Our typical Turkish breakfast, courtesy of the hotel. I expect to see much more of this nutritiously balanced breakfast. This was one of those times I felt lucky to have lived for so many years in New York because my preference in food is never overly loyal to a particular cuisine so as to be self-defeating when traveling abroad. I thought the Turkish breakfast was very agreeable, but I've heard that it poses a challenge to many fellow Chinese visitors.
A typical Turkish breakfast with tea/coffee, bread, several varieties of cheese, tomato, cucumber,yogurt, dried fruit, and of course sausage.
Yerebatan Sarnici/Basilica Cistern. We were so glad we visited the Basilica Cistern - Istanbul's underground water reservoir for the Topkapi Palace-early in the morning. If your stay in Istanbul were brief, make the Basilica Cistern one of your must-see-destinations. It is incredible so much effort and workmanship went into building a facility that far exceeded its functional purpose. This is not something you easily find elsewhere. The Romanesque, eerie and mysterious atmosphere created by giant rows upon rows of Corinthian columns zapped us back in time. I imagined secretive-looking merchants paddling small boats and capturing fish in the water to be sold in local markets. This spine-chilling place reminds me of the underground mine in Lord of the Ring where Gandalf faces up to Balrog!
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Sultanahmet Camii/Blue Mosque. Standard tourist stop. Standard tourist shot. The ezan, call to pray chanted by the muezzin and which is broadcast far and wide through what I imagine must be megaphones in the minarets casts a magic and mesmerizing spell on the city at designated times throughout the day.
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the eponymous bluish tiles in the Blue Mosque
Lunch. Another delicious vegetarian meal.
Granny's Granary
We had to book overnight bus tickets to Pamukkale one day in advance. The agency we were looking for, Pamukkale Turism, was no longer in business. We asked several different travel agencies on Divan Yolu, many of them sold only tour packages rather than just bus tickets. Finally, Turista had what we were looking for. Turista also had good day tours and hot air balloon ride packages. We might end up booking the whole package in Cappadoccia with them.
Ayasofya/Hagia Sophia. A short distance from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia boasts ingeniously designed half domes that help to bear some of the extraordinary weight of the main dome.
Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamamı. The highlight of the day for me was the luxury Turkish bathhouse experience at Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam. The bathhouse is right next to Hagia Sophia. It is arguably one of the best bathhouses in town. Yes, it's on the pricey side, but it's an experience everyone should try at least once, IMHO. First timer, get ready for the following:
--being stripped stark naked in front of complete strangers (same gender of course!) in the warm room;
--sitting together in a fountain alcove and feigning casual conversation as you wait for your bathers to get ready;
--the bather then splashes you, using a small golden basin, with hot and cold water from head to toe, in other words, "get you soaked";
--the "scrubbing session" - prepare to get squeaky-clean, with the aid of the bather's powerful hands. Gosh that was kind of embarrassing. Luckily, my bather was so nice and good-natured, we communicated using very limited English, lots of giggling, and friendly eye-contact;
--the "bubble-bath and massage" session. Divinely comfortable. Oh, did I mention the previous three steps were all done in front of everyone? There were four women, me included, ready to be "manhandled", and there were four bathers. We were all in the same room. But by that point, no one cared anymore.
--By then you were as clean as you could ever get, we were then ushered into the reception room and offered a cool drink and some Turkish delight.
--And then the grand finale, the aromatherapy massage. This was done in individual rooms instead of in a communal fashion. Imagine being kneaded like a flour dough and pinched, pressed, elbowed, rubbed, pounded, squeezed in every imaginable way. The expert masseuse tread a very fine line between pleasure and pain. Her powerful hands exerted a juggernaut force, lol. I'm very new to the whole spa/massage thing, so I definitely don't consider the Turkish bath a beginner level spa experience. But at the end, I felt like I was born all over again. :)
So if you feel comfortable with all of the above (ah-huh), do not miss this unforgettable experience.
I thought the Spice Market was incredibly touristy. Some of the alleys nearby might be better choices if you consider shopping for Turkish delight or other souvenirs.
Finally, our lavish and totally impossible to finish dinner:
meze(appetizer) platter
seafood platter (this dish is H.U.G.E.)
Istanbul streets are full of feral dogs and cats who looked meek, not shy, but not exactly friendly. Sometimes the cats do not hesitate to sit patiently below your lunch/dinner table waiting for you to toss a bite or two. But none of them dared leap onto the table. In fact, I thought many of them had a look on their face that were as if they had come to accept their fate completely.
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