Med Cruise: Istanbul

In this first post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Istanbul, Turkey on her Mediterranean Cruise on Crystal.

I am exploring parts of the Mediterranean on my inaugural cruise on Crystal. The 7-night cruise on Crystal Symphony kicks off in Istanbul, Turkey and wraps up in Venice, Italy. Join me as I explore the many wonderful ports in Turkey, Greece, Croatia, and Italy along the way!

Crystal Mediterranean Cruise Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about my time pre-cruise in Istanbul, Turkey.

• Pre-Cruise – September 6-8: Istanbul, Turkey
• Cruise Day 1 – September 9: At Sea
• Cruise Day 2 – September 10: Kusadasi, Turkey
• Cruise Day 3 – September 11: At Sea
• Cruise Day 4 – September 12: Katakolon, Greece
• Cruise Day 5 – September 13: Corfu, Greece
• Cruise Day 6 – September 14: Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Post-Cruise – September 15: Venice, Italy

Pre-Cruise: Istanbul

My incredible first Crystal cruise adventure kicked off in style with some time in Istanbul before the cruise itself started. After starting on September 6 on a rather long journey from Tampa to Istanbul, I had one full day on my own to explore Istanbul before embarking on the ship.

Long Journey from Tampa to Istanbul

It took three planes, two rather long layovers, and a couple of delays, but after about 34 hours I arrived in Istanbul safe, sound, and sleepy. The first flight from Tampa to Washington, DC was the shortest of the three. I then had about a 7-hour layover in DC, before experiencing the first delay. There were some mechanical issues with the plane, so that delayed boarding for a bit. Re-fueling issues then caused some further delays. But we eventually got going, just in time to see a gorgeous sunset as we were taking off. I settled in and got a few hours of sleep before waking up to see a gorgeous sunrise as we arrived in Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam I had another long layover, about 6 hours. Another short delay here meant we were a bit late taking off. A refreshing raspberry drink was waiting for me onboard my Turkish Airlines flight. I then got to enjoy a delicious Turkish dinner before settling in for a short catnap. The approach into Istanbul was beautiful as dusk settled over the city.

Hotel Amira

I arrived at Hotel Amira around 10:30PM local time. My room was wonderfully large and had a big veranda that has a water view. I took a quick shower and hopped into the big, comfortable bed for a good night’s sleep.

The next day, September 7, was a gorgeous day. I woke up and enjoyed a nice cup of tea out on my private veranda. I explored a bit more of the hotel after breakfast.

A Delicious Lunch

I enjoyed a delicious lunch in a beautiful spot today. The Garden 1897 Restaurant is a tranquil garden setting tucked away in the heart of the old town. Delicious bread fresh off of the grill was first up. A mixed mezze plate with lots of wonderful flavors to sample and savor was my main course. My delicious lunch ended with a piece of Baklava and some hot tea.

The Blue Mosque

After a nice, relaxing lunch I was ready to get out and explore the vibrant city of Istanbul. I met my local guide, Atakan, who took me on a wonderful walking tour. Our first stop was the stunning Blue Mosque, officially called Sultan Ahmed, or Sultanahmet, Mosque. It is an active mosque today. It was built in the early 1600s. The name of “Blue Mosque” comes from the predominant use of blue inside and out. Because it is an active mosque, everyone must remove their shoes inside and women must cover their hair.

The mosque has six distinctive minarets. Before modern technology, the Imam (leader) would climb up the minarets to do the calls to prayer five times a day.

Men and women have separate areas for prayers. The men’s prayer area is directly in front of the mihrab (a niche indicating the direction of Mecca). The women’s prayer area is on the other side of the mosque.

The boys and men in training to be an Imam used the open room shown below. They would gather here during prayers and recite, in unison, the same prayer the Imam was giving. Because of the great acoustics and the number of men (usually around 20 or so), it would allow everyone to hear the prayers.

The gorgeous chandelier used the be lit with oil candles, but this modernized version is electric. It is fairly low to the ground for two reasons: it provided better light that way, and it was further away from the gorgeous blue tile mosaics that line the interior of the domed structure so the smoke would not damage them. There are also several ostrich eggs suspended from the chandelier…these are natural deterrents to spiders!

The Hippodrome

The second stop of my walking tour was the Hippodrome. This is the site of the original stadium where thousands of spectators would watch chariot races and other events. Most of the original structure is gone, except for three obelisks. The tall obelisk in the left picture below is called the “wall” obelisk because it is made like a stone wall. The shorter green obelisk originally had three snake heads at the top, but the heads were lost long ago. The coils on the base that remain were the snake bodies coiled together.

