It is international workers' day and our hotel is steps away from Taksim Square, where there were deadly riots in 1977 on May Day. Workers and unions were planning an event so the authorities were taking precautionary measures and closed the entire area around the square. May Day is particularly sensitive this year because the severe economic downturn has cost many people their jobs. At our breakfast meeting to hand out the scavenges Bill revised the plan by excising two areas that police cordoned off - Taksim Square and two of the boat launch areas. Of course, we had to figure out and plot the scavenges before we would know whether to cross them off.
Actually, Alex and I had seen some serious equipment assembled yesterday in Taksim squre but didn't understand why it was there. A heavy metal temporary fence cordoned off an area packed with shiny black police motorcycles with high windshield guards. Big black ominous machines that looked like earth movers, with cow catchers on the front, and heavily grated windows, with the word "Polisi" (sp?) painted in white. Also, the hotel left a little note on the pillow, notifying us that some road closures were planned (perhaps a delicate euphemism?). Taksim is a major trolley hub, so today's plans were going to require some serious maneuvering. Bill walked us through the diligence he had done on the anticipated demonstration and was comfortable that if we avoided the hot areas we should be fine. I write at the end of the day and we had no inkling of trouble, other than seeing lots of police (some leaning against walls and yawning) and roadblocks. However, at the meeting tonight, we learned that riot police did use tear gas and water guns on demonstrators.
We spent about one hour figuring out the scavenges and plotting out their locations.
We started at the Galata Tower, from which there is a great view of the city and the rivers. (The clue was the Asian tower where the Birdman made his alleged 17th century flight. Legend has it that some guy donned wings, jumped off the tower and flew across the Bosphorus Strait). We walked across the Galata bridge and took the team photo, which we do by either stopping someone and asking them to take it, or by having Alex reach his left arm out and snap us together. Many of our photos, especially the food evidence photos, are taken like this. We show the food going into our mouths, the right side of my face and the left side of Alex's face. This is not a photo safari.
We checked out the boat schedules to Sariyer - wouldn't work for us. We didn't look into the schedules for the bonus point trips to the Prince Islands and other river-access scavenge destinations because they would probably take 4 or 5 hours and we wanted to do some of the scavenges in the city. Later, we heard that the 5 teams who went together to Princes' Islands had a fabulous time and likened it to Capri. Oh well, you can't do everything.
Ditching the boat ride idea, we went into the Spice Bazaar and bought a trinket as required (eyeball keychain for Max). Then, because it was noon and a designated food scavenge, Rumeli Cafe was nearby, we stopped for lunch. The waiter was a willing subject for a 15 second video on International workers' day. He addressed the questions we posed regarding employment benefits (paid medical coverage and 2 weeks unpaid vacation which he will take in Italy, letting his inlaws come visit at a different time while he is working, rather than use his vacation time to travel to quiet Eastern Turkey) and his view on the May Day demonstration (that unions and government workers have it very good but push for more). We also asked him if he had a particular hammam (Turkish bath) to recommend. We wanted to do the bath scavenge and had already gotten a name from one of Alex's friends. Facebook has been amazing for Alex. Because he is posting his trip updates on Facebook, he has met friends in Seattle, Bangkok and Delhi. The waiter looked at the name and said it was very tourisitic, and that he recommended a different bath which he goes to and was near the restaurant. We decided to use the waiter's recommendation and tucked away the directions for later.
