Continued from Days 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Day 9
Since it was going to be our last night in Turkey, we began searching for a restaurant with a view and found Olive. We asked the Sokulla Pasa reception to book a table for dinner. After breakfast, we were picked up, at 8.20 but then spent the next hour roaming around the hotel picking up and dropping people! Finally, at around 10, we landed up at the first palace in our itinerary – Dolmabahçe Palace. This was the residence of the Ottoman Sultans after Topkapi Palace. We were told that after the then Sultan visited Europe and saw the residences of his counterparts, he felt that his current residence lacked style. Despite not really having the money, he took loans, taxed his subjects and got this built. Now, this ‘little’ home built on EMI is valued at $1.5 bn. I wondered if a Gates or Zuck could pick it up!
No photos are allowed inside the palace, but you know… 😀 The place is insanely garish and really looks rich! After the Ottoman sultans were exiled, this was used as a presidential guesthouse for visiting dignitaries and Ataturk, when he dropped in from Ankara. To be noted that this was where he died. I wondered whether the sultans had put a hex on him.
Our next stop was the Spice market, from where we bought Turkish delight. We were given 40 minutes to explore, but thanks to a couple of Indonesian women in the group, we were delayed by a further half an hour!
We went off for lunch in one of the many restaurants under the Galata Bridge. The view was super. We had been avoiding fish in Turkey because our sneak peeks gave us the impression that it wasn’t really cooked. But this was a seafood restaurant, so we decided to give it a shot. Surprisingly, it was very well cooked!
After seeing the walls of ancient Constantinople, we went to the Eyup-Pierre Loti Aerial Cable for what is claimed to be one of the best views of Istanbul. It lived up to its reputation. We were also told that the largest graveyard in the city was right underneath the rope way. I wondered if it was a coincidence. The ropeway ride itself is less than a couple of minutes, but there was a huge queue when we alighted.
We got back to the Galata Bridge area for the Bosphorus cruise. On one side is Asia and the other Europe. What a unique river, and city – separating two continents and cultures. There are quite a few lavish houses on the Asian side from the Ottoman era, supposedly owned by the then commanders of the army. In addition to the Bosphorus bridge, we saw another – the Mehmed Bridge, named after Mehmed the Conqueror, who brought Constantinople under his sway at the age of 21. Also near the bridge was a castle he constructed. Of course, modern Istanbul is represented nearby in the form of the hippest night club in town, as per the guide. The boat ride offered a fantastic view of the city – Asian and European sides.The latter is more ‘happening’, though it only has 3% of the population! While the ride itself was awesome, the only tip is that it is a service open to the public, so do not attempt the loo!
After we got back on solid ground, we had exactly an hour for our shopping at Grand Bazaar, thanks to Istanbul traffic. Arrgh! The distance is actually just over a kilometre! The bazaar is supposed to close by 7, though we found some shops open until 7.30. Speed shopping happened for lamp, crockery, trinkets for friends and even a little water pipe! 😀 Though the place is supposed to have exorbitant prices, we had compared with other places and with some haggling, it isn’t so bad. We didn’t find such variety in any other place. We walked back to the hotel, and were told that Olive didn’t have a window seat.
Between the receptionist and me, we tried a few places but it was a Friday night and getting a table was proving impossible. We decided to go to Olive, but then the taxi was delayed. I wondered whether they’d hold the table. We finally reached the place, and found it had a fantastic view of the city, but not from where we sat. After we placed the order, I asked if we could get a table with a view whenever it got free. The hostess smiled and said “How about I give you a seat now?” Turned out they had one, someone had reserved and not turned up! w00t!
Both the view and the dinner was splendid. They serve fusion cuisine – traditional Turkish with a twist. We had Manti dumplings and Ottoman Palace style lamb, with a bunch of interesting cocktails named after local landmarks – Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace – and Istanbul Nights. The service was super friendly, and I’d recommend the place very highly. They also helped us with a taxi, and the last night in Turkey was exactly what I’d wished for. 🙂