The third obelisk was brought (ahem…I mean stolen!) from Egypt. It has a matching obelisk that is currently in Paris. This one had some of its base cut off because it wouldn’t fit on the smaller ship needed to bring it here to Istanbul! It now sits on a different base. The one in Paris is still intact, because those ships were larger. So, the hieroglyphics here tell a story of great victory, but the end of the story got cut off!

There is also a more modern covered fountain here, an elaborate gift from Wilhelm II. The interior dome is lined with real gold! There are a LOT of police patrolling the area to ensure the gold stays in place. This is one of many fountains here in Istanbul. One must cleanse oneself before each of the five daily prayers (and there is a specific list of what must be washed, in which order, and how many times), so people often use these fountains before prayers.

Hagia Sophia

Next up on my Istanbul walking tour was the Hagia Sophia, a truly unique place! There’s a ton of history here, so here’s the website for those who want to read more: Hagia Sophia | Müze İstanbul (muze.gen.tr).

In a nutshell, it was built as an Eastern Roman Church, with all of the associated Christian iconography. Then it was converted to a mosque and all references to Christianity were covered in plaster and replaced with Muslim iconography. Then it was converted to a museum, and they started restoring some of the original iconography. But then three years ago it was converted back to a mosque and is an active mosque today.

Hagia Sophia Iconography

With its back-and-forth history, there is an interesting mix of Christian and Muslim iconography here. Many of the Christian items have been uncovered and restored, but because this is an active mosque, they must be covered during prayer times. So, there are many curtains and other coverings (as seen just above the doorway in the left picture, below) that are used to cover items during prayers and then are lowered after prayers.

Other interesting items are things like the arrow-shaped item on one of the doors…this was originally a cross, but the horizontal cross bars were removed and moved to the top to create the arrow. If you look closely, you can still see the nail holes where the cross bars used to be.

The central ceiling surrounding the main dome is another example of the ‘hybrid’ nature of this building. There are four archangel-like figures at the four corners. One of the four (the one in the lower left of the picture on the left, below) has had its face uncovered during the renovations. However, the other three still have the faces covered in plaster. When Muslims pray, there cannot be any images of animate figures visible in the room. My guide, Atakan, and I had some fun with selfies inside!

Hagia Sophia Niches

When originally built as a church, the main niche was situated to face Jerusalem. As it was converted to a mosque, the Mihrab (niche) had to face Mecca. Apparently, Jerusalem and Mecca are a few degrees apart when viewed from Istanbul – you’ll see that the Mihrab is ever-so-slightly askew from the main windows in the larger niche!

One final interesting story I heard on the way out was regarding this gorgeous mosaic below. It is situated above the main exit door. Unfortunately, it is behind everyone as they walk out of the building, so they installed a huge mirror on the wall across the way so people would not have to stop and look back to see the mosaic on the way out.

Basilica Cistern

The final stop on the walking tour was at the underground Basilica Cistern. It’s the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. These used to store water for the people of Istanbul to use. Today, nearly all of the water is gone…they keep a small amount on the ground for dramatic effect. But when it was actively used, this area was full with water nearly up to the ceiling!

Two of the columns near the back are much shorter than the others, so bits of salvaged material were used to raise them to the correct height. Both have remnants of old Medusa statues as their base. One has her head sideways, and the other has her head upside down.

The columns here are all salvaged from other sites in the area, so there are various patterns, sizes and widths.

Turkish Dining

After an amazing afternoon exploring the city, I headed back to my hotel to relax and enjoy the pretty sunset from my private veranda. I chose to stay at the hotel and enjoy dinner out at the rooftop bar and grill. I had hummus and chicken shish, both of which were delish!

The next morning, September 8, was my last breakfast at the hotel. I enjoyed the bountiful buffet of fresh fruits and veggies, hot dishes like eggs and potatoes, and fresh-baked breads. I also tried the local specialty called Gözleme. This is like a quesadilla – it’s a flatbread stuffed with your choice of savory fillings. I had spinach and cheese, which was so good! Each one is made to order and cooked over a hot griddle by a lovely woman.

Ready To Embark

After breakfast I snapped one last selfie out on my private veranda before heading out to the port for embarkation day!

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Istanbul before the cruise started. It is such a vibrant city, filled with interesting history and wonderful people. My walking tour gave me a wonderful overview of the highlights of the city, but as always there is so much more to see and do here. One day is definitely not enough time, but I enjoyed the time I did have here. I got to visit mosques for the first time, and my fantastic guide patiently explained a lot of the traditions and rituals of the Muslim faith to me. I also got to sample some new foods and flavors, which were all fabulous.

Links

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Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.