We visited Hagia Sofia, which was built as a church in 537 and was used as a church for over 900 years, until it was converted for use as a mosque. The mosaics are beautiful, but very few remain. I am struck that the exact opposite thing happened in Spain, where the mosques were taken over by Christians and converted to churches. Next was to find the Little Hagia Sofia, a quite small mosque tucked in a residential neighborhood. We had been asking people all day what and where it was. We got conflicting answers but a consistent unanimity on the general area where it was. Fortunately, we bumped into fellow travelers Bev and Buz, and Sylvia and Jackie who had just come from there. We swapped information on where Rumeli Cafe, the food scavenge was that we had just finished. We made plans to all meet for dinner at 7:30 to see a whirling dervish to try to satisfy the scavenge of visiting the temple where the Whirling Dervishes perform and catch a performance. We located the temple (near Galata Tower), but it was closed. We were told it probably would not be happening today. Since the Dervish wasn't doing his thing today, we figured we'd try this substitute with the group - besides, it's fun to get together. They also informed us that they had just come from trying to do the scavenges in the Covered Bazaar, but the crowds were so thick you couldn't get in. They were advised by a few shopkeepers to come back around 4 PM when it would be less crowded. Armed with that helpful information, we deferred our plans to visit the Covered Bazaar
and grabbed a cab to do a drive-by photo of a particular aqueduct, and then to Eyup's mosque and tomb. Beautiful spot outside of central Istanbul, with a pedestrian plaza area surrounding the mosque. According to our lame guidebook, the types of people who frequently go to Eyup's tomb to pray are: "the boys to be circumcised' the hopeless patients in search for a remedy, and the sports teams to play national games". There are intensely decorated blue and green tiles marking the entrance to Eyup's tomb, and which were easy to find because a crowd was gathered at the spot. We took off our shoes with the crowd and shuffled into the small (20 x 20 foot?) mosque. Everyone in the brightly colored (but darkened) tile room was standing in the same position: serious-expressioned, facing forward, with arms bent at the elbows like they were holding cafeteria trays except that their hands were cupped open as though about to receive liquid to be poured into them. I felt uncomfortable, like an uninvited voyeur, and even though my body was completely clothed with no skin showing and my head wrapped in a long shawl, I know I stood out as not belonging, by virtue of my height and microfibre quik dry pants. I gently jostled through those praying and slid out the exit. Alex (who doesn't look like much of a reverant Muslim Turk either), was steps behind me.
We went out to the main square to look for a taxi. First, we made a quick stop at the ATM. The ATMs in Istanbul are frequently clustered together in a freestanding kiosk, where three banks' machines are lined up side by side, with an awning to help protect from rain and sun glare. HSBC, Bank Garanti and the other one. All seem to be on Plus, Cirris, Visa, Mastercard. This city is EASY!!
We took a taxi back to the Covered Market. By the way, our taxi rip off rate is about 50 percent. We have succeeded in controlling the fare, it's just that we sometimes end up on longer, indirect routes at higher cost. However, we mostly get around by walking and the city is glorious to walk in.
Kapali Carsi (the Covered Bazaar) is a market on steroids. There are 18 gates into it, 3500 shops, 15,000 tradesmen and 80 streets and roads inside of it. Historically,
It was a shopping and trade center and slave market. At the beginning of the 19th century, people running away from the Russian revolution brought antiques with them. We had 6 scavenges to do inside, plus a mandatory food challenge just outside one of the gates, to find the freestanding counter at Gulluoglu's and try some su borek (a delicious cheese pastry in phyllo that tastes kinda sorta like a savory cheese kugel). The scavenges inside the Covered Bazaar seemed to be designed to get us in the guts of it and engaged in talking with vendors and getting answers. Find the Old Book Market. Have a beverage at Sark Kahvesi. Name three people who have purchased carpets from Sisko Osman (answer: Queen Beatrix of Holland, Harvey Keitel and Christy Turlington - all of whose photos while in the store were on the wall - and maybe Linda Fain too, but I didn't notice her picture). Buy an Iznik blue something of your choice (signed piece from a region of Turkey - we got a small pretty bowl). Find some matrioshka (nesting) dolls from Russia.
Q: Over the entrance is a quote. Who wrote it and what does it say?
A: "God Loves Tradesmen", from Abdulhamid II.
We did all those things including sitting down for having the drink (Turkish coffee for Alex, cold Coke for me), in one hour. Off to the baths!!! I will do a separate blog on that.
After the bath, we went to Cafe Mesale, next to the Blue Mosque, for dinner and dervish. Because it was raining by now, we weren't surprised that nobody else showed up as planned. We wanted to stay anyway. The food was wonderful. Our kind of food. Delicious meze plates of roasted eggplant in olive oil, garlic yogurt, grilled lamb, chicken, vegetables and rice. Yum! The dervish joined the live musicians around 8:30 and we got to see him spin around. The Dervish is a handsome slender man, dressed in a white jacket, a long full white skirt, and a fez. He spins around in place like a top while the music whips into a frenzy. One would think he would stagger over sideways or throw up or fall down - or at least switch direction. I write this in complete ignorance, as we didn't ask the waiter or anyone else, for an explanation and the almost useless guidebook was silent on the subject of whirling dervishes. I suppose that unless I remember to google it when I get home, even though I have seen one and took four pictures of him, I may need to continue using the expression "Whirling Dervish" in ignorance of what it really means.
Back to the hotel by cab via a ridiculous route that plumped up the fare even though we called the driver on it. We got back with time to spare before the meeting.
To Tunis, Tunisia Tomorrow! Ta Ta.