accustomed to before and I was impressed! Good work department of Turkish transportation!!!

The next day was dedicated to visiting some major monuments such as the Byzantine horse track, the Blue Mosque, Aghia Sofia and Top Kapi. We went inside the Blue Mosque taking our shoes off at the entrance and stepping on carpets everywhere on the floor. The crowd was looking at the blue tiles that were made in Italy in order to decorate the Mosque and thus giving it the name Blue. A sense of piety evolved from visiting the place, since it now serves as a temple. We then walked down to Aghia Sofia Museum, so as to make a pilgrimage to the once glorious church of Christianity. We walked in with awe, looking at the interior of the church which now hosts Islamic inscriptions on the main pillars and an altar for the Muslims to gather around.  Images aren’t allowed at Muslim centers of worship, much of the Byzantine icons in the temple were covered by plaster in 1948, they are being restored to their previous condition by the local authorities. Climbing up to the chambers of women we saw an amazing wall painting of Jesus Christ having in his sides Mother Mary and St John the Baptist. It was called “the Judgment Day” and Lord Jesus was painted in such a way that his eyes followed the observer’s, just like Mona Lisa’s do in the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting!  Such a sense of deity through this painting!

We then visited the Top Kapi sarayi (meaning palace in Turkish) which was the residence of the Sultans from the 15th to the 19th century. Top Kapi is the setting for the famous movie with Jules Dassin starring Melina Merkouri, Maximillian Shell and Peter Ustinof. Top Kapi was a succession of palaces and other facilities that were built for to serve 5000 people a day residing in the palaces. Of course, men where living separately from women who were restricted to their own premises (the Harem it is called). At one hall, we were dazzled by the Imperial treasures kept at Top Kapi, from gems, to jewelry to swords and armors, to even golden thrones the Sultans sat upon on various occasions!

In the evening, our tour guide suggested a night out at a traditional place to see belly dancing and so we did, only to find out that the place was not worthy for it was not traditional in the sense of an authentic cultural presentation! Belly dancing is also a common dance in Greece, so it wouldn’t be strange for the Greeks to watch and even to compare our dancing techniques with those of the Turks! The next day we set sail on a cruise of the Bosporus area, crossing the Sea of Marmara and seeing both sides of Istanbul. Bosporus is a colorful village, 1hrs drive from the main city. We ate fish at a local joint and then set off again from the Asian side this time, only to find out that a newly developed Istanbul was lying on this side, resembling European capitals or even US cities! So much different than the old city we stayed in, with the old buildings and the image of an oriental city! This was certainly the modern face of Istanbul. In the evening my friend and I decided to experience an Ottoman massage, performed by a skilled masseur at our hotel spa. The gentleman was very kind and discreet, but very determined to loosen our tense body with very firm movements. It hurt but was worth the trouble since it left us with an excellent sense of relaxation afterwards. Again, the comparison to the international prices was in favor of the Turks. It cost 15$ per 40 minutes, or 12 euros.

The following morning we visited another astonishing palace called Dolma Bahctse (The stuffed gardens in Turkish). It was the residence of the Sultans from the 19th century until 1923 when democracy was established in Turkey. This palace was amazing! Built on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, it seemed to me that it was so extravagant and luxurious that perhaps Hermitage in St. Petersburg or Louvre, resembles its wealth and grandeur! I then realized why the almighty Ottoman Empire was a superpower of the time. So much power bestowed upon them for so many years, had created the illusion of everlasting power! From 1923 to 1938 Dolma Bahctse was the residence of Kemal Attaturk, the first President of the Turkish Republic. His tomb is kept at the gardens of the sarayi and a Turkish soldier is standing at the entrance in order to remind people of the sacred nature of the place. Even Queen Victoria of England repeatedly visited the palace and gave two megaton chandeliers as presents to the Sultan. Afterwards we visited the Miniaturk Museum of Miniatures where all the major sights of Turkey are constructed in 1/25 scale: they were amazingly detailed.

Next came the visit to the Traditional Market where 4000 stores are waiting for the visitor to shop and of course, haggle over prices. It is a custom to haggle over prices especially in the more touristy areas such as the Market. Goods in a vast variety unfolded before our eyes; we where looking for the traditional yet affordable goods to buy. Much of the merchandise was not exceptional or could be found even in Greece, but there was something to buy for everyone. Clothing, jewelry, home ware, decorative items, music ornaments, shoes, bags among other things and most of all polite shop owners trying to communicate and at last sell their goods to the hordes of tourists.

As it was the New Year’s Eve we returned to the hotel and got ready for our big night out at a luxurious traditional place. It was about time to visit and spend the evening at the Istanbulin, a restaurant with very good cuisine and entertainment: Turkish folk dances, belly dancing danced by professionals and a Master of Ceremonies with a great sense of humor. As he addressed the New Year wishes in many languages, in Greek he wished for Happy Easter but it was part of having fun during the evening, not to take his words seriously!!! As our night ended in good spirits, we watched the crowd going towards Taksim Square, the centre of New Year Celebrations in Istanbul. In Islam there’s not such a figure as Father Xmas but lately many Turks decorate their houses with Baba Noel and the Xmas tree for it is in fashion. They say that Baba Noel is a Christian saint who brings presents at New Year!

On January 1st we attended the New Year’s Sermon at the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchy in Fanari. Present at the sermon was the Orthodox Patriarch Bartolomeu and I was impressed by the solemn atmosphere inside the temple. We then took the boat at the Harbour in order to visit one of the Four Islands by the bay called “The Prince Islands” (in Greek) ; they are located at the entrance of the Gulf of Propontis. Summer resorts for many Istanbul residents host summer mansions and fish taverns like Capri, Italy. I couldn’t help feeling melancholic about the state of some of the mansions: they were abandoned as it was wintertime.

Our excursion ended by buying traditional sweets made from buffalo butter and nuts, such as baklava. We arrived back to Athens having been charmed by the multifaceted Istanbul!

The following is Marialena's first article for the magazine:

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