Trip Report #5-2002:  Istanbul

Filed from Tulcea, Romania

45  11.0 N    28 47.5 E

July 21, 2002

Photo:  The Sultanahmet, Istanbul

    Constantinople, Stamboul, Istanbul:  known by all of those names and, in the past, the capital of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires, this is a grand and fascinating city. Although it is no longer the capital, it is still the historic and cultural heart of Turkey.  Istanbul is a city of enormous contrasts.  The Bosphorus flows through it, so that part of the city lies in Europe and part in Asia, maintaining a bridge, literally and symbolically, between east and west. Eighty per cent of the wealth here belongs to one per cent of the people, so one sees very poor people and also the very wealthy.  In the evening, one listens to the call to prayer from the minaret and to the boom of European disco music from the cafes.  The old arts of carpet and kilim weaving are an important source of revenue and pride, as are the new internet cafes and technologic industries.  Strolling in the streets, we saw women in long coats and head scarves, even black chadors with small windows for the eyes, walking with young women in European spandex pants and tiny skinny tops.  But everywhere, the pleasant, smiling friendliness of the Turkish people is so evident.  We love Turkey and we really enjoyed Istanbul.

    We motored the few miles to Istanbul from Cam Limani on the island of Heybeliada in the Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara.  There was no wind and a humid haze settled over the entire area.  We approached the southern part of Istanbul to go into the Atakoy Marina, where the flotilla going to the Black Sea was gathering. As we approached the harbor, we could see many freighters anchored in the bay outside the marina.

Photo:  Freighter at anchor outside Atakoy Marina

As we motored toward Atakoy, several of them started moving, so it required an attentive helmsman to keep clear of maneuvering freighters.  We passed several Russian freighters whose crew waved and shouted "good voyage" to us.

    Atakoy Marina is a great place.  The service is excellent and the staff speaks English very well. They sent out a boat with crew to help us into a slip and tie up to finger piers.  There are clean, hot showers. There is free internet connection that is very fast.  The staff helps with anything one needs, from directions to bus routes to help getting a visa to the Ukraine to recommendations for local hairdressers or restaurants. There is laundry service available, for twice the fee we paid in Marmaris - about $7.50 per load, washed, dried and folded.  Within walking distance are two supermarkets, a large mall and a pharmacy.  Across a walking bridge, spanning a highway, is an area with shops, restaurants, tourist agencies, and the train station, from which one can travel to other parts of Turkey.  The marina is also attached to a yacht club and we were able to use the restaurant there and were invited to yacht club activities, including several dinners and cocktail parties, free of charge, which we enjoyed very much. Atakoy is one of the more expensive marinas in Istanbul.  The charge for one month's stay here was $487, including water and electricity. 

    The only thing we did not enjoy in Istanbul was the strong, unpleasant odor of polluted waters.  We noted this in the bay, 5 miles out of the marina, and it was even worse in this large, otherwise attractive marina.  Pollution, from sewage, industry and large freighters of every variety, is something that Turkey is only beginning to address.

    One of our batteries was low, and we decided to check into buying one in Istanbul before going to the Black Sea, where we might not be able to get one.  We took a bus to the Karakoy area, where many shops and services are located.  Here, we found a new battery, not a golf cart battery that it was to replace, but another marine, heavy duty battery that would fill the bill.  Tom really enjoyed looking around this area, as it was filled with vendors of any piece of hardware or automotive equipment one might need.

Photo:  Tom in Karakoy, Istanbul

    We also visited some of the most noted tourist attractions in Istanbul.  We joined others in the line to enter the Sultanahmet, often called the Blue Mosque, built in 1609-1617 and one of the few in the world having 6 minarets.  Before entering the mosque, we were required to remove our shoes.  Women in shorts and halters were issued skirts and scarves to cover themselves.  Slacks and short sleeves were permitted.

Photo:  Request to remove shoes before entering the Blue Mosque

Photo:  Front of the Blue Mosque

Photo: One of the minarets in the Blue Mosque

Photo:  Details of ceiling in the Blue Mosque

Photo:  Stained Glass windows in the Blue Mosque

Photo:  Peg examines prayer rugs in the Blue Mosque

    Within walking distance of the Blue Mosque is the Aya Sophia, originally built as a basilica in 360 AD and converted to a mosque in the 15th century.  It is now a museum and supports the fifth largest dome in the world.

Photo:  The Aya Sophia

Photo:  Ablutions fountain at Aya Sofia

    The Topkapi Palace was the highlight of our tour.  This magnificent collection of ornate buildings and the grounds surrounding them was built in 1459-78 and served as the sultans' residency for 400 years.  It was converted to a museum in 1924.  It houses the treasures of the sultanates, an extensive costume collection, a collection of antique carpets, and the holy relics, which include bones and beard hairs from the prophet Mohammed. The harem, containing 400 rooms, housed up to 1500 women and children, who lived in rich and luxurious surroundings.

Photo:  Entrance to the Topkapi Palace

Photo:  Gardens on the grounds of the Topkapi Palace

Photo:  Mosaic tiles and stained glass in the Topkapi Palace

Photo:  Views of the Topkapi Palace

    Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is a shoppers paradise.  It is an extensive maze of corridors filled with over 4000 shops selling leather goods, jewelry, clothing, carpets, food, ceramics - all manner of things. As in most of Turkey, shops selling the same types of things are clustered on the same streets.  There are other similar covered bazaars, such as the Spice Bazaar.  But this is the largest and oldest, having been first built by Mahmet II in the fifteenth century and rebuilt many times.

Photo:  Peg picks up a few bargains in the Grand Bazaar

    In the marina at Atakoy, we caught up with many friends we'd been cruising with and enjoyed hearing about everyone's adventures.  Coby and Ben, fellow cruisers from Holland on their yacht, Born, and their cat from Tunisia, Couscous, were on their way to the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara.  We hope to catch up with them again after our trip to the Black Sea.

Photo:  Ben, Coby & Couscous on s/y Born

    We were in Istanbul during the time that the World Cup Soccer was being played.  Turkey was doing very well and in the end, came in third.  When Turkey won the game against Senegal, insuring a place in the semifinals, there was, literally, dancing and music in the streets. Shops were left unattended.  Traffic stopped.  There was gridlock and no one cared.  The Turkish people were absolutely joyful, and the joy was very infectious.  We've never seen so much support and appreciation shown to a sports team by, seemingly, everyone in the entire city. 

                   Allahasmarladik!

                   73s, 88s, love & hugs

                   Peg & Tom aboard Starboard Home

Previous Trip Report    Next Trip Report

Grand Daughters' web pages: Anna's Home Page,  Anastasia's Home Page  Isabelle's Home Page