Ultimately, we called an Uber which sends a city taxi, to go to the Süleymaniye Mosque, the largest in Istanbul. We could have walked, but I wanted to save my mom’s legs and take it easy to the Third Hill (there are seven like in Rome).
Ozan remarked that the calligraphy and dome were quite beautiful which we noticed ourselves:
Outside the mosque:
Then inside where we interacted with volunteers who had literature in different languages about Islam and the Koran. We noticed the ostrich eggs hanging from the chandeliers which we learned previously keeps the spiders and bugs away…
There was also a helpful and interactive iPad where Mama Kim learned more about Islam, Mosque features, and etc in Korean:
Then we walked down hill to the main street, so we could call an Uber easier - I felt it wastes time to wait for them to navigate to us on the old and serpentine roads.
After a 5 minute ride up the road to Balat, we arrived at the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, also known as the Iron Church. It’s a Bulgarian Orthodox church and famous for being made of prefabricated cast iron and a UNESCO World Heritage site:
Before entering, a man dropped his shoe polishing brush and Mama Kim nicely pointed it out as the man offered a shine. Justin and I quickly admonished her as Ozan had told us that was a ruse to get one to pay for a shoeshine and they haggle you for more money. Mama Kim noted she had forgotten the scam, but was apt to point out she’s wearing sneakers and didn’t need a shine. He quickly walked away as we babbled and bickered in Korean.
Then we walked five minutes east to Fener where we visited the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George. Per Wikipedia, it is the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople whose leader is regarded as the primus inter pares (first among equals) and is frequently looked upon as the spiritual leader of the 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. I explained to my mom it’s like the Pope for the Greek Orthodox Christians.
There was tight security to enter and you had to leave all water bottles outside. Apparently, it had been subject to a bomb attack and incidents when the country has experienced Turkish nationalism:
Considering its status in Christianity, it’s not as ornate or grand as the Ottomans required that non-Islamic buildings must be smaller and humbler per Wikipedia. We still found it glitzy - a few photos:
We saw a man kneeling on the ground and praying while touching this column. With the help of two Brits, we Googled and learned this was a significant Christian relic: a portion of the Column of Christ's Flagellation. This sacred pillar is believed to be the stone to which Jesus was bound and whipped. The Pakistani Brit and I decided we had to donate and touch the column together, because we could use all the luck and spirituality under the same God:
After walking through a touristy street in Fener, we meandered down to the ferry which took about 5 minutes. Orzan had suggested it, but warned they are not as frequent midday than the ferries near Old Town and our hotel. Thus, why we took taxis instead of buses and trams, and so we could be leisurely to make the 12:20 ferry and waited a fast 30 minutes:
The ferry travels through the Golden Horn, which is the primary inlet of the Bosphorus and creates a natural border of “Old Istanbul”. It was nice to see the old and new of Istanbul on each European side.
But for our third day, we headed to the Asian part of Istanbul after a 30 minute ferry ride. Ozan had suggested going in the afternoon when the neighborhood was more lively. The Asian side is very residential and the most popular neighborhood to visit is Kadıköy. I read it had bohemian vibes and lots of shops and cafés.
Upon arrival, we snacked on street chestnuts. Mama Kim had wanted to try as it reminded her of Korea. Ozan had explained many are undercover cops or informants and he knew because his dad was a cop:
At the top of the shopping district, there a statue of a bull, called Altıyol (Six Ways):
Some of the shopping streets which are pedestrian only:
We had seen on a Korean travel show and my colleague had raved about a fish sandwich he ate on a recent trip. Our timing didn’t work with the neighborhood and fish stand he had recommended, but we shared one from an Eater listicle shop:
The ferry back to the Old Town departs every 20 minutes. You could see what we sight-saw yesterday from the water - from left to right the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapi Palace:
We traveled under Galata Bridge to make a quick stop in Karaköy with all the fishermen:
Here’s a view of Eminönü as we docked - a super busy waterfront right in front of the Spice Market and a 10 minute walk to our hotel:
We walked along busy shopping streets around our neighborhood of Sirkeci. It’s popular as it’s between Old Town and Beyoğlu and many upscale hotels.
A few blocks from our hotel, we stopped in Şehzade Cağ Kebap which we almost tried before, but weren’t hungry or overwhelmed with how busy it seemed. It had come highly recommended and had lots of press clippings posted on the outside. They specialized in Cağ Kebap which is horizontally stacked marinated rotating lamb. It was delish and we wanted to eat more, but wanted to save our appetite for dinner:
An easy day of sightseeing and we decided to rest before heading out to dinner at Neolokal. We took the Tram #1 to Karaköy - we’ve driven, walked, ferried, and now taken the tram between these two popular neighborhoods.
Justin and mom had the normal tasting menu and for fun, I ordered the vegetarian. Many of the dishes looked the same and we enjoyed observing a proposal on one side and a flute performance of happy birthday by a Russian family on another, along with the views. Photos and collages below:
Nearby, I walked to Galata Tower which only took a few minutes and then headed back to the hotel. A photo of the Genoese former watchtower up close:
Three full days and we saw the best of Istanbul! And we ended it with a relaxed day and early night as we have an early flight to Greece tomorrow!
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