Steve and Alison's Excellent Adventure...: Turkish Holiday

Turkish Alison & Steve

Before Christmas, we spent over a week in Turkey, an inexpensive six-hour flight from the U.A.E. We divided our sojourn between Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, the seat of both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires; and Selcuk, a stone’s throw from the ancient Greek-Roman metropolis of Ephesus. Remember all of those second readings from Paul to the Ephesians? Well, Turkey is the place (also the former site of Old Testament Sumerian and Hittite rule).

Harem and Sultan Quarters at Topkapi Palace

In Istanbul, we played tourists at the sites everyone on Trip Advisor visits, including the Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar and a Turkish bath. Constructed in 1459, the grand Topkapi estate once housed 4000 officials, military, and servants, including a friendly harem and assorted eunuchs. With indoor plumbing and a harem, the sultan had it pretty good, at parties tossing gold coins along “the Golden Path.”

Outside of the Aya Sophia

The Aya Sophia, which you might remember from your history books as either the Sancta Sophia (Latin) or Hagia Sophia (Greek) was begun by Emperor Justinian in 532; the structure served
for almost a millennium as The Great Eastern Orthodox cathedral (then the world’s largest) before its conversion to a mosque in 1453 after the conquest of the Ottoman Turks.As such, the edifice comprises an amalgam of traditions, with bundled angels, various Byzantine Christ-figures, and assorted huge, black Arab-script medallions.

Inside Hajia Sophia - Angels

Inside Hajia Sophia - Names of Allah

The Blue Mosque is blue, and still functions as a mosque today. The interior sports intricate blue tiles from Isnik, formerly Nicea. Alison would like to visit there in the future and purchase some tiles; no doubt I will play the pachyderm.

On our way to the Blue Mosque, we met a Kurdish Turk who had lived in Louisiana and South Carolina. He gained entrance for us into the mosque and provided an “insider’s perspective” right before the mosque closed for afternoon prayers.

Blue Mosque - Clouds enhance the blue

Inside the Blue Mosque

After the tour, we scurried back through the drizzle to his family’s carpet shop to learn about carpets. We sipped tea, discussed the city of New Orleans, explored different types of Turkish rugs, and left with two new tribal Kurdish carpets, which I carried for the remainder of the trip.

Runner for Entrance Hall

Influenced by Noah's Ark

We enjoyed the hidden gem of the Basilica Cistern, an underground water structure, begun by Justinian (with the help of some 7000 slaves). You may remember Sean Connery paddling a canoe through the dingy columns in the James Bond film From Russia with Love. Alison, a modern scientist, wants me to note that all of the columns were recycled from other haunts around the empire. The Medusa head was the best, even if it was in the dark and flipped on its side.

Cistern

Medusa - turned sideways

Although the Grand Bazaar did not sell a giant Medusa head, it had everything else. In a hidden, upstairs room (which caused me to flashback to “Midnight Express”), Alison purchased a black-leather “Prada” purse for herself and a nice leather school satchel for me. In addition, I got a red fez with a black tassel, which makes me look, with my goatee, like a precursor to Atatürk.

Purchases secure!

Steve with fez

The Turkish bath was outstanding. There are no photos allowed of course, so Google image provides a glimpse inside for you.

The outside light enters the bath just like it did 500 years ago. While our ancestors in Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of Europe were busy avoiding water and the plague, the Turks were living in humidor of luxury. My massage had none of the niceties of the West: no Windham Hill instrumentals, low lights, or endless convo about avoiding past injuries. Instead, my masseur wrenched my joints and cracked my sternum. Monty Python alum Michael Palin had an Turkish bath experience similar to mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8YuHIpOjw. On the hand, Alison found herself pampered in the hefty bosom of two Turkish grandmothers who sang lilting Turkish songs as they bathed and then massaged her like an Ottoman princess.

The weather hovered around 35° F, about a forty-degree drop from Abu Dhabi, forcing us to don light jackets. Near our hotel at the Crowne Plaza, we found a restaurant with great schnitzel, and belly dancers of both genders. After several moderately priced taxis, we successfully transitioned to ultra-cheap public streetcars with ease.

Crown Plaza decorated for Christmas

Trolleys - easy to navigate

After five days in Istanbul, we flew Turkish Air to Izmir (No, we did not see Barcelona’s Messi or the injury-ridden Kobe on the flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhFqSlvbKAM) before renting a car to Selcuk. Alison managed the stick shift like a pro. Anyway, the pace in bucolic southeastern Turkey was relaxed, a nice respite from city life.

View during our drive to Selcuk

The Rebetiki Hotel abutted the entrance of St. John’s Church, where the beloved disciple is buried. The hotel was simple, but functional and included drinks on the roof and olive tea. The vistas from the roof were amazing, especially the sunsets. We had a singular view of three religions: Ruins of the Temple of Artemis, St. John’s Basilica, and the Isa Bey Mosque.

Artemis, St. John, & Isa Bey -3 Religions

Sunset from hotel roof

Steve eating oranges we bought

Rebetiki Hotel in Selcuk

After a steep mountain drive, we visited a prayerful shrine to the Virgin Mary, where she is said to have spent the last years of her life. While the Roman relics in Ephesus are consistently impressive, the façade of the library stood out. We made the right call in catching a taxi to the top and walking downhill to our rental.

Alison with Statue to the Virgin

Chapel to the Virgin Mary

Terraced Houses in Ephesus

Celsius Library at Ephesus

We had lunch at the restaurant between the mountain and Ephesus

Because we seemed such gentle yet spirited souls, the innkeeper Suleiman hosted a going-away barbeque for us on the Aegean Sea. We had intended to fish, but mostly drank raki (Alison stuck with water and coke). Like its Greek cousin ouzo, raki is a licorice-based liquor, called “Lion’s milk” because it turns cloudy in water (A tidbit I learned from reading the contemporary Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk). On the Winter solstice, Alison spent a little too much time with her toes in the water and caught a chill. How did yours truly manage to stave off illness? MORE Yeni Raki of course.